It's not Iams: The Buckwheat Digressions

Reader/friend Lynn D. told me about some lovely Italian buckwheat cookies, and linked me to the recipe, which I had been planning to try ever since. She served them with a rhubarb dish, cleverly noting that buckwheat and rhubarb are botanic relatives. I did try them, and they are wonderful. Yes, I know they look like catfood, only bigger. But they are great.

The story, which can be found, with the recipe, at Melissa Clark's website is interesting, too. I am a huge fan of buckwheat, in all formats, and I'm just going to have to go on about that a little bit. Kasha-or buckwheat groats (varniskas-with bowtie noodles-or otherwise), buckwheat noodles (soba), and buckwheat pancakes are particular favorites. I'm sure you understand that I cannot help but digress. I promise to return to the cookies shortly.

Re buckwheat pancakes (in memorium): Pamela's, a Pittsburgh breakfast institution, used to serve the world's best buckwheat pancakes. This diner-like restaurant now has a number of locations, include a retro-hipsterish one in the Strip District. (That's the one in the photo.) The original is the smallest, and is located in my Squirrel Hill neighborhood. There is a line on the street every weekend and holiday morning for breakfast at one of the crowded formica tables. Pamela's is famous for their pancakes, which are dinnerplate size, thin and crepe-like, and sport a delightful crisp lacy border. These were once available in "regular" or buckwheat.

I was devoted to the buckwheat ones; they were heavenly- thin, delicate and lacy, with the dark, slightly caramel nuttiness of buckwheat. One day several years ago, I ordered them, and was told that they were no longer offered. The reason? "Not enough people liked them." I told the cook on duty that I personally liked them enough for 10 normal people, but she was unmoved.

I suppose that I could have figured out an approximation to make at home, but I don't really want to make them at home. I love to eat breakfast out, so I'm eating the "regular" ones at Pamela's now, when I go there. Eating an elaborate breakfast out is a huge treat in so many ways. All the best breakfast goodies are rare events in our lives these days. Few of us now work physically, dawn to dusk, burning calories like racehorses. If we ate this kind of thing all the time, we would be leaden. So when we do indulge, it is a special occasion.

Then too, when we eat breakfast out, once replete, we can head straight home for the couch and newspaper, or (if virtuous) for a long walk to work it all off, either one without paying the price in soapsuds and pot scrubbing. Big greasy breakfasts are hell to clean up, and look depressing soaking in the sink, if you leave them for later. Finally, the best of breakfasts out are generally much, much cheaper than mediocre restaurant dinners. You see my point.

Having wandered far from the cookies, I might as well go on about my personal Vegetarian Kasha Varnishkas (hereinafter "K.V.").This classic combo of buckwheat groats, bowtie noodles and gravy, is incredibly simple to make when it it prepared as a side with a brisket in gravy. You simple mix the cooked kasha and pasta, stir in some gravy, sprinkle with parsley, and there you are.

But what if you have vegetarian family members? You wouldn't have made a brisket if you weren't feeding a group-often a large family gathering. Almost any such gathering these days will include a few vegetarians. It is patently unfair at a festve meal to offer side dishes which are boring without the addition of puddles of meat gravy. I have thus devised the following version, which is good with and without meat gravy. (Those of us who love gravy on our KV need not suffer a version incompatible with gravy.)

The key is a combination of mushrooms-dried and fresh, onions, and asian-style dark sesame oil. You soak some dried mushrooms overnight in dry sherry, if you have some, or otherwise, water. The strained soaking liquid is used as part of the liquid when making your kasha according to the package directions, including also a snippet of thyme. The kasha is combined with a hefty helping of slowly carmelized onions, the sauteed fresh and dried mushrooms, and a glop of the sesame oil, as well as salt and pepper. Mix with cooked bowties, sprinkle with some fresh herbs, and you have KVs good with, or without, some nice gravy.

Now then, the cookies:

This is an easy recipe, though once you see the dough, I don't think you will be inclined to try piping it through a pastry bag- it is quite stiff. The ball and fork option is fine, and I think the more rustic cookie is cuter, anyhow. Personally, if I make homemade cookies, I like the recipients to be able to tell they are homemade, without having to say so. This is sheer vanity, of course. But you see, if you must say so, it sounds as if 1) you think you are a big deal because you made cookies, and 2) you think you are so clever that your cookies look like the work of a pro, so you need to explain. Obviously, I spend too much time thinking about the trivial.

In any event-I love these homely cookies, which are subtle and addictive. The distinctive buckwheat caramel is there, but they are hardly sweet at all. They are sandy, yet crisp.I can see that they would go beautifully with that rhubarb, and/or something creamy and sweet. There is a yummy after taste, rich and dark. I am wondering if my elderly mother will like them . She generally enjoys cookies which are plain and rich, to have with her tea, and has been a bit disappointed that I haven't baked her any recently. I'm not sure how she feels about buckwheat, though. I will take her some of these to the Mother's Day festivities at my brother's place, along with her present (BBC Mystery dvds), and see what she thinks.

And just one more final disconnected buckwheat rambling: It is apparently very important to get buckwheat flour fresh, and keep it refrigerated, or in the freezer. Melissa Clark and Shuna both say so, and I believe them. If I had access to Anson Mills buckwheat, I would have used that, but this wonderful company does not offer their buckwheat flour in small quanties by mail-order (You can get their other stuff, though, like excellent cornmeal, in household-sized quantities, and it is beyond great.). I got Bob's Red Mill buckwheat flour at the Iggle.,and popped it in the freezer-but it was not chilled at the Iggle, and I don't know if it was sitting out awhile-or not. Probably not, as the cookies were delicious.

Comments

[Rebecca]

These look and sound delicious to me and might be the solution to the church refreshment problem (cookies that children don't really like). They sound a bit similar to some Walker's wholemeal shortbread cookies I bought on special at Big Lots (shamefaced confession) recently. Barely sweet and a bit gritty on the tongue. Great with afternoon coffee.

Now, about your kasha and bowties, I'm thinking that Mrs. Smith's roasted onion gravy, from the toad recipe, would be just the ticket--it's vegetarian and really delicious. Not that your dried mushroom sauce doesn't sound good, as well! The carbo-lover in me really wants to try this dish.

[Tania]

Lindy, I could read your writing all day!

I'm not sure where to start commenting on this lovely winding post ... With the buckwheat pancakes, I think. I share your sentiment over their sad demise, as I, too, would choose buckwheat over "regular" any day. How sad that "not enough people liked them." I think that's the case with buckwheat, in general, though. It's not very glamorous or exotic, but rather rib-sticking, wholesome, and, well, brown. Alas. Well, I'm glad you could find buckwheat flour; we have Bob's Red Mill products here in Canada, too, so at least I know I can make buckwheat pancakes (and your cookies), too.

[Cari]

I'd never heard that buckwheat flour was best refrigerated. How strange. I have an opened bag from Bob's Red Mill sitting in my cupboard right now. I looked and sure enough, the "best by" date is several months past. Looks like the late night cookie making plans I had briefly considered upon reading this post will have to be postponed.

I've been to Pamela's a few times -- I always really anticipate the first few bites, then I end up getting a bit grossed out as the food cools and I realize just how greasy it all is. I guess I should have forgone the eggs and potatoes and ordered the buckwheat pancakes. But now I'll never get to try them. For weekend breakfasts, I love the Crepes Parisiennes in Shadyside. The savory crepes come with a citrusy little side salad. I especially like them with spinach and cheese, and the house "soy-tang" sauce. In fact, I've been trying to recreate them at home, hence the buckwheat flour in the cupboard. Your post reminded me that sometimes it's more fun just to go out.

[Yulinka]

Lindy,

Great post. I was thinking of making buckwheat blini, but those pancakes sound more appealing right now. I've just rediscovered buckwheat--I've never been much of a fan, but that's probably because I was force-fed it as a child.

[Baking Soda]

Eating breakfast out? That'll be the day... No, that is definitely not an option here in the Netherlands. I'll have to make my buckwheat pancakes myself, and I do regularly, we have them for dinner though, and the crispy lacy border is acquired by using a fair amount of butter to bake them in. We all love pancakes here and I make the dutch version, thin and dinnerplate size, some with cheese and bacon, some with raisins, apple slices and sugar/cinnamon and some plain. And I have to admit, besides that we like the added flavour I use buckwheat for the filling qualities as well... Otherwise I would be over the stove forever to feed this family of hungry men.
Drizzle with "appelstroop", treacle, maple syrup, various sugars, home made jelly, nutella...I could go on and on. I won't. Promise.(I'd never heard that buckwheat flour was best refrigerated either...oops!)

[lindy]

Rebecca-Wholemeal shortbread sound great! I'm sure the onion gravy would be good on the kasha too. I like to do it this way, because it works out well with adding the beef gravy, for folks like me!
Tania -You are so kind, thank you. I only recently realized that not everyone likes the buckwheat taste. I think they are missing out!
Cari-The crepes sound lovely. I am afraid that the greasiness level at Pamela's does not dissuade me, though. Especially since I don't have to clean up!
Yulinka-Buckwheat blini! Be still my heart!
Baking soda-I'm coming over right now. You have a very lucky family!
I like the idea of some buckwheat honey on them too. My Hungarian friend makes great big thin pancakes for supper, and tops them with a lightly fried egg. You poke the yoke and it makes "sauce."

[Lynn D.]

What a coincidence! I woke up this morning thinking about buckwheat pancakes. While drinking my coffee, I checked your blog and found we're once again on the same page. I'm glad you liked the cookies (i.e. that they didn't end up on the floor!). I decided to make Shuna's egg babies (http://www.kqed.org/weblog/food/2006/03/eggbabies-kitchen-sink-breakfast.jsp) with half buckwheat. Unfortunately, I used the wrong shaped pan and ended up with buckwheat bread, delicious nevertheless. I think I'll try again next weekend with the right pan and possibly more egg. Here is a link to a savory buckwheat crepe I've been wanting to try:

http://serendipitouschef.blogspot.com/2006/04/signs-didnt-point-to-galettes.html

I've never had kasha varnishkas, so that's something to look forward to. And I remember disliking buckwheat soba, so that's something to try again. The Serendipitous Chef recently posted about them as well.

[Bakerina]

Lindy, you are doing interesting things to my cookie-baking repertoire. First scourtins, now these. Had I not made plans to go shopping for a new suit -- a tale best left untold, as it's just too grisly -- I would have picked up a bag of buckwheat flour at the farmer's market this morning. Fortunately, my local health food store carries a full complement of Bob's Red Mill and their turnover is pretty good, so I don't have to wait a full week to go back to the market.

I remember those buckwheat pancakes at Pamela's, and it kills me to hear that they're gone. (I think that if Rick Sebak ever does a "Things that Aren't There Anymore III," we need to make a case for including the pancakes.) The first Pamela's I ever went to was the one in Shadyside, where I remember ordering matzo ball soup, which didn't touch the Gazebo's matzo ball soup but was still pretty good. The one in Squirrel Hill was my regular, though, as I did much more shopping in Squirrel Hill than in Shadyside. I used to be a mad fool for their chicken salad on white toast. In general I'm not a fan of gloppy over-mayonnaised semi-sweet chicken salad, but Pamela's is the exception to the rule. Every time I visit Pittsburgh I get one of those sandwiches; every time I eat it, it sits in my belly like a lead sinker; every time, it makes me very, very happy.

Incidentally, I second Tania: I love this post so much that I don't want to stop reading it.

[Julie]

I'm often struck by how interesting and unusual the things you're cooking are. For instance, buckwheat cookies.

I don't know that I've ever had buckwheat anything (a sheltered life I guess) but now I'm anxious to taste it.

The cookies sound wonderful and the Vegetarian Kasha Varnishkas sound truly delicious, but the thing that really sounds seductive is the buckwheat pancakes. If you told me they were still available I'd be making a side trip to Pittsburgh next time I had to go to western Pennsylvania.

[Luisa]

I loooove these cookies! http://wednesdaychef.typepad.com/the_wednesday_chef/2005/11/shfimbb_cookie_.html

[lindy]

Lynn-Those crepes look very tempting. Thanks again for the tip on the cookies.
Bakerina-I was desolated. The Gazebo itself is another regretted item. Sigh .Good matzoh ball soup must be eaten at home these days.
Julie-Their regular pancakes are pretty good too..maybe you should stop by?
Luisa-Ha! I went and looked, and ours look just alike, despite our different shaping methods. Aren't they nice?