Kasha lovers rejoice! You now can eat kasha without guilt.
The Food and Drug Administration considers kasha, also known as buckwheat, one of the heart-healthy whole grains, along with couscous, wheat berries, amaranth, bulgur, oats, millet and quinoa. (In fact, my dear friend Dr. Richard Popp, a kashaholic who has a special affinity for kasha varnishkes, or bow tie–shaped pasta, claims it is the “perfect food.”)
Many people think of kasha only in terms of Jewish cuisine, but it actually appears in most Eastern European cooking. You can find kasha in piroshkis and stuffed cabbage. If you like bagels and lox, you will love the blini recipe below.
Kasha Varnishkes
Serves 6
11⁄2 cups uncooked kasha
2 eggs, beaten
1⁄4 cup oil
5 cups chopped onion
3⁄4 lb. bow-tie noodles, cooked and drained
21⁄2 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix eggs with kasha and bake mixture in a shallow, greased pan for 20 minutes. Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté onions until well browned. Remove to a bowl, retaining the cooking oil with the onions.
Boil 6 cups of water and add kasha to the water. Simmer about 18 minutes or until water evaporates. Break up clumps of kasha with a fork.
In a large bowl, combine kasha with pasta and taste for salt.
Blini (by Ina Garten)
Serves 6-8
1⁄3 cup buckwheat flour
2⁄3 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 tsp. baking powder
3⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
3⁄4 cup plus 2 Tbs. milk
1 egg
1⁄4 lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter, clarified, divided
1⁄2 lb. smoked salmon, thinly sliced
1⁄4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
fresh dill sprig, for garnish
Combine both flours, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and 1 Tbs. of the clarified butter, then whisk into the flour mixture. Heat 1 Tbs. of the clarified butter in a medium sauté pan and drop the batter into the hot skillet, 1 Tbs. at a time. Cook over medium-low heat until bubbles form on the top side of the blini, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 more minute, or until brown. Repeat with the remaining batter. (I clean the hot pan with a dry paper towel between batches.) Set aside.
To serve, top the blini with a piece of smoked salmon. Add a dollop of crème fraîche and a sprig of dill.
Kasha with Chicken, Lemon and Herbs
Serves 4
2 Tbs. oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbs. lemon zest
1⁄4 tsp. dried rosemary
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup kasha
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups boiling water
2 cups cooked chicken cut into small pieces
salt and pepper
1⁄4 cup snipped chives
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and sauté until golden brown. Add garlic, lemon zest, rosemary and parsley and cook another minute. Remove mixture and keep warm.
In same skillet mix together the kasha and eggs. Cook, stirring continuously until the kasha grains are coated with eggs and begin to separate. Slowly add the boiling water, 1⁄4 cup at a time, until all the water is incorporated. Return onion mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cover about 20 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the chicken and cook another 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, allow to stand 5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chives and serve.
Louise Fiszer is a Palo Alto cooking teacher and co-author of “Jewish Holiday Cooking.” Her columns alternate with those of Faith Kramer. Send questions and recipe ideas to [email protected].