Cooking for Ukraine

 

I think Ukraine has been on our minds a lot recently, and we all want to feel we’re doing something, to stave off the feelings of powerlessness and despair that watching events like this brings on. I’ve donated to and shopped for Ukraine (including buying cocktails, see below), and there’s also a Cook for Ukraine initiative, donating money to Unicef. It’s being organised by Instagram food influencer/blogger @clerkenwellboyec1 (who was also behind Cook For Syria a couple of years back), alongside food writers Olia Hercules (Ukrainian) and Alissa Timoshkina (Russian). Cooking as a force for good? Feels very appropriate for us.

Lots of people have held dinners or supper clubs, I just cooked a meal and we both made a donation. We started the night with pre-mix cocktails from Dima’s Vodka, an Anglo-Ukrainian vodka brand. At the start of the conflict they were selling these with all money going to Ukrainian causes – they’re currently sold out, so I don’t know if this is still ongoing. I am happy to report that the cocktails we tried (an Electropolitan and a Dirty Fig Martini) were very good indeed.

Electropolitans, with supplied garnishes

Dirty Fig Martini

Onto the food: I bought Olia’s book Mamushka a week or so back, but this was the first chance I’ve had to cook from it. I made kefir and herb marinated chicken (invented by Oila’s dad), and greek breads with spring onions (turns out Ukraine has a sizeable Greek population). I’m not sure these two things are particularly meant to be eaten together, it actually worked OK.

First, the chicken, because – and the clue is fortunately in the name for this one – it needs marinating. For the marinade, blend together kefir (a very Ukrainian thing) with lots (and lots) of coriander and parsley, honey and peri peri sauce. You will end up with something very green, in which the chicken needs to sit for at least a couple of hours.

Marinating chicken: very green

Now, the breads, Plakopsy in Ukrainian. First make the dough – and this is an unusual one, because it reverses the usual idea of adding wet ingredients to dry ones. Here, you mix egg and water, and then add in flour (no yeast) before kneading. Make the filling, by simply mixing chopped spring onions and crumbled feta cheese.

Next, portion out the dough, and then roll each portion out thinly, so that they are at least 30cm wide. Brush with sunflower oil, then put some of the filling in the middle of this, leaving a gap at the edge. Fold the sides over, so they meet in the middle, add some more filling, then fold over the top and bottom ends so you’re left with a square.

Rolled out dough. I wish I could roll more evenly...

Now – and as far as I’m concerned, this is the best bit: heat some sunflower oil, and fry the breads one at a time in it. Yes, we are in the area of delicious fried things. Think empanadas, but bigger. While you’re doing this, cook the chicken: grill/griddle/barbecue, according to inclination/availability.

Frying one of the breads; husband turning over chicken in background

The chicken is very good, the breads are amazing. Highly recommended. I made the full amount of dough, and it needed one egg to make enough for four, so I’ve frozen it – hopefully I will be able to use it to make some more of these lovely things.

Chicken in the background, the bread being the star at front (wild garlic pesto on the side, just because)

It’s a very small thing, in the great theme of things, but as Putin’s plan was clearly to entirely wipe Ukraine from the map, remembering it’s culture and cuisine feels like a small act of defiance in the face of horror. If anyone else wants to donate to Cook for Ukraine, the link in here: Cook For Ukraine is fundraising for Unicef UK (justgiving.com)