Kasha and Mushroom Casserole

Recipe by: Michele Urvater | from Monday to Friday Cookbook

Cookstr

Course: Main Course

Total Time: Under 1 Hour

Skill Level: Moderate

Cost: Moderate

Photo by: Joseph De Leo

Thanks to my grandmother, I’ve always loved kasha, both the grain and the Russian dish in which it appears most often. My grandmother prepared it the Jewish way in kasha varnishkes—buckwheat stirred into a bowl of bow-tie noodles.

I’ve updated her dish and serve it as a pilaf. Robust in taste and hearty in nutrition, this one-pot meal will fill the emptiest of tummies, lickety-split.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 large onion
1 large bell pepper, any color
2 cloves garlic
½ pound fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup kasha (roasted buckwheat kernels, medium grain)
1 egg or 2 egg whites
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 cups boiling chicken broth or water
¾ pound baked or smoked ham, preferably 95% or more fat free
Fresh dill for garnish (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sour cream or plain yogurt (optional)

Directions

1. Chop the onion. Core, seed, and chop the bell peppers. Mince the garlic. Rinse, stem, and thinly slice the mushroom caps (reserve stems for soup).

2. Heat the olive oil in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper; stir-fry for a minute just to get them going. Cover the pan and simmer over medium heat until the onion and pepper are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, mix the buckwheat with the egg (or egg whites if you are on a no-cholesterol diet) with clean hands until each grain is coated. If the grains clump together, break them up with your fingers.

4. When the onion and pepper are soft, add the garlic and mushrooms and sauté for 30 seconds. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat, then add the caraway seeds and broth. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

5. Place the pan with the kasha over medium-high heat. With a wooden spoon, flatten, stir, and chop the egg-coated kasha until the egg has dried and the kernels are hot and mostly separate, 3 to 4 minutes.

6. Averting your face to avoid any splattering liquid, gently ladle the boiling liquid, mushrooms, and other solids into the kasha. Bring the liquid back to a simmer, cover the pan tightly, and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.

7. Meanwhile cut the ham into ½-inch cubes and mince the dill for garnish, if using. Remove the kasha from the heat, stir in the ham, and let the dish stand covered for 10 minutes to heat the ham through without toughening it.

8. Season the dish well with salt and pepper. Top with sour cream and sprinkle with dill.

Variation

For a spicier version: Substitute ¾ pound chorizo for the ham. Thinly slice the chorizo and sauté in a small skillet until somewhat crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. After the kasha is cooked, fold in the chorizo when you would have the ham. This is wonderful with sour cream.

Notes

Clean-Up Tip

Don’t be embarrassed by pans left to soak overnight. Believe me, at our house any crusted-up casserole, broiler, or roasting pan gets soaked at least over-night in hot soapy water. Sometimes I don’t even get to it until 24 hours later. The wonderful thing about this method is that after soaking even the grimiest pan is a snap to clean.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Nutrients per serving (% daily value)

Nutritional information includes 1/8 teaspoon of added salt per serving, but does not include optional Sour Cream or plain Yogurt.

Calories 499kcal (25%)

Calcium 39mg (4%)

Vitamin C 38mg (63%)

Vitamin A 9mcg RAE (0%)

Potassium 845mg

Magnesium 128mg

Protein 31g

Sugar 6g

Fiber 6g