Wild Mushroom Kasha Varnishkes
If you have read my other posts, you might know that shoyu is the Japanese word for an amino sauce, like soy sauce. I made an amino sauce last month by mixing wild mushrooms with koji and salt and time (one month, to be exact). I use the shoyu to glaze the sautéed wild mushrooms for this dish. It makes them taste “mushroom-ier,” and more umami. It’s a pretty unessential modification in the grand scheme of things, but I’m happy to say I have done it.
What else makes my version of kasha varnishkes so “pinchless?” Why, the freshly made pasta, of course. I can’t picture my great-grandmother spending the day slaving away at making the bowtie pasta for kasha varnishkes from scratch, but that is what I did. For this I borrowed the recipe from American pasta master Evan Funke. Funke’s methodology is pretty intense. For starters, he coined the hashtag #fuckyourpastamachine, meaning that he strongly prefers that pasta be rolled out not with the aid of a roller, but with a special Italian rolling pin called a mattarello. I have yet to meet Funke on this level, for I do love my pasta machine. His pasta dough recipe and technique, however, is incredible. I have shared his dough recipe as well as his recipe for what he calls “strichetti,” the local name for farfalle in the city of Modena, Italy. It is an all-day affair, in part because he insists on two things to ensure a high quality product: the first is that the dough will need to rest for at least a couple of hours before being rolled out, and the second is that the pasta must air-dry for even longer before being boiled. The veggies are really slowing down now.
All the work put into the pasta itself inspired me to turn the humble Jewish dish into what I think of as more of a “pasta-main-dish.” Part of that involved plating, as well as increasing the ratio of pasta to kasha. Another part involved changing the way that eggs play a role in the dish. In my grandmother’s recipe, raw eggs are scrambled into toasted buckwheat just before the water is added for the purpose of making the kasha fluffier. I skipped this step, instead opting for poached eggs to serve, because I love a runny egg yolk as a sauce for my pasta.
There you have it. With the obvious exception of the wild mushroom shoyu needing one month to ferment, making this dish from start to finish took me all damn day, Needless to say, it was seriously delicious. The earthiness of the mushrooms and the buckwheat groat melded with the creamy egg yolk, while the tang of the yogurt and freshness of the herbs tingled on. The next time I make this dish, I will split up the work between two days. You might want to do the same!
For the wild mushroom shoyu (yields approx 1 to 1 1/2 quarts):
- 328g wild mushrooms
- 328g koji
- 656g filtered water
- 66g kosher salt
- Time (30 days)
For the strichetti pasta (makes 2 355g dough balls, serving 6):
- 454g “00” flour, plus more for dusting
- 258g eggs, beaten
For the kasha (serves 3-4):
- 250g wild mushrooms, eg Chicken Of The Woods, Oysters, Chanterelles, etc.
- A splash of mushroom shoyu
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon chopped chives
- 2 white onions, diced
- Whey, to deglaze
- 1 cup buckwheat groat, dry toasted
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 2-3 poached eggs, to serve
- Yogurt, to garnish
- Dill fronds, to garnish
To make the shoyu: In a mixing bowl, use your hands to massage the salt into the koji. Next, mix the mushrooms into the koji and salt. Transfer the mixture to a clean jar and proceed to add in the water. Cover the jar with a clean tea towel and let sit at room temperature, stirring every day for the first 30 days to ensure that the shoyu oxygenates properly. After 30 days, pasteurize the shoyu by heating it to 180F. Store in the fridge.
To make the pasta dough: Pour the “00” flour onto a clean work surface. Use a bowl to create a well in the center. Add the beaten eggs to the well and begin the gradual process of working flour into the eggs. Use a fork to gently push flour from the inner edge of the well into the eggs and proceed to beat the mixture. The goal is to slowly and evenly hydrate the dough. Continue pulling in and incorporating small amounts of flour into the eggs until you’re left with a pancake batter-like consistency.
Next, starting from the outside of the well and working clockwise, use a bench scraper to fold the flour over the center batter-like mass. Continue this process, meanwhile using your bench scraper to chop up the forming dough, as if you’re making biscuits. Continue for 3-4 more minutes, until the dough resembles a shaggy mass. It will feel more hydrated in some places and less hydrated in others, but no matter.
Now it’s time to start kneading your dough. Flip the end of the dough furthest away from you over the dough towards you. Use your palm to make a seal and push the dough away from you. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and continue this kneading process for 2-3 more minutes. It's time to clean and remove all excess flour from your work surface. Wet your hands but do not dry them. Continue to knead the dough ball as before for a few more minutes. Eventually a cellulite texture will appear on the dough ball, indicating the formation of gluten. Wrap the dough ball tightly in plastic and let rest for 15 minutes.
Unwrap the dough and divide in half. Working with one half at a time, knead clockwise more quickly and aggressively than before, manipulating the dough into the back door with your thumb, thereby forming a sphere. If the dough feels too dry, simply mist the dough and your hands lightly with water. Repeat with with other dough half and wrap them individually in plastic. Let rest for 2-3 hours on the counter, or for up to 24 hours in the fridge. (If you’re feeling impatient or if you’re short on time, let the dough rest for at least an hour.)
The serving size for this recipe requires the use of only 1 dough ball. It’s up to you how to use your second dough ball. Whatever you decide, know that the dough will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can freeze it if you know you wont get it fast enough.
To make the strichetti: Roll out one of the pasta dough balls on a floured surface to the second thinnest setting on your pasta machine (Sorry, Evan!). Dust both sides of the dough with “00” flour and let cure for 10 minutes. Cut the pasta sheet so that you’re left with 3 x 2 inch rectangles. Cover the majority of the pieces with a clean tea towel so they do not dry out.
To form the strichetti: place your pointer finger on the center of a rectangle. Use your middle finger and thumb to push the dough towards the center, forming 2 peaks. Lift your pointer finger out of the way and press the two peaks together into a single thickness. This technique is important; if executed correctly, you will have formed a center tube through which you can see. This will ensure the strichetti cooks evenly and fully. Place the strichetti on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour. Continue with the remaining rectangles. Now for the tough part: Let the strichetti air-dry for 3-5 hours. A fan can help speed up this process. This will ensure that the pasta keeps its shape after boiling. Otherwise, they will look like floppy handkerchiefs. They’re delicious either way and I’m not judging.
To make the kasha varnishkes: Bring a large stockpot of heavily salted water (think of a seasoned broth) up to a boil.
Preheat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Saute the wild mushrooms until their water has cooked out and the mushrooms start to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Mount the pan with 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter to deglaze, then add a splash of wild mushroom shoyu. Remove the pan from the heat and toss in 1 tablespoon of chopped chives. Transfer the mushrooms to a dish and let cool. Wipe the pan clean.
Place the clean pan back on the stove with 1 tablespoon of canola or grapeseed oil and preheat over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and saute, stirring every few minutes, until they start to caramelize and stick to the pan. Splash a little whey into the pan, stirring it into the onions, to prevent sticking and burning. Repeat the caramelizing and deglazing process for as long as it takes to cook the buckwheat groat. If you do this long enough, the onions will break down into caramelized onion marmalade. It’s delicious, but not essential. Try it sometime though.
Meanwhile, preheat a sauce pot over medium high heat. Add the buckwheat groat and dry toast, until earthy and fragrant, for about a minute. Add the water and salt to season. Place a lid on the pot and let cook until the water has evaporated, 15-20 minutes. Once the buckwheat groat has finished cooking, remove the pot from the heat. Stir the cooked mushrooms into the pan of caramelized onions and lower the heat.
Add the dried pasta to the boiling water in batches to avoid overcrowding. Let cook for 1 minute, until the pasta is floating wildly at the surface. Transfer the cooked pasta to the pot with the mushrooms and onions. Continue until all of the pasta is cooked. Add half of the cooked buckwheat groat to the pan and stir in the remaining tablespoon of chopped chives.
To plate, dollop in 1 spoonful of yogurt. Follow with the kasha onto the yogurt. Garnish with dill fronds and serve with poached eggs.
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