Soup happens

Oh, I love soups! I can't think of a soup I hated...There is nothing better then a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter day! It is also the easiest thing to cook, in my opinion. I experiment with soups a lot but usually have a few that are a staples in my house. Kids may not always want to have soup for dinner but when it is a meal in itself, it is hard to resist cooking only one course in a pot or getting ready meat and side dish plus salad.
I know how busy an average mom is and how easy it is to take short cuts and use ready made chicken stock or pop open a can of soup and heated in the microwave but I want to remind you to look at the nutritional label and check out sodium content. I do not want to make anyone feel bad just hope to encourage you to make it yourself. Making chicken soup is easy. If you have a hole chicken you can make it out of whole chicken if you only thighs it will work, too. To a large pot you will need to add the chicken, an onion, celery rib or two, and couple of carrots, bay leaf, few pepper corns, couple of garlic cloves, salt and bouquet garni or spoon of Mrs Dash type of seasoning. Cover with water and bring to a boil and as soon as it does, turn the heat way down, to the lowest position for about an hour. It is important not allow it to over boil, since that turns the stock to become cloudy. If you follow the directions and watch the soup as it gently comes to a boil and then cook on the lowest heat, that will create a beautiful clear stock. My mom calls it "clear as teardrops". From this point on our jobs are half done.  The other way of making your stock is from a roasted chicken. Sometimes I like to get those roasted chicken from Costco. They are really good and ready to eat. I remove the meat from the bone and reserve the bones, skins and juices from the chicken in the tray they came in. Then, usually the next day I do almost the same with cooked bones as with raw chicken.  I use a smaller pot, so I make a much smaller amount of stock, and I cook it on the low heat for about two hour and sometimes even longer, checking it, so it does not evaporate. The cartilage on the bone almost melts away and the bones become really soft. I pick of the remaining bits of meat off the bones for my soups. This stock does not loose in taste and flavor to the one from raw chicken and makes delicious soups.
Perhaps the easiest among soups is Chicken Noodle. I do not limit it only to the noodles and chicken, I sneak veggies in for my kids.

Chicken Noodle Soup
3 cups of stock (approx)
1 cup of cooked chopped chicken(either from the soup or left over from ready roasted chicken)
1 cup of sliced or shredded carrots
1 cup of sliced celery (approx 1-2 ribs)
1/2 lbs of pasta
I use all kinds of pasta not just noodles - it looks nice.
Put all ingredients in a pot and your soup is done when pasta and carrots are. About 10 min.

I like to add some chopped fresh green onions and parsley with dill. Kids don't seem to mind.

Minestrone is probably my favorite to make. I'm no Italian, but you don't have to be to make a good minestrone. Some say that minestrone is most popular dish in Italy, even above the pasta. I can believe that! I'm sure every family makes it their own special way. Pretty much all of the veggies I have in the fridge go in the soup plus tomato sauce and Italian seasoning with garlic. It is a perfect way to get the kids to eat veggies and chopping all of them, probably is the most difficult part. Often in minestrone there is some kind of beans which is not always in my version, because beans have to be soaked and cook for a long time. I do not always plan ahead all the time, and  Soup happens spontaneously! I sometimes use lentils, because they take the same amount of cooking time as the vegetables. While lentils begin cook in the stock I start by sauteing chopped onions, then add celery and carrots, then zucchini, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, pepper, cauliflower and garlic. I rarely have all of these in the soup at the same time, half of the vegetables mentioned will do without any significant changes to taste of finished soup. Salt and pepper the vegetables and add some Italian seasonings and a dash of red pepper flakes. Now add the pasta and vegetables to the soup, as well as a can on cubed tomatoes or small can of tomato sauce.  Chicken chunks can be added now and the soup brought to a boil and turned down for slow simmer for about 15-20 min with the lid on. Add fresh chopped garlic clove, couple of leaves of basil, few springs of parsley and oregano, then remove from the heat. I let it steep as it cools off for about another 20 min and then it is ready to be enjoyed.

Orange Baked

Well, not exactly bake it. you can give the flavor of this amazing winter fruit to you baked goods.
It seems that we have a never ending supply of citrus fruits this time of the year and just keep munching away. Imagine how much orange peels we throw away and I can't even give it to my worms (it is not recommended). Its a shame that we get rid of all these essential oils. Sure some people make marmalade and there are a lot of recipes out there and Succade aka candied orange peel. However, I do not think that a lot of people will go through the trouble even though it only seems to be complicated and really is not so.
Here are couple of my recipes where I successfully used orange in baking.

Orange and Cashew Biscotti

3 eggs

1 c sugar

1/2 stick of melted and cooled butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbl sp orange juice

1 tsp baking soda

orange zest from 2 oranges or approx 2 tbl sp

3 c sifted flour

1 1/2 c cashew nuts

Mix ingredients adding them one at a time in the same order they are written but start with only 2 cups of flour. I use my Kitchen Aid. Soft dough will form. If the dough is looking a little to tough subtract amount of flour or may add couple more spoons of orange juice, if the dough is little to soft add little more flour.

I turn the dough on the silicon mat and using the mat form it into a log.

Bake the log in the middle of the oven at 300F for approx 50 min. It may crack on the top and will widen as it bakes. Once out of the oven cool for 10 min or so, then slice on a bias 1/2 inch thick slices.

Place bake in the oven cut side down for another 15-20 min to dry.

Here I added some drizzled chocolate for decoration.

Biscotti will keep in a airtight jar for up to 2 weeks, if it survives that long.

On the same note I decided to make an orange bread or loaf.

Orange Loaf

4 eggs

1 1/2 c sugar

1/2 c oil
6 oz yogurt of sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbl sp orange juice

1 tsp baking soda

orange zest from 2 oranges or approx 2 tbl sp

2 c sifted flour

1 c cashew nuts

1 c of raisins (optional)

Mix ingredients adding them one at a time in the same order they are written.

Oil 2 loaf pans pans or large bunt form and transfer the batter to the  pans.

Bake at 350F for approx 40 min. Check at 30 min mark. It ma take up to 50 min total baking time. Check for readiness with a toothpick inserted into the highest part of the loaf. If the batter sticks to the toothpick, bake for another 5-7 min.

I use a fantastic tool for removing zest from the citrus and for grating Parmesan cheese so fine it resembles snow. Very useful tool - microplane grater/zester!

Salads with Cirtus Dressing

We absolutely love salads in our house. In fact, it would seem that my husband can live on salad alone, as long as it contains jalapeno in some way or form and weather the recipe calls for it or not. My husband is like a dragon in constant need of fire, he loves spicy foods. Some times I make the salads daily, sometime not at all for few weeks. Really depends on my mood. One observation is that if I buy a salad dressing I almost never end up using it up. Sure, there are some good ones out there and my kids like the "white one" but even then, it is used once or twice and expires in the fridge. Somehow my  family's favorite is emulsified oil and vinegar, usually Balsamic but red wine and apple cider will also do with a garlic clove squeezed into it. I also vary it by adding fresh chopped basil or parsley, sometimes oregano works well to. A lot of my salads are an impromptu creation of what ever I have in the fridge. Since I always have carrots and celery, they really often make it into the salad. This is the season for citrus, so I try to utilize it as much as can. Orange or lemon juice this is what I use as an acidic element of my dressing.

The Basic Recipe is

1/4 cup of juice : either lemon, lime or orange or a combination of those

1/3-1/2 cup of oil

1 clove of garlic (optional but desirable)

Optionally you may need to add either sugar or honey to balance out the acidity and enhance the flavor. I always try the dressing before adding it to the salad, since the proportions or juice to oil is only approximate some juices are sweeter then others. It needs to be tasted for doneness and possibly adjusted.

You may also try and experiment with different flavors of oil. What you may find delicious is extra virgin olive, I also used flavorless oils but added about a table spoon of sesame seed oil in the mix. Another oil that will give a superb and original (and very Russian) flavor is a unrefined sunflower seed oil. It is great! I get it in Russian or middle eastern stores.

Here are some of my salads that my husband and I often call "let's see what's in the fridge". These simple combinations of vegetables and fruits worked well together for me and without a dout we love cilantro. However, if cilantro is not your thing, please omit it altogether or try another flavor like basil, dill or parsley, they also work.
 
 Salad with pear and orange
1/3 of a head of lettuce cut up
1 sweet red pepper sliced
1 celery rids sliced
1 Bosch pear sliced
2-3 chopped green onions
1/2 red onion sliced
1-2 oranges, slices cleaned of membranes
12 or more sprigs of cilantro chopped up
Salt and pepper to  taste
Dressing with orange juice
The food possessor is often my best friend if I'm in  a hurry and want a salad.

Carrot and apple salad

2-3 carrots  shredded
1 large green apple shredded
1-2 sliced celery ribs
1 sweet pepper sliced
1 med sweet onion sliced
several leaves of Romano lettuce cut up
several sprigs of Italian Parsley chipped
1/2 c of roasted pumpkin seed (sometimes called Pepitas and sometimes they are spicy, covered with red chilly)
Orange juice dressing here again and salt/pepper goes without saying. Here I added 1 tsp of honey.


Napa Cabbage with Celery Salad

1 small Napa Cabbage cut up in bite size pieces

1-2 celery ribs thinly sliced at an angle

1 sweet onion thinly sliced

1 bunch cilantro chopped up

3 green onions chopped on an angle

1/2 c or more roasted sun flower seeds

Salt and pepper and Dressing with garlic and lime juice. Here I added 1 tbl sp of  dark sesame seed oil to regular flavorless salad oil and it gave an amazing flavor and aroma. One other possible ingredient gives a fantastic flavor is lime zest. It can be added directly to the plate rather then mixing it in, because if zest steeps in lime juice overnight, the next day the salad becomes bitter.

Cabbage and Jicama Salad

1/2 or less shredded cabbage

1/2 Frenched Jicama

1 sliced  pepper

1sliced sweet onion

1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro

1/2 c of roasted pumpkin seed

Extra virgin olive oil and lime juice are perfect here.

Carrot, Grape and Avocado Salad

2-3 carrots  shredded

1 firm avocado sliced

1 large cucumber without seeds sliced

1 c of seedless grapes (or cleaned from seeds)

1/2 c of roasted pumpkin seed

4-5 chopped green onions

1/2 bunch of cilantro chopped

Salt pepper to taste

Oil with garlic and lemon juice dressing was used in this salad

  Salad with Cabbage, Carrot and Apple

1/2 or less shredded cabbage

2-3 carrots shredded

1 sliced celery rib
1 large green apple shredded

1sliced sweet onion

1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro

1/2 c roasted sun flower seeds

Salt and Pepper

Lemon juice with garlic and oil

Seeds, nuts like pignoli or even granola can be added to any one these salads and will add a fantastic crunch to a salad. I have many more to share so stay tuned.

fun for kids

No, It is not mine.... I found this fun dish in the wide open yonder of Russian net, many times duplicated and unprotected by copy rights, which are really meaningless to even mention there. In any case, I like to share this with you, so you can make next lunch or supper fun for your little ones. I personally do not know many kids that do not like hot dogs(there are few I'm sure, I just do not know them personally) and there are even fewer that do not like pasta.This one is really simple: its combo with their favorite sauce. You fill need to cut your hot dogs into bite size pieces and use several spaghetti to skewer each piece. All you have to do after is cook in a boiling water but with less then usual amount of salt, since you do not want to over salt the hot dogs, since they usually already contain a lot of sodium. One other tip is that you want to cook right after skewering, because the pasta gets soft and breaks off as you try to place them in the pot.
My kids absolutely love this "hairy dogs" I hope yours will, too.

Persimmon Bread

I grew up eating persimmons and I loved the taste of that fruit. When I was growing up we mostly had heart shape pointy kind that had to be completely soft and ripe to be eaten. For the longest time I have been looking for English word that describes the feeling when your mouth dries up and "fills with sand" if you take a bite of unripened persimmon. I now know that it is called astringent and not tart. My husband knew the word and did not know I was looking for it. High level of tannins in unripened fruit is causing denaturation of proteins in salivary glands, thus drying and binding up your mouth. If you never experienced that take a bite of heart shape persimmon that is not soft or just bite into banana peel or unripened banana. Awful!

Still I have fond memories of my child hood, when my mom would get a dozen or so persimmons and we would lay them out on the window sill to ripen. I would be turning them around daily, to get them to ripen evenly. It was my ritual to check on my precious persimmons hoping that one is ready to be devoured. They never had a uniform level of ripens. The top near the stem would still be not quite ready, as the bottom would get soggy or even soupy. Then my mom got a different kind of persimmon that was flat and sweet and not at all astringent. That kind has quickly became my favorite, since now, I did not have to wait and bite into a firm fruit, even crunch on it.... I still go weak at the site of persimmon, so when we got our house that was one of the first trees to be adopted by our backyard, right next to feijoa. The first few years there was barely any fruit, less then a dozen in 2 years and then tree grew brunches but remained as skinny as a model on a catwalk. We did not mind the wait. I live in a very well situated neighbourhood, with several oriental stores that always have persimmons on sale in season. Then our tree acclimated and made us proud of the harvest, as if we bore the fruit ourselves. About 4 years ago, as the sometimes windy California winter was approaching, the tree has lost all of it's leafs but was covered with large orange persimmons. Well, we were not fast enough to pick them, but rather preoccupied with chasing the birds that were totally enamored by my beautiful fruits.

The persimmons were very large and heavy, dotting naked branches in an orange salute to winter harvest. My supermodel skinny tree, just could not handle the wind gusts of 30 mph, so the poor thing toppled over breaking right at the ground level..... Needless to say I was devastated.... My garden baby laid fallen across the lawn.



See how skinny is the trunk?

We picked the fruit, cut the branches down, and I ran to the nursery and picked up some Grafting wax. We applied the wax to the wound and lifted up the tree. Bandaged the wound with duck tape and tied the tree to several support posts. At that point all we had to do is wait. So we did. The spring had finally come with new little green buds on the  branches! Yippee! The tree is growing year after year but still is skinny. It's OK! As long as every November there are lots of  orange persimmons on it, I'm comfortable with anorexic trunk of the tree. The birds certainly don't mind that, nor do they mind  the plastic owl we put in the branches to scare them away.

If there are a lot of fruit I share and if the fruit is too soft and looses it's crunch I puree it and add to Persimmon Bread. I heard  that such a thing exists from my Filipino co-workers. Naturally, if you can make Banana nut bread or one out of Zucchini, why not Persimmon. I could not wait for the recipe, so I had to make one up. If there are a lot of ripe persimmons I freeze them in pureed form in Ziploc bags measuring one cup per bag and use them later in the year.

Here is recipe for bread I came up with.

We all occasionally have a container of yogurt that hid behind something else in the fridge, or you underestimated the amount of sour cream or buttermilk you could consume before it expired last week. It does not look bad, and smells OK, but in the trash it goes. No need for that! You can bake it into a lot of thinks like coffee cakes and breads. That does not mean that you do not use fresh products if you have them. Only if dairy is close to expiration and you do not feel comfortable using it straight - it will work in baking. Notice, I'm talking about processed dairy, that is already sour by nature, and that acidity is what is being utilized by the baking process since it reacts with baking soda producing the bubbles and allowing our batter to rise.
6 eggs, 

I did not add raisins to this one(made my husband pout)

2 cup sugar,

1 cup of yogurt or sour cream or butter milk of mix of all,

1 tsp vanilla extract,

1 tsp Cinnamon(or less if you are not a fan of this spice),

pinch of nutmeg and cloves(optional),

3/4-1 cup of oil,

1 cup of pureed ripe persimmon,

3/4 tsp of baking soda,

3/4 tsp baking powder,

2,5 - 3 cups of flour

1 cup of walnuts pieces

1c of raisins (optional)

The reason the oil and flour is not exact is related to the consistency of yogurt/sour cream mixture. Start with less and adjust the batter as needed. I almost never measure most of the stuff I cook but rather do it by look and feel, consistency and texture of the batter or the product, and started measuring just recently so I can share it with everyone. This amount of batter is going to make about 3 small loafs. I made a loaf and a bunt type cake with this amount.

After you turned on the oven to 350°F, start by whipping eggs then gradually add remaining ingredients. Walnuts and raisins last. Oil the pans or I use nonstick spray. Split the batter in to containers and bake for approximately 40-50 min. Check your bread at 30 min interval, then verify if done by inserting a toothpick into the highest part of the bread. One of these was done before the other, because of the difference in size of the pans.

One other thing I did was Persimmon Jam. Let's face it over ripen persimmon is already like jam all that is needed to be done is the last step. Here is what I did. I pureed the over ripened fruits, processed it in food processor, then I measured amount of the puree in cups and added the same amount of sugar. I had about 3 cups of puree and added 3 cups of sugar. I mixed it in the pot over medium heat. until it dissolved. Once it came up to a boil I turned down the heat and cooked for about 5 more min. That's it! Easy and absolutely delicious, like honey but with an amazing flavor.

Tri Tip - the perfect cut of meat

Perhaps, Tri tip is my favorite cut of beef. It always comes out perfect. I grill it and broil it because my family absolutely loves Tri Tip roast. It is always welcomed and always purchased if on sale. Summers are usually when we consume a lot of it but one does not have to wait till simmer, because  it comes out just as good broiled in the oven.  It does really well when company is over.

  There are a lot of different recipes on the web and methods of cooking it. I always recommend people to try this superior piece of meat. Imagine my surprise when my New York family could not find it in the supermarket. They went to the butcher and he had no idea what they were talking about. I could not believe it. It is sold in our local Costco raw as well as cooked and packaged by one of their vendors. I was determined to find it myself and went to butchers in NY and their local Costco but - nothing.... only cooked and packaged tri tip there. What a shame! Apparently it has not reached NY.

Tri Tip is triangular shape muscle cut from the bottom of the sirloin primal cut. There are only two of those per cow. Honestly, it is a perfect cut of beef: It has the right amount of marbling, very tender, flavorful and not very expensive. During the summer, sale price for untrimmed tri tip roasts is as cheap as $ 2.79 per pound. Trust me, it is totally worth it! It is sold in California trimmed or untrimmed - with thick layer of fat on most of it. Even though supermarket will advertise it as trimmed,on one side of it there will be a layer of fat about 1/4 inch thick. Some people grill that kind  of the roast fat side down covered for about an hour allowing the fat to remain on the frill as the piece of meat is removed to the plate. I trim all of the fat before I grill it.  This is my absolutely favorite, very simple and delish recipe and it is not mine.

I got it right off the bottle of  Grill Mates® Montreal Steak Seasoning 

Savory MarinadeMIX 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 teaspoons Seasoning.
ADD 1 pound steak; marinate 30 minutes.
GRILL.

Few tips I want to share. I sometimes marinate it for much longer and olive oil tends to solidify at lower temperature, so try to emulsify the marinade as much as you can. Also since it is a roast and not a steak, it is much thicker and will need more seasoning then just what the recipe calls for. I usually either add more to the marinade or to the roast once it is on the grill. The slushy remnant of the marinade can be gently dabbed onto the roast as it cooks, or just sprinkle some more fresh seasoning. Once it is done in about 30-40 min, depending on the size of the cut allow it to rest covered on the plate. Then slice up to a smaller size cuts starting at the tip, that will give you different size medallions perfectly crusted with seasoning. Even is it is cooked little too long and is well done(i may have accidental done it once or twice), the meat remains tender and juicy. Mmmmmm......I love and use it so much that I buy "industrial size" bottles at Costco and use it up over the summer.

Buckwheat

Baked Mini Pumpkins Stuffed with Buckwheat

If you ask me what I consider a very Russian food, you may be surprised to hear that it its not caviar.

Sure, the potatoes are popular, so is cabbage, however, I would say that kasha rules.  In the US you may have heard that word, since here buckwheat is often referred to as "kasha". Incidentally, in Russia all of the grain and cereals that are cooked called 'kasha": that referrers to cooked barley, rice, buckwheat, millet, oat and etc. I know, that technically they are not even all cereals. Even new arrival like South American quinoa is still called kasha, just specified by what kind of grain has been cooked. In fact, Italian risotto, would qualify as rice kasha. If you enjoy porridge every now and then - you are eating oatmeal kasha.

 

Every Russian kid grows up eating kasha for breakfast and every kids knows a story about a solider that cooked kasha from an ax. In this Russian Cartoon the story is retold. This is tale of a solder that is returning home from the war and comes across a stingy farmer's wife, that does not want to extend hospitality to a hero nor share one meal. Few hundred years ago certain number of peasant Russian men were drafted into the tzar's army for a stretch of 20 years or so. After their service was over they made their way home, usually on foot, likely to spend the night in a nearest village. Hospitality of Russian people is well known, so any solder returning home was a largely counting on it. In this cartoon he asks for something to eat and a place to spend the night, however the woman is not willing to provide for nothing more than haystack in the stable. Clever warrior offers to cook kasha from an ax. Intrigued, she agrees. Ax goes in the pot with water and is boiling away. The soldier is very satisfied with the results but the ax just needs some salt. Stingy woman can't wait to try some ax kasha, so she gives him some salt. When solder tells here that it would be perfect if only there was a spoonful of butter. So he gets the butter from the woman, then it would be perfect is only he gets some grain. The greedy hostess is so mesmerised that she is willing to provide that, too. Now, it needs little more time for cooking and they have a kasha out of ax. "But what about the ax?", asks the woman. "Well, the ax is not quiet done, you need to cook that longer and your husband will finish it tomorrow", replies the solder. That is how the clever solder gets to eat.

....But I digressed....

The Buckwheat comes in groats and sometimes milled in to flour. Groats is what referred to in the States as kasha. Groats can be found in bulk at supermarkets like Whole foods, and in regular supermarket. Buckwheat is a very popular grain in Russia. It is eaten like a morning cereal or a side dish for supper. It has a wonderful rich nutty flavor and is full of iron, zinc and has some antioxidants in it, too. Russia is still the biggest producer of buckwheat and is in frequent competition with China for the title. 

Weather you are buying buckwheat in bulk or in a package, before you cook, it is a good idea to look trough the grains to make sure that there are no loose stones or some other grain made its way in the mix. You are likely to come across some black seeds in the same shape as the rest of the groats. You can pick them out or let them cook, since it is still buckwheat, that did not loose it's outer coat during the processing.     

If you are buying it in bulk you may come across some grain that are pale blown and almost yellow or those that are brown. Traditionally, the grains are toasted to that brown color and if you are getting pale grains you will need to toast your groats till they are brown, so just stick with brown ones. Heating already brown groats is also possible, that releases the aroma of the goats and it will not hurt as long as you don't burn it. However, it is not absolutely necessary.               

Basic recipe is 1c of buckwheat to 2 c of water. Salt to taste and some butter once it is cooked. They cook rather fast - in about 20 min.  I get my buckwheat in Russian stores or my local middle eastern store, that is owned by Assyrians from Iran. They know their customers and carry a certain selection of Russian foods.  

In a regular supermarket you may find buckwheat in Jewish/Kosher foods section of the store in small but expensive brown boxes. That type goes by the name of kasha. I noticed that their product is almost instant kind of buckwheat. The grains are broken into pieces and cook in a matter of few minutes. On this box it says "Fine Granulation" - or simply half milled buckwheat. If you are unsure about buckwheat but want to try it - by all means start with the box, just keep the proportions.

Most people that eat prefer their grains to be nice and loose, like the perfectly cooked basmati rice. I have this photo to demonstrate what it looks like cooked. However, there are few people (I am one of those) that love their grains to be overcooked to the point when they become one homogeneous mass topped of with large load of unsalted butter called "raz-maz-nya" or roughly translated as "mushy". If you do not keep your proportions and add too much water - you will end up with kasha like that. As a child I remember my grandma giving kasha as a hot cereal. Quite simply hot milk was added to the bowl of kasha with butter and spoon full (or more) of sugar. These days I feed this dish to my kids - they love it.

There lot of things you can do with buckwheat and flour from it. Russian crapes called blini can be made with it. Perhaps you heard about the dish brought to US by Eastern European Jews called kasha varnishkes, or buckwheat with bow tie pasta mix. Somehow, my grandma did not make that recipe, so I only learned that it is "traditional Jewish" here, in the States. I would like to share a recipe I made a couple of Thanksgivings ago. 

 I'm particularly proud of this recipe since it was not only delicious and nutritious but also looked good on the plate and was easy to make. For this dish I cooked the buckwheat and mixed it in with vegetables and stuffed it into small pumpkins that where baked.

You will need:

oil for sauteing

1 large diced  onion;

1-2 celery sliced stalks;

1-2 shredded carrots; 

1 package of  sliced mushrooms; several sprigs of thyme or about 1 tsp of dry (mix of both is OK);

about 4 or 5 small pumpkins cut in halves and cleaned; 

2 c of dry buckwheat and some additional fluids for cooking pumpkins such as stock or water.

The rest is simple. Cook buckwheat according to package or few minutes less.Saute onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms, add salt and pepper, then thyme. Mix with cooked buckwheat and fill pumpkins. Place pumpkins in the baking dish and add approximately 1/2 or more cups of liquid like stock or water if you want to keep it vegetarian. Cover the pan with foil to prevent buckwheat from drying out and bake at 350° till pumpkins are fork tender.

This recipe can be cooked with pumpkin not in the form of container for the kasha mix but with pumpkin or butternut squash diced up and cooked with other vegetables and mixed in with cooked buckwheat.

Hope you will try buckwheat.