Lynn from Fargo Ografmorffig > wrote:

> Mister Bubba, Sir:
>
> Isn't Kasha Varnishkes a dish with cooked kasha groats, farfalle
> (bowtie) or other pasta and mushrooms (dried porcini or crimini
> or . . . . ) ? I've only eaten it once, but that was made by a
> notoriously mediocre cook. Bland and boring. I think I'd like it if
> it was done correctly!

Kasha varnishkes, like gefilte fish in fish-ball form, is yet another
travesty - an extremely lazy way of making what used to be a traditional
dish. The dish in question is kasha vareniki, pierogi-or-kreplach-like
dumplings stuffed with kasha. To add an insult to injury, the genuinely
Eastern European buckwheat kasha is mixed with the totally unrelated
pasta of Italian origin. In Europe, Eastern or otherwise, there is no
such thing as kasha varnishkes. I guess the dish, like most any dish,
can be made well enough if one does not overcook it and uses seasonings
in appropriate quantities. I personally find no attraction in the dish,
but then I do not like the traditionally made kasha-filled vareniki,
either. Here is a recipe from _The 2nd Ave Deli Cookbook_ by Sharon
Lebewohl and Rena Bulkin, but I cannot vouch for it personally. Adding
mushrooms would surely be an improvement.

Sir Bubba

Kasha varnishkes

1 1/2 cups uncooked kasha
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup corn oil or schmaltz
5 cups chopped onions
3/4 pound bow tie noodles (varnishkes)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix kasha and eggs thoroughly, and
bake mixture in a shallow pan for 20 minutes.

2. Heat corn oil in a large skillet, and sauté onions, stirring
occasionally, until well browned. Remove to a bowl, retaining cooking
oil with onions.

3. Boil 6 cups of water in a large stockpot. Remove kasha from oven,
stir into the boiling water, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes (until all
water has evaporated). When you are through cooking the kasha, break up
clumps with a fork.

4. At the same time you're cooking the kasha, in a separate pot, boil
bow ties for 15 to 20 minutes, until fully cooked. Drain and rinse.

5. Mix everything together, including salt, and serve.