Growing up in Poland I’ve been having buckwheat way too often to my liking. It’s not a secret it wasn’t my favourite dish at all. As years have passed I got really fond of this Polish staple to this extent I would now choose buckwheat over any other grain. Despite this I was never adventurous enough with it and my main reason (excuse) was the fact I always tried to have it the way it was prepared back home – with some onions, mushrooms and sunny side up egg… followed by obligatory cup of kefir (soured milk).

When Ren Behan sent us her newly published book: Wild Honey & Rye I was very excited to find out it’s bursting with recipes I want to try out. Being Polish, they all seem quite familiar to me but at the same time so different from what I’m used to.

Ren has taken traditional Polish dishes to a completely new level, adding international ingredients and modern methods of preparation. I wish I had discovered her buckwheat and beetroot salad recipe earlier, it is super simple to prepare, packed with healthy ingredients and tastes amazing! I don’t think I want to have my (tasty but quite heavy) buckwheat with onions and mushrooms anytime soon. Instead I will be making Ren’s recipe from now on, especially that even my husband (who is not a big fan of buckwheat or beetroots) enjoyed this salad very, very much. Addition of feta, fresh herbs, nuts and honey made such a big difference. Thanks Ren, your dish will definitely be making many returns on our table. Having such a positive response from the family I can’t wait to test some other recipes from the book on him… next there will be probably cover image pierogi topped with honey and pistachios (!)

To get a copy head to Amazon or your local Waterstones.

The book itself is beautifully published hardcover with lots of mouthwatering full page photos and recipes which I found absolutely easy to follow, even for those unfamiliar with ingredients or cooking techniques. Wild Honey & Rye covers most of the traditional Polish dishes, there are sweet and savoury dishes, breakfasts, salads, soups, street food, main dishes, drinks (including flavoured vodkas) and of course desserts. There are also plenty vegetarian and gluten free dishes included. It would unquestionably make a great gift to anyone interested in Polish cuisine.

Wild Honey & Rye: Modern Polish Recipes

AUTHOR: Ren Behan
PUBLISHER: Pavilion Books
FORMAT: Hardcover
SIZE: 254 x 33 x 203 mm
PAGES: 208
LANGUAGE: English
ISBN: 978-1911216216
PUBLISHED: 7th September 2017

Buckwheat and Beetroot Salad with Feta, Walnuts and Honey / Gryczana Sałatka z Burakami, Serem, Orzechami i Miodem 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large cooked beetroots (about 300 g)
• 100 g buckwheat (kasza gryczana)
• 50 g feta cheese
• 50 g / 6 tbs walnuts (finely chopped)
• 2 tbs runny honey
• small bunch of fresh marjoram or dill (chopped)

for the dressing

• 2 tbs olive oil
• juice of ½ lemon
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

1. Chop the cooked beetroots into wedges. Set to one side. If you are starting with fresh raw beetroots, top and tail them and put into a pan of boiling water. Cover and cook for 1 hour, or until tender. Drain and leave until cool enough to handle, then gently peel away the skin. Wear rubber gloves to avoid staining your hands.
2. Cook the buckwheat in a large pan of salted boiling water for 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and rinse well with cold water.
3. To make the dressing, mix the olive oil with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour it over the buckwheat and stir until well coated.
4. Scatter the buckwheat over the large plate. Add the beetroot. Crumble the cheese and scatter over the buckwheat and beetroot. Scatter over the walnuts. Drizzle over the honey and garnish with marjoram or dill.

Serves 4. 

TIPS

For more delicious Ren’s Polish recipes and Wild Honey & Rye reviews take a look at other blogs:

The Story of Wild Honey and Rye: Modern Polish Recipes on Ren Behan
One-Pan Polish Breakfast and a Review of Wild Honey & Rye on Farmersgirl Kitchen
Polish Forest Mushroom Soup on Foodie Quine
Potato Pancakes with Mushroom Sauce on Natural Kitchen Adventures
Hunter’s Stew (Bigos) from Wild Honey & Rye on Kitchen Sanctuary
Apple Pancakes (Racuchy) from Wild Honey & Rye by Ren Behan – Book Review on Family Friends Food
Easy Lemon Mini Babkas (Babeczki) {Wild Honey & Rye Cookbook Review} on Veggie Desserts
Pierniczki Świąteczne – Polish Christmas Cookies {Wild Honey & Rye Cookbook Review} on Recipes From A Pantry
Book Review: Wild Honey & Rye (Modern Polish Recipes) by Ren Behan on Heidi Roberts Kitchen Talk
Plum And Poppy Seed Traybake And Wild Honey & Rye Review on Domestic Gothess
Blackberry Flavoured Vodka on The Hedge Combers
Curd Cheese, Honey & Walnuts on Toast and Wild Honey & Rye on Tin & Thyme
Cherry Crumble Cake & Back To School Cookbook Haul on Jo’s Kitchen
Traditional Polish Pierogi Dumplings on Supergolden Bakes
Wild Honey & Rye by Ren Behan | Review, Recipe + Giveaway on Kavey Eats
Traditional Polish Dumplings with Cheese and Potatoes (Pierogi Ruskie) on Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
Blueberry Crumble Squares from Wild Honey & Rye on Feeding Boys
Ren’s Polish Honey & Rye Loaf on Kavey Eats
Wild Honey & Rye – Traditional Polish Food for Modern Cooks on My Custard Pie
Pierogi Ruskie | Polish Dumplings with Cheese and Potatoes on Kavey Eats

NOTES

I have doubled the recipe to share for more people, we have used leftovers for lunch next day and I must admit the salad was even more yummy!

As this is Polish recipe and this new way of preparing buckwheat will definitely stay in our family for next generations I’m submitting it to the Inheritance Recipes link-up that we co-host together with Solange of Pebble Soup. September Inheritance Recipes is hosted on Coffee & Vanilla, please come and join us!

DISCLOSURE: We have also received complimentary copy of Wild Honey and Rye for review purposes. All opinions expressed here are our own and we retained full editorial control. This post contains some affiliate links. You can find part of this reviews on Amazon website as well.