Buckwheat With Porcini Mushrooms
A quick and easy recipe for buckwheat with porcini mushrooms. Nutty buckwheat and porcini fried in butter with onions, cream, and loads of umami, all in 20 minutes.
EQUIPMENT
- 1 cooking pot
- 1 large pan
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb fresh porcini mushrooms (or 1 ½ oz dry porcini)
- 1 ¼ cups buckwheat groats
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 ½ tbsp butter
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 4 cups water
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INSTRUCTIONS
- For dried porcini: Soak the mushrooms (1 ½ oz/45 g) in warm water (2 cups/480 ml) for 20 to 30 minutes. Lift them out, squeeze gently, and strain the liquid through a coffee filter. Save the liquid.
- Wipe the fresh porcini (1 lb/450 g) clean without rinsing and cut into thick pieces (skip this for dried ones). Finely chop the onion (1 large) and mince the garlic (3 cloves).
- Bring water (4 cups/1 l) to a rolling boil in a medium pot. If using dried porcini, use the strained soaking liquid, topped up with fresh water. Rinse the groats (1 ¼ cups/220 g) in a sieve, add to the pot, and simmer for 12 minutes, until tender with a slight chew. Drain.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter (3 ½ tbsp/50 g) in a wide, deep pan over medium heat. Cook the onion until glassy with a hint of color.
- Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the mushrooms and garlic. If they cling to the pan, loosen them with water or white wine (1 tbsp).
- Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms are tender and reduced. Season with salt (2 tsp) and black pepper (1 tsp).
- Stir in the heavy cream (1 cup/250 ml), dried marjoram (1 tsp), and dried thyme (1 tsp). Cook briefly until silky.
- Add the drained groats and most of the parsley (½ cup/30 g, chopped). Toss, cover, and let stand for 1 to 2 minutes to absorb the sauce.
- Serve hot, topped with the remaining parsley.
NOTES
COOKING TIPS:
Porcini act like sponges, so clean them dry with a brush or towel. Mushrooms picked after rain hold more moisture and spoil faster, so cook them the same day.
Keep porcini as the main mushroom. Other wild mushrooms can make up a smaller part of the mix.
For a deeper, roasted flavor, dry-toast the groats in a skillet for a few minutes before boiling, stirring constantly so they don't scorch.
Pull the groats off the heat while they still have some chew. They keep softening once they go into the cream.
Sour cream works in place of heavy cream for a tangier sauce. Take the pan off the heat before adding it, or it may curdle.
If you like, add chicken, pork, soy, or root veggies, swap the cream for diced tomatoes, or use it to stuff peppers, chicken, or sauerkraut rolls.
STORAGE:
Don't leave the cooked dish at room temperature for more than 1 to 2 hours. Refrigerate it in a covered container and eat it within 1 day, cold or reheated. If reheating, do it only once and until steaming hot throughout. Freezing isn't recommended, as the cream separates and the groats go soft. Instead, freeze blanched porcini and cook a fresh batch.
Note: Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary depending on the brands and ingredients you use.
NUTRITION
Serving: 1 bowl ~Calories: 525kcal ~Carbohydrates: 52g ~Protein: 11g ~Fat: 33g ~Saturated Fat: 20g ~Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g ~Monounsaturated Fat: 9g ~Trans Fat: 0.4g ~Cholesterol: 94mg ~Sodium: 1277mg ~Potassium: 577mg ~Fiber: 8g ~Sugar: 3g ~Vitamin A: 1842IU ~Vitamin C: 14mg ~Calcium: 86mg ~Iron: 2mg