Freekeh with Roasted Root Vegetables

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Roasted Vegetables

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   In a bowl, toss the vegetables, carrot and beets with 2 tbsp of the olive oil, the salt and the black pepper.

   Bowl
3. 3
   Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer, without crowding.

   Baking pan
4. 4
   Roast the vegetables, carrot and beets in a hot oven (200°C / 390°F) 25–30 minutes, until the vegetables are golden.

   ⚙ Oven roastingOvenBaking pan

   💡Give it room in the pan: crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.

For the Fried onion

1. 5
   Heat the rest of the olive oil in a pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStovePot
2. 6
   Add the onion and fry 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 7
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.

To assemble

1. 8
   Add the freekeh and the turmeric, cinnamon and paprika and stir 2 minutes, until all the grains are coated in fat.
2. 9
   Add the chicken soup and bring to a boil.

   Stove
3. 10
   Turn down to low, cover and simmer 25 minutes without opening the lid, until the liquid is absorbed.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
4. 11
   Mix the roasted vegetables into the freekeh.
5. 12
   Turn off the heat and leave covered 5–10 minutes.

   💡Don't open the lid during cooking: the steam is what cooks the top layer. A towel between the pot and the lid absorbs the drips, so the rice doesn't get soggy.
6. 13
   Gently stir in the pine nuts and parsley.
7. 14
   Gently fluff with a fork and serve.