Notes: You can cook the lentils while you prep your ingredients. Harissa is a traditional Tunisian chile paste infused with spices such as garlic and coriander. Look for it in well-stocked supermarkets or Middle Eastern stores.
Gluten free: Millet, buckwheat, and quinoa can be substituted to make this gluten-free. If you like, toast them first in the empty saucepan. Immediately transfer to a medium bowl, and set aside until you’re ready to cook the grains. These grains might be done a little faster than freekeh.
Vegetarian: Drain a 14-ounce block of tofu and cut it into 12 triangles: first cut crosswise into 6 slices and then cut each slice in half into a triangle. Marinate like the shrimp and broil until puffed and nicely browned, about 10 minutes total, flipping once. Serve 2 triangles per person.
Make Ahead: The soup, prior to preparing the shrimp, can be made up to 2 days ahead. Allow to cool to room temperature; chill, covered. Add a little more water or broth to your liking and reheat over medium heat to a gentle simmer before fixing the shrimp.
For the Soup:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 ½ cups chopped red onion (about 1 medium)
1 ½ cups chopped celery (½-inch pieces; about 3 stalks),
1 ½ cups chopped red bell pepper (½-inch chunks; about 1 bell pepper)
1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and slightly crushed
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 cups water, or cooking liquid from the lentils topped off with water
1 cup cracked freekeh
1 ½ cups cooked French lentils, or 1 (15-ounce) can, rinsed and drained
For the shrimp:
1 to 2 tablespoons harissa paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 pound extra-large shrimp, shell-on or peeled and deveined
To finish:
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or more as needed
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat- leaf parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped firm dates, preferably Deglet Noor
1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges, for serving
Reprinted with permission from Simply Ancient Grains [2] by Oldways Whole Grains Council Culinary Advisor Maria Speck, copyright (c) 2015. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Photography (c) 2015 by Erin Kunkel.
Links
[1] https://oldwayspt.org/grain/freekeh
[2] http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Ancient-Grains-Flavorful-Recipes/dp/1607745887%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAI5DIUUWKZM7VPQKA%26tag%3Doldwayspreservat%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1607745887