Kasha Varnishkes (Buckwheat, Bow Ties and Onions)
Updated Dec. 17, 2024
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup European-style whole buckwheat groats (kasha), preferably pre-roasted (see Tip)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 3cups bow tie egg noodles (about 7 ounces) or farfalle
- 4medium yellow onions
- 2 to 3tablespoons schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) or vegetable oil (see Tip)
- 4ounces shiitake, cremini or other fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)
- ¼cup chopped parsley
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
230 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 327 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Put the buckwheat in a medium saucepan, add 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper and 2½ cups of water, and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, until all the water is absorbed. (You can do this a few hours ahead of time.)
- Step 2
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and the bow tie noodles, then cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain.
- Step 3
While the noodles are cooking, slice the onions into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Warm the schmaltz or oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the onions and sauté for about 20 minutes, or until they are deeply browned. Stir in the mushrooms (if using) and buckwheat groats and cook a few minutes more. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.
- Step 4
- Whole buckwheat groats maintain their texture even when boiled. Find them at Eastern European markets or health food stores.
- To make a traditional schmaltz for kasha varnishkes or matzo balls, trim off chicken fat and skin from an uncooked chicken. Add it to a saucepan and cover it with a little water and a cut-up onion and simmer slowly for about a half hour, until the fat renders and the gribenes (cracklings) turn golden brown. Cool slightly and then strain the schmaltz, saving the gribenes and golden onions to stir into the finished kasha varnishkes. (Or when making chicken soup, simply leave the pot in the fridge overnight. The next morning, skim off the solidified schmaltz from the top.)
Private Notes
Comments
My grandmother was born in Selisht/Ludwipol. Her kasha varnishkes recipe which I learned at her elbow 60 years ago was different than the one here. Start by caramelizing onions in schmaltz, then add one cup whole grain kasha and an egg to the onions. Sauté until oats and onions are mixed and kasha is slightly brown. Then add two cups of chicken broth. After broth is absorbed, finish with a healthy pinch of salt and half a dozen twists of cracked pepper. She used small sea shells for her varnishkes. So do I.
brown the kasha in an egg before adding the water
Always toast the WHOLE GRAIN kasha in a beaten egg first in a hot pan. Sauté the onions in oil in another pan for a long time on a low flame. Then combine with sautéed mushrooms. Finally drain the noodles and mix everything together. Reheat in a 350° oven to crisp up the top. Make in advance and can freeze.
Surprisingly tasteless and a pain in the neck to boot. I took the precautionary step of coating the kasha in egg white (per package directions) and I cooked it in stock. Did not use schmaltz but did use a good bit of tasty olive oil. Caramelized the onions, used good mushrooms. Lots of salt & pepper and still bland as can be. WAY too many pots & pans and cleaning the egg white off the pot was a 15-minute project.
Ok, so faced with what to do with quite a lot of bland kasha varnishkes — sprinkle portions liberally with Trader Joe’s “Everything but the bagel sesame seasoning blend” worked beautifully. And adding a carefully sautéed sunny side-up egg really gilded the lily!
The kasha really turned to mush. I’d always cooked kasha with an egg, but I figured that Joan Nathan knew way more about kasha varnishkes than I did! A little bland; definitely could use some tart dairy …