Photo by Joe Woodhouse
The summer kitchens in Ukraine, from which Olia Hercules has taken her title, are simple outhouses built near vegetable plots or kitchen gardens, structures in which to shield from the heat, and prepare food to last through winter. Such a practical arrangement — but one that has inspired a book shot through with poetry. The stories and recipes in Summer Kitchens evoke a way of life in which cooking is a response to the land and the seasons, and it is impossible not to fall under its spell. It makes me long to get fermenting, to experiment with flavours and become acquainted with ingredients, and learn about the cooking of the country that Olia Hercules grew up in, and has championed so captivatingly.
I could be here all day telling you which recipes I have my eye on particularly, from the beautiful Pickled Cabbage with Beetroot, Borsch with Duck and Smoked Pears, Sourdough Garlic Buns, Slow-roast Pork with Kraut and Dried Fruit (leftovers to be stuffed into buns) to Potato-dough Dumplings with Plums and Honey, and Poppyseed Babka. I adore Eastern European cakes and desserts, and have chosen one of them, the Curd Cake with caramelised apples to share with you here.
Extract taken from Summer Kitchens by Olia Hercules (£26, Bloomsbury).
Recipe photography © Joe Woodhouse.
