Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine and Eastern Europe - Hardcover

Hercules, Olia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1616289619 ISBN 13: 9781616289614

Publisher: Weldon Owen, 2015

Synopsis

A celebration of the food, flavors, and heritage of Eastern Europe—from the Black Sea to Baku, Kiev to Kazakhstan—Mamushka features over 100 recipes for fresh, delicious, and unexpected dishes from this dynamic yet underappreciated region. 

Olia Hercules was born in Ukraine and lived in Cyprus for several years before moving to London and becoming a chef. In this gorgeous and deeply personal cookbook, she shares her favorite recipes from her home country with engaging and loving stories about her culinary upbringing and family traditions. 

Featuring personality and panache, Mamushka showcases the cuisine from Ukraine and beyond, weaving together vibrant food with descriptive narratives and stunning lifestyle photography. From broths and soups to breads and pastries, vegetables and salads to meat and fish, dumplings and noodles to compotes and jams. You’ll also find some of Olia’s favorite dishes, like a Moldovan giant cheese twist and garlicky poussins, to sublime desserts such as apricot and sour cherry pie and a birthday sponge cake with ice cream, strawberries, and meringue.

Including new flavor combinations, vibrant colors, seasonal ingredients and straightforward cooking techniques, Mamushka’s earthy dishes appeal to home chefs everywhere. Join Olia on this delicious and diverse culinary tour through Eastern Europe.

About this title

About the Author

Olia Hercules trained at the renowned Leiths School of Food and Wine and in 2015 published Mamushka, winner of the Fortnum and Mason Award for best debut cookbook 2016. Her second cookbook, Kaukasis: A Culinary Journey through Georgia, Azerbaijan and Beyond, was published in 2017.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Garlicky Georgian Poussins (Kurka tabaka)

2 poussins
4 cloves garlic, finely grated
sea salt flakes
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
½ tablespoon chopped tarragon
½ tablespoon chopped basil
½ tablespoon chopped parsley
½ tablespoon chopped dill
 
To serve:
good bread
Tkhemali (see below)
 
*Serves 2.

1 Spatchcock each poussin by cutting it along the backbone with a knife or scissors. Flatten them with the palm of your hand, then rub with the grated garlic and season generously all over with salt and the cayenne pepper.

2 Heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan. Cook the poussins, cut side down, over medium heat for 3 minutes, then flip them over and cook them, skin side down, for 5 minutes.

3 Lower the heat and place a cartouche (a circle of baking parchment or wax paper) over the birds, followed by a smaller frying pan on top. Weight it all down with something heavy.

4 Cook for 20–25 minutes over the lowest possible heat. To test that the poussins are cooked, pull away at the legs – they should come away easily and the juices should run clear.

5 When the birds are done, lift them out and let rest on a chopping board for 5 minutes. Add the herbs to the buttery juices in the pan and cook for another minute or two.

6 Serve the poussins drizzled with the herby juices, or mop the juices up with some good bread, along with the Tkhemali.
 
 
Georgian Plum Chutney (Tkhemali):

¾ lb (375 g) plums or greengages, pitted and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, grated or crushed
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ tablespoon black treacle or blackstrap molasses
2 sprigs dill, chopped
sea salt flakes
 
*Serves 4.
 
1. Place the plums or greengages in a saucepan, add a splash of water, cover with a lid, and boil over medium-low heat until the fruits start to soften, about 10 minutes.

2. Mash them with a fork, then add the garlic, paprika, and treacle, and season with salt.

3. Cook with the lid off for another 10 minutes.

4. Add the dill and serve at room temperature with the Kurka tabaka (see above). You can keep the chutney for a few days in the refrigerator. If sealed in a sterilized jar, it will keep for ages.
 

Edition details

• Publisher: Weldon Owen
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1616289619
• ISBN 13: 9781616289614
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240