Buckwheat and Cottage Cheese Casserole

Submitted by Engrossed

"From: "Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way" by Lorna Sass. "The savory combination of buckwheat and cottage cheese shows up in many traditional Russian cookbooks, and creates the kind of dense, comforting pudding that we yearn for when there's frost on the windows. Use toasted buckwheat (kasha) for a robust flavor, and untoasted buckwheat for a subtler dish. Serve the casserole as an accompaniment to brisket, pot roast, or short ribs. Vegetarians will enjoy it as an entree.""

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 1⁄3 cup rye flakes or 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 2 3⁄4 - 3 cups water
• 1 1⁄2 cups buckwheat groats
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried dill or 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for preparing the pan
• 1 1⁄2 cups low fat cottage cheese
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons sugar (optional) or 2 tablespoons honey, beaten with the eggs (optional)
• 3⁄4 cup sour cream
• 1⁄8 teaspoon sweet paprika

directions

1. Set a rack in the center and preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Coat the bottom and halfway up the sides with the rye flakes or oatmeal. Set aside.
3. In a heavy 2-quart Dutch oven or saucepan, combine 2 3/4 cups of water with the buckwheat, dill, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in butter.
5. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the buckwheat is tender, about 10 minutes.
6. Stir in another 1/4 cup of water if the mixture gets dry before the buckwheat is tender.
7. Transfer the cooked buckwheat to a medium bowl.
8. Stir in the cottage cheese, followed by the eggs and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.
9. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan.
10. With a rubber spatula, spread the sour cream in a layer on top.
11. Dust with paprika.
12. Bake until the edges are firm and the center is set, 45 to 50 minutes.
13. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
14. Run a knife along the edges and cut into 8 portions.
15. Use a spatula to remove the pieces from the pan.

Reviews

[karen]

Let me first say, that I liked the flavor and even went back for seconds. But, the texture was not what I was expecting at all. I'm not sure if I did something wrong, if it simply doesn't work well at 1/2 recipe, or if it turned out fine but my expectations were just off. The consistancy turned out similar to mashed potatoes. I've only had kasha made one way before, and the grains remain intact rather than getting mushy. I don't think that the oats really added anything, and they didn't stick to the sides very well. I also found that with a 1/2 recipe, the water was absorbed right awy by the kasha, and I had to keep adding more...maybe 3/4 cup. The cottage cheese also didn't really incorporate well into the recipe. I did leave out the sugar/honey, and thought the flavor was fine. Though I'll have no difficulty fnishing up the leftovers, I probably won't make it again.

 

[Queen Roachie]

I would not have thought to make something like this on my own so adding a star even tho I changed things up to get more flavor. Used seasoning salt rather than regular, cooked my kasha in broth, and added onion and garlic. Didn't coat the dish or use oats, and used fat free cottage cheese with good results. Was out of sour cream so topped with a light sprinkle of queso. Added bacon and I'd add more veg like carrots and celery next time, and maybe either chicken or sausage to make a main dish. Thanks for sharing!

 

[lupewinku]

Was somewhat dull tasting. We want to make this again and add onions. It tasted better after sitting overnight. Good use for leftover buckwheat groats. Never made anything like this dish before.