Plate Expectations: Kasha varnishkes
Our in-house chef Denise Philips cooks up her latest culinary treat!
Kasha varnishkes is kasha buckwheat cooked with pasta bows. It originates from the Jews of eastern Europe, notably Russia and the Ukraine.
It is still very popular in America, but many English Jews have never heard of it.
This is a very traditional recipe that is frequently served with pot roast on a Friday night and a similar version to the one my aunt in Brooklyn makes each week.
Ingredients
- 250ml kasha/ buckwheat, coarse grind
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 600ml vegetable or chicken stock
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion – peeled and finely chopped
- 200g brown cap mushrooms- sliced
- 225g pasta bows
Garnish: Sprigs of parsley and chopped walnuts
METHOD
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F /Gas mark 4.
- In a heavy based frying pan, toast the kasha for 2 to 3 minutes until it begins to turn golden and give off an aroma.
- Immediately stir in the egg, salt and stock and mix well. Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat to simmer and cook the kasha until it absorbs all the stock, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile cook the pasta in rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and sauté the onions andmushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. ach side.
- Add the pasta to the cooked kasha mixture. Transfer the contents to a greased ovenproof dish.
- Check and adjust seasoning. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of oil over the top.
- Bake for 10 minutes until the top is slightly brown and crunchy.
To serve the stylish way: Serve spoonfuls of kasha varnishkes and garnish with sprigs of parsley and walnuts.
Listen to the Jewish Views podcast!
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
