Buckwheat and Cottage Cheese Casserole
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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. Serve the casserole as an accompaniment to brisket, pot roast or short ribs. Vegetarians will enjoy it as an entree.
ingredients
1/3 cup rye flakes (rolled whole rye berries) or old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups buckwheat groats
1 1/2 tsp. dried dill
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for preparing pan
1 1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sour cream
about 1/8 tsp. sweet paprika
Instructions
1. Set a rack in the center and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Coat the bottom and halfway up the sides with the rye flakes. Set aside.
2. In a heavy 2-quart Dutch oven or saucepan, combine 2 3/4 cups of water with the buckwheat, dill, 1/2 tsp of the salt and the pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the butter. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the buckwheat is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in another 1/4 cup of water if the mixture gets dry before the buckwheat is tender.
3. Transfer the cooked buckwheat to a medium bowl. Stir in the cottage cheese, followed by the eggs and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan. With a rubber spatula, spread the sour cream in a layer on top. Dust with the paprika. Bake until the edges are firm and the center is set, 45 to 50 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife along the edges and cut into 8 portions. Use a spatula to remove the pieces from the pan.
Lorna Sass is the author of "Whole Grains for Busy People." For more recipes, please visit www.LornaSass.com.
makes: About 8 servings
