Warning: this is weird

I like to vary the grains we eat: various kinds of rice, millet, quinoa, barley, and —last week — buckwheat.

Buckwheat is technically a seed, not a grain, and it's no relation to wheat. It originated on the Russian steppes and is a good warming winter grain.

It is strongly flavored — as you know if you've eaten buckwheat pancakes. I tend to serve it with mushrooms — a classic combination. Last week I cooked it up with potatoes to balance the intensity of the buckwheat. Served with steamed vegetables, it made a simple healthy dinner.

But there was a lot left over. I thought a bit, and then I realized it would be great for breakfast as a sort of hash.

Knowing this might be a little weird, I did not offer it to Larry. But I enjoyed it every morning for a week.

I scooped the grains and potatoes into my small cast iron skillet, fried them up, bashing them a little, and then added an egg — sometimes a hard-boiled one that I bashed into the mix, other times I moved the buckwheat to the side and fried an egg in the pan next to it. Salt, a good grinding of pepper and a drizzle of rooster sauce and I had a stick-to-the ribs-breakfast.

I encourage you to try it with whatever leftover grains you have in your fridge.

And if you want to try buckwheat with potatoes, here's the recipe.

Buckwheat and Potato Casserole
1 1/2 cups buckwheat (also known as kasha)
3 cups water
1 1/4 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces1 cup diced onion (1/2 large one)
1 tbsp organic canola oil

Bring the water to a boil, add a little salt, and cook the buckwheat, covered, 15 minutes. It should absorb all the water.

Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until soft. Drain and set aside.

Fry the onion in the oil until lightly browned.

Combine all together in a large bowl. Add 20 grinds of black pepper and a little salt to taste.

Scoop into an oiled casserole. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.

Serves 6-8

Beet Burgers

I'm really enjoying the book Grains as Mains by Jodi Moreno and Sarah W. Caron. It combines ancient grains like quinoa and buckwheat in simple yet delicious ways. As a big fan of diversity in eating, I am always happy to find new ways to cook the grains in my pantry.

When I read their recipe for a beet and buckwheat burger, I was sure it wouldn't work. So of course I had to try it. And halfway through I thought I was right - the burgers were falling apart.

But as they cooked in the pan, they held their shape - because of the egg protein gluing them together - and they turned out crunchy and yummy, and not dry like so many veggie burgers are. Larry said this was the best use of beets ever.

I used the toasted buckwheat also called kasha. It's a deep brown color and looks like tiny pyramids. It's not related to wheat - it's actually a seed, not a grain - and is gluten-free. It also has a deep rich toasty flavor that goes well with mushrooms - I usually cook it as the grain in a mushroom pilaf - and now I know it tastes great with beets too.

I used pumpkin seeds because I love their bright green color against the red beets. The authors called for sunflower seeds. Chopped nuts would work well too, I think.

I put the buckwheat in to soak before I went to work, and cooked the burgers for dinner. Make sure to add the 8-12 hours of soaking time to your schedule when you plan to make these.

Beet Burgers
1/3 cup buckwheat
1 medium beet (4 oz)
1 shallot (about 1 1/2 oz)
2 eggs
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

Place buckwheat in a bowl, add water to cover it by an inch, and let it sit 8-12 hours. It doesn't expand very much, but it does soften enough that it doesn't need cooking.

Scrub and coarsely chop the beet and the carrot. Put them in the food processor with the peeled and chopped shallot. Pulse a few times to chop finely.

Drain the buckwheat and add to the processor along with the eggs, rolled oats, salt and pumpkin seeds. Pulse a few more times until the mixture is finely chopped. It will not be holding together or looking anything like a successful burger dough.

Scoop the mixture into a bowl, cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes.

Divide it into 4 portions and pat them into 1/2 inch high patties, about 4 inches in diameter. The mixture will only loosely hold its shape. Don't be discouraged.

Warm the oil in a cast iron fry pan. It should cover the bottom.

Cook 2 burgers at a time, 4-5 minutes on each side, until crisp and browned. A little blackened is okay. The burgers will hold together when they're crispy and will flip easily.

I served them with oven-baked fries and a zesty cabbage salad.

Serves 4