Mushroom with Buckwheat

Mushroom with Buckwheat

Buckwheat is commonly mistaken for a cereal grain, in reality, it is a fruit seed that comes from a very old plant/grass, whose flowers are small and beautiful! (Very popular in the Balkans, and Eastern Europe.)

Servings 3-4

Execution time 45 minutes

Ingredients:

-                 150 gr fresh mushrooms or 20 g dried mushrooms,thinly sliced

-                 50 gr buckwheat,washed

-                 4 tbsp oil

-                 1 small onion,chopped

-                 2 cloves garlic,chopped

-                 1 bay leaf

-                 1 tbsp vegetable seasoning

-                 50 ml sour cream

-                 vinegar

-                 3 sprigs parsley

-                 salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil and lightly sauté the onion. Add the mushrooms and the garlic and continue to sauté. Add the salt, vegetable seasoning, buckwheat and the bay leaf and cover with water. Simmer gently and just before it is completely cooked, add pepper, sour cream mixed and the chopped parsley. Add vinegar to taste. 

Tips

It can be used to perfectly substitute grains in a gluten-free diet!

Beans (Grësh or Fasule)

Beans (Grësh or Fasule)

There is nothing better than a warm plate of beans and toasty bread on cold snowy day. It is, as my parents like to say, the one food you can never get tired of. So far I have to agree with them. After I show you how to make it, I will give you some other ways you can eat the beans.

Ingredients:

-                 You will need a deep pan

-                 1-2 cups of white beans (we prefer Cannellini Beans)

-                 One large white onion

-                 One large bell pepper (any color you choose)

-                 One large carrot

-                 Salt

-                 Butter (somewhere between 1/4 cup to a cup depending on how much beans you make)

Directions:

The vegetables are optional but this is how my mom makes it and trust me it will be delicious.

First, rinse the beans then put them in the pot with 3-4 cups of water. Let these come to a boil. While they are coming to a boil prep the veggies by cutting them up. You can leave them chunky or finely minces. Either way the point is to get the essence of the vegetables in the bean broth.

Once the beans have started to boil drain the water. Another method that people use but is more time consuming is to let the beans soak in water overnight. This soaking process, whether by boiling or overnight resting in water, is very crucial. It will cut down the cooking process immensely.

Now put the beans back in the pot and about 3-4 cups of water again. Add all the vegetables as well but NOT salt! I repeat do not add the salt. Salting the beans before they are cooked greatly increases the cooking time. There are people who might not agree with this theory. But, I tend to stick to what I know plus I don’t want to waste a perfectly good batch of beans by salting them early on and finding out that everyone else is wrong.

Let the beans and vegetables come to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let it simmer for about 45 min to an hour. Add a little water if the stew gets too thick and the beans aren’t fully cooked.

Once the beans are cooked through add the salt. In a small skillet melt the butter till its turns slightly brown then pour on top of the beans and mix. This will be the little secret to making the beans amazing. After all, butter makes everything better!

Croatian Venison Goulash (Gulaš) Recipe

Croatian Venison Goulash (Gulaš) Recipe

This Croatian venison goulash recipe or gulaš is from chef Julia Jaksic, a New York City chef of Croatian-American descent. She likes to serve this stew over a bed of polenta or palenta in Croatian (Romanian mamaliga would be great, too), but mashed potatoes or egg noodles work just as well. Compare this recipe with Romanian Veal Stew with Polenta Recipe.

This dessert recipe for Bosnian Poached Apples (Tufahije) from Jaksic would be a perfect ending for this meal.

• Total: 4 hrs 50 mins
• Prep: 20 mins
• Cook: 4 hrs 30 mins
• Venison is marinated overnight: 12 hrs
• Yield: 8 to 10 servings Croatian Gulaš

Ingredients

• 5 pounds venison roast from the hindquarters, cubed into 1-inch squares
• 2 large chopped white onions
• 4 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large bay leaf
• 4 cups chicken stock or water
• 4 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
• Salt to taste
• 3 tablespoons Vegeta
• 1/4 cup peeled and sliced carrots (optional)
• 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Steps to Make It

1. Place venison cubes in a nonmetallic container and rub them with onions, garlic, olive oil, and bay leaf, cover with plastic wrap and marinate overnight.
2. Remove bay leaf and sear meat on medium-high heat in batches using a large earthenware pot or large stock pot. There should be enough oil from marinating so meat doesn't stick.
3. Return all seared meat and any exuded juices to the pot, and add stock or water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on low, covered, for approximately 3 hours, stirring frequently, adding more stock or water, if necessary.
4. Add paprika and salt. Continue to cook for another hour or until the meat is tender and falling apart. Add the Vegeta, carrots and mushrooms, if using, and black and cayenne peppers.
5. Continue cooking until meat and vegetables are very tender. Serve over polenta, mamaliga, mashed potatoes or noodles.

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Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
614	Calories
14g	Fat
113g	Carbs
16g	Protein

See Full Nutritional Guidelines

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)