Recipe - Kasha Varnitchkes

Begin bringing broth with
salt and pepper to a boil.
Also start a
Pot of water in which to
cook the macaroni.

Mix kasha and egg well. When broth and water pots are starting to show an
occasional bubble, begin cooking the kasha: in a heated frying pan stir the
kashaegg mixture over medium heat until all the grains are separated and
there's a lovely definitelytoasty smell. This should take 34 minutes. At
this point the broth should be boiling. Wearing a long oven mitt and
standing as far back as possible ladle about One fourth of the broth into the
kasha pan. When it stops sputtering, add the remaining broth (which won't
sputter like the first addition.) Stir well, cover, and let it cook over
low heat 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in the boiling water till just softer than al
dente (which is soft on the outside with a little bite in the middle) or to
taste. Also, heat the chicken fat in a small skillet, add the onion and
cook till it's softened and just starting to brown. (You'll have to stop
watching the onions for a few minutes to drain the macaroni, but it's not
critical to stir them every minute.)

When the onions are light brown, remove from the heat but leave them in the
pan. After the kasha has cooked its 15 minutes, uncover and stir it well to
break up any lumps. It should be very light and fluffy. If still soggy and
hard, cook it, covered, for a few more minutes. When the kasha's done, stir
in the onions and macaroni and serve right away.

Serves 4 people

Posted to TNT Prodigy's Recipe Exchange Newsletter by
hvane@shrewsbury.org on Sep 18, 1997