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So I have no idea how to spell this and google isn't helping (I suspect if I could read Arabic google would have been more useful) but we make fareekh (sp?) tonight. As far as I can figure, based on Mike's description of foods his mother and grandmother made, fareekh is a catchall word for chicken casseroles. Apparently grandmère has a thing for béchamel sauce, so her version of this always included it, and usually rice. I do not have a thing for béchamel sauce, so here's my version, a bastard hybrid of a recipe from A Book of Middle Easten Food and a meal I ate at my mother-in-law's once upon a time. It is cheap, easy, and delicious, so I don't know why I keep forgetting it exists and rediscovering it. Maybe journalling about it will help it stick in my head.

Like most of my recipes, this is choose your own adventure. Pick a grain you like, a protein you like, and seasonings you like and substitute at will.

1 cup whole grains, something wheatlike. I used half barley and half farro, because that's what was in my pantry
1/2 lb chicken parts. Boneless skinless thighs are flavorful without being a ton of labor to prepare.
However many eggs you want. For me and Mike, 4 is a good number
1tbsp turmeric
1tbsp cumin
2 onions or shallots or leeks or whatever
1 head garlic
salt and black pepper to taste

Saute the onions in butter or oil or something until carmelized, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Toss in the dry spices, stir, and remove from heat.

Wash the grains, and cut the chicken into large-ish chunks—only because spooning out whole chicken thighs is awkward. My aesthetic preference is fewer, bigger pieces of meat rather than a million bite-size pieces.

In a crock pot or oven safe casserole dish combine the grains, chicken, and spiced onions. Add water to cover plus another inch. Nestle the eggs (still in their shells) in the dish. The eggs will come out like hard-boiled eggs, but with much creamier yolks because they cooked on low heat.

Run the crockpot for ~3 hours, or cover and cook in the oven on the lowest temperature setting you can get. You can also do this on the stove if you are willing to keep an eye on it and stir occasionally to make sure the grains don't stick to the bottom.

20 minutes before you want to eat, fish the eggs out, peel them, and put them back in to absorb more of the spices. If the casserole is still watery, take away the lid to let excess water evaporate off.

Om nom nom dinner.