Hi Lucille,

Kasha (aka buckwheat groats) is a delicious, easy to cook grain. You can buy it as whole grains (which look like tiny diamond-shaped brown pebbles) or in fine or medium grind. It's sold in bulk at health food stores (do NOT buy the green buckwheat groats meant only for sprouting), or in small boxes; one reliable brand is Wolff's, from Pennsylvania.

The classic Russian/Eastern European/Jewish method of cooking kasha is to mix the dry grains with a beaten egg and then "toast" them in a dry skillet before adding the liquid; this seals the grains so they turn out a little fluffier. But I usually don't bother with that step.

Here's how I make basic kasha: bring 2x liquid as kasha (water, chicken broth, beef broth, or vegetable broth) to a boil in an appropriate size saucepan. Stir in kasha. Cover, turn down heat to the lowest simmer, and cook about 12 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed.

You can vary this by adding sauteed onions, chopped mushrooms, etc. for a tasty side dish or stuffing. Plain cooked kasha is also delicious with milk as a cereal.

You can find many more recipes using kasha at www.wolffskasha.com

Susan, Hawaii