Toasted Buckwheat & Walnut Salad with Red Cabbage, Prunes and Blue Cheese
Buckwheat is one of those ingredients that earns its place in any pantry. Said to be gluten-free, it cooks quickly, tastes nutty and warm, and gives a salad real interesting substance without feeling heavy. I’ve been using it more lately, partly because ancient grains are having their moment, but mostly because they’re a change from rice and quite economical. They’re honest and they make good food without any fuss.
This salad came together on a day when I had a bad cold (thankfully not Covid) and little inspiration to cook anything. I was shifting things around in the pantry and found a 1/2 empty bag of Californian dried prunes hiding behind the rice. Prunes aren’t something I reach for often, but they’re brilliant once you remember they exist - soft, sweet, and able to lift a dish without making it too sweet.
Inspiration soon followed with a toasted buckwheat salad adding walnuts, red cabbage I had lurking in the fridge, crumbled blue cheese for that salty/savory edge, and the 1/2 bag of prunes for sweetness. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated, just good wholesome ingredients with quite bold flavours.
Cooking with grains and nuts like these isn’t about being trendy. It’s about making the most of what you've got on hand. Buckwheat cooks in minutes, cabbage lasts ages in the fridge, and nuts and dried fruit are pantry staples in many kitchens. And buckwheat is great as it has a slightly nutty taste but basically carries anything you put with it.
Ultimately, this salad is very forgiving so increase or decrease particular ingredients as you wish and just use what you have available
This salad works for lunch, dinner or BBQ's, and sits nicely next to any meats and other salads. It's also easy to scale up for a crowd.
Pro tip #1: It's best to assemble this just before eating as the red cabbage and prunes can make the buckwheat and cheese go grey.
Pro tip #2: Walnuts can be swapped for pine nuts, prunes for chopped dried apricots, and blue cheese for feta
Ingredients:
3/4 cup hulled buckwheat groats
1/2 cut chopped walnuts
1/4 cup finely sliced red cabbage
100gm blue cheese, crumbled
About 100gms/15 dried prunes, halved
Handful of chopped coriander to serve
3 tbsp olive oil
2.5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup (use what you have)
Juice of one small lemon
Ground sea salt and black pepper
Method:
Heat a frypan over medium–high heat and toast the buckwheat for a few minutes until fragrant. Tip it out, then toast the walnuts in the same pan. Set both aside.
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and add the toasted buckwheat. Cook until al dente - only a few minutes - then drain, rinse under cold water and leave to cool completely.
Finely slice the red cabbage and set it aside.
In a small jug, whisk together the oil, balsamic vinegar and honey to make the dressing.
Just before you're ready to serve this salad, toss together the cooled buckwheat and cabbage a bowl then add the toasted walnuts, chopped prunes, crumbled blue cheese, lemon juice, ground sea salt and black pepper, and the dressing. Toss gently, then finish with chopped coriander on top.
Comments