Roasted Cauliflower Salad w/ Freekeh & Fried Prosciutto



Looking thru the October issue of Food & Wine, I came across a beautiful looking salad titled Farro Salad w/ Fried Cauliflower & Prosciutto.
I bookmarked it hoping to make it, but knew I never would.

I knew my husband would never eat anything called farro, sounds too healthy for him. But since I am on a healthier eating kick, I figured why not try it after all.

I went to Trader Joe's and asked for farro. Nope. No one there had ever heard of it.
Ok, I told them it was a type of bulgur wheat or grain.

Nope. Still no one could help me with farro.

Then I found a product, called FREEKEH, it looked like farro, and was fully cooked in a package. So I winged it, and bought it.

Freekeh was a good substitute for farro. It is a cereal grain made from green wheat and is found mostly in Arabic countries such as Egypt, Algeria and Jordan. It's used mostly in Middle Eastern cooking.
I found it had a wonderful nutty flavor, and the fact that it was already cooked, was half the battle.



More changes to the original recipe:

Instead of frying the cauliflower, I roasted it with some kosher salt & olive oil at 425 degrees, as I always do. I pan fried the prosciutto to make prosciutto bits and also added golden raisins for a little sweetness.

I loved it.

You can omit the prosciutto to make this a healthy vegetarian dish.

I will admit, the carnivore husband did not like it all. Way too healthy for him.
(He didn't like the name FREEKEH either. He thought it sounded "freaky").



"FREAKY" CAULIFLOWER SALAD:

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
olive oil & kosher salt

package of already cooked Freekeh (green wheat)
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 lb. prosciutto, cut into pieces
5 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup of good extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of flat leaf parsley, chopped
handful of golden raisins

Arrange your cauliflower florets on a baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt and drizzle with olive oil. Roast at 425 for about 20 minutes until browning. Set aside.

Open your package of cooked Freekeh and place in a large bowl.
Add golden raisins, chopped parsley, lemon juice & olive oil.

In a small frying pan, cook your prosciutto pieces until they are getting crispy, about 5 minutes, then add your chopped garlic at the last minute to the pan.



Add your crispy prosciutto bits and cooked garlic to the freekeh mixture.

Add your roasted cauliflower to the bowl and mix all ingredients.

This was FREAKIN' good!



Comments

It looks freakin good to me,I never met a grain I didn't like. I would've shared it with you! I love roasted cauliflower, I usually do breadcrumbs,fresh parsley, and romano cheese on mine.
LaDue & Crew said…
Now I would have been all over this! Guys...geesh! I love farro- I can send you some if you'd like ;-)
kat said…
Ok how do we get your husband past this because this looks like a wonderful dish!
Ciao Chow Linda said…
Your freekeh is a new one on me. It looks a lot like the wheat kernels I used in my pastiera. You can buy farro kernels at the Whole Earth Center, a health food store not far from my home. Come check it out next time you're in Princeton.
StaceyEsq said…
Doggybloggy stole my comment!

I know you love to chop and it shows!! Those morsels of prosciutto and garlic are beautiful to behold.
lisaiscooking said…
Why are men such picky eaters? ;)
I had to hunt a little to find farro. It was a specialty, expensive item at my normal grocery store. But, then I found it at a little Italian market nearby and at a better price.
Bob said…
Ooooo, that sounds good. I like the look of freekeh, I enjoy grain things like that.
Sara said…
I love farro, have you tried looking at Whole Foods? They might have it. I have had my eye on those bags of freekeh at TJ for a while, it sounds like I should pick some up when I'm there next.
Melissa said…
Like Sara said - Whole Foods. You can get it in bulk there. I've never seen it elsewhere.

Freaky. Haha. It sounds delicious to me, but I don't always have to be a carnivore. LOVE cauliflower.
Dewi said…
I never had Freekeh before, sounds really healthy. Add this the salad with the cauliflower, prosciutto, really sounds delicious...
Cheers,
elra
Funny, I have some freekah in my pantry too. My husband probably would have picked out all the prosciutto so don't feel too bad. More for us!
That looks freekahing delicious! Is it healthy? Wait... I don't want to know if it is... it looks delicious, I'd rather think it wasn't.
How did you get that perfect crust on your cauliflower?
Chef E said…
You have me curious now...the closest Trader Joes is Westfield right? Now I have to get my Freekah on, I know over used joke probably!
Unknown said…
I just bought some Greenwheat Freekeh from www.Freekehlicious.com I tried your recipe and it was out of this world. And, not only is freekeh delicious but highly nutritional as well.

I highly recommend trying a box or two. (I like the cracked freekeh)

Keep the recipes coming!!!