Freekeh is wheat that is harvested when it is still young and full of protein. The wheat is roasted and has a slightly nutty flavor and chewy texture. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, and is full of fiber. This dish is an easy dinner for 2 any night of the week.

2 chicken legs, skin on

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 scallions, tips trimmed

1 clove garlic, peeled

½ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro

1 poblano pepper, roasted, peeled, and seeds removed

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon coriander

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 ounce apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or white wine

1 cup freekeh, rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes

1 ½ cups chicken broth, at a light simmer

Optional garnishes: 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts and/ or fresh cilantro

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Season well with salt and pepper and set aside.
Roughly chop the scallions, garlic, cilantro, and poblano. Transfer to a mini blender and start to blend. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and blend to a smooth paste, along with the spices.

Heat up a medium sized pot with the remaining tablespoon olive oil and sear the chicken legs, skin side down first, about 5 minutes. When they are nice and brown, turn them over and cook on the other side for another 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Drain off any excess oil and add the liquid to deglaze the pan. Rapidly scrape up any protein bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the freekeh and stir. Once the liquid has evaporated from the rice (1-2 minutes), add the herb paste and stir well. Cook for a few more minutes, then nestle the chicken pieces in the freekeh, and pour in the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook until the broth has been absorbed and the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes.

Serves 2.

This salad is called the Gypsy salad because it is a melange of flavors, textures and ideas from around the world.  Blood orange, arugula, and fennel from Europe mix with jalapeno and avocado from Mexico.  Cumin, mint, and dates from the Middle East come into play as well.  Many of these ingredients, like dates, have traveled from their origin, and are now part of new cultures.  It is like us, a gypsy that never stops traveling.  The measurements are not exact, we trust that you add how much you want of each ingredient, and enjoy the journey that it takes you on.

Ingredients

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and outer layer removed (if bruised)

1 handful of baby arugula

1 handful of dates, pitted and sliced in quarters

a few kalamata or Moroccan black olives, pitted and sliced

1/4 of a jalapeno pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 avocado, halved and pitted

1 sprig of mint

Small handful of parsley

a handful of fresh walnuts, roughly chopped

2 blood oranges (you can substitute regular oranges or cara caras here also)

1 lime (kaffir limes welcome!)

1-2 Tablespoons sherry or rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of cumin and salt

Slice the fennel in half lengthwise, and then thinly slice each half horizontally.  Transfer to a bowl and combine with the arugula.

Add the sliced dates and olives. 

Thinly slice the jalapeno.  If you are sensitive to heat, finely mince it, but if you like more of a bite, slice it in small horizontal strips.  You only need a 1/4 of the pepper or so.

Roughly chop or tear the herbs and add to the bowl. 

Keep the avocado meat in the skin and score with a knife in long vertical slices.  Use a spoon to get under the meat and scoop out the slices over the salad bowl. 

For the dressing, zest the oranges and the limes with a zester or microplane over the salad bowl.  You will only need a little bit of the lime zest and about 1/2 of one of the orange's zest.  Slice off the top and bottom of the oranges, removing the skin and pith.  Next place the oranges, one at a time, on the cutting board and slice off the skin and pith (without going to deep!) to reveal each segment.  Working over another small bowl, slice out each orange segment carefully, allowing the juices to fall into the small bowl, and then add the segments to the larger salad bowl.  When you have finished slicing the oranges, squeeze out any excess juice into the small bowl.  Juice the lime into the bowl as well.  Stir in the cumin, vinegar, and olive oil and whisk to combine (you can just do this with a fork). 

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. 

Add the crumbled walnuts. 

Serves 2. 

This salad works as an appetizer, but it also goes beautifully on top of grilled fish like tuna or mahi mahi, or atop a grilled chicken breast. 

Peaches are a great texture to include in Latin recipes in the summer, as their texture is a good substitution for mango. And although they are sweet, they have a nice acidity that makes them go well in savory recipes also. The juices of the peaches and vegetables in this salsa mix together with the vinegar and oil to create a delicious mixture that is irresistible. We love this on grilled fish, with chips, or alongside quesadillas. It is best made 100% local.

Ingredients:
2 ripe peaches, medium dice
¼ cup cucumber, peeled, medium dice
¼ cup red onion, small dice
2 spring onions (white and pale green parts), thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, medium dice
1 tsp. jalapeno pepper, minced
Small handful of fresh herbs such as mint, cilantro, and parsley
Rice Wine Vinegar
Splash of Olive Oil
Salt to taste

Toss all of the peach, tomato, cucumber, onion, chile, and herbs together in a bowl. Pour in the vinegar and oil, and season to taste with salt.
Makes about 2 cups.
Fun additions: halved ground cherries, scallions, colorful bell peppers, and mint!

This salsa is a step up from a basic roasted tomatillo salsa, but much simpler than mole. You can find Mexican drinking chocolate in the international sections of grocery stores. The heat comes from the chipotle en adobo sauce, so if you would like less, just use the 1 teaspoon adobo sauce.

Olive oil
½ cup white onion, medium dice
10-12 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and roughly chopped
2 cloves roasted garlic
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1 chipotle en adobo + 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
3 pieces Mexican drinking chocolate bars
1 small handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
salt

Heat up 1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium sized sauté pan. Add the onion and sauté until translucent and lightly browned. Add the tomatillos, along with a large pinch of salt, and cook for another 15 minutes, or until the tomatillos are soft and cooked through.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Blend the onion and tomatillo with the remaining ingredients until completely combined.
Pour back into the sauté pan to keep warm.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.