A restaurant dish in your home kitchen: Two amazing recipes with freekeh

We invited two renowned chefs, Tal Cohen and Asaf Stern, to go head-to-head with the same chosen ingredient. This time, it’s freekeh—the smoked, unique green wheat harvested while still young.

The result, shown in the video above and detailed below, includes two outstanding recipes. Cohen teaches us how to prepare roasted sea bass fillet on freekeh risotto with root vegetables, while Asaf Stern makes potato gnocchi with freekeh flour, corn cream, and a poached egg.

 Roasted Sea Bass Fillet on Freekeh Risotto with Root Vegetables by Tal Cohen

2 small sea bass fillets

1 cup freekeh, soaked in cold water for 2 hours

1 chopped leek

2 minced garlic cloves

1 chopped carrot

3 chopped celery stalks

Salt

Ground black pepper

Sweet paprika

Brown sugar

Water for cooking

½ can coconut cream

½ lemon

Olive oil

Instructions:

1. Heat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot and sauté the vegetables for 5–7 minutes until golden.

2. Add the freekeh and sauté for 3–4 minutes. Pour in 2 cups of water and ½ cup coconut cream, then bring to a boil.

3. Season to taste, cover, lower the heat, and cook for 17–20 minutes until the freekeh is tender.

4. Heat olive oil in a pan on high heat and place the sea bass fillet skin-side down. Sear well until the skin is golden, flip the fish, and cook for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Plate a generous spoonful of risotto, place the fillet on top with the skin side up, squeeze lemon juice, and drizzle with olive oil. 

Potato Gnocchi with Freekeh Flour, Corn Cream, and Poached Egg by Asaf Stern

For the gnocchi:

1 kg potatoes

Coarse salt

200 g freekeh ground into flour

2 egg yolks

Salt

Sage

Flour

For the corn cream:

6 fresh corn cobs

1 small chopped white onion

Olive oil

Garlic

Sage

Salt

Instructions:

For the gnocchi:

1. Bake the potatoes on coarse salt in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F) for about 50 minutes until soft.

2. While hot, cut the potatoes lengthwise (using a towel to hold them), and scoop the contents into a bowl. Mash into a puree with a fork.

3. Add freekeh flour, egg yolks, sage, and salt.

4. Divide the dough into three portions. Roll each portion on a floured surface into a long roll about 1.5 cm in diameter.

5. Cut into short pieces about 1 cm long and press lightly.

6. Bring salted water to a boil in a small pot and cook the gnocchi. When they float, remove them.

For the corn cream:

1. Remove the corn kernels from the cobs using a knife. Heat olive oil in a deep skillet, sauté sage and onion until translucent.

2. Add the fresh corn and a bit of water, cooking for about 12 minutes.

3. Blend into a smooth puree using a food processor or immersion blender. Season with a bit of salt and sugar to taste.

For the poached egg:

1. Crack a fresh egg into a low pan (like a skillet) filled with very hot, but not boiling, water. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to the water.

2. Cook for up to 3 minutes and transfer immediately to ice water.