Freekeh with Leeks and Swiss Chard

Sigh.  I'm running out of things to cook.  Okay, that's melodramatic. But it's kind of how I feel.  Can I have hot chocolate and popcorn for dinner?  Ooh that sounds really good.


Besides the hot chocolate and popcorn idea, I've been making less new recipes and turning to old favorites, or tweaking them a bit.  For example, I love this freekeh with kale dish, but in order to avoid burnout, I decided to make it with leeks and swiss chard.  Revolutionary, I know.


Don't feel pressured to make this with freekeh if you can't find it--farro, long grain rice, or some other hearty grain that holds its shape well will do just fine.  Just prepare those grains according to a recipe you can find, and add them to the cooked leeks and swiss chard.


Ingredients:

• 2 TBS butter (or olive oil, or combo of butter/olive oil, doesn't matter that much)
• 2 cups farro, rinsed
• 4 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth)
• 1 bunch swiss chard (about 1 lb), thick stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
• 4 small leeks (the leeks at my grocery store came in bunches of 4, so this is completely arbitrary) or 2 large leeks, or whatever--white and light green parts only, trimmed, and sliced into 1/3 inch rings
• grated parmesan or other cheese of your choice

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and/or olive oil over medium heat.  Add in the freekeh and stir for about 2 minutes.

Add in the broth, bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer freekeh until al dente, about 30-45 minutes (partly depends on what consistency you like).


While freekeh is simmering, prep your swiss chard.

Don't forget the leeks.  Slice the white and light green parts of the leeks into 1/3 to 1/2 inch rings.

I won't go through the cleaning process in detail again because I've mentioned it before, but basically put the sliced leeks in a large bowl, and fill it with plenty of water. Gently swish so that any sand/dirt falls to the bottom.  Gently lift leeks out and drain in a colander.


Heat a TBS or so of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Toss in leeks with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are soft but not browned (although really does it matter, you can brown them if you want), from 5-10 minutes.  

Add in the chopped swiss chard leaves.  Add a pinch of salt and some pepper.

And it gets all wilted and melty like this after about 5 minutes.

Drain freekeh and add to leeks and swiss chard.  Top with cheese, if you must. And you must.


So easy, satisfying, and hearty. Seems healthy too, but what do I know.

Ta-da!