Mushroom Kuba

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  Rinse the groats well under cold running water in a colander, pour into a pot, cover with water so that it is about two centimeters above them, and let stand for about an hour.
• 2
  Then drain, cover with fresh water, salt with a teaspoon of salt, bring to a very gentle boil and cook uncovered until almost tender, which takes about 30 minutes. If desired, add a tablespoon of butter to the groat cooking water. You can also let the groats stand on a low burner longer to swell even more. It will take about an hour in total for the groats to absorb almost all the cooking water.
• 3
  At the same time as soaking the groats, pour just under a liter of water over the mushrooms, bring to a boil, remove from heat, and let them cool and soften slowly. If you want the mushrooms to be softer, soak them in cold water the day before instead of boiling them as mentioned.
• 4
  Once the groats are cooked, peel the onion and chop it finely. Start preheating the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
• 5
  Melt the lard in a larger pan and use a small portion of it to grease a smaller baking dish. Add the onion to the hot lard in the pan and sauté it over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it softens and begins to brown.
• 6
  Drain the mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Roughly chop the mushrooms, add them to the onion, and continue stirring and sautéing for another 2-3 minutes.
• 7
  Add marjoram to the onion in the pan, but first rub it between your palms to release its aroma. Drain the groats, if any water remains, and add them to the pan.
• 8
  Take 100-150 ml of the mushroom liquid – however, avoid what remained at the bottom, as small stones often appear there, which are only good for breaking a tooth. Pour into the pan and let simmer gently for about 5 minutes until the liquid has almost evaporated. You can repeat this step 2-3 times.
• 9
  Peel the garlic, press it, mix everything together in the pan. Taste, and season with salt if needed.
• 10
  Spread the mixture from the pan into the baking dish, place in the oven, and bake for half an hour. Meanwhile, the groats will nicely brown on the surface and become crispy in places, so don't overdo the baking time and rather stir the contents of the baking dish occasionally. Serve with pickled cucumbers or sauerkraut.