Flavours of Ukraine

Our generous partners at Compton McRae hosted two workshops to share the cuisine and culture of Ukraine.

Led by Olya Patiuta, of Zhiva Authentica, these were very special occasions to learn about the heritage and tastes of Ukraine and to build a community around culture and food.

Fermentation: 9th March 2024 16.00 to 19.00

Fermented foods and gut health has become very popular in recent years. These super foods are part of the heritage of Ukraine and something to celebrate and share. Olya led a workshop that involved us in the making of sauerkraut and fermented veggies.

Olya explained how sharing our bacteria to build community immunity was part of the process of hand pressing the cabbage and starting the process of controlled fermentation.

We tasted and smelt new flavours and scents.

Then we cut and chopped, squeezed and stuffed until we all had something to take home in a jar.

However the fun hasn’t stopped, because we now expect our products to carry on growing in the dark and temperature constant parts of our homes.

The evening began to grow cold, but we had made between us a delicious sauerkraut, millet and potato based soup to warm ourselves. Bill provided sourdough bread and the richest butter and sour cream to add to our soup.

Natalia and Bill show off the sauerkraut and brined vegetables that we made on the night.

Now we are a group of friends sharing our fermentation experiences.

“We have just eaten half my little pot of sauerkraut which was delicious! Mellow and sweet. We had confit duck from a tin bought in France, which was quite rich and this cut through that richness. We finished the soup at lunch with a dollop of sour cream.... Ukrainian appreciation day! My ex-sister-in-law, of whom I am very fond, was 1st married to a Ukranian & spent 4 years in Kharkiv with him & where her daughter ( my step-niece) was born. My brine veg sticks are bubbling but not ready. Thank you Olya.'“

Thanks to Bill for his generosity, his time and his warmest of welcomes. Compton McRae is a very, very special place.

Dumplings: 10th March 2024 10.00 to 13.00

Varenyky are synonymous with Ukrainian cuisine. These stuffed, filled and coloured dumplings are a joy to make and a delight to eat.

We had Olya to guide us, and form us into teams, and within each team we had the expertise of Ukrainian guests who coached their children and people from the UK in the art of Varenyky.

First we made the fillings.

Onions fried until translucent, soft and caramelised.

Savoury filling: Potato

Thinly sliced onions were braised to a warm brown, caramelised consistency
Back bacon was cut into strips and browned off
The bacon and onion were folded into mashed potato

Savoury filling 2: Cabbage

Sauerkraut was fried with a small amount of grated fresh cabbage and carrot

Savoury filling 3: Onion

Thinly sliced onions were braised to a warm brown, caramelised consistency with strips of browned back bacon

Sweet filling 4: Cherries

Rich dark pitted cherries had been prepared in a syrup.

Sweet filling 5: Berries

Chopped fresh strawberries were mixed with blueberries

The dough was prepared with flour kindly donated by N. R. Stoate and Sons, millers of Cann.

We added sunflower oil and eggs to the flour and kneaded until the dough was firm and held together as a single ball.

After kneading to develop the gluten we left the dough balls to stand, wrapped in clingfilm, for at least 15 minutes.

Forming the varenyky

After developing the dough, we rolled it out until it was uniformly 2 mm thick

We cut 8cm diameter discs from the dough sheets and then we were ready for the fun part. We began to shape and fill the varenyky.

Taking a disc, the edges are drawn out even more by pressing between finger and thumb, and then the centre is loaded with filling.

Cooking

The raw dough parcels were then cooked in salty boiling water for about 10 minutes. A test for our crimping and filling which proved adequate enough to keep in the filling.

Serving

After almost two hours of communal work, we were ready to pile our plates with steaming dumplings sprinkled with bacon bits and onions and a hearty dollop of sour cream.

Enjoying

Washed down with some prosecco, donated by Bill and Compton McRae, we were a warm, laughing family of friends, bonded by our work together and our joyful sharing of Ukrainian food and culture.