Roasted Buckwheat Polenta With Sage Cream Sauce Food

ROASTED BUCKWHEAT POLENTA WITH SAGE CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Use a heavy skillet to toast the buckwheat groats, over medium heat, until they are lightly toasted (stir occasionally), about 12 minutes; remove from heat and set aside so they cool.
• Once they are completely cooled, grind them, using a coarse setting, for form grits (they'll have the consistency of corn meal).
• Simmer the potato in water until fork tender, about 25 minutes; remove the potato, but keep the water simmering in the pot.
• Peel and mash the potato with a fork, then return to the pot of simmering water.
• Add the ground buckwheat grits to the pot along with 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture becomes very thick, about 15 minutes (if it gets too thick, add a little water; also if it gets done before the sauce, remove from heat and cover).
• Meanwhile, saute the leeks, in the butter, in a large skillet, until softened; reduce heat and add a pinch of salt, then cover and cook until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Stir in the cream, sage, and a few grinds of pepper; gently simmer until the cream reduces and thickens to a sauce-like consistency, about 10 minutes.
• Stir the grated cheese into the polenta.
• Serve the polenta in a shallow bowl, spoon the sauce on top, and garnish with more grated cheese.

BUCKWHEAT POLENTA

Steps:

• Finely chop onion.
• In a pot with tightly fitting lid melt butter and saute chopped onion until translucent.
• Add 4 cups water and bring to a boil.
• Stir in 1 cup buckwheat grits or groats.
• Reduce heat to very low, close the lid of the pot and let simmer for about 30 minutes until buckwheat reaches polenta consistency. I found that sometimes (maybe depending on whether you use grits or groats or coarsely ground buckwheat) it already thickens after about 10 minutes, so have a look at it after 10 minutes.
• Stir in ground parmesan cheese.
• Serve hot.

BUCKWHEAT PASTA

Steps:

• Food-processor mixing recommended, following the directions on page 160.
• Pappardelle with Long-Cooking Savoy Cabbage, Bacon, and Mushroom Sauce (page 138)-a wonderful winter pasta.
• A tomato-based sauce, such as Mushroom Ragù (page 141) or Slow-Cooked Summer Tomato and Eggplant Sauce (page 259).
• Do not smother the pasta with too much sauce.
• A few spoonfuls of chopped walnuts lend marvelous texture and flavor to buckwheat pasta. Use about 1/3 cup of finely chopped walnuts for 1 pound of pasta; see below, for details on incorporating nuts into dough.
• Hand-cut lacce.
• Dress with Butter, Fresh Sage, and Walnut Sauce (page 120). For convenience, chop up the walnuts for the sauce when you're processing the nuts for the dough, but leave them larger, in 1/8- to-1/4-inch nuggets.
• Ground nuts can be incorporated into pasta doughs with great success. Try the ones I give here-walnuts in buckwheat dough, and hazelnuts in ceci dough-and experiment with other combinations, using almonds and pecans too. Follow these guidelines whenever you are adding nuts:
• For a 1-pound batch of dough, start with a generous 1/3 cup of whole nuts (or halves) to get 1/4 to 1/3 cup of ground nuts. First toast whole nuts lightly in a dry pan to bring out flavor. After they have cooled, pulse them in a food processor into tiny bits, smaller than 1/8 inch. This will take only 1 or 2 seconds-don't grind them into a powder. Pick out any remaining larger nut pieces; crush them smaller-or eat them.
• Mix the dough by hand or food processor, as usual. When you turn it out for final kneading, spread the dough into a small rectangle and sprinkle the nut bits on top. Fold the dough over the nuts, and knead as you would normally, distributing the nuts well, until it is smooth and shiny; then let it rest.
• To roll a dough with nuts using a pasta machine: Divide the dough in quarters and roll each piece slowly, at the widest setting, twelve times, folding and turning between rolls. Then roll through narrower machine settings. If you see any nut pieces that are making the dough tear, remove them. If a strip does tear, fold it over and reroll at a wider setting to repair it. Roll the dough as thin as possible (it will never be as thin as plain dough, however).
• Cut any dough with nuts by hand, crosswise, into lacce, or shoestrings (page 168). Or fold the strips and cut lengthwise to form pappardelle, as shown in the photos on page 166.