Buckwheat Soup with Porcini, Beef and Kale

Place the mushrooms and a couple of cups of beef stock in a small pot. Simmer to reconstitute the mushrooms.

Boil 1 3/4 cups water in a saucepot, season with a little salt, add the kasha and stir. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Drizzle with a little EVOO and cool. Store separately from the soup base until the soup is served, to avoid mushy buckwheat .

In a soup pot or Dutch oven , heat 2 tablespoons EVOO, a couple of turns of the pan, and add the guanciale. Brown the guanciale and then remove. Pat the beef dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown over medium-high heat in the guanciale drippings and remove. Add the garlic, onions and bay and stir and cook to soften, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the kale and wilt, and season with a few grates nutmeg. Add the tomato paste and stir until fragrant, then add the Worcestershire, the remaining beef stock , beef and guanciale. Remove the mushrooms and chop , then add the mushroom and the mushroom stock to the soup. Cook partially covered until the beef is tender, about 1 hour. Cool and store.

To serve, combine the kasha with the hot soup and serve in shallow bowls with bread and cheese curls.