Earthy elegance
Buckwheat may seem like an old familiar in savory Breton crepes or in earthy, nutty Japanese soba noodles, but it’s also a uniquely versatile ingredient that can be baked into biscuits, rolled into Italian pasta and embraced in other ways that might surprise even, say, a veteran cookie baker. Cookies become crumblier, pancakes have a richer crumb, pasta remains firmer, and they all benefit from buckwheat’s nuttiness, its texture and substance.
Buckwheat’s subtle flavors also mingle well with such seasonals as avocados, black kale and goat’s cheese.
One of the oldest crops in the world, buckwheat grows in climates ranging from the highest fields of the Tibetan plateau to the lowest reaches of Australia and has been integrated into cuisines around the world for the last 8,000 years.
Traditional Russian blini are made with buckwheat flour; they’re similar to crepes but are made with a yeasted batter. Buckwheat has a distinct flavor that holds up to the addition of caviar, creme fraiche and minced raw onion.
And there are variations on this theme. Ingredients with a velvety mouth-feel can mimic the richness of creme fraiche. Mash avocados, whip Greek yogurt, blend goat’s cheese or fresh creamy ricotta. Caviar provides a tangy saltiness, but replace it with a tart-sweet ingredient and blini become a light delicious dessert. Try fresh local figs, grapes, dates or pomegranate.
For many years the secret ingredient of gluten-free bakers, buckwheat flour has caught the attention of other cooks. Buckwheat is a seed, not a grain -- that’s why the flour doesn’t act like regular wheat flour in cooking. When buckwheat is milled, it produces a powder that is far more absorbent than wheat flour. Think of it almost as a nut meal. For this reason, it is usually augmented with some wheat flour for structure.
Cookies made with buckwheat flour have an incredible texture, crisp and crumbly yet tender. The flavor of buckwheat is rich and subtle, a natural with rich nuts such as walnuts.
Although the idea of making soba noodles from scratch often leaves adept cooks trembling, pizzoccheri, an Italian analogue made with buckwheat flour (called farina di grano saraceno in Italian) mixed with durum wheat flour, is much simpler. Pizzoccheri dough is more than double the amount of semolina to buckwheat, making for a more glutinous mixture that gives the dough better structure and makes it easier to knead, roll and cut.
Like soba noodles, pizzoccheri are cut with a knife instead of being squeezed through a pasta-cutting machine.
But pizzoccheri are flat and thickly cut, with a pleasingly homey appearance and varying widths, and served with a comforting mixture of soft potatoes, creamy melted cheeses and fresh greens. It’s the buckwheat pasta -- dense (in a seasonally appropriate way, with just enough spring) and flavorful -- that makes it rustic and elegant.
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Pizzoccheri
Total time: 1 hour, plus 1 hour resting time for the dough
Servings: 8
Note: Adapted from “Cooking by Hand” by Paul Bertolli. Buckwheat and extra-fancy semolina flours are available at well-stocked supermarkets, and cooking and baking supply stores. Fontina valdostana can be found in well-stocked cheese sections of major markets as well as at specialty cheese stores.
2/3 cup buckwheat flour
1 1/2 cups extra-fancy semolina flour
2 eggs
5 teaspoons salt
2 large or three medium boiling potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 -inch thick
1/2 large head savoy cabbage, separated and torn into pieces
7 tablespoons butter
8 to 10 sage leaves
1 garlic clove, chopped fine
1 cup grated Fontina valdostana cheese
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1. Place the buckwheat flour and semolina in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the eggs and one-fourth cup plus 2 tablespoons water. Use a fork to stir the mixture together. When the dough begins to form a shaggy mass, alternately squeeze and press it with the palm of your hand. Press any loose bits of flour into the dough. If it is too dry, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. When the dough feels tacky and the flour is fully incorporated, transfer it to a clean, lightly floured surface and knead for 4 tor 5 minutes, or until it loses its surface moisture, is a uniform color and springs back when pressed. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour before rolling.
2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is a rectangle no more than one-eighth-inch thick, then use a fluted pastry wheel to cut it into strips three-fourths-inch wide and 6 inches long.
3. Heat the broiler.
4. Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil and add the salt. Add the potatoes to the boiling water, then after 2 minutes, add the cabbage. Boil the vegetables for about 5 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender but not soft. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon and keep the water boiling.
5. Meanwhile, place a wide saute pan over medium heat; add the butter, sage leaves and garlic. Lower the heat so the garlic does not brown, and swirl the pan a couple of times so the butter melts and the flavors merge. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
6. Cook the pasta in the same water as the vegetables to al dente, about 4 minutes; drain well and add to the saute pan. Over low heat, stir to coat with the butter mixture. Remove from the heat.
7. Butter a 10-inch gratin or baking dish and assemble by layering one-third of the pasta, vegetables and cheeses. Repeat, until all the pasta, vegetables and cheeses are used. Place the gratin under the broiler for 2 to 4 minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve at once.
Each serving: 389 calories; 13 grams protein; 40 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 19 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 104 mg. cholesterol; 509 mg. sodium.
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Buckwheat sugar cookies
Total time: 35 minutes, plus chilling and cooling time
Servings: Makes 2 dozen cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup flour
1. In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar, salt and cinnamon, using the back of a large spoon. Stir in the vanilla extract and nuts.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flours, then add these to the butter mixture, beating the butter into the flour with the spoon to form a dough. Turn out the dough onto a work surface and roll into a 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 to 4 hours until chilled and firm.
3. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Slice the log crosswise into one-quarter-inch-thick cookies. Arrange on a nonstick, buttered or parchment-lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
4. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, until the cookies begin to turn golden brown at the edges. Rotate the sheet halfway through for even baking. Using a metal spatula, immediately remove the warm cookies and cool on a wire rack. The cookies will keep, tightly wrapped, for 2 weeks at room temperature.
Each serving: 73 calories; 1 gram protein; 7 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 5 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 10 mg. cholesterol; 25 mg. sodium.
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Buckwheat blini with Greek yogurt and strawberries
Total time: 45 minutes, plus overnight chilling and 2 hours resting time
Servings: 8
Note: Buckwheat and unbleached bread flours are available at well-stocked supermarkets, and cooking and baking supply stores. Serve with honey on the side, if desired.
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cups creme fraiche
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups fresh strawberries
1. In a large bowl, sift together the buckwheat and bread flours and the salt. Sprinkle with the yeast and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, stir together the milk and creme fraiche. Heat over low heat just until lukewarm, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the egg yolks, then whisk the mixture into the dry ingredients to form a stiff batter.
3. Cover the bowl loosely with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Allow the batter to come to room temperature, still covered, one hour before using.
4. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, then gently fold them into the batter with a spatula. Loosely cover the bowl and allow to rise for 1 hour.
5. While the batter is rising, combine the yogurt and syrup in a small bowl. Trim and dice the strawberries into one-half-inch pieces and place in a medium bowl. Cover both bowls and refrigerate until needed.
6. Heat a heavy cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium heat. Lightly butter the skillet. Scoop the batter into the pan, using a 1-ounce ladle or a generous 2 tablespoons. Spread the batter with the back of a spoon to form pancakes 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter. Cook the pancakes 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side until golden brown and set. Repeat with all of the batter, buttering the skillet as needed, keeping the cooked pancakes warm.
7. Plate three pancakes per serving, topping each with a dollop of sweetened yogurt and strawberries.
Each serving: 293 calories; 11 grams protein; 31 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 15 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 79 mg. cholesterol; 355 mg. sodium.