Uzvar (Ukrainian Winter Punch) and Mamushka (2024)

Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine and Eastern Europe, written by Olia Hercules, features over 100 favorite recipes with seasonal ingredients and flavors from Ukraine and surrounding countries in Eastern Europe. Highlights include Kholodnyk (Cold Beet Soup), Deruny (Potato Cakes with Goat Cheese), Nudli (Pork Ribs and Dumplings), Kvashena Kapusta (Sour Cabbage), and Zapinkanka (Baked Ukrainian Cheesecake). I am also sharing Olia’s recipe for Uzvar, a spiced Ukrainian Winter Punch, at the end of the review.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Weldon Owen in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Olia Hercules

Olia Hercules is a chef, food writer, and food stylist. She was born in Kakhovka, Ukraine with Siberian, Jewish, Bessarabian (Moldovan), Uzbek, and Armenian roots. She lived in Cyprus for 5 years before moving to London for school, receiving a BA in Italian followed by a MA in Russian and English.

Her interest in cooking grew and she trained as a chef at Leith’s School of Food and Wine. Her work can be found in Sainsbury’s, The Recipe Kit, and the Guardian. Olia also recently released a second book, .

Mamushka

Olia begins Mamushka with an introduction to her life and home in Ukraine. She talks about her memories, including seasonal eating and flavors in a country with mild winters and long, hot summers. After the introduction, she pairs the recipes with personal stories scattered throughout in the headnotes.

Chapters are divided according to course: Broths & Soups, Breads & Pastries, Vegetables & Salads, Dumplings & Noodles, Meat and Fish, Fermented Pickles and Preserves, Sweet Conserves, Desserts, and Drinks.

Measurements are written in US Customary and Metric. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, personal memories, tips, and serving ideas. The titles are listed in English and Ukrainian (Cyrillic script and Romanization).

The absolutely beautiful photography is provided by Kris Kirkhamwith styling by Olia. Along with the food photography, there are also scenic and family photos. Nearly every single recipe includes a quarter to full page photo, generally of the finished dish. A few, such as the Varenyky (Stuffed Ukrainian Pasta), Plakopsy (Greek Breads withe Green Onions), Vertuta (Moldovan Giant Cheese Twist), and Pyrizhky (Ukrainian Stuffed Buns), also have step-by-step photos to help with specific techniques.

Uzvar

Uzvar is the winter version of the summer Ukrainian Kompot (recipe also in the book). This recipe takes advantage of dried fruits and warming spices to get through the winter months when fresh produce is hard to come by.

A combination of dried apples, apricots, prunes, and sour cherries along with vanilla, star anise, cinnamon, lemon, and orange zest are added to a large pot of water. The mixture is simmered over low heat for an hour to infuse (which also makes the house smell amazing). We all recently recovered from colds and this drink was particularly helpful.

A shot of brandy can be added to the Uzvar for extra warmth on a cold, winter day (over 21, please drink responsibly) or mix in some honey for a little extra sweetness.

Other Dishes

I also made Pampushky (Ukrainian Garlic Bread), Chebureky (Tartar Lamb Turnovers), Morkovcha (Korean Carrots), and Varenyky (Stuffed Ukrainian Pasta).

Pampushky is a soft Ukrainian yeast bread that is brushed with garlic oil before serving. I used regular minced garlic cloves, but the bread can also be made with green garlic. The rolls are traditionally served with Red Borshch.

Chebureky are large Tartar Lamb Turnovers. A pastry dough is rolled into a circle, then thinly spread with a lamb filling. The dough is folded over to enclose the filling, then pan-fried on each side until golden and cooked through. This street food is the national dish of the Crimean Tartars.

Morkovcha is a creation from the half a million Koreans living in Central Asia, Russia, and southern Ukraine. It was used as a substitute for the more difficult to locate Chinese cabbage. Julienned carrots are seasoned with salt, then mixed with a sugar, vinegar, garlic, and spice mixture. If added to a sterilized jar, it can keep in the refrigerator for around a month.

Varenyky are Ukrainian pasta dumplings. I filled them with the potato mixture topped with crispy pork (Varenyky z Kartopleyu). Other filling options include curd cheese (Varenyky z Syrom) and cabbage (Varenyky z Kapustoyu). Olia also recommends frying any leftover dumplings in butter until crispy. I didn’t try this since there were no leftovers to be had, but definitely need to next time!

Mamushka is a great pick for those interested in Ukrainian cuisine. Along with Ukrainian recipes, dishes from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, and Armenia are also included.

I had such a difficult time narrowing down what to try first. Everything in the Breads & Pastries and Dumplings & Noodles in particular look incredible. The Desserts too. Well, pretty much the whole book. I definitely see myself pulling Mamushka off of the bookshelf often.

Some ingredients may be more difficult to find if you do not have a market nearby with Eastern European ingredients such as kefir, smetana, parsley root, buckwheat, allspice berries, pomegranate molasses, saffron, fenugreek, barberries, golden raisins, blackcurrant leaves, juniper berries, rose petals, black cardamom pods, rosewater, and buckthorn berries. Olia does provide substitutes when possible.

Uzvar (Ukrainian Winter Punch) Recipe

Excerpt from Mamushka