Kasha with Golden Brown Onions

When I was little, my dad used to make my family and I buckwheat pancakes--huge buckwheat pancakes.  He would slide two humongous pancakes onto my plate and I would heroically work my way through them.  

Besides buckwheat pancakes, buckwheat didn't really enter our minds or our stomachs until I began to do some research on safe grains.  I found out that buckwheat is not only sold in flour form, but also as a creamy farina and as groats raw or roasted.

Kasha is roasted buckwheat groats and I thought that would be a good form of buckwheat to try.  The recipe I used is adapted from How To Cook Everything Vegetarian.

Kasha with Golden Brown Onions

makes 4 servings

time: 30 min

3 cups chopped onion

3 tablespoons neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn

1 egg or 2 more tablespoons neutral oil

1 cup kasha

salt & freshly ground black pepper

2 cups vegetable stock or water, warmed

1 to 2 tablespoons butter (optional)

1)  Put the onion in a large skillet with a lid over medium heat .  Cover the skillet and cook for about 15 minutes, until the onion is dry and almost sticking to the pan.  Add the oil, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring until the onion is nicely browned, another 15 minutes or so.

2)  Meanwhile, if you're using the egg, beat it, then toss it in a bowl with the kasha. (If not, proceed to Step 3.)  Put the mixture along with some salt and pepper in a heavy, large, deep, skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring, until the mixture smells toasty, about 3 minutes.

3)  If you're using the oil instead of egg, put it in a heavy, deep skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot, add the kasha, along with some salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the mixture sells toasty, about 3 minutes.

4)  Turn the heat to a minimum and carefully add the stock.  Cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes . Turn off the onion, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Serve or let the kasha sit for up to 30 minutes before serving. 

5)  When you're ready to serve, fluff with a fork, adding the butter if you like at the same time.

For my variation,  I added minced garlic and chopped spinach and cooked my onions in the oil until they were translucent.

 Kasha has a chewy texture to it and a mild nutty flavor, so if this sounds like something you like go for it  :)