If you are a long-time reader of The Pickled Spruit., you might remember that “rediscover real food” used to be the blog’s tag line. My approach to writing and to the content I am putting forward has changed quite a bit, yet my desire to rediscover real food has stayed. And this is exactly what I did when I – as by chance- picked up Olia Hercules‘ first book, Mamuska. It is a story of cooking in Ukraine and beyond and I was immediately hooked. I found myself nodding when reading Olia’s advice (use only cucumbers in brine, vinegar cornichons just won’t do) and I was thrilled to find familiar
ingredients used in less familiar ways. Given the somewhat similarity with Romanian cuisine, all thrown together in the cooking pot of Eastern European delights, I felt enough at ease to alter the recipes and adjust as I please. I also felt a strong connection to the people in the book, their traditions and cuisine. Later on, I picked up Kaukasis, Olia’s last book and the flood gates opened. For the past months, I’ve been cooking from the book heavily: qutabs, khachapouri, Ossetian pies, khingal, soups, condiments and preserves. And I don’t think I will stop very soon. For now, I am sharing this lamb meatballs soup from Mamuska, with some slight adaptations, driven by personal taste and- honestly- lack of some ingredients.  Read More