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.

Hretchka with Sausage, Onion, and Herbs

Hretchka is really easy to make.  Unfortunately this doesn’t stop a lot of people, including a lot of Ukrainians, from overcooking it in too much water and ending up with a mush instead of a nicely cooked grain.  (Note: Buckwheat is not a true grain because it is not a grass, but it looks and tastes like one, so I’ll call it one).  I started by rinsing the raw groats.

Then I put them into a pot and added 1.5 measures of water, some salt, and a teaspoon of sunflower oil and brought it to a boil.  Then I turned the heat very low.  In short, I cooked more or less like rice.  While the hretchka was cooking, I diced some fairly fatty sausage and some onions.  The sausage went into the hot frying pan, and when a good amount of fat had rendered, I tossed in the onions.  These sautèed for a while, and at the end I threw in some minced garlic.

I mixed this in with the cooked hretchka and topped it with minced dill and parsley– the two ubiquitous herbs of Ukrainian cooking.  The hretchka was a nice, hearty background for the stronger flavors of the sausage, onion, and herbs, and, more importantly, this was a very filling one-bowl dinner.

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