Buckwheat with Mushrooms

Method

1. 01

   Step 1: Toast the buckwheat

   Pick over and rinse the buckwheat, then drain well. Toast it in a large dry lidded frying pan over medium heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until the grains are dry, free-flowing and smell nutty. Tip into a bowl.

2. 02

   Step 2: Prep the vegetables

   Slice the onions into half-moons, cut the carrot into thin matchsticks or coarsely grate it, slice the mushrooms 5 mm thick and finely chop the garlic.

3. 03

   Step 3: Fry onion and carrot

   Heat 2 tbsp oil in the same pan and fry the onions for 5 minutes until soft, then add the carrot and cook for 4–5 minutes more until everything is soft and golden. Push to one side.

4. 04

   Step 4: Brown the mushrooms

   Turn up the heat, add the remaining oil and the mushrooms. Cook for 7–8 minutes, leaving them untouched for the first 2: they’ll release liquid, which then evaporates, and they’ll start to brown. Add the garlic, season and mix with the vegetables.

5. 05

   Step 5: Cook the buckwheat

   Add the buckwheat to the pan, stir it through the mushrooms, pour over the boiling water and add the bay leaf and salt. Bring to the boil, cover and cook over the lowest heat for 15–18 minutes without stirring, until all the water is absorbed.

6. 06

   Step 6: Rest and fluff

   Take off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes so the grains finish steaming and separate. Remove the bay leaf, fluff with a fork and scatter with chopped dill.