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Corn and Freekah Vegetable Soup

Freekah is smoked, cracked green wheat--an ancient way of enjoying some of the wheat crop before it was completely ripe and ready for harvest.  The smoky flavor makes a wonderful platform for sweet corn and other vegetables.  It's available in middle eastern groceries, and the spelling may vary by brand (Freekah, Frika, Frikah, etc).  I use a pressure cooker to make the stock as I prepare the vegetables for the soup.

Also see the 'Thai' spice variation below--also yummy

Serves 6-8

2 bay leaves
pinch each dried parsley, rosemary, and thyme, or a few sprigs fresh
1-2 carrots
1/2 t salt
2 quarts cold water

6-8 ears of corn on the cob
2 onions
sugar snap peas, about 1 pound
6-8 summer squash:  small zucchini, yellow crookneck, or whichever you have available

1 1/2 C freekah

rosemary, pinch dried or a fresh sprig
olive oil, 1-2 tablespoons

fresh basil,  to taste (for my taste, that's about 2 cups of leaves, or several of the ridiculously small bunches sold in supermarkets)
salt and black pepper to taste

Add the bay leaves, parsley, rosemary, and thyme, salt, and coarsely chopped carrots to the pressure cooker with 1 quart of cold water.  If you don't have a pressure cooker, or your cooker is not at least a 6 quart size, use a medium stockpot.

Prepare the corn:  shuck the corn.  Cut the kernels off 4-6 ears, and scrape the cobs to get everything out.  Set this aside.  Cut the kernels off the remaining ears, and add both the cobs and the kernels from the last ears of corn to the pressure cooker. 

Coarsely chop one onion and a couple of squash and add to the cooker.

Cut the tips off the sugar snap peas.  Add the tips to the stock mix in the pressure cooker, and reserve the pods for the soup.

Strip the leaves off the basil.  Add the stalks to the cooker.

Add cold water to cover in the pressure cooker, and bring to 15# pressure over high heat.  Turn heat down to low, and cook 15 minutes at 15# pressure.  Remove from heat and let pressure come down on its own.  If using a stockpock, bring all to a boil then simmer 1 hour over low heat.

While the stock cooks, chop and set aside the remaining onion and squash.  Cut the pea pods in half. Tear the larger basil leaves into 2-3 pieces.

Strain the finished stock.   In the same pot, simmer the freekah in the stock for about 20 minutes.  

At the same time, in a stockpot or large saute pan, saute the onions until translucent and starting to color up. 

 Add the remaining rosemary, squash, and reserved corn kernels and nibs, and saute over medium heat a few minutes. 

When the freekah is soft, add with the stock to the sauteeing vegetables.  Simmer until the squash is tender.

Add the sugar snap peas and simmer another 1-2 minutes.  They should not lose their bright green color.  Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper to taste.   Give the basil leaves just a minute to wilt, and you're done.

"Thai" variation
I had some leftover spices from preparing Thai curried caramels, and used those to make a 'Thai' variation that turned out great
1 quart turkey stock
1 pint water

6-8 ears of corn on the cob
2 onions
sugar snap peas, about 1 pound
6-8 summer squash:  small zucchini, yellow crookneck, or whichever you have available
greens, whatever of as many kinds as you like, and or some cabbage
1 1/2 C freekah

peanut or canola oil, 1-2 tablespoons

 coconut milk, one can (the usual 14 or 15 oz size)

fresh basil,  to taste (for my taste, that's about 2 cups of leaves, or several of the ridiculously small bunches sold in supermarkets)
salt and ground chile to taste (I used hot New Mexico chile powder)
lots of grated fresh ginger (at least a tablespoon)
lots of grated fresh galangal (at least a tablespoon)
lots of finely chopped thai lime leaf (at least a teaspoon)

And more or less prepare as above:  set up the corn in the stock and water with an onion and the rest of the stock-appropriate trimmings (if using collards, cabbage, or other brassica family greens, don't put those into the stock).  Cook the freekeh in the stock.

While that is going on, saute the onions in the oil, then squash, corn, and peas; add greens; add freekeh and stock; finish with the coconut milk, fresh spices and herbs, salt, and chile to taste.  Let mellow in the refrigerator overnight if you can stand it.

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