New Recipe - Buckwheat Pilaf

From Joy of Cooking


I served it with salmon and vegetables. Gloria

 ate her vegetables, but wouldn't  touch the rest

 of the plate.



Heat in a large saucepan over medium-low heat:


• 1-2 tbsp butter

if desired, add and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes:


• 1 garlic clove, minced, or
• 2 tbsp minces shallot or onion  (I used garlic)



Add and cook, stirring, until toasted and golden, about 3 minutes:

• 1 cup whole buckwheat



Stir in:

2 cups boiling chicken broth or water



1/2 tsp salt



Cook over low heat, covered, until the buckwheat is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.  Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.  Fluff with fork before serving. 

Notes:



What it looks like after it's cooked


• when the instructions say to stir the buckwheat until it is toasted and golden brown, it really means it.  The buckwheat starts off by being a slightly green colour, but as it toasts it really does turn golden.  The buckwheat ends up having the colour of crushed peanuts. 

• I used chicken broth to cook it in.  Generally because I find grains etc. that cook in water have no flavour and are bland, and chicken broth adds flavour.

• I was nervous about trying this.  Yes, I bought the buckwheat on purpose, but that doesn't mean I was excited about eating it.  I cooked this on purpose, but I was still iffy about eating it.  Mostly because I had never tried buckwheat before and what if it was gross?

• So, I cooked this and hesitantly tried it.  And it tasted like...I used cheap chicken broth.  I think I should have used fresh broth or the kind you buy in a tetrapak.  But instead I used the concentrated liquid kind you buy in a bottle.  Not good.  But, once I got over the cheap chicken broth flavour the buckwheat really wasn't bad.  It was soft, and the texture reminded me of potatoes.  Kind of like fried potato hash browns made with boiled potatoes.  And I think if I had used good chicken broth the flavour would have been fine too.  I think next time I will make it with onions instead of garlic, or I will possibly use both. 

• Buckwheat is apparently gluten free, so if you need a gluten free diet, buckwheat is another option for you.