Grilled chicory with freekeh, smoked mackerel and red chicory marmalade

Serves 4 Starters and mains

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Method

Freekeh is cracked green wheat that has a light, smoky flavour. Buy it in Middle Eastern stores, where you’ll also find urfa pepper flakes.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ Gas 6. Tip the freekeh onto a tray and sort through the grains to remove any grit and husks. Wash in a sieve really well and drain until surface dry.

Put half the oil in a heavy ovenproof casserole and add the freekeh, stir to coat the grains in the oil. Add the bouillon powder, a pinch of salt and 300ml boiling water. Stir well, bring up to a simmer, cover and put in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and fork over to separate the grains, re-cover and leave to rest so that all of the water is absorbed. While the freekeh is cooking, make the marmalade.

Put the finely sliced chicory, sugar and vinegar in a medium saucepan and stir together. Cover and place over a low heat and cook for 5 minutes. Remove lid and cook for a further 10 minutes until the liquid evaporates and the mixture turns sticky (stir frequently to make sure it doesn’t burn).

Either flake the mackerel or cut it into 4-6 pieces, retaining the golden skin if wished and put aside.

Preheat the grill to high and place the oven rack 15cm from the heat. Put the chicory and lemon halves on a flat oven tray lined with foil and toss with the remaining olive oil. Grill for about 8 minutes turning the chicory 3 times during grilling. It’s okay to have blackened bits, but it should be watched so that it doesn’t totally char. Remove the lemon during grilling once it chars.

Spoon the marmalade into the freekeh and fold in gently. Add the mackerel and serve with the grilled chicory and the lemon halves. Dust with the urfa pepper flakes.