Double Cabbage Kasha Varnishkes

This week has been one of those where there is never any real time for cooking. I’m usually quite spoiled and have several days a week when I get of early, but this one has been an exception. Still, I guess that’s life for way too many people: getting home late, being tired and despite this having to muster some energy and creativity and come up with a good meal. Or if you live in New York and follow the ads on the subway, just order a meal from Seamless. The claim that a true New Yorker “avoids cooking like they avoid Times Square” and that you can “cook when your dead or living in Westchester”. I haven’t succumbed to their advertisement and they still make me ever so slightly upset (even though they’re funny). I believe that we would all be happier and healthier if we cooked more at home. So instead of ordering noodles, I made double cabbage kasha varnishkes.

Before I moved here, I would only understood what half of the title of that dish meant. But living in New York has broadened my food horizons in oh so many ways. Kasha varnishkes is no stranger than roasted buckwheat and farfalle pasta (even though that may sound odd enough). Kasha is from what I’ve understood roasted buckwheat, and here you can buy it in the grocery store but you might as well roast it yourself. New York has a big Jewish community, and this is an old Jewish that originates from Eastern Europe. Traditionally the recipe includes chicken fat and egg, which I have obviously omitted, but I bumped up the recipe with two kinds of cabbage instead: white cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Any old Jewish grandma would probably slap me over the fingers for ruining their food heritage, but it ended up being a very fast and comforting dinner. Give it a try!

Note on protein: Buckwheat does contain a fair amount of protein and so does the pasta. Still it doesn’t hurt to serve this dish with a nice bean or lentil salad, if you happen to have some around. You could also add some beans or lentils in the dish or opt for using for example bean pasta if you can get ahold of such.

Serves 2

1 dl buckwheat or kasha

1 small onion

175 g white cabbage

175 g Brussels sprouts

1 tsp. caraway seeds

A good lug of oil

Salt

2 ½ dl vegetable bouillon (or water)

160 g farfalle

For garnish: Chopped parley

If you don’t have kasha that is already roasted, toast your buckwheat in a dry pan until it’s started to brown and smells nice and toasty. Remove from the pan.

Start heating up a large pot of salted water for the pasta.

Slice the onion thinly. Quarter or halve the Brussels sprouts depending on their size. Slice the cabbage into about ½ cm strips. Heat the pan to medium heat and add a lug of oil together with the onion, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, caraway seeds and a sprinkle of salt. Fry for about 5-7 minutes until soft and slightly browned. Add the buckwheat and continue frying and stirring for 2 minutes. Add the bouillon, cover with a lid and lower the heat. Let the kasha steam in the pan for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook until done and then add it to the pan of kasha. Stir until it’s all mixed and taste for salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Enjoy.