Emmer Pilaf with Courgettes and Chanterelles

Leanne Townsend's recipe, as seen on Hodmedod's website.
 
Leanne’s recipe uses Emmer, an ancient grain form of wheat with a rich nutty flavour. You can find some in our farm shop (or substitute for another nutty grain like brown rice or buckwheat). As Leanne is a wild food specialist, this recipe has a foraged twist – hogweed seeds! Easy to find when the plants die back in late summer.

Ingredients:
 
·      1 tbsp Olive Oil
·      1 Medium Onion, finely diced
·      3 Garlic Cloves, minced
·      250g Emmer Grain, rinsed
·      600ml Stock
·      Pinch of Saffron Stands, soaked in 3tbsp warm water
·      1 tsp Ground Hogweed Seeds (optional - they're delicious, but a relative of celery so if you have a celery allergy probably best avoided)
·      1 tsp Ground Cardamom
·      180g Chanterelles, cleaned and torn into pieces (you can substitute these for cultivated mushrooms – shitake or oysters would work well here)
·      3 courgettes, sliced into 1 cm thick half-moons
·      6 Dried Apricots, diced
·      1 handful of Fresh Rose Petals, shredded or 2tbsp dried rose petals (optional)
·      30g Pistachios, chopped and toasted
·      Salt and Pepper, to taste

 Method:

1.    In a large heavy pan with lid, sauté the onion in the olive oil for a few minutes on a gentle heat until softened. Add the minced garlic for one minute.
2.    Add the emmer grains and stir to coat in oil. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring consistently to gently toast the grains.
3.    Add the stock, soaked saffron (plus water), hogweed seed spice and ground cardamom. Season with salt and pepper. If using dried rose petals, add these too. Stir and bring to boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4.    Add the courgettes, mushrooms and apricots and cook for a further 15-20 minutes with lid on, until the liquid is mostly absorbed. If the grains are still too tough, add half a cup of water and cook until absorbed, up to a further 10 minutes.
5.    When cooked, stir through the fresh rose petals (if using), keeping back a small amount to sprinkle on top. Garnish with chopped pistachios and the remaining strands of rose petals before serving.
 
*Note: for a faster recipe, the emmer can be pre-soaked for 1-2 hours ahead of cooking.