03 August 2010

Buckwheat, cabbage, and tomato casserole with a polenta-topped crust.


It's totally gluten-free! I actually cheated with this one and added a can of cheap vegetable soup 1970's casserole-style because I am trying to clear out my cupboards, but actually, it will taste better without it and with another can of chopped tomatoes, instead.

Recipe (so it will taste even better than my version!):
Dry toast buckwheat groats in a pan on medium heat (this is optional, also, if you use Kasha instead, it's already toasted). Add water (I usually do twice as much water as buckwheat) and bring to a simmer. (I think I used about 2 cups of buckwheat.)

In a separate pot (should be at least 2 litres), fry chopped onions, carrots, and celery in grapeseed oil (I used one onion, 2 carrots, and 2 slices of celery). When the onions start to turn clear, add a tbsp of mixed herbs (or just a tsp or so of thyme), crushed chili pepper flakes (to taste -- I use a lot), and paprika (like a nice Hungarian or smoked paprika, but I just used plain old paprika -- I used at heaping tsp). Stir a bit and make sure you smell the spices (spices are oil soluble and frying them in oil releases their flavour). Then add a 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (~600g total) and a little water (if necessary). When the food is starting to simmer again, stir in half of a cabbage, thinly sliced. I also threw in a couple small chopped potatoes.

When the buckwheat is cooked (or close to being done), dump it into a casserole dish. Dump the contents of the veg pan, as well, and stir it up.
Now, this is the part where you need to use your head:
• If your casserole is really soupy and wet, just shake some uncooked polenta or grits over the top of the dish and, using a spoon or a spatula, kind of mix the casserole juice into the polenta (making sure the polenta does not get mixed in to the rest of the casserole and stays as the top layer) until it is pasty.
• Otherwise, mix some polenta with hot water (or even tomato juice) until you get a paste and spread it across the top of the casserole.

Bake at about 200°C/400°F for 30-40 minutes. You want the top of the casserole to be nice and crusty.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Chloe,

    I was thinking, for meat lovers, brown up some minced beef/chicken/turkey with the onions,carrot and celery, then continue as your recipe goes along. It will make a nice, one-pot casserole too!

    novicedabbler

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  2. This looks so good. I plan on trying it. Thank you!

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  3. hare krishna,
    this is great, i was just looking for some buckwheat recipes so i dont have to eat fish again, i can offer this to krishna as well
    thank you
    maharani in ireland

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  4. A delicious food if one feels like a meatless meal. Looks very tasty!

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