Tangy Tomato and Egg Buckwheat Salad with Sour Cream Dressing
Easing into September with a delicious prep-ahead lunch
Hello, hi!
Thank you so much for letting this little newsletter into your inbox. I’m not quite sure how it’s the 1st of September and also 7.30pm already on this very Sunday! I am half in denial and half excited at the prospect of ‘back to school’ week (a much-needed relaxed-ish weekend at home has allowed me the headspace to feel slightly more at ease with the situation).
I have been loving the amount of newsletters today talking about the summer/autumn love/hate debate. I feel seen! Because I too forever go into the month of September a little apprehensive. I am a true summer lover. Light morning skies when leaving the house? Balmy late nights? Casual last-minute get-togethers? (Relatively) faff-free outfits consisting of loose trousers and flip flops? Yes, please, to all of the above. And I can go on! Sure, summer isn’t perfect (what is in life you know), but mostly, to me, it is The Best Season. Moods are lifted, the pressure feels that bit less and gratefully, life feels pretty good.
If you are in the latter camp of Autumn lovers, then you likely don’t need any easing-in help. But, if like me, you panic at the prospect of the changing of seasons, then know I am here for you in the best way I believe I can be: with food.
With delicious, gluten-free and gut-friendly recipes that make the most of the late-summer bounty, recipes that can be prepped in advance for busy weeks and recipes that bring a bit of joy to the everyday. Let’s all agree on making it a great month of eating shall we?
Landing in paid subs inboxes tomorrow night will be a recipe for a Rhubarb, Raspberry and Coconut Rice Pudding. Creamy and indulgent, cook it in 30 minutes and let the fridge do the rest of the work. So good cold, it’s another great prep-ahead recipe - an afternoon snack or pud - that works for those unexpected hot days just as well as cooler ones.
Back to the salad!
I found it tricky to give this salad a name, hence the mouthful that is: Tangy Tomato and Egg Buckwheat Salad with Sour Cream Dressing. It only has 9 ingredients (I’ve listed four of them), plus seasoning, but together those ingredients truly create something greater than the sum of their parts.
I am always looking for simple and versatile salad recipes that can hold their own - literally, in the fridge for a couple of days if I want to get ahead - and figuratively, in the sea of bland gluten-free/lower FODMAP lunch options out there. This bright and crunchy salad has tonnes of texture thanks to nutty buckwheat, fresh cucumber, sweet tomatoes and zingy cornichons, while its creamy, tangy 2-ingredient dressing makes the most of already complexly-flavoured sour cream.
If you’ve been around a while, you probably know that I’ve long been a fan of buckwheat. Roasted buckwheat groats (also often referred to as kasha) are naturally gluten-free and are ideal subbed into recipes that call for gluten-containing grains (such as farro, spelt or freekeh). Dense and nutty, a little buckwheat goes a long way and adds not only bulk and texture but so much FLAVOUR to salads (buckwheat flour is also gorgeous in cakes, giving them a savoury, wholesome edge - remember these Browned Butter & Buckwheat Chocolate ones?)
Here in the UK I’ve found that buckwheat has also become much easier to get your hands on. I was very happy to pick some up from my local Sainsbury’s - and hopefully this recipe convinces you that it’s an ingredient worth seeking out!
Happy September!
Emma x
Tangy Tomato and Egg Buckwheat Salad with Sour Cream Dressing - the recipe
Serves 2
30 minutes, including cooling time
As for most salads, if you’re making this ahead, it’s best to dress just before serving.
125g roasted buckwheat groats (also often referred to as kasha)
2 medium free-range eggs
1/4 of a large cucumber
3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
6 cornichons/mini gherkins in brine, finely chopped
3 spring onions, green tops only, finely chopped
Small bunch basil, leaves picked
For the dressing:
80g/4 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Cook the buckwheat in a large saucepan of salted water, according to packet instructions, then drain well and tip out into a large bowl to cool.
Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and lower in 2 eggs. Boil for 6-8 minutes, depending on how runny you’d like your yolks, then plunge the eggs into iced water to cool. Crack the boiled eggs on the side of the bowl and peel off their shells. Cut into quarters and leave to one side.Â
Halve the cucumber lengthwise and use a teaspoon to scoop out the watery centre. Finely slice and add to the bowl with the cooled buckwheat groats, followed by the tomatoes, cornichons and spring onions tops. Tear in â…” of the basil and toss together, then spoon out onto a serving platter or onto two plates.
Whisk the sour cream and olive oil together and season to taste. Drizzle the dressing all over the salad, then top with the boiled eggs and remaining basil.
Talking FODMAP — To make this recipe lower FODMAP, keep the amount of tomatoes below 130g and swap out the cucumber and cornichons (also fructose) for 100g crunchy blanched green beans (sorbitol). You know your body best and your own tolerance levels, please adapt to suit you! A 10856th recommendation for utilising the Monash University FODMAP app too
Dairy not so good? — Use a dairy-free sour cream, or spruce up some dairy-free yogurt with lots of lemon juice or white wine vinegar and seasoning