Home Food: Recipes from the founder of #CookForUkraine

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I cannot emphasise enough that you need a lot of fat to make a super-juicy kebab, so use the fattiest minced lamb you can find. Following the financial crisis of 2008, Olia decided to quit her job as a film business reporter to pursue her dream to cook for a living.

Olia Hercules

When I serve the big jelly for a bunch of close friends or family, I normally give everyone a small plate and a spoon, then we all just, well, jiggle the jelly for fun before diving into it tipsily. Steam the pumpkin chunks for about 20 minutes, until very soft (if you don’t have a steamer, pop the pumpkin in a metal or enamel colander, set it over a pot of boiling water, then cover with a lid that fits as tightly as possible), then blitz to a smooth puree. (If you’re doing this the night before, leave it to cool down and keep, covered, in the fridge.)

Put the butter and oil in the largest, deepest frying pan you have (mine’s a 26cm deep stainless-steel one) on a medium-high heat, until sizzling. Carefully drop in all the potatoes, add a generous pinch of salt and stir once to distribute it evenly. Leave the potatoes be for a few minutes, then stir in one big sweep and leave them alone again. Be patient: give the potatoes at the bottom time to catch and crisp up a bit. The whole process will take about 15 minutes, by which time the potatoes should be crisp and brown in parts. In addition to writing three critically acclaimed cookbooks, Hercules is also credited with the launch of the #CookForUkraine movement. In this deeply personal cookbook, she pulls inspiration from her childhood in Ukraine, as well her years spent in Cyprus, Italy, and England.” Like millions of Russians, I too have Ukrainian roots, and grew up on a beautiful diet of Ukrainian and Russian dishes. These countries have shared a complex and rich history, and the culinary language reflects this relationship in the most powerful and relatable way. Add the pomegranate molasses and vinegar (or lemon juice) to the bowl of pomegranate juice and season well with sea salt.

Olia Hercules recipes - BBC Food

Centering comfort and connection, acclaimed Ukranian chef Olia Hercules weaves influence from her childhood in Eastern Europe and years in Cyprus, Italy, and London into 100 recipes. Dishes like radish and pomegranate salad, roasted potatoes topped with feta, yogurt, dill, and chopped carrots, and baked apples stuffed with creamy tvorog or ricotta get woven together with stories that make her fourth cookbook her most personal yet.” She has written the recipe book Mamushka which is a collection of Eastern European recipes. 2017 saw Hercules' second book published. [13] Cut the potatoes in half so they are stable on their cut sides, then slice into fine half-moons. Cut the onion in half and then into very fine slices. Whaite, John (2015-06-21). "Olia Hercules: the chef bringing East European food to our tables". Telegraph.co.uk . Retrieved 15 December 2016.The recipe I’m sharing with you today is Stefa’s Stone Fruit Cake. I rather feel I’ll be making it all summer long. Home Food takes readers on a culinary journey through the places Hercules has lived and the influences this has had on the food she enjoys cooking and eating at home. She grew up in Ukraine, moved as a child to Cyprus and as a student to the UK where she studied Italian and International Relations. Her language studies took her on to Italy for a year abroad. Later she trained as a chef and began to write. They also received an award called Champions of Change from 50 Best Restaurants, as well as a grant. They have consequently set up an initiative called Ukraine Hub, where they provide free workshops (from cookery to flower arranging to intuitive drawing) for displaced Ukrainians in the UK.

Home Food: 100 Recipes to Comfort and Connect: Ukraine Home Food: 100 Recipes to Comfort and Connect: Ukraine

Recommending books is always a profound pleasure, and that’s really why CookbookCorner exists. But I have to admit that I do get a bit flustered and anxious when so many great titles come out on the same day. I’d normally expect that in September and October, but now summer seems to be equally crowded on the cookbook front; indeed, the proliferation of titles seems all-year-round. I’d much rather highlight a book in the week it’s published, but it isn’t always possible. As it is, I’ve still got quite a few books lined up to tell you about that have already been published, but I will stop fussing about what’s not been written about (yet) and focus on the real belter I have for you today! Olia Hercules owes some of her earliest and fondest memories to the ‘summer kitchens’ of her parents, grandparents, neighbours and friends in Ukraine. These small buildings are separate from the main house, and always positioned near a fruit plot or veg patch so families can enjoy the home-grown produce as it ripens, and preserve the surplus in preparation for winter.

Leave the cake in its tin to rest and cool down, then slice and serve. Unsweetened tea with lemon goes perfectly with this.