Hretchka

This blog is supposedly about my culinary experience in Ukraine, but, as I realized yesterday, I have been lazy about posting actual Ukrainian Cuisine.  Hretchka is a staple here, and all the Americans I know who live here either love it or hate it.  I’m in the first camp, but that may have something to do with the way I prepare it.  Hretchka is roasted whole buckwheat groats.  The name means “Greek” which is somewhat strange considering that buckwheat originates in East Asia, and was most likely brought to this part of the world by the Mongols.  By itself Hretchka has a slightly sweet, nutty flavor, but the nice thing about it is that it is good with almost anything.  I often eat it for breakfast with fried eggs and hot sauce, but this post is about a more dinner appropriate combination.

Comfort Food

This post is about risotto, a dish that I absolutely love and find comforting. It might not be fair to refer to risotto as a “dish”. To me, the name refers to rice cooked using a particular technique, but after that there are so many variations– from meaty risotti to vegetarian, from simple ones flavored only with wine to those featuring a dozen ingredients– that to call it a “dish” seems as much a misnomer as calling pasta a “dish”. This time I opted to make a meaty, stick-to-the-ribs version. It took some searching to track down some rice and cheese (I finally found some Carnaroli and some Grana Padano in a grocery store that stocks a lot of imported goods), but other than that, Ukraine happily provided me ingredients. While I was at the market picking up the meat and vegetables, I noticed that there were bags and stacks of fresh radishes, so I picked some up to make a salad. A Ukrainian friend who had never tired Italian food came over to observe, help, and eat