Freekeh with Chicken Livers and Fried Onion with homemade chicken stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade chicken stock ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Put the chicken, the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns and the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that rises during the first 15 minutes with a spoon.

   StovePot
2. 2
   Turn down and simmer gently 2.5–3 hours.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
3. 3
   Strain the stock.

   Colander

For the Caramelized Onion

1. 4
   Ahead of time, Soak the freekeh 10 minutes in hot water and drain.

   Bowl

   💡Soak in plenty of water, well above what's being soaked: legumes and grains swell and drink water, and whatever sticks out stays hard. Drain well before continuing.
2. 5
   Slice the onion into thin half-rings.

   KnifeCutting board
3. 6
   Heat the oil in a wide pot and fry the onion over low heat 20–25 minutes, stirring, until it is deep brown.

   StoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Onion caramelizes with patience: over medium heat it reaches deep brown in about half an hour, over low heat it takes close to an hour, and over high heat it burns at the edges before it softens. A pinch of salt at the start draws out its liquid, and when it starts to stick, add a tablespoon of water and scrape the bottom.
4. 7
   Remove all the onion from the pot and set aside.

To assemble

1. 8
   Add another tablespoon of oil to the pot and fry the liver over high heat 3–4 minutes per side, until browned.

   StoveWide, shallow pot
2. 9
   Sprinkle the cumin, cinnamon, paprika, salt and black pepper over the liver and stir.
3. 10
   Add the freekeh and stock and bring to a boil.

   Stove
4. 11
   Turn down the heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes, until the freekeh is cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed.

   StoveLid
5. 12
   Serve with the caramelized onion, the toasted pine nuts and the parsley.