Send video to a friend    Embed video   Subscribe to RSS feed Subscribe to RSS
Printable version

Please signup for weekly updates
and regular giveaways!

Peasant Kasha, Potatoes and Mushrooms

Reprinted from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair (Sasquatch Books, 2008).

Whole grains and vegetables have been the chief food of common people for centuries.  Kasha and potatoes combine here for a rib-sticking dish.  I would recommend serving this dish with a Poached Egg, French Lentils with Sage Butter or Nori-wrapped Wasabi Salmon to provide protein and with Braised Greens, Sweet Pepper Relish or Our Favorite Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette to give the meal that vegetable zing.  

1 tablespoon butter or extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups boiling water
1 small red potatoes, ¼" dice
3-4 mushrooms, chopped fine
1 cup kasha
Freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a 2-4 quart heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid..  I like to use a shallow all-clad pan or le cruset.  Be sure to chop the onion very fine. Add onions, garlic and salt; sauté until the onion is golden and soft, don't skimp on the time for this part of the recipe.  The more caramelized the onions, the better the finished dish will taste. 

Put water on to boil in a separate pot or tea kettle.  This dish is steeped, so it is important to cut the potatoes and mushrooms very small because there is not a lot of cook time.  Add potatoes and mushrooms to onions; sauté at least 2-3 minutes more, covered, until nice and juicy.  Add kasha to mixture and stir, coating kasha.  Pour in boiling water.  Turn heat to low.  Cover pot and simmer 15 minutes on low until every drop of water is absorbed. You can tell by tipping the pan.   Remove lid and allow kasha to rest for 10 minutes.  Fluff up and serve garnished with pepper. Add more salt to taste.

Preparation time: 25-30 minutes
Makes 6 servings

FOR BABIES 10 MONTHS & OLDER: Remove a baby-size portion, mash potato bits with a fork, and slice mushrooms into tiny pieces and serve.

5 Comments:

Kim Carlson
As luck has it, we have a mushroom log with shiitakes incubating in our dining room! And I have kasha that I've been trying to figure out what to do with -- and I love poached eggs. So, I'm making this for breakfast tomorrow, when the snow hits (or so they say). One question: How many potatoes do I need? A cup chopped? Thanks for the great-looking recipe.
December 16, 2008, 4:33 pm

Cynthia Lair
One red potato will usually give you a cup of chopped potato. Thanks Kim. I had this for breakfast today with some braised greens - I am a food nerd...
December 16, 2008, 4:55 pm

Si S
Hi Cynthia, I made this recipe and it was delicious! The only problem I had was that I couldn't find toasted buckwheat. My Whole Foods here only sold buckwheat groats. I toasted them on medium heat for a few minutes, but they still took about triple the water and double the time to cook. Do you have any suggestions for this? Thank you so much! Si
January 12, 2009, 7:08 pm

Eileen R
I've been making this almost every week since I heard you on KUOW. My 18 mo old likes it, too. I like it best cooked with chopped spinach or kale and a lot of pepper. It's a gret way to hide green the Boy isn't too interested in. Yet.
April 7, 2009, 11:04 am

Angus Blair
Love this recipe. It has been a fall and winter staple for a few years now. I have though made one switch and that was to use sweet potatoes rather than the reds. I have to say I love your recipes and to see my daughter being raised on this good nutrtional food makes me very glad. Thank you
November 29, 2010, 12:03 pm

Post a comment

First Name.


Last Name

Email Address

Comment

Please type in the letters that appear:

healthy cooking videos, online cooking show, web cooking show, affordable healthy meals, how to cook videos, plant-based diet, plant based diet, whole foods diet, whole food diet, how to cook whole grains, how to cook, how to cook whole foods, how to cook gluten-free, how to cook organic, how to cook kasha, how to cook buckwheat, breakfast, breakfasts, lunch box, whole grains, vegetables, vegetarian, gluten-free, kasha, buckwheat, mushrooms, potatoes, onions, olive oil, vegetables, Kasha with Potatoes,healthy cooking video, easy healthy cooking, easy healthy recipe, low fat, cheap meal, cheap recipe, weight loss meal, heart healthy, chef cooking videos, diabetes conscious, healthy food choices, cholesterol healthy foods, healthy cooking videos for beginners, what are healthy foods, home cooking