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THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. **** Saturday/Sunday, July 11 - 12, 2020 | D5 EATING & DRINKING

IN MY KITCHEN Olia Hercules

Theauthor of ‘Summer Kitchens’ dishes on favoritetools, the pickles overtaking her fridgeand the secret to adelicious stock

ERHAPS MORE than anyliving person, the Ukrai- nian-British journalist-turned-chef Olia Hercules has laid to rest the tired myth that Soviet is all cabbageand mayonnaise.Inher latest cook- book,“Summer Kitchens” (July 14,Weldon Owen), PMs.Hercules returns to her nativeUkraine and aunique feature of manyhomes there. “Apart from having aregular kitchen in- doors, we had something else: aseparatelittle house,nothing glamorous—just aone-room brick structure, which we called litnya kuhnia,‘summer kitchen,’ ” she writes.She traveled the countrywith her husband, the photographer JoeWoodhouse, and the photographer Elena Heatherwick to chronicle these structures,the people who maintain them and the bounty of homegrownproduceprepared and preserved within. reading forthe soul, Elisabeth GARDEN VARIETY From top: Olia Hercules with her wood-fired On a recent evening, after putting her “milk guzzling in- Luard, aBritish writer of mem- oven; pantry staples Maldon salt,carawayand coriander seeds, fant,” Wilf, to bed, Ms. Hercules paused for a chat from her oirsand travel-type cookbooks, salo (cured ),Georgian blue fenugreekand khmeli home in East London. writes amazingly.“Squirrel Pie,” suneli from Épices de Cru and vinegarsfromVinegar Shed. one of my favorites of hers, has The kitchen tools Ican’t live necessityismygranny’srolling really influenced my writing. Ni- My refrigeratorisalways of cabbage thatare fermented without are: first,asharp knife. pin. When my mom gave it to gel Slater’solder cookbooksare stocked with: at leastakilo of together.Theytakeupmost Second, aheavy granitepestle me,she said, “Thousands of all-time favorites,too.Hein- whatUkraniains call salo,simi- of the space, which annoys and mortar.Iuse it forgrinding dumplings have been rolledout spired me to cook. lar to whatItalians call — my husband. spices but also forweighing with this one.” the really fatty bit of the pork things down: If Imakesauer- My pantryisalways stocked belly.You freeze and sliceit The potIreach formost is: kraut,for example,I’ll put a The cookbooks Iturn to again with: Cornish or Maldon salt. thinly and have it with rye my battered old Le Creuset plate overit, then I’ll put my and again are:avastcollection Unrefinedsunfloweroil, avery bread. We cook with it alot as Dutch oven, because Imake mortar on top. Sometimes Iuse of old Eastern European books Ukrainian thing, which tastes well. Also jarsofkraut,little bread pretty much everytwo it forbashing nails coming out found at flea marketsin liketoastedsunflowerseeds. fermentedtomatoes,and days.It’ssuch alockdown cli- in some butterand ,add of the floorboards.The third Ukraine or Georgia. In terms of It’s afantastic finishing . sliced beetrootand big chunks ché,sourdough bread, but I dill and spring onion, and mix have been doing it foryears. in feta cheese and lemon zest.

1 Pickled Cabbage /2 cup superfine sugar hotwater from kettle, bage in half and then Leave jar in awarm, On weekends,Iliketocook: My favoritecooking tech- 1 Leaves with Beet /2 cup raw cider stirring to dissolvecom- into 4-inch squares. dark placeuntil con- quiteafew pizzas in the nique is: smazhennia,aUkrai- This recipe, pelyustka— vinegar pletely.Stir in vinegar. Placehorseradish in the tents become fizzy,1-2 wood-fired oveninthe garden. nian version of Italian soffritto. cabbage leaves pickled 1 small green cabbage 2. Core cabbage.(Don’t base of asterilized 2- weeks, depending on We use the sourdough pizza The way my mom does it,she 3 with beet—comes from 1 /4 ounces horseradish throw the core away: quart jar with alid. Add the temperature. Once dough recipe from the “Ro- skims fatoff astock and puts Nyzhne Selyshche, a root, peeled and Youcan chop it up and athirdofthe beets, fizzy,move the jar berta’s Cookbook” and make the fatinapan. Then youadd

village in Transcar- sliced use it in this recipe,or then athirdofthe cab- somewherecooler.(A simple margherita pizzas, finely diced onion and soften it JOURNAL 1 pathia. The addition of /2 pound fresh beets, simply eatitasa bage.Continue alternat- cellar is ideal, but the maybe with afew jalapeños until it starts caramelizing. You REET

vinegar here helps the peeled and cut into snack.) Cutcored cab- ing these twolayers un- fridge will do.) This thrownon. If guests come add grated carrots, and cara- ST

cabbage keep longer thin wedges til all beetsand pickle will keep forages overwemakeabig, fresh melizethem with the onion to LL and remain crunchy. cabbage areusedup. and will stay sweet, salad and my Ossetian pies, create asweet,delicious base. WA THE

ActiveTime 40 min- 1. Makethe brine:Boil 3. Pour hotbrine over sourand crunchy. whichare kind of likestuffed Then youadd it to your stock, R

utes TotalTime Up to 2 justunder 1quart water cabbage and beets. —Adaptedfrom pizzas, from north of Georgia. to sweetenit. It’s very simple, FO weeks Makes 2quarts in akettle.Inalarge Letcool to room “Summer Kitchens” It’s adough made with kefir, but it’s one of my mosttrea-

heatproofbowl, com- temperature, and by Olia Hercules and inside youhave what- sured and favoritethings to do. ODHOUSE

4 teaspoons sea salt bine salt and sugar.Add then close the lid. (Weldon Owen) ever’s in season. NowI’d prob- —Edited from an interview WO

ably wilt down loads of chard by Gabriella Gershenson JOE

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ST juicetowrapupthe vin- pepperoncini, drained provolone.Tosstocombine.

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ES sink your teeth into. 8cups choppedmixed needed.Serve immediately.

JAM —Eleanore Park