Buckwheat (гречка)

Buckwheat or grechka is a grain much like quinoa and rice. The name is deceiving because it does not grow on grasses like wheat. Buckwheat belongs to a group of foods knowns as pseudo-cereals which are seeds/grains that are consumed as hot cereals or can be grinned into flour. Other examples of pseudo-cereals are quinoa, amaranth and chi seeds. Buckwheat is mainly harvested in Russia, China and Central and Eastern Europe. It has become very popular due to its high mineral and antioxidant content, plus it's gluten free! It's a superfood.

If you live in Nashville, TN I recommend Aleksey's Market. Regular grocery stores don't usually carry buckwheat so I get mine at our local Russian/Eastern European store. 

Prep Time: 5 Min | Cook Time: 20 Min | Total: 25 Min
Serving: 2 Cups

Ingredients:

1 cup of buckwheat groats

1 and 3/4 cups of water 

2 Tbsp of butter

1/2 Tbsp of Salt 

Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Bring water to a boil and add 1/2 Tbsp of salt and 1 tbsp of butter. Mix to make sure salt dissolves in water. Add buckwheat and stir. Bring it down to a simmer and cover with a lid. Let it simmer for about 20 min but check on it frequently as the buckwheat may start to stick to the bottom. Once it's cooked add another tbsp of butter and salt as needed.

Once you're done, buckwheat goes well with Katleti. If the buckwheat is too dry I like to add a couple of spoons of Eggplant Spread Ikra, which you can find at Aleksey's Market. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Katleti (котлеты)

Image
What are katleti? They are a Slavic version of meatballs just flavored and formed a bit differently. To a Russian kid katleti are like chicken nuggets to a kid in the States. Katleti pair well with  buckwheat or mashed potatoes. If you've never tried buckwheat or as we call it greshka, I highly recommend it. It's a grain much like couscous and is very healthy.  Prep Time: 10 Min | Cook Time: 20 Min | Total: 30 Min Serving: 15 katletas Ingredients: 1 lb of Ground Turkey 1 Egg 2 Slices of bread, only soft part 1/4 cup of 2% Milk 1/2 Onion, grated or finely chopped 2 cloves of Garlic, grated or finely chopped 1/4 packet of Onion Recipe Soup & Dip Mix 1/2 Tbsp of Vegeta or preferred spices  A pinch of Salt & Pepper All Purpose Flour for dredging Oil for frying Instructions: 1) Grate or finely chop 1/2 of a large onion or a whole medium onion and 2 cloves of garlic 2) Soak 2 soft portions of sliced bread in milk for about 5 min. Make sure the brea...
Read more

Pirozhki (пирожки)

Image
Piroshki are a popular Eastern European and Russian street food. They're yeast-dough buns with a variety of fillings both sweet and savory. The most common savory fillings include ground meat with rice, mashed potatoes, cabbage, cottage cheese, sautéed mushrooms, vegetables and boiled eggs with scallions. Sweet fillings include fruit preservatives or reduced fruit and sugar (cherry, apple, various berries, apricot, etc,.) I've also made them with chocolate bars. They can be fried or baked; I've had both, but I prefer fried. They're individually-sized, about the size of your hand.  Prep Time: 1 Hour 30 Min | Cook Time: 25 Min | Total: 2 Hours Serving: 15-20 Piroshki Ingredients for Dough: 1 and 1/3 cup of warm Water  1/3 cup of warm Milk 2 tsp Salt  2 tsp of Vegetable Oil  2 and 1/2 tsp of Active Dry Yeast  1 Tbsp of Sugar 3 and 1/2 cups of All Purpose Flour  Extra Flour Rolling Pin Instructions: 1) Pour warm milk and water into a large bowl then add salt ...
Read more