Fair to say we're pretty much obsessed with this nut-based (egg-free!) aioli. Try it with walnuts, too.
Ingredients
4 servings
Almond aioli:
Paella:
Almond aioli:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 5–8 minutes. Let cool.
Step 2
Pulse almonds and garlic in a food processor or blender until finely ground. With motor running, gradually stream in oil, lemon juice, then 1/4 cup water; process, adding water as needed, until aioli is light, smooth, and consistency of mayonnaise; season with salt. Cover; chill.
Step 3
Do ahead: Aioli can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
Paella:
Step 4
Pulse onions in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a large bowl. Repeat, separately, with carrots, garlic, and chile, adding to bowl with onions as you go. Pulse chorizo in food processor until finely ground.
Step 5
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium and cook chorizo, stirring often, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to a plate.
Step 6
Add vegetables and bay leaf to skillet; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until moisture is evaporated and vegetables have started to brown, 12–15 minutes; this is your flavor base.
Step 7
Add freekeh and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until darkened in color, about 2 minutes. Stir in chorizo and 4 1/2 cups water; season with salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook, adding more water if liquid evaporates too quickly, until grains are al dente and almost all liquid is absorbed, 45–50 minutes. Nestle clams in freekeh and cover skillet. Cook until clams open, 7–10 minutes; discard any that don't open, along with bay leaf. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until clam juices evaporate and freekeh is tender, about 5 minutes.
Step 8
Top with pickled peppers and parsley; serve with aioli and lemon wedges.
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Reviews (9)
Back to TopQuestion: all I can find near me is Cracked Freekah. Will I get the same result for the paella or should I use Farro instead?
gflstac
Fort Lauderdale
5/24/2020
This was my first time cooking freekeh, and it was delicious! The flavor combination was delightful, and dairy free!
charface
Portland, OR
8/14/2017
当所有你小伙子ies discuss freekeh, please make the recipe and give it a score because it was ranking at 17%. This is one AWESOME recipe. I didn't make many changes, except to soak the freekeh for a few hours like I do with any grain. It was very easy to prep because all of the veggies went in the food processor. It takes a little longer to toast the freekeh because it was wet, though well drained. I added a little butter and olive oil to help with the toasting. Oh, I also used soy-rizo instead of really greasy chorizo, and it tasted great. I didn't have time to make an aioli, and frankly, it's not necessaryed. Browning all of the veggies, the
mmressler
6/1/2016
Yep, some explanation of what freekeh is would be in order for this recipe. Nothing elitist about it, though. People all over this planet have been eating hundreds of different grains, seeds, grasses and wheat-like staples since the beginning of time. Just because the Western World subsists mostly on rice, potatoes and white flour doesn't mean that everything outside of that is trendy. Certainly not so for the many cultures that depend on these foods. Just remember, time was when tomatoes and potatoes were considered exotic & trendy by Europeans, and you had to be royalty to sip a cup of hot cocoa! Go figure!
worldbeat
Oakland, CA
3/25/2015
我同意Michelepp有点背景Freekeh would have been useful. Of course, it would have taken anyone about 10 seconds to type "freekeh" in the Google machine and it would have taken about another 0.49 seconds to get 430,000 references. No, Freekeh is not the trendy "new" grain or the latest pseudo anything. It is a very old way of preserving the some green wheat for cooking. It is super healthy, incredibly cheap, hardly processed, and anything but elitist. In the DC region, Michelepp, you can find Freekeh on the shelves of any middle eastern grocery store (Lebanese Taverna Market in Arlington; Shiraz or Yekta in Rockville; Mediterranean bakery & cafe in Alexandria, to name a few). What seems to be trendy is to call anything slightly off the beaten path elitist!
trebordadda
Washington DC
3/23/2015
Actually, Freekah is a wonderful grain, and less expensive than the ridiculously overpriced quinoa (at least in Israel where I live). My Lebanese friend Elisa introduced me to this fabulously flavorful, nutritious and versatile food, and I have used it regularly ever since. Even fussy kids eat this, really. This grain has been used for centuries in the middle east, so it is far from new and definitely not elitist. Google it, and you will see how easy it is to incorporate into your cooking. It is appearing more and more in regular grocery stores as it becomes more popular. I hope this has helped.
betsyamit
Ein Hamifratz, Israel
3/22/2015
I agree with Michelle--I had to look up freekah: "a cereal food made from roasting green wheat"; elitist is a good description. I may try this recipe but will use rice.
blinggirl
St. Louis
3/21/2015
No review - just a second of Michele Epp's inquiry about "freekeh." Not all of us live in areas where we can get the latest trendy ingredients. Michele, if I am correct, freekeh is one of the latest grains or pseudo-grains to become trendy because "everyone" is eating the others so they have no prestige anymore. You would probably have to look for it at someplace like Whole Foods, or a large and varied health-food store. Bottom line about so many of the recipes on this website is that they use trendy, expensive, and hard-to-find ingredients. I'm sure you could use couscous or brown rice instead.
sheilazb
Long Island, NY
3/21/2015
How can we possibly review and try this recipe, when there is no explanation of what freekeh is, or where we might try to buy it? This is already sounding rather an elitist recipe.
MichelePP
Wash DC
3/21/2015
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