INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

SOURCE: "Jewish Cooking in America" by Joan Nathan
In 1925 Wolff Brothers of Paterson, New Jersey, published a Yiddish
English cook book with recipes culled from a kasha cooking contest run in
all the Jewish newspapers throughout the country. "Recipes of thousands of
Jewish dishes were sent us," they wrote modestly, "but we selected only the
very best among them and these are listed here." The recipes included
buckwheat blintzes, vegetarian buckwheat cutlets, and "a tasteful grits
soup" made from their Health Food (merely unroasted buckwheat groats),
green peas, and potatoes. The varnishke recipe was basically a
kreplach-type noodle stuffed with kasha, buckwheat groats, and gribenes.
Packaged bow-tie noodles,large and small, quickly replaced the flat
homemade egg noodles in the American version of kasha varnishkes. The trick
to a good kasha varnishke is to toast the whole-grain buckwheat groat well
over a high heat for 2 to 4 minutes until you start smelling the aroma of
the kasha. This will seal the groats so that there is a nutty, crunchy
taste to them, a good foil to the soft taste of the noodles. When I make
mine - a favorite in my family - I add fresh parsley and sometimes
coriander. Although traditionalists use bow-tie noodles for this, try
rigatoni, shells, or any other kind of noodle you like.
1. Saute the onions in 2 tablespoons of the margarine or chicken fat in a
heavy frying pan with a cover until golden. Remove to a plate.
2. Beat the egg in a small mixing bowl and stir in the kasha. Mix, making
sure all the grains are coated. Put the kasha in the same frying pan, set
over a high heat. Flatten, stir, and break up the egg-coated kasha with a
fork or wooden spoon for 2 to 4 minutes or until the egg has dried on the
kasha and the kernels brown and mostly separate.
3. Add the water or bouillon, salt, and pepper to the frying pan and bring
to a boil. Add the onions, cover tightly, and cook over low heat, steaming
the kasha for 10 minutes. Remove the cover, stir, and quickly check to see
if the kernels are tender and the liquid has been absorbed. If not, cover
and continue steaming for 3 to 5 minutes more.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the bow-tie
noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain.
5. When the kasha is ready, combine with the noodles. Adjust the
seasoning, sprinkle with the parsley and coriander. If desired, add a bit
more margarine or chicken fat.
From: Barbara Leass(bgl@leass.pcc.com)
Posted to JEWISH-FOOD digest V96 #52
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 21:14:35 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Maxine L. Wolfson" <MLW@MATH.AMS.ORG>

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