Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy's Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
 
 
Buckwheat Bake
 
Easier than lasagna, but just as satisfying, is this noodle casserole made with fresh buckwheat noodles, bathed in a creamy garlicky plant-based white sauce with sweet potatoes, savoy cabbage, Swiss chard, and sage. I was inspired by pizzoccheri alla Valtellinese, the signature dish of the mountainous valley in Lombardy. That dish, however, involves a prodigious amount of butter and cheese; this one leans into the greens, is cholesterol-free, chock-full of fiber and antioxidants with nothing to worry your arteries or waistline. Vegetables and noodles are boiled together, then sauced and baked. A sublime party dish to please a crowd.
 
Hint:
Whole cassava flour (available online) is a lovely gluten-free sauce thickener that holds up well in oven heat, unlike starches like arrowroot, corn, tapioca. Cassava flour is low-fat, a source of calcium, potassium, and fiber, and very rich in resistant starch which nourishes the gut microbiota.
 
Prep 30 minutes
Bake 25 minutes
Makes one 9 by 11 inch glass baking dish, serving 6 
 
½ cup cassava flour
1 full tablespoon nutritional yeast, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage or sage powder
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
½ teaspoon granulated onion
½ cup silken tofu, drained
1 tablespoon white miso paste, or to taste
A few fresh grinds white pepper
3 cups unsweetened soy milk
½ savoy cabbage, sliced and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium red sweet potato, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 big bunch Swiss chard, cut in ¾-inch wide strips
½ batch of buckwheat noodles (see Oodles of Buckwheat Noodles recipe)
 
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Heat a large pot filled with water. Bring to a boil.
As the water heats, make the white sauce. Add the cassava flour, nutritional yeast, dried sage, granulated garlic and onion to the bowl of a high-speed blender. Pulse to combine.
Add the drained silken tofu, miso paste, and soymilk. Run on high to blend well.
Transfer the liquid to a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking continually. In a few minutes the sauce will begin to thicken. It will need to be fairly dense. Remove from the heat when it is thick but still pourable.
When the large pot comes to a rapid boil, add the sweet potato and cabbage. Cook for 5 minutes.  Now add the chard and buckwheat noodles, stirring gently.
Cook for an additional 8 minutes.  Test to see that the noodles are al dente and the vegetables are cooked.
Drain the vegetables and noodles in a large colander. Shake it gently to remove as much water as possible.
Add the drained vegetables and noodles to the saucepan containing the white sauce. Gently mix to coat the pasta and vegetables well.
Pour the mix into a glass baking dish. Dust the top with nutritional yeast and a few grinds of white pepper.
Bake on the middle rack for 25 minutes, but begin checking after 20 minutes.  The casserole is ready when it is bubbly and lightly golden on top.
Remove from the oven and set the baking dish on a rack to rest. As the casserole begins to cool, the sauce will congeal, which will facilitate plating.
Serve on warmed plates.