Leek and Mushroom Buckwheat Stew
Dried mushrooms, dried leeks, and buckwheat groats. One pot, twenty minutes, no fridge involved.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 116
- protein
- 14 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 22 min
- total time
- 27 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Car camping
- Winter / snow
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Buckwheat groats | 1 cup | raw, not toasted kasha, which cooks faster |
|---|---|---|
| Dried mushrooms | 1 oz | porcini, shiitake, or a wild blend, broken small |
| Dried leek or onion flakes | 1/3 cup | |
| Dried carrot | 2 tbsp | |
| Mushroom bouillon | 2 cubes or 2 tsp powder | |
| Dried thyme | 1 tsp | |
| Dried sage | 1 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Put the mushrooms, leek flakes, and carrot in the pot with 600 ml of water. Let them sit five minutes off the flame while you set up camp.
- Light the stove. Add the bouillon, thyme, sage, and groats. Bring it to a boil.
- Drop the heat as low as it will go. Lid on, 15 minutes. Stir once or twice so the bottom does not catch.
- Pull it off the heat and let it stand five minutes with the lid on. It thickens in that window.
- Stir in the olive oil, then salt and pepper.
The original is a Dutch oven stew with fresh leeks, fresh wild mushrooms, and five cups of homemade stock. None of that travels. Dried mushrooms and leek flakes do the same job at a tenth of the weight, and they rehydrate in the same water that cooks the grain, so nothing gets poured off.
Buckwheat is the reason this holds up as dinner. It takes about 15 minutes of low simmer, roughly the same as the vegetables need, and it thickens the pot into something you eat with a spoon rather than drink. Give it the off-heat rest before you judge the texture. The oil goes in at the end because fat added early just coats the grain and slows the water down.
Packing
Everything dry except the oil goes in one bag per two servings. The mushrooms are brittle and will powder in your pack; that is fine, powder makes broth.
Variations
- Swap the groats for instant couscous and cut the simmer to two minutes off-heat.
- A splash of white wine from a plastic flask at the boil, if you are car camping and feel like it.
- Dried peas or a handful of dehydrated kale added with the groats.
https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-leek-wild-mushroom-stew