and the girls all go freekeh freekeh.

So, as I mentioned, I found the smoked green wheat called firik/freekeh/farik on Monday, after like a two-year casual search. "Casual search" meaning that any time I would see a vaguely Middle Eastern grocer I would check for it, and, as so often happens, it was right under my nose at Interfood, a large halal butcher/grocer on the Groen van Prinstererstraat kind of near De Avondmarkt. They have fresh lamb heads, brains, and hearts in their display case, to give you an idea of their street cred.

And, although firik (this is what the bag I bought calls it, so that's what we'll call it) is not on my diet, you can imagine that I sort of had to make a small batch this morning for tasting purposes. Good news: it's great. Slightly more chewy/toothy than bulgur, but not as much so as spelt, plus? It's smoked. I added salt, a tiny bit of EVOO, and 4 molecules of cinnamon and it was totally good...a perfect addition to the vegetarian/vegan cooking arsenal, and yes, worth the wait.

EDIT: Maybe it will go on my diet after all...here's an article about freekeh's astounding nutritive content.

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freekeh.

1/2 cup firik/freekeh/farik

1 1/2 cups water

pinch salt

four molecules cinnamon

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Boil water, and wash/rinse freekeh while you wait. Add boiling water, salt, cinnamon, and freekeh to saucepan, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 10 min. Stir in olive oil, eat. Serves 2.

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