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Freekeh and artichoke salad with golden onions, sultanas and herb labneh

Name: Freekeh and artichoke salad with golden onions, sultanas and herb labneh
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: freekeh 200g; large sultanas (we used Waitrose Orange River Sultanas) 50g; onions 2 large, halved and sliced; olive oil; sherry vinegar 3 tbsp; caster sugar 1 tsp; cumin seeds 2 tsp, toasted; good quality artichokes hearts in olive oil 280g jar, drained; dill ½ a small bunch, chopped; full-fat Greek yoghurt 200g; dill finely chopped to make 2 tbsp; parsley finely chopped to make 2 tbsp

40 minutes + overnight straining
serves 6
Easy

Freekeh is a roasted green wheat grain that has three times the fibre of brown rice and scores low on the GI scale. Here it is added to a healthy vegetarian salad with artichokes and homemade labneh

By Janine Ratcliffe

Published: January 19, 2015 at 9:03 am

Ingredients

freekeh 200g
large sultanas (we used Waitrose Orange River Sultanas) 50g
onions 2 large, halved and sliced
olive oil
sherry vinegar 3 tbsp
caster sugar 1 tsp
cumin seeds 2 tsp, toasted
good quality artichokes hearts in olive oil 280g jar, drained
dill ½ a small bunch, chopped

HERB LABNEH

full-fat Greek yoghurt 200g
dill finely chopped to make 2 tbsp
parsley finely chopped to make 2 tbsp

Method

Step 1

To make the labneh, stir a good pinch of salt into the yoghurt then tip into sieve lined with a muslin or clean J-cloth. Put the sieve over a bowl, then cover with clingfilm and chill overnight. Next day, tip the contents of the sieve into a dish and make a few swirls on the surface. Mix the herbs with some olive oil and pour over.
Step 2

Cook the freekeh in boiling salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, put the sultanas in a bowl and pour boiling water over to cover.
Step 3

Cook the onions in olive oil in a large frying pan until really caramelised and golden. (This can take 20-30 minutes, so be patient.) Drain the sultanas. Take a third of the onion out of the frying pan, then add the vinegar, sugar, cumin, drained sultanas and another 2 tbsp olive oil to the pan. Stir thoroughly, then take off the heat and season.
Step 4

Drain the freekeh well, then tip into a bowl. Add the onion and sultana mix and all the liquid from the pan. Toss everything together.
Step 5

Pile the freekeh onto a serving plate. Add the artichokes and dill, then toss gently through the freekeh. Dollop over teaspoonfuls of the labneh, then scatter over the reserved onions and a few more herbs, if you like.