Simple Winter Supper: Buckwheat Noodles with Cabbage

Aren't they sweet? If seeds can be cute - and they can be - then these buckwheat seeds really take the cake. Found this photo and lots of yummy buckwheat info here .

It's a new year, and time to clear space for new things in my life. So I'm culling my cookbooks, a term that used to strike dread into my heart, but doesn't seem quite so scary anymore. Anyway, to earn its keep on my shelf, my existing books will have to come up with some new "keeper recipes". Deborah Madison's The Savory Way called first, and on first flip, this buckwheat recipe caught my eye. In true winter fashion, I wasn't about to go rushing out into the cold to get what I didn't have (brussel sprouts, napa cabbage, Gruyere cheese) and so this recipe is adapted by necessity (born of laziness and/or self-preservation).

It was delicious, and beautiful. So beautiful and delicious in fact that it was gone before my camera arrived on the scene. But the palette is not so unlike the photo above...

BUCKWHEAT NOODLES WITH BROWN BUTTER AND CABBAGES

(adapted from Deborah Madison’s The Savory Way]              4 servings

6 Tablespoons (T) ghee

2 minced garlic cloves

(1/2 pound Brussel sprouts, leaves separated)

¼ c water

Salt

1 pound thinly sliced cabbage

10-12 oz buckwheat noodles

3 T finely chopped parsley

1 bunch scallions, chopped

(1/4 c grated Gruyere or Fontina – I just grated some Parmesan on each serving instead)

1 T toasted black sesame seeds

Black pepper

Start by putting on a large pot of water to boil the pasta. Prep everything else while it gets bubbling.

• Heat 2 T butter in a wide skillet, add the garlic (and Brussels, if using), and cook over medium heat, turning leaves frequently til they begin to shine – a couple of minutes.
• Add the water, a little salt, and cook til leaves are sweet and tender: ~3-4 minutes. Add water, if you need it, just a bit at a time.
• Once the Brussels have cooked, add the cabbage, and cook until it’s wilted. Season with salt and set aside.
• Add salt to pasta water, then add pasta. The stuff I used was done in under 4 minutes. Speedy! So then just scoop it out and into your pan o’veg. Add remaining butter (to taste), parsley, scallions, cheese, sesame seeds, and gently combine.
• Season with pepper and serve.