Sweet Potato & Kasha Pilaf

My all-time favourite place to eat in Montreal is definitely Le Commensal, a vegetarian/vegan buffet on Ste-Catherine and McGill College Ave. It's actually one of a chain of Commensals, but this location was my favourite - close to school and in the heart of the city, with a great view (especially at Christmastime, when the trees on McGill College Ave are lit up). Like Tibits, which I wrote about earlier, this buffet charges by weight (I love this idea: only paying for as much as you feel you want to eat). I went there with my roommate Jessica quite a bit, and I'm pretty sure every time we went we had the "I flippin' love this place" conversation all over again.




Anyway, the food at Le Commensal was amaaaaaaazing... fresh and interesting and healthy. They would always have delicious meat-free versions of comfort foods like moussaka, lasagna, and curry, as well as tasty and creative salads, desserts, and things I'd never heard of before. Something that was always there - and a staple of my plate - was the sweet potato kasha, a salty/garlicy/sweet/umami kind of creation made with buckwheat kernels. I know it sounds a bit weird, like something a bearded hipster yogi named Sage would try to convince you to eat... but it works. It's yummy. It's gluten free, and if you wanted you could substitute the milk and butter with soy milk and vegetable oil in order to make it vegan.

Sweet Potato & Kasha Pilaf

Taken from Commensal's original recipe in the Montreal Gazette (16/01/91)
Serves 3-4

2/3 cups buckwheat groats [also called kasha or buckwheat kernels; I found them in the bulk section of the grocery store, as well as the organic/gluten free aisle (Bob's Red Mill brand)].
1 cups water
1 lbs sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onions,  diced
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup tamari [if you really can't find it anywhere, you could attempt substituting regular soy sauce. I think it would be too salty. I make no guarantees.]
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced

Rinse and drain the kasha. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add the kasha and cover; reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 10 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed and the kernels are tender.

To cook the sweet potatoes, you can either: bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes; peel & cube and boil for 30-40 minutes; or peel & cube and microwave for about 10 minutes, until tender (I opted for the microwave). Melt the butter in a medium skillet and add onions. Cook over medium-high heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mash sweet potatoes. Add sauteed onions, milk, salt and pepper. Alternatively, put those ingredients in a food processor and let the machine do all the work.

In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari, vegetable oil, and garlic. Spoon kasha into a serving dish; drizzle with the tamari-oil-garlic mixture. Top with the mashed sweet potatoes. Serve hot.