Freekeh

No, I'm not saying this is freaky in a posh accent - this is my dinner tonight, and I was so proud of it that it just had to be blipped. Palestinians, like many others in the region, used to harvest some of their wheat while the grains were still green and not completely dry. These were then set on fire in order to burn the chaff and straw. The village women would then get together in large groups to beat the wheat and collect the green grains.

The result of this process is freekeh, or green wheat, a highly popular cereal with a hint of smokiness. I made pilaf with it, with onions, cinnamon, allspice, mint, coriander and parsley, all topped with yogurt mixed with pressed garlic and lemon juice and sprinkled with toasted pine nuts and finished with a glug of virgin olive oil. The meat is grilled venison, pink and juicy on the inside - not very Middle Eastern, but it went very well in this sort of fusion dish.