the namesake dish: kasha varnishkes

my friend hannah of i heart kale sent me an email link to a new york times article yesterday. seeing the subject "kasha shows off with a bow tie flourish" in my inbox made me initially assume that the ny times had gotten creative, if not nonsensical, with incorporating my name into their spam email. but i opened it anyway (please don't send me any email viruses, this apparently demonstrates my lack of self restraint when opening emails), and i literally hooted out loud when i read the first few lines of mark bittman's minimalist food column. it starts out like this:

JUST the other day I was discussing kasha with a grain-loving pal. The conversation went something like this: She: “Kasha. There just isn’t a whole lot you can do with it.” I: “No. It’s actually the least interesting of grains. I’m not even sure I like it.”

for those of you who don't already know, my name is also the name for buckwheat groats. that's not something i try to tell people upon first meeting. something about the word "groats" seems less than enchanting for a first encounter. those of you who've known me for a long time might say that don't really try to bring that one up ever. though i have to say, it's hard to dodge when you have an unusual name that reminds people of a popular cereal. my mother swears she didn't know she was naming me after a grain at the time, and i begrudgingly believe her.
i've never been clear on exactly what a "groat" is, and this article gave me the opportunity to look it up. according to wikipedia, groat just refers to a hulled grain, though it seems to be a term they particularly like to pair with kasha. wheat, for instance, has its own name for the groat form: bulgar. and i was excited to hear that there is a traditional english dish called "groaty pudding" or "groaty dick." the english are great at naming things.
so back to the food column, it's a great recipe for kasha varnishkes - a dish they sometimes served at smith in the dining halls, but i never really understood. seemed like too much grains on grains to me. but mark bittman's mother's recipe looks quite tasty, and the video is really fun. i think carmelizing onions in chicken fat sold me on it.
call me vain, but it was really enjoyable, albeit somewhat disconcerting, to read my own name repeatedly used in odd context throughout the article. For example, here are some excerpts from the comments on the article:

"An excellent video, and a good portrayal of kasha!"
"The reason Mark was never hot for kasha is because he left out an important step..."
"I am shocked that you didn’t include the secret to really light, fluffy kasha..."
"I came up doing the egg in the kasha technique - certainly considered traditional by many."
"Great as a side dish but I’m guilty of eating it as a meal. Kasha itself is quite good for you, so eat! eat!"

weird. i'm trying not to eat things carmelized in chicken fat right now, so someone else please make this and tell me what you think of kasha.