White Horse Inn Berrima | Restaurant, Acommodation, Historic Inn

To cook green wheat Freekeh using absorption method put 2 cups of freekah in a saucepan with salt if required or any other flavouring. I put a cinnamon stick, garlic clove and lemon peel in with mine. Bring to boil, turn down to a simmer cover and cook for a further 20 mins until all liquid is absorbed and grains are tender. To overcook add 1 extra cup of water. can also be cooked in a microwave with 2 parts water to 1 part freekah covered and cooked on high for about 10 mins. and rested for a further 5 mine

Freekah Tabouli

100g cooked freekeh cooled
½ very thinly sliced red onion
8 red and 8 yellow cherry tomatoes cut in ¼
¼ red chilli
4 tbs ripped mint leaves
4 tbs ripped continental parsley
Juice of 1 lime

Combine all ingredients and moisten with lime juice. This salad is an ideal accompaniment for chargrilled lamb or goat skewers, chicken or quail, fresh cheeses and is also an excellent accompaniment for fish such as swordfish, marlin or tuna.

Freekah and sweet potato croquettes

100g over cooked Freekeh cooled
300g mashed sweet potato, cooled
200g mashed deserie potatoes, cooled
½ bunch chopped shallots
½ bunch chopped asparagus
¼ tsp cumin
salt and pepper
To crumb flour egg and breadcrumbs
Oil for frying.

Mix all ingredients together, season to taste and mould into2x6 cm cylinders.
Dip into flour then into beaten egg and finally breadcrumbs making sure they are well covered. These can be deep fried in vegetable oil or shallow fried in olive, macadamia or avocado oil. Serve with a salad of lightly dressed mixed leaves

Sauté brussell sprouts with freekeh and pepitas

10 Cleaned and ¼ brussell sprouts
2 cloves garlic
200g cooked freekah
50g toasted pepitas
50ml olive oil
25ml pumpkin seed oil
Salt and lemon pepper

Clean and ¼ sprouts, peel and crush garlic. In a wok heat olive oil and cook garlic add sprout keeping them constantly moving about 4-5 mins add cooked freekah and cook for a further 2 mins add toasted pepitas and seasoning to taste. Serve drizzled with pumpkin seed oil.

Happy cooking

DEREK J HAMLEN

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SPELT AND WALNUT / HAZLENUT SODA BREAD

250g spelt flour
100g wholemeal flour
100g plain flour (all available organic products)
2tsp baking powder
2tsp salt
80g soft butter
2tbs caster sugar
1tsp bicarbonate soda
200g walnuts or hazelnuts (organic if you can get them)
400ml of buttermilk

Method
Combine flours, salt, bicarb, sugar and baking powder, rub in the butter, add nuts and buttermilk to make a firm but not dry dough.
Turn out and give a good kneading for about ten minutes.
Mould into a round ball, deeply cut a cross in the top and put on a floured baking sheet or silicone paper.
Bake in a preheated oven 180'c for about 50 mins or until deep golden and hollow sounding when tapped on the base.

Great with a fresh or matured goats cheese, celery, spring onions and fresh pears.

SLOW COOKED THIRLMERE DUCK CONFIT WITH SPELT AND LINSEED BRIOCHE

For the brioche

3 eggs
1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
200ml warm milk
500g spelt flour
250g soft white plain flour
2tsp sugar
2tsp salt
2tbs linseeds
1 tbs dried tarragon

250g unsalted butter

for the confit

8 duck legs (sold as marylands)
3 tins of duck fat about 1.25lt
1 head of garlic
1 head of fennel
3 onions
1 orange
1 cinnamon stick
4 bay leaves
2 sticks of celery
2 tbs salt crystals

Method

for the brioche:
Combine all dry ingredients, add the warm milk and beat thoroughly. Add the eggs and knead into the dough. cover and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour or until double in size. Soften the butter and beat into the dough. the dough will be quite soft, put small balls into brioche or muffin tins and leave to rise (prove) again.
Bake in a moderate to hot oven 200'c for about 35 mins or until firm.

For the confit

Salt the duck legs, wash peel and roughly chop the vegetables, 1/2 the orange and crumble the cinnamon stick. In a deep baking dish add all the ingredients and cover with the melted duck fat. cover and well seal with foil and cook in a slow oven 160'c for about 4 hours or until the meat is very soft and falls away from the bone.

To serve

Strip the meat from the bone and keep warm, split a brioche across the middle and pile some confit onto the bread letting the rest fall onto the plate. drizzle with a fruit vinegar I use wild blueberry, Cuttaway creek in Mittagong do a very good raspberry one that also goes well. and serve with a puree of Jerusalem artichokes.

BAKED ORGANIC EGGS WITH SAFFRON PINE MUSHROOMS

2 Large organic eggs
65 g butter (organic)
100ml cream
salt flakes
ground pepper pinch nutmeg
300g saffron pine mushrooms, thickly sliced
lemon pepper
half a lemon
Spelt bread

In an ovenproof dish melt 15g butter, add the cream and break eggs on top, season and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake in a moderate oven for about 15 minutes until eggs are just set.

In a heavy saucepan melt the butter and gently fry the mushrooms. Squeeze lemon over and sprinkle with lemon pepper.

Serve with baked eggs and warm spelt toast available for good organic outlets

SLOW ROAST LAMB AND CELERIAC PIE

1 shoulder of lamb (preferably Organic)
1 onion
1 carrot
celeriac tops (greens)
fennel or dill tops (greens)
sprig rosemary
sprig parsley
zest of 1/2 an orange
1/2 a cinnamon stick

1 pkt of fillo pastry
melted butter
1 red onion
small head of celeriac
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper

Slow roast the shoulder of lamb with all the trivet vegetables and herbs WELL wrapped in foil plus 1 cup of warm water, cook for four hours on in low oven 160'c, when cooked meat should fall away from the bone when lightly pressed.
When cool enough to handle strip meat from bone and discard any excess fat or gristle, break or cut into rough 2 inch pieces, peel and finely slice the red onion, peel and grate the celeriac. CRUSH do not chop the peeled garlic add all to the warm meat and cool together.

Well grease an extra large (6) deep muffin tin or pie foils.
Unfold the fillo pastry and cut down the centre giving you even square sheets.
Layer the pastry brushing each layer well with melted butter and placing the next sheet on top but slightly rotated, continue this process for six sheets.
Gently drop the pastry into the tin. you should have plenty of overlap.
Fill each case with lamb mix on fold overlapping pastry on top again brushing with melted butter.

Bake in a moderate oven 180'c - 200'c for about 25 mins or until golden.

Serve with a mint and fennel creme fraiche.