New Ingredient: Buckwheat

I've worked with buckwheat flour before, but not the whole groats.  They're popular in many countries, and a staple food in Russia.  Super King had a two-pound bag on special, so I figured I'd give a new grain a try.

Technically, buckwheat is a seed, like quinoa.  And like quinoa, it's a good source of protein and fiber without gluten.  It's highly nutritious, and grows in terrible soil.  It's recommended to use as a cover crop between plantings to inhibit weed growth, and only requires three months to reach maturity, making it ideal for short growing seasons up north.  Buckwheat also hates nitrogen fertilizer, so when American farmers started adding it as a common practice, they had to give up the crop.

There are two ways to cook buckwheat.  The first is like rice.  Simmer for 15 minutes and it's ready.  The more traditional way, and the way that makes the most nutrients bioavailable, is low and slow.  You can emulate the brick oven method in two ways in a modern kitchen.  One is to set your oven to its lowest setting, generally around 200-225º F, and let it cook all day in a covered cast-iron or clay pot.  That's how I like to do baked beans.  The other method is my new go-to, the slow cooker.  That wonderful tool when you don't have all day to make dinner.

The cooked texture is rice-like.  The smell is earthy, and definitely the same as buckwheat flour.  The taste is a little bland.  I just put in a pinch of salt, and it needed help.  Cooking it in broth would add more flavor.  I could see a light drizzle of soy sauce improving it.  I'll have to experiment.

1 C roasted buckwheat groats
2 C water
pinch of salt

1.  If you bought non-roasted buckwheat, start by lightly toasting it in a dry pan.

2.  Rinse grains.  Add in a pot or slow-cooker with water and salt.

3.  For slow cooker, set to low for 4-6 hours or keep warm for 8+.  In oven, set to 200ºF if possible, and cook until water is absorbed, about 4 hours.  To simmer on stove, bring to a boil briefly, lower heat to simmer, and cook 15 minutes.

4.  Fluff up the grains, which will also let you check that the water is absorbed.  Serve hot, in soups, or chilled in salads.

Difficulty rating  π

Tuna and Farro Salad

After a second day of the farinata and waking up hungry, I realized I needed another side dish because the calories weren't cutting it.  This ended up being more of a second main dish, and honestly would have been a full lunch portion for two.

If farro isn't your thing, you can easily substitute barley or another whole grain.  This is the "salad" part of the grain salad.  It could also count as an unbaked casserole or rice dish.  I just needed another couple hundred calories to make this into dinner, preferably with protein and fiber.

*1/2 C dry farro
*1 5 oz can tuna
*1/2 C chopped tomatoes
1 Tb olive oil
*2 tsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
*1 Tb dried parsley
salt and white pepper to taste

1.  Rinse farro and place in a small saucepan with water to cover by one inch.  Bring to a low boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until split and softened, about 20 minutes.  Drain.

2.  Drain the tuna and stir into the cooked farro.  Add the tomatoes.  Drizzle in the oil, vinegar, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Stir to distribute evenly.

3.  Serve either chilled as salad or warm as a grain side.

Difficulty rating  π

Parmesan & Garlic Risotto

Techie Smurf and his family are "Sephardic for Passover", which means they eat rice and corn.  I'm not a huge rice person, but I needed this after hearing what they ate during the holiday.

Even a basic risotto is a bit of a time commitment.  You're stuck by the stove for a minimum of half an hour.  More realistically, 45 minutes.  It's worth it.  Put in your earbuds in case someone calls.

1 Tb unsalted butter
*1/2 C diced onion
*4 cloves garlic, minced
*1 C arborio rice
1/4 C dry wine, optional
4 C unsalted chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and white pepper to taste
*1/2 C grated Parmesan, plus more to garnish
*Chopped or dried parsley for garnish, optional

1.  In a small saucepan, bring broth to a simmer.  Keep it warm with a ladle in it.

2.  In a larger saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook gently until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

3.  Add the risotto to the onion mixture.  Cook until slightly toasted, about 5 minutes.  If using wine, add now and stir into the mix until absorbed and/or cooked off.  If not, start the first ladle of broth.

4.  Add hot broth about 1/2 C at a time, stirring in after each addition and waiting until it is absorbed, about 5 minutes.  Stir frequently to avoid scorching the bottom.  Continue until all of the broth is absorbed, stirring frequently, and the rice is al dente.  You may not need all of the broth.  If it still looks soupy after five minutes of stirring, that isn't the consistency you're going for.  Let that thicken and call it a day.

5.  Stir in the Parmesan and allow to melt.  Taste, then add salt and white pepper as needed.

6.  Spoon onto plates or into a serving bowl.  Garnish with more cheese and parsley.

Difficulty rating  :)

Farro-Stuffed Onions

This was the most elaborate dish on Purim, so I've saved it for last.  Filling, prep the onions, sauce.  This sort of took me all day, but only because I would do one step, run off and do something else, go back to it for a minute, wash dishes, etc.  Then I got the whole thing assembled and stuck it back in the fridge while I went out to deliver mishloach manot.

This is very similar to the quinoa-stuffed onions I made about a year ago.  Some day I will make them with meat, like you're supposed to.  Ground meat prices are still high enough that I'm considering getting the grinder attachment for the Kitchen Aid.  At about $2 a pound more to get a basic cut ground, I would break even in about a year.  Less, if I ground up an entire turkey.  $6 a pound?  Yes, grinding meat is drama and cleaning up is even worse.  I will have to decide where my priorities lie.

I'm calling two of these a serving, and that's how I plated it for the photos.  With all the dishes I made, I only had one per meal.  It counted as a carb and half a vegan protein.  If you're serving it as a side, you can get away with one per person and a couple of spares for seconds.

For the onions

*1/2 C dry farro
2 onions
*1/2 C chopped walnuts
*1 clove garlic, minced
*2 Tb fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried
*1/2 tsp dried mint
*2 Tb currants
1/4 tsp each allspice, oregano, and pepper
1/2 tsp salt
*1 Tb tomato paste
*1 Tb pomegranate molasses
1 Tb olive oil

For the sauce

*1 C tomato sauce
1/2 C hot water
*1 Tb pomegranate molasses
1 Tb olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1.  In a small saucepan, bring farro and about 2 cups water to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.  It should be softened but still chewy.  Drain and set aside.

2.  While the farro is cooking, bring a larger saucepan to a boil with about four inches of water in it.  Cut tops and bottoms off of the onions and peel.  Cut once top to bottom into the core, keeping the onion intact.  Set in the boiling water and cook until the onions start to open up, about 10 minutes.  Drain and allow to cool slightly.  Peel off the layers gently.  You should get 4-6 large ones per onion.  The cores may be saved for other uses.  I put one in with the lima beans and diced the other for the freezer.

3.  Add remaining filling ingredients to the par-cooked farro.  Stir to combine.  In a separate bowl, combine sauce ingredients.  If baking right away, preheat oven to 375º.

4.  Spoon about a quarter cup of sauce into the bottom of an 8x8 casserole.  Set an onion layer on a work surface.  Spoon about 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto one side.  Allow the onion to roll itself up around the filling.  Place seam-side down in the pan.  Repeat with all the onion layers and filling.

5.  Pour remaining sauce over the onions.  Cover tightly with foil.  Bake 45 minutes, for the farro to finish cooking.  Remove foil, baste with the sauce, and roast another 15 minutes for the sauce to reduce.  Serve hot.

Serves 4-8

Difficulty rating  :)

Millet Couscous with Vegetables and Pomegranate BBQ Sauce

I had a cup of millet left.  Searching "Senegal millet recipes" mostly came up with desserts.  Somewhere in the more Americanized results was using it as a substitute for couscous.

The vegetables for this are nothing special, other than they go well with the sauce.  I could have added beans, fish, or chicken for more protein.  I've been overworked lately, and taking the time to roast vegetables after a shift was pushing it.

I'm basing my sauce on this one from Allrecipes, with a few small changes based on the comments.  It's pretty much what I would have done anyway.  If you want to make the sauce vegan, substitute date or agave syrup.  As the original post says more than once, this is a sugar-heavy sauce/marinade that will scorch at high heat.  Use parchment or foil if you put it in the oven, and watch for smoke.  I only used it as a sauce, and even drizzled it after microwaving leftovers.

*1 C dry millet
1 lb red potatoes
1/2 lb carrots
1 red onion
12 oz Brussels sprouts (frozen & thawed ok)
olive oil
salt, pepper, and paprika
*1 Tb soy sauce
*2 Tb ketchup
*2 Tb pomegranate molasses
*2 Tb honey
*1 tsp smooth mustard
*1 clove garlic, minced

1.  Prepare millet according to package instructions.  Add enough water to cook thoroughly, but retain the grains, about 1-1/2 C.  Fluff and set aside.

2.  Preheat oven to 375º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  I used the sheet pan dividers.  Peel carrots and onion.  Pare ends from sprouts if necessary.  Cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces and slice onion.  Toss in about 1-2 Tb olive oil and spread in a single layer on sheet.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika.  Roast until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.

3.  While the millet is steaming and the veggies are roasting, mix the sauce.  Whisk together soy, ketchup, pomegranate molasses, honey, mustard, and garlic.  Add in 1/4 tsp each of pepper and paprika.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

4.  Once millet and veggies are done, plate and drizzle with sauce.  Serve hot.

Difficulty rating  :)

Quinoa and Sweet Potato Fritters

Still not done with the sweet potato I canned at the end of 2024.  It's still safe, I just overestimated how much I would use.  We're giving it another shot at pairing with quinoa.  The tortillas were good, just hard on the system.  Doing something with less fiber in it this time.

It was during Chanukah, so I made fried cakes instead of baked.  Minimal oil, just enough to give that special crunch.  They weren't latkes.

These make a good vegetarian main dish, appetizer, or side.  With everyone vowing to eat better in the new year, these count as a Mediterranean diet recipe.

*1/2 C dry quinoa
*1 15 oz can sweet potatoes
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
*2 green onions, finely chopped
*1/4 C chopped parsley
1/4 C flour
1 egg
Olive oil for frying

1.  Cook the quinoa according to package instructions.  This will generally involve pre-rinsing to remove the soapy film that can cause an upset stomach.  Drain and set aside to cool slightly.  This can be done ahead.

2.  Drain the sweet potatoes very well.  I chose to cook them for five minutes to boil off any remaining liquid.  Store-bought canned sweet potatoes don't have quite as high a moisture content.  If you're using roasted sweet potatoes instead of canned, they will be dry enough.

3.  Mash together the cooked quinoa and sweet potatoes.  Add salt, pepper, chopped onions, and chopped parsley and stir to combine.  Stir in the flour, then the egg.  You should have a thick batter, not quite a dough.

4.  Heat a skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add enough oil to coat the bottom.  When a drop of water dances, it's ready to go.

5.  Spoon the batter in 1/4 C mounds in the skillet.  Cook until the bottoms are crispy, about 5 minutes.  Flip and cook the other side.  If necessary, flatten with the spatula to make sure they cook all the way through.  Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, re-oil the skillet if necessary, and repeat with all the batter.

6.  Serve as is or with a sauce.  Any pasta sauce and most salad dressings will go with these.  I sprinkled them with additional salt and had them with a side salad.

Makes about 12

Difficulty rating  :)

Farro and Spinach Salad

This was my side with the tuna, but it's a vegetarian main on its own.  I wanted an alternative grain to rice or barley.

Calling this a "salad" is kind of odd.  It isn't a casserole, not a rice dish, and I had it hot rather than chilled.  I couldn't figure out what other category worked.  Plus, it looked like a salad once it was garnished.

Farro is increasingly available in markets.  Kroger even sells a generic package of it.  The best price I've found is at Sprouts, and then you can get it out of the bins so you don't have to commit to a package until you know if you like it.  It's similar to barley or brown rice, and I find it makes a nice change that doesn't spike my blood sugar.

1 C dry farro
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz frozen spinach
1 Tb olive oil  
*1/2 C diced red onion
*sun-dried tomatoes for garnish
crumbled feta for garnish

1.  Rinse the farro and place in a saucepan with water to cover by one inch.  Season the water with a touch of salt.  Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, and cover.  Cook until the grains have expanded and split, about half an hour.  Drain.  This also makes a good do-ahead.  5am was a bit earlier than I had in mind, but it was done.

2.  Return farro to saucepan with a light drizzle of olive oil.  Add the spinach and return to a simmer.  The water the spinach gives off will be absorbed by the grains.

3.  Stir in the diced onion and taste.  Add salt and pepper as needed.  Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with sun-dried tomato slices and feta.  Serve warm or room temperature.

Difficulty level  π

Quinoa and Sweet Potato Tortillas

Another instance of me "inventing" something that exists.  I had to search a few times with different phrasing to find examples of this idea, but it wasn't an original idea.

I canned far too much sweet potato.  Remember, I didn't think I was getting this many jars out of the pounds I bought.  They smell amazing when I open one, and taste great.  Still, it's coming up close to a year and I need to finish what I made.  Here I used them as the liquid and "fat" in a flatbread.

These are not gluten free.  I never planned to make them that way.  They use a lot more flour than I expected.  They also have a high fiber content.  Found that out the hard way when I had two the first night.  Cut back to one after that.  Means a can of sweet potatoes makes eight servings.  They are very filling, so you never notice you're only eating one soft taco.

*1/2 C dry quinoa
*1 15 oz can sweet potatoes
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 C whole wheat flour, plus about a cup more for rolling

1.  Early in the day, prepare the quinoa according to package directions.  This will probably include rinsing it well, to remove the saponins.  Drain and refrigerate until ready to use.

2.  Drain the sweet potatoes and mash in a bowl until smooth.  Add the cooked quinoa and stir until well combined.  Sprinkle in the salt.

3.  A quarter cup at a time, stir in the flour until you get a soft dough.  Allow to sit ten minutes to finish hydrating.

4.  Generously dust a work surface with flour and preheat a medium skillet over medium heat.  I used wax paper on top of my wooden board, and that worked pretty well.  Pull a quarter-cup ball of dough from the bowl and press into a disc.  Flour that, then roll into a thin tortilla.  Flipping it periodically as you go helps to keep it from sticking.

5.  Gently transfer the tortilla to the hot skillet.  This is when I got flour everywhere.  There's probably a way to flip it off the wax paper without making a mess, but I never figured it out.  Had to clean the stove after.  Somehow, the flour even made it clear across to the other side of the stove, on the floor, and in crevices I didn't know existed.  Cook for about 4 minutes per side, until lightly browned and firm to the touch.  Transfer to a plate, cover with a towel, and repeat with remaining dough.  You can roll out the next one while it's cooking.

6.  Serve warm with fillings of choice.  I did salad.  I don't recommend beans or anything with significant fiber.  Shredded meat would be a good filling.

Makes about 8

Difficulty rating  :)

Millet and Sweet Potato Porridge (Congee)

I spent a couple of weeks mixing up my breakfast routine.  I did some overnight steel-cut oats in the Crockpot, then wondered if I could do something similar with millet.  Turns out it's an Asian recipe, though often made with rice.  Most recipes for it are Chinese, but even Google's AI didn't want to commit to that.

Looking at the recipes, I was skeptical about the amount of water to millet.  Then I checked on the pot in the middle of the night, and you really do need a minimum of four times the volume of water to grains.  If you want it more soupy, it's going to take at least three cups, plus the liquid from the can of sweet potatoes.

*1/2 C millet
*1 15 oz can sweet potatoes with their liquid
2 C water, or to desired consistency
1 Tb brown sugar, or to taste
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1.  Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and stir to combine.  Set to the lowest setting, which is "keep warm" on a Crockpot, for 8 hours as an overnight thing, or Low for 4 hours if you will be tending it.

2.  Stir, add more water or even milk as necessary, and turn up the heat to Low for an hour if you did the overnight version.  This will make sure the millet is fully cooked and break up any remaining chunks of sweet potato.  Serve hot.

Serves 3-4

Difficulty rating  π

Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Salad

While I'm waiting for my tomatoes to ripen, other things are going in salads.

As a main course salad, anything grain-based is more of a "bowl".  The difference here is that I'm not going to the effort to arrange everything pretty.  It's getting tossed.

I considered many kinds of dressing for this one.  Miso-tahini was far up on the list.  Then I decided to pick up the tang of the turnips and do miso-horseradish.  The horseradish root from April was dried out and had to be tossed.  Ok, a basic white wine vinaigrette, heavy on the vinegar, with a shallot marinated into it.

I harvested a couple of carrots, but also bought some.  The carrot out of the pond was normal and about the size I was expecting.  The one I accidentally grew in the lettuce patch seemed the same size from the top, but only grew a short way into the dense clay soil.  And that's why I don't grow root vegetables in the lettuce patch.

I'm calling my four radish-sized turnips equivalent to one from the store.  Probably not, and I wished they were more evenly represented in the dish.  The plants were dying in only 80º weather.  I'll try again in the fall.

This was a do-ahead meal.  I cooked the quinoa and vegetables the day before and refrigerated them separately.  The shallot dressing marinated overnight in its own bowl.  All I had to do on the day was toss everything together.

*1 C dry quinoa
1/2 lb carrots
1 head cauliflower 
*1 turnip
3 Tb olive oil, plus more for the veggies
3 Tb white wine vinegar (or less for a more mild dressing)
1 shallot
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp dried rosemary, or 1 Tb fresh
1 tsp parsley flakes, or 1 Tb fresh
1/4 tsp white pepper

1.  Cook quinoa according to package directions.  This will likely include rinsing it until the water is no longer soapy.  Fluff and set aside to cool.

2.  While that's going on, preheat oven to 375º and line a baking sheet with parchment.  Core the cauliflower and cut into bite-sized florets.  Peel the carrots and turnip and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Toss in a light drizzle of olive oil and arrange in a single layer.

3.  Roast vegetables until softened and starting to brown, about 30 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

4.  In a small bowl, whisk together the 3 Tb oil, vinegar, salt, white pepper, rosemary, and parsley.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Peel shallot and slice thinly.  Toss shallot in the dressing and allow to marinate while the other components of the salad are cooling to room temperature.

5.  Toss together the quinoa and vegetables.  Drizzle with the shallot dressing and toss to distribute.  Chill until ready to serve.  I chose to garnish with some vegan feta that I had a coupon for.  It tastes like feta, but doesn't have the protein, so I added a sprinkle of slivered almonds.

Difficulty rating  :)

Chicken Risotto with Kale

I'm trying to add more home-canned food to the rotation.  It isn't meant to sit on a shelf and be pretty.  That's a waste of money and my time.  This idea got down two pints of broth and one of chicken.  Then I cut back the kale and made a Tuscan-themed risotto.  The kale seedlings I gave to my boss are thriving, so I can't unload the extras on her anymore.

When I was putting the risotto back in the pantry, I saw their recipe on the back of the package.  It was almost identical to what I planned to make, as far as the rice part was concerned.  That made me feel better.  I was adding kale, chicken, and herbs.

2 Tb butter
2 Tb olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
*1/2 tsp celery salt
*1/4 tsp white pepper
*1 tsp dried tarragon
*1 C arborio rice
1/4 C white wine, optional
*4 C chicken broth, low sodium or unsalted
*2 bunches kale, de-stemmed and chopped
*1 12-14 oz can chicken
*1/4 C grated parmesan cheese

1.  In a small saucepan, bring the broth up to a simmer.  Keep it warm, put a ladle in it, and put it near the burner where you're going to make the rest of the recipe.

2.  In a large saucepan or soup pot, melt the butter and oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

3.  Add the celery salt, white pepper, and tarragon and stir to combine.  Add the rice and stir to coat.

4.  If using wine, add and allow it to cook off.  Start to ladle in the broth half a cup at a time.  Stir and allow the rice to absorb it over about five minutes, stirring often, before adding more.

5.  About halfway through the broth process, stir in the kale.  It takes a while to cook, and will affect the amount of liquid in the rice.

6.  When you get to the last ladle of broth, the rice should be cooked al dente and somewhat creamy.  Add the can of chicken, stir everything together, and taste to adjust the seasonings.  Every broth is different, and brings something new to the dish.

7.  Remove from heat, stir in the cheese, and serve hot.  Garnish with more cheese and/or herbs.

Difficulty rating  :)

Quinoa-Stuffed Onions (Sogan Dolmasi)

I really shouldn't have planned an elaborate mezze meal on a closing day, so I made sure all the recipes could be morning prep or cooked the day before.  That turned this into a pretty awesome, cold Saturday-night dinner that I ended up dressing up for and eating out on the patio on china, which I have never done.  I really hate eating outdoors, but this made it feel like I was on vacation after a long day on my feet.  Didn't like the sun in my eyes, though.  If I do it again, it will be for breakfast or lunch.

These stuffed onions are my own version of a Turkish recipe.  I used quinoa instead of half of the rice to give a protein boost.  Basically, the part that would be ground meat if it was a meat-stuffed tapa.  I never did find pomegranate molasses, even at Sorrento, and didn't feel like a trip to the Middle Eastern market or Western Kosher, so I used a combination of date syrup and balsamic vinegar to mimic the flavor profile.

I expected this to be a lot harder than it is.  While the onions were boiling and then cooling, I made the filling.  Stuffing them was so much easier than rolling up cabbage.  The onion layers curl themselves around it into a shell-pasta shape with very little effort.  Now that I mention pasta shells, I bet you could use the onion wraps as a keto/GF way to make them.

Yes, there are a lot of ingredients in this one.  They're worth it.

For the onions

3 large onions (yellow or sweet)
1/2 C dry rice
*1/2 C dry quinoa
*1 clove garlic, minced
*1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 T dried
*1/2 tsp dried mint
*2 Tb currants, optional
3/4 tsp Aleppo pepper or dried chili flakes, optional
1/2 tsp each allspice, oregano, and kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
*1 Tb tomato paste
*1 Tb pomegranate syrup, or 2 tsp date syrup and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 
2 Tb olive oil

For the sauce

1 C tomato sauce
1 C hot water
1 Tb pomegranate syrup, or 2 tsp date syrup and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 
1/2 Tb olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1.  Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Cut off the root and stem ends of the onions and peel.  Carefully cut once to the center of each onion, pole to pole.

2.  Boil the onions for 10-15 minutes, until they look like they're opening up.  Drain and allow to cool until you can handle them.  Gently peel apart all the concentric layers.  The cores can be used for other purposes, such as broths.  I went ahead and baked mine with the stuffed ones to use the following week on calzones.

3.  While the onions are cooking and cooling, make the filling and sauce.  The sauce is easy.  Just stir together all ingredients and set aside for the solids to dissolve.  For the filling, rinse the rice and quinoa until no longer "soapy", usually 3 good rinses.  In a bowl, combine them with the remaining filling ingredients.  I skipped the spicy part, but added the currants.  Some versions have you par-boil the rice.  I was using brown rice instead of jasmine, and probably could have given them ten minutes on the stove first.  I just baked the dish a little longer.

4.  Preheat the oven to 375º.  Spoon a generous tablespoon of filling into each onion layer.  Loosely close the dolma, allowing the natural curve of the onion layer to wrap itself.  Place, seam-side down, in an 8x8 baking dish.  Repeat until all the filling is used, anywhere from 10-14 pieces depending on how you spoon your portions.

5.  Pour the sauce over the onions.  Cover tightly with foil.  Bake 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and baste the onions.  Cook uncovered until the sauce reduces, another 30 minutes or so.  Serve warm or hot, drizzled with the sauce.

Serves 4 as a main, 8 as a side or appetizer

Difficulty rating  :)