This dish is super simple to make, but an absolute bomb. It’s also a great way to use up any leftovers, especially if you have some precooked buckwheat lying around. You could basically do this with any other grain as well. The casserole itself is very filling and satisfying and can also be prepared in advance to reheat when necessary.

I’ve tried baking the casserole both in muffin tins and in a small ramekin and I feel that the ramekin is a better option here, as the texture was too delicate and the muffins simply wouldn’t hold themselves together. However, they still tasted great and were a great portable option, as long as I left everything intact for transport in the silicone muffin molds.

INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 6 generous servings / 0.91 EUR per serving / 5.44 EUR for all)

For buckwheat:

2 tbsp sunflower seed oil (0.03 EUR)

1 large purple onion (0.13 EUR)

2 garlic cloves (0.07 EUR)

1 cup raw buckwheat (0.67 EUR)

2 and ½ cups vegetable broth (0.33 EUR)

½ tsp garlic powder (0.03 EUR)

½ tsp salt (0.01 EUR)

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper (0.03 EUR)

1 tbsp tomato paste (0.13 EUR)

1 tsp Gochujang – Korean chili paste (0.07 EUR)

1 bay leaf (0.03 EUR)

2 carrots (0.20 EUR)

Large handful of fresh baby spinach (0.67 EUR)

For the casserole:

3 eggs (0.60 EUR)

1 cup crème fraiche (0.67 EUR)

1 cup farmer’s cheese (0.80 EUR)

Pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

2 cups shredded cheese (0.93 EUR)

Good pinch of freshly ground black pepper (0.02 EUR)

Additional:

Oil for greasing the pan (0.01 EUR)

METHOD:

Wash and peel all the veggies. Finely dice the onion and mince garlic. Add the oil to a pot on high heat. Saute onion for about five minutes until translucent, then add in garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant. Add in buckwheat, veggie broth, garlic powder, salt, pepper, tomato paste, Gochujang and bay leaf. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat and cook with a lid cracked open for 10-15 minutes, until buckwheat is cooked through.

Meanwhile, while the buckwheat is cooking, shred the carrot on a box grater. Once the buckwheat is done, remove from heat and stir in spinach and shredded carrot. Put the lid back on and the veggies will wilt down from residual heat. Allow the buckwheat to cool a bit before proceeding, so you can also cook the buckwheat in advance, up to few days ahead.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a baking dish and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, crème fraiche, farmer’s cheese and salt. Stir about two thirds of cheese mix into cooled buckwheat, along with half of the shredded cheese. Transfer the buckwheat into a prepared baking dish, top with remaining egg mixture and sprinkle with reserved cheese. Crack some black pepper on top and bake for about 30 minutes, until bubbly and golden-brown on top. Serve warm.

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Ovo jelo je jako jednostavno za pripremiti, a totalna je bomba. Također je izvrstan način da iskoristite razne ostatke, a posebno ako vam se pri ruci nađe i kuhane heljde. Zapravo bi ste umjesto heljde lako mogli upotrijebiti i bilo koju drugu žitaricu. Ovaj je složenac super zasitan i ukusan, a također se možete pripremiti i unaprijed te podgrijati prema potrebi.

Ja sam složenac pokušala peći i u maloj posudi i kalupima za mafine, a čini mi se da je posuda bila bolja opcija jer je tekstura složenca predelikatna, pa mafini nisu baš najbolje držali oblik. Svejedno su bili jako ukusni i dobra prijenosna opcija, sve dok bi složenac držala u silikonskim mafin kalupima prilikom transporta.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 6 izdašnih porcija / 6,78 kn po porciji / 40,67 kn za sve)

Za heljdu:

2 žlice suncokretovog ulja (0,20 kn)

1 veliki ljubičasti luk (1,00 kn)

2 češnja češnjaka (0,50 kn)

1 šalica sirove heljde (5,00 kn)

2 i ½ šalice povrtnog temeljca (2,50 kn)

½ žličice češnjaka u prahu (0,25 kn)

½ žličice soli (0,01 kn)

½ žličice svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,25 kn)

1 žlica koncentrata od rajčice (1,00 kn)

1 žličica Gochujanga – korejske čili paste (0,50 kn)

1 lovorov list (0,20 kn)

2 mrkve (1,50 kn)

Veliki pregršt svježeg baby špinata (5,00 kn)

Za složenac:

3 jaja (4,50 kn)

1 šalica milerama (5,00 kn)

1 šalica svježeg sira (6,00 kn)

Prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

2 šalice ribanog sira (7,00 kn)

Dobar prstohvat svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,15 kn)

Dodatno:

Ulje za namastiti protvan (0,10 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Operite i ogulite sve povrće. Fino nasjeckajte luk i češnjak. Ulje stavite u lonac na jakoj vatri, pa pet minuta prodinstajte luk, dok ne postane staklast. Ubacite češnjak te kuhajte minutu da zamiriši. Dodajte heljdu, temeljac, češnjak u prahu, sol, papar, koncentrat od rajčice, Gochujang i lovor. Pustite da zavrije, pa smanjite vatru i kuhajte 10-15 minuta sa odškrinutim poklopcem, dok heljda ne bude gotova.

U međuvremenu, dok se heljda kuha, naribajte mrkvu. Kada je heljda gotova, maknite ju s vatre i umiješajte u nju špinat i ribanu mrkvu. Vratite poklopac na lonac i ostavite da miruje, kako bi povrće povenulo od zaostale topline. Pustite da se heljda ohladi prije nego nastavite, tako da heljdu zapravo možete skuhati i do par dana unaprijed.

Zagrijte pećnicu na 200°C. Lagano namastite posudu za pečenje i stavite na stranu. U zdjelici pomiješajte jaja, mileram, svježi sir i sol. Oko dvije trećine te smjese umiješajte u ohlađenu heljdu skupa sa pola količine ribanog sira. Heljdu sada preselite u pripremljenu posudu, pa po vrhu rasporedite ostatak smjese svježeg sira i jaja i posipajte preostalim ribanim sirom. Začinite crnim paprom i pecite oko 30 minuta, dok sve ne bude lijepo zapečeno i zlatno-smeđe. Poslužite toplo.