Recipe: Wheat berries with mushrooms and onions

[Guest guest]

I just made this recipe after tucking-it-away-for-later who knows

how long ago! At any rate, it was particularly excellent and I

wanted to share it with all of you, since I've found many wonderful

recipes here.

 

It called for buckwheat groats in the title: Buckwheat Groats with

Mushrooms and Onions and I got it from the San Francisco Chronicle.

 

I'm not totally clear about all of these grains, but I think that I

used wheat berries...

 

Here's the actual recipe:

 

8 oz kasha, coarse or medium grind (but I used the wheat berries)

1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms or a mix of dried wild flavorful

mushrooms (I had dried shitakes, so I used them)

2 1/2 c. hot vegetarian " chicken " or mushroom broth (I used

water because that was all I had)

3 onions, chopped or thinly sliced

3 T. vegetable oil

3 T. butter (didn't use this at all)

10 oz. thinly sliced fresh white mushrooms

salt, pepper to taste

 

 

It calls for lightly toasting the kasha in a heavy saucepan until it

smells toasty and turns slightly nutty brown. Remove from heat.

Set aside.

 

In another saucepan, combine dried mushrooms and broth; bring to a

boil. Simmer about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

 

Remove mushrooms from broth, squeezing liquid back into saucepan.

If any mushrooms are very large, chop into bite-size pieces. Place

in a small bowl. Set aside.

 

The recipe calls for straining the mushroom liquid through a fine

sieve (which I did not do); add to kasha. Bring kasha and broth to

a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until liquid is

absorbed, about 15 minutes. Check after 10 minutes to avoid

overcooking. (I took the mushroom liquid and cooked the wheat

berries with it, adding necessary water as needed. Cooked for a

long time, simmering maybe 1 1/2 to 2 hours after initallly bringing

it to a full boil.)

 

Meanwhile saute onions in oil and butter, cooking slowly until they

have softened and browned, about 10 minutes. Add white mushrooms

and cook until mushrooms are lightly browned, from 5 to 10 minutes.

Add rehydrated dried mushrooms and cook together a minute or so, or

until mixture is warmed through. Season to taste with salt and

pepper.

 

Combine mushrooms and onions with kasha and warm through.

 

Serves 4

 

Nutritional info with use of exact recipe:

 

Calories 305; 8g protein; 25g carbohydrates; 20g fat (6g saturated

fat); 23mg cholesterol; 54mg sodium; 5g fiber

 

I enjoyed this very much and it would be a great dish to bring to a

potluck or just to use as a side dish. I think it would be good

warm or room temperature. It's nice to be able to share a recipe

here...I hope you enjoy! Sharita