Just kidding! I love whole grains, even if I haven’t exactly kept my promise to post lots of recipes that use them. But a few weeks ago, we went to Southern Season in Chapel Hill and I decided to get some freaky weird whole grains to cook with. Like groats!
Yes, groats! It sounds like Medieval prison food, right? But this is the year of trying new things! So I bought myself some groats. There are many kinds of groats–it’s a generic term for any hulled grain. Mine happened to be buckwheat groats, but oat groats are pretty common too. Not knowing what to do with them, I figured using them in a stew would be a safe bet. I found that the taste and texture was very similar to barley. Groats are high in protein and fiber, so they make a good addition to any vegetarian meal.
I had settled on making a stew, but then I had to decide what else to put in it. I had a big batch of my kitchen scrap mushroom stock in the freezer, so I figured I’d use that as a base, and leeks seemed appropriate since it’s spring and all. And then I was at Whole Foods and spotted these:
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 3 leeks white and pale green part only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 1 small carrot diced
- 1 lb. assorted wild mushrooms sliced
- ½ c. white wine
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried sage
- 1 c. buckwheat groats
- 5 c. mushroom stock
- salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
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Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks and carrot. Cook 7-8 minutes, or until softened and beginning to turn golden brown.
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Stir in mushrooms. Cook until juices are released, 3-5 minutes.
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Add wine, thyme, and sage. Cook 2-3 minutes more, or until liquid has almost evaporated.
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Add mushroom stock and groats. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Partially cover and cook 15 minutes, or until groats are tender.
