Buckwheat, like Marmite and durian, is a seriously divisive foodstuff, so itneeds aseriously capable defence team if it's ever going to make iton to most people's dinner tables. (When Isay most,I obviously exclude all thosemillions of Russians, Poles, Ukrainians and other eastern Europeans who can hardly let a meal go by without a bowl of the stuff featuring somewhere.) Well, as a late convert tobuckwheat, I am more than happyto take on the challenge.
Though not a true cereal but a fruit, buckwheat seeds resemble cereal grains and are often used in asimilar way to rice, barley, bulgar or quinoa, usually as a side dish. They are also served as breakfast porridge with milk, or ground into flour for blini pancakes, bread and noodles. Buckwheat kernels have a dark hull with a lighter inner seed. Groats are the intact seeds with the hull removed, and these are what we use for cooking. When toasted, they're called kasha, which is how they're most often used in eastern Europe.
However it's served, though, buckwheat sure asserts its presence. On my first visit to Moscow, Iwas soon hooked on that intense, earthy, slightly nutty and smoky flavour, and began craving it in every meal much as you get addicted to fish sauce or chilli whentravelling in south-east Asia. So much so, in fact, that Ican't recommend kasha highly enough (it's also gluten-free), butplease follow the cooking instructions in the buckwheat and rice salad overleaf (replacing the water with stock, if you like), because it is all too easy to overcook kasha, or to add too much liquid and make it go mushy. At the end, stir in butter or oil and serve as it is, or topped with soured cream or, a personal favourite, sautéed mushrooms.
Look for kasha, or plain groats, in specialist stores and Polish grocers; some supermarkets and most health food shops also stock it, and it's pretty easy to find online. And note that buckwheat contains about double the oil of most cereals, which affects its shelf life, so once opened, keep it in an airtight container.
For a less bold introduction to the joys of buckwheat, try Japanese soba noodles: they're more delicate, less nutty and make delicious salads.
Grilled pollack with cavolo nero and buckwheat polenta
Use pollock or another sustainably sourced white fish in this substantial yet, thanks to the lemon and ginger, fresh dish. The flaky fish, alongside a tiny yet noticeable amount of buckwheat in the polenta, make it hugely comforting, too. If you can't get cavolo nero, use kale or other seasonal green. Serves four.
20g roasted buckwheat (kasha), or buckwheat groats
100ml full-fat milk
500ml chicken stock
12 large fresh sage leaves
12 long strips shaved lemon skin (from about 2 lemons)
Salt and white pepper
80g polenta (not the quick-cook sort)
30g unsalted butter
400g cavolo nero, stems stripped off and discarded, leaves shredded
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
15g ginger, peeled and finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
600g cleaned pollock fillet, skin on, cut on an angle into four 150g pieces
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Put the kasha on a small baking tray and roast in the oven for five minutes (10 minutes if using plain groats). Remove and, once cooled, lightly crush with a pestle and mortar.
In a medium saucepan, mix the milk, stock, eight sage leaves and eight strips of lemon, and add 100ml water, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a pinch of white pepper. Bring to aboil, turn the heat to low and whisk in the polenta and buckwheat. Stir the mix with a wooden spoon every few minutes, until thick and cooked – 35-40 minutes. (If it gets too thick, add a little more water.) Once cooked, stir in the butter until melted – the mix should be thick but runny enough to fall off a spoon. Cover with clingfilm, to stop a skin forming, and set aside somewhere warm.
Meanwhile, prepare the cavolo nero. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, add the cabbage leaves and blanch for two minutes. Strain and shake off any excess water. Crush two garlic cloves and place in a large, grill-proof sauté pan with the ginger and a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for a minute on medium heat, add the cavolo nero and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and cook for six minutes, until wilted and soft. Remove from the pan andkeep somewhere warm.
Heat the grill to medium hot. Season the fish with a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a little pepper. Wipe clean the sauté pan and add the remaining oil. Slice the last two garlic cloves and add to the pan with the remaining sage and the lemon. Cook for 30 seconds, turn up the heat and lay in the fish skin side down. Cook for a minute or two, basting, then grill for three to five minutes, until golden brown.
To serve, stir the polenta until smooth (do so over a gentle heat if it has cooled too much) and place two spoonfuls on each plate. Top first with wilted greens and then the fish, and sprinkle with some fried garlic, lemon and sage. Drizzle over any oil from the pan, season and serve.
Buckwheat and rice salad with dried cherries and hazelnuts
Serves six.
130g wild rice
150g basmati rice
125g roasted buckwheat (kasha)
1 lemon, zest peeled, and juiced
130ml olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
100g dried sour cherries
75g hazelnuts, roasted and lightlycrushed
5 spring onions, thinly sliced
Salt
30g parsley, roughly chopped
10g basil leaves, torn
10g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
30g rocket leaves
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add the wild rice and boil gently for 35-40 minutes, until the grains start to pop open and are al dente. Rinse under cold water and leave to drain.
Put the basmati rice in a small saucepan with 300ml cold water. place on a high heat and bring to aboil. Turn the heat to low, cover and steam for 10-12 minutes until cooked. Remove from the heat, set aside for five minutes with the lid still on, then fluff up the rice with a fork, spread out on a plate and leave to cool.
In another small pan, bring 220ml water to a boil. Turn the heat to very low, stir in the buckwheat, cover and cook for six to eight minutes; stir once or twice more. Set aside for afew minutes with the lid on, then spread on a plate and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, put the lemon skin in a small frying pan, add the oil and place over medium heat. When the skin starts to bubble, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Once both rices are cool, mix them in a large bowl with the buckwheat, garlic, cherries, hazelnuts and spring onions. Discard the lemon from the oil, pour the oil over the rice, then stir in two tablespoons of lemon juice and a teaspoon of salt.
Just before serving, stir in the herbs. Spoon some rice on a serving dish, top with a little rocket, and repeat so you have a nice layered effect. Serve immediately.
