Shrimp Fried Freekeh with Spring Vegetables

Ingredients

Extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces (225g) spot prawns or other medium wild shrimp, peeled and deveined (save the shells)

1bunch ramps or scallions, whites very thinly sliced and leaves or green tops sliced a bit wider

3 cups (720 ml) water

Kosher salt

1 cup (170 g) uncooked freekeh

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon dried chile flakes

1 cup (145 g) peeled shelled fava beans (see Note)

1 cup (145 g) shelled English peas

1 cup (145 g) halved sugar snap peas (cutting them at an angle looks nice)

About 6 ounces (180 g) asparagus, tough ends trimmed off, stalks thinly sliced into rounds, tips left nice and big (you should have a generous cup)

¼ cup (60 ml) dry white wine (optional)

2 large eggs, beaten as for scrambled eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Directions

To make a quick shrimp stock, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat, add a glug of olive oil, then add the shrimp shells. Toast them up for a good 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Toss in a few of the ramp whites, sauté another minute or so, then add the water. Simmer for 30 minutes, add ½ teaspoon salt, strain, and measure out 2 cups (480 ml) of the stock; keep hot in the saucepan.

Pour another glug of olive oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the freekeh and toast, stirring frequently, until it smells toasted and smoky, a good 5 minutes. Add the toasted freekeh to the warm shrimp stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer until the freekeh is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. If the freekeh is tender but there's liquid left, just drain it off; if the water has been absorbed but the freekeh isn't fully tender, add a few tablespoons water and keep cooking until tender.

When the freekeh is cooked, keep it in the pan off the heat, fluff it up, cover, and let it steam for 5 minutes. Spread the freekeh out in a thin layer on a sheet pan to cool.

NOW FOR THE FUN: Heat the skillet over medium-high heat, add another small glug of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter, then add the following ingredients one at a time, stirring for a few seconds before the next addition: the remaining ramp whites, the chile flakes, favas, English peas, snap peas, and asparagus. Stir and scrape everything like you're stir-frying The vegetables don't need much cooking at all, so work quickly.

Add the shrimp, toss until they turn pink, then add the ramp greens. Add the wine (if using) and cook for a few seconds to evaporate the wine. Dump everything onto a plate and wipe out the pan.

Put the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet, then add the eggs and scramble them. Quickly add the cooked vegetables, shrimp, and freekeh and toss for a few seconds to heat everything through.

Add the lemon zest and some of the lemon juice. Taste and adjust with more salt, chile flakes, or lemon juice. Serve right away.

Notes

I love old-school Chinese American fried rice, so I tried the same method using freekeh and was blown away. The key is to cook the freekeh ahead and make sure it is totally cooled and completely dry; freekeh has a tendency to stay a touch soggy if you're not careful. In an ideal world, you'd cook the freekeh the

day before. —Serves 4

Note: If the favas are quite fresh and tender, they do not need to be peeled. But for older, larger favas, the outer membrane should be removed. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop in the shelled favas, and boil for 30 seconds. When cool enough to handle, peel off the tough skins.