The Grain of My People

Buckwheat. Kasha. Sounds so... grandmotherly doesn't it? Being Russian I grew up with everyone in my family eating this grain but I always hated it, I don't recall why, probably because I was a picky eater as a kid. I basically forgot all about it until I recently switched to a gluten-free diet (why? thyroid issues, I'll save the details for a future post on that) and discovered that oy vey, it's delicious! If prepared correctly this grain has a wholesome and filling sweetness to it that goes well with all meats and veggies. And despite the fact that the word wheat is in its' name there is actually no relation. It's actually being used to make gluten-free beer too!

Her's the way to make it:

• Pour two cups of veggie stock (ok you can use water, but you want it to be good don't you? see below for a previous post on veggie stock instructions or just buy it), add a little shmear of butter and some salt, heat on high.
• While that is heating up, take 1 cup of kasha and pour it dry into another small pan, heat on medium and stir a little every minute or so for a few minutes until it begins to get toasty and release a fragrant aroma.
• Now lower the heat on the water when it boils and slowly pour the toasty kasha in, mix, turn heat to low, and cover tightly with a lid.

Nu vot! (russian for there you have it) what are you waiting for? eat it already, it's delicious!

I do generally recommend rinsing all grains to eliminate debris (there's a certain allowable amount of rodent and insect fur and poop that gets into grain storage containers before they're packaged) - but if you do that the kasha won't toast quite the same so experiment and see which tastes better (sorry, maybe you didn't know that about the fur and poo and you'll never eat grains again, but it's fine, get over it).

I made mine with veggies, but it's also great with a sweet glazed chicken.

It's no surprise that the russian people are the strong and enduring type and this grain is partly responsible for that because of it's low glycemic index and ability to sustain even blood sugar over time. It is also a good source of magnesium, which relaxes blood vessels and improves blood flow and the transportation of nutrients, as well as being a great source of fiber.

Last fun fact: buckwheat acts like a grain but it's actually a fruit seed related to rhubarb and sorrel.