Roasted Squash and Freekah Pilaf
Got a case of the winter-is-coming blues? Then whip up a batch of this
Roasted Squash and Freekah Pilaf. It’s exactly what the doctor ordered!
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I know I’ve mentioned it here before, but I used to teach Latin. Yup, Latin. That dead language that only allows me to communicate with other Latin teachers and the Pope. But here’s the thing. Latin might not be spoken much anymore, but I love the language. The verb conjugations and noun declensions make sense (well, mostly). Latin really is much easier than English. Take this sentence, for instance: At the present moment, the children present a present to the mayor. Seriously? The same word is used in 3 different ways…in one sentence! You won’t find any of that craziness in Latin.
So how exactly does one become a Latin teacher? Well, good question. I took Latin starting in 7th grade, and I enjoyed it. Truth be told, my favorite part was the history/culture/mythology. But I still enjoyed the language. So I kept on taking it all through high school. And then college came along, and I kept on taking it…albeit I focused more on the historical courses rather than on the language courses. The next thing I knew, I had enough credits to get a second major in Classical Studies. Then I ended up in Baton Rouge, LA, and a friend in my apartment complex told me her school was in desperate need of a Latin teacher. I didn’t love my job working at a bank, so I took a leap of faith. While I don’t teach Latin anymore, I do have good memories of teaching.
So what in the world does Latin have to do with this delicious Roasted Squash and Freekah Pilaf? Pomegranate seeds. Yes, you read that right. Pomegranate seeds. In Roman mythology, Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of harvest and grain. Hades, the god of the Underworld, kidnapped Persephone and took her to be his queen. To make a long story short, Demeter got her daughter back…but only after Persephone had eaten 6 pomegranate seeds. Pomegranate was the fruit of the Underworld, and so Persephone now must live in the Underworld for 6 months each year. Ceres mourns for her daughter during these 6 months each year, and during this time, grain will not grow and there is no harvest. And that’s how the Romans explained the Winter.
Roasted Squash and Freekah Pilaf
But wait, what about this Roasted Squash and Freekah Pilaf? Well, it has pomegranate seeds in it. In fact, I can’t get enough of this pilaf! I started with a base of brown rice and freekah (more on that later), and then I added in all sorts of awesome Fall seasonal ingredients. Think roasted butternut squash, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries and pomegranate seeds. Yup, there’s all kinds of deliciousness in this one! (This pilaf would make a great side dish for Thanksgiving.)
So freekah. What’s the deal with freekah? Well, much like Latin, it’s ancient. Freekah is wheat that is harvested early and then roasted. It’s slightly chewy in texture, and cracked freekah is cooked in a similar fashion as rice. See…you already know how to cook freekah, and you didn’t even know it! Oh, and freekah is a beast when it comes to nutrition. It’s loaded with fiber and has 7g of protein per serving. Last Fall, Huffington Post tabbed freekah to replace quinoa as the next great supergrain. Embrace this stuff, folks. It’s delicious, easy to make and really flippin’ good for you.
Bob’s Red Mill recently added this ancient grain to their Grain of Discovery lineup. That means you can now grab a bag of cracked freekah on your next shopping trip. (Check out Bob’s Red Mill store finder to find a location in your area.) If you’re looking for a tasty, seasonal side dish…then this Roasted Squash and Freekah Pilaf is calling your name! Heck, we turned the leftovers into dinner all by itself one night. The slightly sweet pomegranate seeds and dried cranberries partner quite well with the roasted squash, rice and freekah. Finish it off with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and you’ve got a dish suitable for the gods and goddesses themselves. But don’t worry, you won’t be relegated to the Underworld for eating this awesome side dish. Enjoy!
Did you make this Roasted Squash and Freekah Pilaf at home? Leave a comment, or better yet snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Roasted Squash and Freekah Pilaf
Ingredients
- 1½ cups cracked freekah
- 1 cup long-grain brown rice
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth divided
- 1 medium butternut squash peeled and diced into ½” cubes
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¾ cup halved walnuts
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ¾ cup pomegranate seeds ~1 medium pomegranate
- juice of 1 lemon ~2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a medium saucepan, add the cracked freekah and 3 cups of chicken broth. Stir and place over high heat until boiling. Cover pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- In another medium saucepan, add the brown rice remaining 2 cups of chicken broth. Stir and place over high heat until boiling. Cover pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 35-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toss the butternut squash in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper until well coated. Place squash on a foil-lined sheet pan and roast for 20 minutes, or until tender. Set aside.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Place halved walnuts on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 5-6 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the freekah, rice, squash, dried cranberries and pomegranate seeds.
- Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice before serving.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bob’s Red Mill.
The opinions and recipe are all my own.
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Awesome! Thanks for the awesome lesson in Mythology and this pilaf recipe as well. As for this Freekah, I am looking at cooking all different kinds of grains whenever possible and this is one I have not tried yet. So thanks for turning me on to it. The recipe looks fantastic, too.
Thanks, Kevin! Anytime I can combine mythology and a recipe, I consider it a good day. Haha! But seriously, freekah is awesome. It’s cooked in a similar method as rice, and it has a ton of flavor. Definitely give it a shot!
Look at you, Mr. Smarty! LOL.. Seriously, though, Latin’s a tough language. I’m very impressed! Especially since the only Latin I know is pig Latin. Ouya rea osa artsma! (In case you never became in that version of Latin… it translates to “You are so smart!”
Now then. I love have a love affair with the pomegranate and need to study up on my Latin so I can have some of this Freekah! YUM!
LOL! Becca, how long did it take you to come up with that pig Latin? Be honest! 🙂 Yes, go pick up a book on mythology so that you can eat some freekah for dinner tonight. You know you want to!
Teaching latin… Wow! I’m not even sure I could accurately teach English. Math I would totally be ok with 🙂 Love the lesson on pomegranate seeds… although I wish she would have only had 1 or 2 to make winter last less long. The dish looks amazing as usual 🙂
I know, Laura…if only Persephone hadn’t loved those pomegranate seeds so much. It’s snowy here today, and I can’t believe it’s already that time of the year again! Now I should go pick up a Math textbook and brush off my skills…haha, who am I kidding. I’ll be in the kitchen instead. 🙂
I’m always so impressed by the fact that you know/thought Latin, it’s really something unique.
BTW you should totally post at least one recipe in Latin. And how do you say Wolfpack in Latin? Lupos something, right? I’m curious…
Thanks, man…it does sound crazy to say that I know Latin. But really I just liked the mythology stories, so I kept on taking more and more years of it. And then I ended up with a major in it. And teaching it. Go figure. I just wish there were more opportunities to read/work with Latin these days! So Wolfpack in Latin, eh? Well, wolf is Lupus. I’m not familiar with a term for wolfpack in Latin, but if I had to guess then it would be Lupus Delicious. 🙂
That was quite the trip down memory lane, into Roman mythology and back again! lol! Love your use of this new (for me anyways) ancient grain. I have been stuck on farro for months now and it is time I branched out! Truth be told, I bought some amaranth but haven’t figured out what to do with it! Amaranth will need to be pushed asides for freekah! This pilaf looks insanely good and filling! Perfect to combat the winter blues!
Well it sounds like we need to get together and pool our collective resources! I’ve never made anything with amaranth…so you bring that and I’ll bring the freekah and Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. That sounds like a rockin’ good time to me right there! 🙂
This looks freekah-ing delicious. Sorry, had to. It was too tempting not to take advantage of the lame pun. This looks awesome dude… love the addition of pom into the mix!
Haha! I knew I could count on you for a puntastic joke there, Chris! But I agree…every time I wrote freekah in this post, I wanted to put that pun in there. How’s that for a little foodie humor? 🙂 Oh, and the pom seeds are clutch in this pilaf!
This is a first for me – I had no clue you were a Latin teacher, David! Did you take in baked goods for your students back then? I bet they LOVED you! And another first for me was finding out pomegranates are the fruit of the underworld! What the what?! And I’me been calling them pom-jewels!
I’ve dabbled with freekeh before – it is quite a nutritious and versatile grain – and you show just how versatile it is in this pilaf of yours! Such a lovely combo of flavors and textures in this one – and you made enough to share! 😉
Yes! I am a man of many mysteries. Laura probably wouldn’t agree with me there, but I like to think I am mysterious…only in a good way, of course! 🙂 Yup, pomegranates played a big part in Roman mythology…and they’re also to blame for this darned cold weather. I’m pretty sure we didn’t get 6 months of warm weather this year in upstate New York!
And yes, I did make enough of this freekah pilaf to share! What time are you coming over??
My dad took 7 years of Latin! Major props to you for taking it even further than that. I remember hearing that Persephone/pomegranate story before too and thinking wow, that is one heck of a convoluted explanation for the weather. But pomegranates are seriously awesome and so’s this dish. Love all the seasonal flavors!
7 years! Your Dad and I could have a great conversation in Latin! I think the mythological stories that attempt to explain normal things (like winter, earthquakes, the sun, etc.) were some of my favorites. Now I want to go pick up a mythology book again. Thanks, Allie! 🙂
I’ve never had freekah before…at least not that I can remember. I’ve certainly not cooked with it before and I’m wondering why because it looks delicious especially in this dish!
I had friends who took Latin in high school. I took Spanish. I’ll be darned if I remember more than 10 words of it though. Lol.
Haha…yeah, I had friends who took Spanish in high school, too. At least they have a somewhat more practical language now…but then again, they missed out on all of the awesome mythology! Plus, I swear that Latin made a huge difference on the SAT for me…who really knows, though? But back to the freekah…this stuff is awesome! It cooks very similar to rice, and it’s incredibly tasty. You totally need to give it a shot. Happy (early) Thanksgiving!