Buckwheat bake with tomato sauce

Ingredients

Buckwheat bake (about 180 g / portion)

• Hulled dark buckwheat (dry weight, soaked) – 50 g
• Yellow onion – 15 g
• Carrot – 25 g
• Sun-dried tomatoes – 8 g
• Smoked tofu – 30 g
• Dried porcini – 3 g (cover with about 20 ml hot water)
• Olive oil – 4 ml
• Salt – a pinch
• Rice vinegar – a few drops

Spices for the bake

• Juniper – a pinch (½ berry)
• Allspice – a pinch (½ berry)
• Smoked paprika – 0.5 g
• Dried rosemary – a pinch
• Ground black pepper – a pinch
• Ground coriander – a pinch

Tomato sauce (about 170 g / portion)

• Canned peeled Italian tomatoes – 150 g
• Tomato paste – 5 g
• Yellow/red onion, blended – 20 g
• Whole yellow onion – 8 g
• Olive oil – 5 ml
• Salt – a pinch

Spices for the sauce (in a strainer)

• Whole fennel seeds – a pinch
• Whole black peppercorns – a pinch
• Whole coriander seeds – a pinch
• Cinnamon stick – a small piece
• Whole cloves – ¼
• Whole juniper berries – a pinch

Method

Making the bake

1. Soak, drain and rinse the buckwheat.
2. Sauté the onion in the oil and add the finely grated carrot.
3. Stir in the diced tofu, sun-dried tomatoes and the stewed porcini.
4. Season with the prepared spices and pour in part of the porcini stock.
5. Fold in the buckwheat and stir into a cohesive mixture.
6. Season with rice vinegar and salt.
7. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and bake at 180 °C for about 35–40 minutes.

Making the tomato sauce

1. Sauté the blended onion in the oil until translucent.
2. Add the peeled tomatoes, tomato paste and the whole onion to mellow the flavor.
3. Put the spices into a strainer and submerge it in the sauce.
4. Simmer over low heat for 45–60 minutes so the flavors come together.
5. Remove the spices and season with salt.

Serving

Serve hot, ideally with a fresh green salad to lighten it up.

Key ingredients

Tofu

Complete soy protein; cooling, good in warming sauces for balance.

Tomatoes (peeled / passata)

Lycopene (an antioxidant), the umami base of sauces.

Carrot

Beta-carotene (vitamin A) for skin and eyesight, fibre, natural sweetness.

Onion

Prebiotic fibre for the gut flora, anti-inflammatory flavonoids.

Cinnamon

Stabilises blood sugar, warms, adds aromatic sweetness without sugar.

Red bell pepper

High in vitamin C and antioxidants; sweet once roasted.

Buckwheat

Gluten-free; complete protein and rutin.

Why it’s good for the body

• Buckwheat is a gluten-free pseudocereal rich in minerals and fiber.
• Smoked tofu adds plant protein and umami flavor.
• Slow-simmered tomato sauce is a source of lycopene.

Traditional and functional notes on the ingredients — not medical claims.

Notes

• This recipe combines the gently smoky flavor of tofu and porcini with the full flavor of a slow-simmered tomato sauce.
• Serve hot, ideally with a fresh green salad to lighten it up.