Kasha at Home

For lunch, I had a big bowl of kasha and a glass of soy milk. I LOVE kasha.

Kasha, not to be confused with Kashi the cereal company (although apparently "kashi" is also the plural of "kasha" when the word is being used in its more generic Eastern European meaning of groats or porridge), is toasted buckwheat.

Kasha comes in different granulations- whole, medium, and fine. My favorite is medium, which seems (anecdotally, over years of kasha consumption) to be the most popular to carry at grocery stores. Unless that grocery store is my local Whole Foods (ie, the same place that doesn't carry bulk semolina). Thanks to them and their weird stock choices, I have whole kasha on hand.

After prior trial and error with the whole granulation, I've found the best way to prepare it is to follow the microwave prep instructions from the medium granulation box. Following the non-microwave instructions from either box, or following the whole granulation's microwave instructions both yield mushy, gluey kasha.

The secret is an EGG. The basic procedure is to mix a raw, whole egg with the dry kasha kernels and microwave it. It turns into a hockey-puck-like blob, which you then break into the tiniest chunks you can with a fork. I usually break down and use my hands, steam burns be damned. Then you add hot water, cover, and microwave until the water is absorbed. The egg protein appears to keep the individual kernels from smushing (with apologies to Ronnie) together and getting gluey, which makes the texture interesting rather than icky.

The kasha was pretty good. I prefer medium granulation over whole because whole kasha kernels have a slightly dusty taste that overpowers the nutty, toasty flavors. The cooking technique minimizes the dustiness, but my light toss with a little butter and salt didn't completely eliminate it. It might be interesting to try using whole kasha in a grain salad, dressed liberally with vinaigrette, to remedy the problem.

The soy milk is from, of all places, Costco. We have a membership solely because they have the best prices anywhere on eyeglasses, and otherwise shop there maybe twice a year. We happened in a few weeks ago, and discovered they were selling 32oz. containers of organic soy milk in packs of 12 for under $12. It was too good to pass up, but it means I'll be drinking a lot of soy milk.

PS- no picture on this one, because kasha looks pretty boring and gross. I am a kasha evangelist, and y'all are probably more likely to try it if I don't put up an unappetizing photo...

Federhofer's Bakery in St. Louis

For breakfast, I had caramel stollen with soymilk.

St. Louis is a city of neighborhoods and municipalities, many of which haven't seen any changes since the 60s or 70s. At ALL. There seems to be a huge belt of neighborhoods like this on the south side of St. Louis, running out to the suburbs in a south-west swath- Marlborough, Sappington, Crestwood, and Affton. It's very confusing and time-warpey the first time it happens- you're just driving along, and suddenly everything is old. Bowling alleys, vacuum repair shops, hairdressers. And little family bakeries.



We happened to drive by Federhofer's Bakery in Affton yesterday on our way somewhere else, and it looked so intriguing we had to loop back around to check it out. I haven't been in a dedicated bakery in years, so I was dumbfounded with the array of treats on offer. We ended up with a caramel stollen and some doughy crescent-shaped pastries filled with a chocolate-like substance (maybe a thin layer of chocolate pastry cream?).



The stollen is pretty good, if a bit sweet. There is coconut in the caramel glaze, which I find a little distracting, flavor-wise, but it adds a nice crunch. The almond filling is subtle, and the bread does its best to balance all the sweetness. Federhofer's prices were also great. It's quite a trek back there, but it's worth the drive for an occasional treat. I'm curious to try their fabulous-looking fresh breads next.