/ck/ - Food & Cooking

I only use it to make kasha varnishkes

Kasha varnishkes is a popular dish in American Ashkenazi cooking. From what I understand, it was likely originally descended from a dumpling or hand pie stuffed with kasha (buckwheat) like a knish or Russian pirozhki. It was eventually replaced with farfalle pasta, probably because American Jews often lived in close proximity to Italian immigrants.

It's seen as a bit of a weeknight dish, made with the leftover fat from a roast chicken, but it still takes a fair bit of time and a few pans to make. The first step is to fully caramelize a bunch of onions. You'll want to use a lot more than you'll think you need since they caramelize down to nothing. Slice the onions and put them into a dry and cold heavy bottom pan. Adjust the heat to keep them from sticking and keep them moving. Don't add any salt at this point. It'll take a long time, but it's worth it. While the onions are caramelizing, you'll want to boil the farfalle and prepare the kasha. You can use whatever style of kasha you prefer. If you don't like the whole groats, you can use the smaller ground stuff. The kasha is simmered on the stove similar to rice. The ratio is up to you, I'll typically use about twice as much kasha as pasta. Once the onions are about to stick to the pan, add some salt and pepper and wait for them to finish caramelizing. At this point, you need to add the fat to the onions. Rendered chicken fat (schmaltz) is the most traditional, but any kind of fat will work. You could even use the fat from roast pork if you were so inclined. The dish will work in a pinch with butter and oil, but it won't be as good. Once the fat is melted, mix the onions, kasha and farfalle together and season to taste.