Savory Buckwheat Bowl with Polish Sausage Recipe
A hearty kielbasa buckwheat bowl with shaved red cabbage, warm sauerkraut, apple, and a sharp Dijon-brine mustard dressing. Ready in 30 minutes.
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Equipment
- Medium saucepan with lid
- large skillet
- large mixing bowl
- Small bowl or jar for the dressing
- Sharp chef’s knife
- Mandoline, optional, for very thinly sliced cabbage
- measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
Buckwheat
- ¾ cup buckwheat groats roasted
- 1½ cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt plus more to taste
Kielbasa & onion
- 8 oz smoked Polish kielbasa halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
- 1 yellow onion medium, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sunflower oil only if needed
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Red cabbage
- 150 red cabbage finely shredded
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Sauerkraut & apple
- 1 cup sauerkraut
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds lightly crushed
- 1 Pink Lady apple cored and cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Dijon mustard dressing
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sauerkraut brine
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- sea salt to taste
Finish
- 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds toasted
- ¼ cup fresh dill chopped
Instructions
- Bring 1½ cups chicken stock or vegetable stock and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add ¾ cup buckwheat groats (roasted), stir once, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the buckwheat is tender yet still has some bite, about 12–15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- While the buckwheat cooks, place 150 red cabbage, thinly shredded in a bowl. Add a ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juiceMassage gently with your hands for 30-60 seconds. Let it sit while you finish the rest of the bowl. The cabbage should soften slightly but remain crunchy.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 8 oz smoked Polish kielbasa, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons. Cook until browned around the edges, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet.
- Add 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced to the skillet. If the pan is dry, add 11 teaspoon sunflower oil. Cook until softened and lightly browned, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in ½ teaspoon dried marjoram and several generous grinds of ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
- Remove the kielbasa and onion from the skillet.
- Add 1 cup sauerkraut and ½ teaspoon caraway seeds to the same skillet.
- Cook over medium-low heat for 2–3 minutes, just until warmed through.
- Don't brown or cook it down. You want it warm and juicy, not soft and caramelized.
- Remove from the heat and add it to the bowls while still warm.
- Whisk together 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 teaspoon sauerkraut brine. Add ¼ teaspoon black pepper then taste before adding salt.
- Core 1 Pink Lady apple and cut it into thin matchsticks. Add a little 1 teaspoon lemon juice if needed to keep it bright.
- Toast 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until lightly golden and fragrant. Watch them closely, as they can go from toasted to burned quickly.
- Divide the cooked buckwheat among four bowls. Add the browned kielbasa and onion, shaved red cabbage, sauerkraut, and apple. Drizzle with the mustard dressing.
- Scatter the toasted sunflower seeds over the bowls, then add ¼ cup fresh dill dividing it generously among the servings. Add another grind of black pepper and serve.
Notes
Cook the buckwheat in stock, not water. It makes a real difference.
Massage the red cabbage briefly. Just 30 to 60 seconds with a pinch of salt.
Cut the apple last. Matchstick it right before assembling and add a little lemon.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 501kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 18gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 1207mgPotassium: 705mgFiber: 8gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 689IUVitamin C: 37mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 3mg
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