Buckwheat

Buckwheat Crepes

Ingredients for 12 crepes

• 2 eggs
• 180 gr buckwheat flour
• 100 gr plain flour
• 250 ml full-fat milk
• 250 ml water
• 1 tblspoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Butter to grease the pan

In a mixing bowl, mix the buckwheat flour, the sifted plain flour and half a teaspoon of salt with a wooden spoon. Gradually add the milk and water and mix until the batter is smooth. Finally, add the oil and the two previously beaten eggs. Allow to rest, covered with cellophane, for 2 hours in the fridge. Stir before using. Heat the non-stick pan and melt the butter. When hot, pour a ladle of batter onto the pan. As soon as the batter hits the pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated. It should ta-ke only a minute or so to cook, lift with a palette knife to see if it is tinged gold and the turn over, ta-king care not to break them. When the pancake is golden-brown on both sides, slide onto a plate and serve as you wish.

Buckwheat Cake

Ingredients

• 300 gr buckwheat flour
• 100 gr plain flour
• 300 gr sugar
• 300 gr butter (softened)
• 6 medium eggs
• (1 sachet) 16 gr baking powder
• 1 vanilla pod

For the filling

400 gr redcurrant jam

For the decoration

Icing sugar

Seperate the eggs. Mix the butter and 150gr of the sugar and vanilla seeds until light and pale in a stand mixer. If you don't have a stand mixer, beat in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer. Sift together the two types of flour and the baking powder in a seperate bowl. Add the yolks, one at a time, to the butter and suger batter in the stand mixer and mix for at least ten minutes or until the batter is light and fluffy. Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl, add the sifted flour and baking powder and mix together delicately with a spatula. Beat the egg-whites, a pinch of salt until stiff, gradually adding the remaining sugar. Fold the eggs delicately into the batter, with delicate upward movements. Grease with butter and flour a round ba-king tin (28cm) and pour in the mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 45 minutes. Test by pushing a skewer into the centre of the cake. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake is baked. Allow the cake to cool for about ten minutes in the tin, then place on a re rack. Once the cake is completely cooled, cut it in half horizontally with the aid of a breadknife. Spread the jam delicately, with the aid of a spatula, from the centre outward to the edges. Carefully place the second half of the cake on top of the half with the jam. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Buckwheat Gnocchetti with Grana Padano and Pepper

Ingredients

• 250 gr buckwheat flour
• 550 gr potatoes
• 1 egg

Sauce

• 50 gr Grana Padano DOP
• 70 gr full-fat milk
• Black pepper

Boil the unpeeled potatoes for about 30 minutes or until cooked (cooking time depends on the size of the potatoes). When the potatoes are cooked, pour the flour onto a pastry board and mash the hot unpeeled pota-toes in the centre with a potato masher. Mix the ingredients together and add the egg. Continue to mix until the gnocchi mixture becomes firm. Form a rectangle. Cut the rectangle into smaller pieces with a dough cutter and roll each pie-ce out into a long tube. Cut these tubes into 1cm pieces with the dough cutter or a knife. Roll each small piece over the gnocchi maker to give them their typical shape. If you don't have a gnocchi maker, mark the pieces using a fork. As the gnocchi are ready, place them on a large tray and cover with a dishcloth. Once all the gnocchi are prepared, place a large pot of salted wter on the cooker and bring to the boil. Now pre-pare the sauce: pour the milk into a pan, bring it almost to boil and then add the grated Grana Pa-dano DOP. Stir to melt the cheese. When you have a creamy consistency, cook the gnocchi for a few minutes in the boiling water. As the gnocchi float to the surface, remove them and place them directly in the pan with the sauce. Season with freshly-ground black pepper and serve immediately.