Ukraine: Chicken Kyiv, Potato and Poppy Seed Mash with a rainbow of Roasted Root Vegetables

September 18, 2022

Ukraine: Chicken Kyiv, Potato and Poppy Seed Mash with a rainbow of Roasted Root Vegetables

Ukraine is arguably the most talked about country in the World right now. Historically nicknamed ‘The Breadbasket of Europe’ for its abundant wheat and grain production, Ukraine is currently awash in a turbulent war to defend its right to independence from its neighbour Russia. The fate of Ukraine may well turn out to be one of the biggest food security discussions the World has in 2022. Why? Because this conflict is restricting the production and global supply chain of Ukrainian grain to such an extent that the United Nations is foreshadowing years of famine for some of the poorest countries in the World.

There is also an immediate hunger crisis occurring for the Ukrainian people. 6 million Ukrainians are currently displaced or fleeing across friendly borders as refugees. As war echoes through the empty kitchens of the Ukrainian people and hunger growls in their bellies spare a thought for them. Supermarket shelves are empty and women and children are hungry, cold and afraid.

Traditional Ukrainian culinary practices are nuanced and time consuming. With ancient peasant recipes at its heart this cuisine is characterised by multiple steps (such as boiling/frying then baking/stewing meat), This is not the kind of food that can be cooked ‘on the fly’. It takes time and a dedicated cook. I cooked these recipes in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and I’d like to encourage you to try cooking one of the recipes here in solidarity too.

More importantly, I wanted to do something real to help fill the stomachs of the Ukrainian people who are hurting right now so I made a gift to the United Nations World Food Program Emergency Ukraine Appeal. If you felt inclined it would be wonderful if you contributed to the fund too or hosted a fundraising dinner party cooking some of these recipes. Even the smallest donation will help provide lifesaving emergency food relief for Ukrainian families fleeing war. Click the link below to find out more about how your donation will help <3

https://www.wfp.org/emergencies/ukraine-emergency

Our

UKRAINIAN

menu included

CHICKEN KYIV

TOVCHANKA POTATO AND POPPY SEED MASH

with a rainbow of

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES

CHICKEN KYIV

This recipe has had many names. In some parts of Eastern Europe it is know as Côtelette de Volaille po-Kyivsky. In English-speaking countries it used to be called Chicken Kiev, but supermarkets, food producers, chefs and food bloggers across the Globe have corrected the name to CHICKEN KYIV to reflect Ukrainian spelling (rather than Russian), in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and recognition of their unique food, culture, language and history.

Ingredients:

· 6 half chicken breasts

· 200gm unsalted butter, soft

· 1 tbs chopped fresh dill

· 6 large cloves fresh garlic, crushed

· ½ cup plain flour

· 2 large eggs

· 100ml sunflower oil

· ½ cup dry breadcrumbs

· salt and ground white pepper to taste

· A4 size piece of aluminium foil or waxed kitchen paper

Method:

1. Mix soft butter with chopped dill, crushed garlic, salt and pepper making sure ingredients are evenly combined and there are no air holes in the mix

2. Shape butter into a largish sausage shape with hands, then lay lengthwise on the edge of the alfoil/paper

TIP: fold a 1 cm strip of the foil backwards away from the butter ‘sausage’. This will prevent the leading edge of the foil digging into the butter when the parcel is rolled up

3. Now roll the foil/paper tightly around the butter and twist the ends of the foil/paper like a tight bon-bon so butter forms a compact log

4. Chill butter bon-bon in fridge (or freezer if time is short) until very firm

5. To prepare the chicken breast it needs to be gently beaten flat

6. Place chicken breast on kitchen paper a use a flat kitchen mallet (or rolling pin or small frypan if you don’t have a mallet), to gently beat the chicken breast out thinly (about ¾ cm), taking care not to break through the chicken as holes in the chicken will let the butter ooze out as its cooking

7. Now refrigerate the beaten chicken breasts until the seasoned butter is cold

8. When butter is firm unwrap the bon-bon and cut the butter into 6 equal lengths

9. lay out the chicken and place a piece of the butter on each beaten breast then fold the sides of the chicken over the butter and roll up to make a parcel that fully encloses the butter

10. Organise three bowls in preparation for crumbing the chicken. The first should be the flour seasoned with salt and white pepper, the second containing the beaten eggs and the third with the bread crumbs

11. The chicken rolls are now passed through the three bowls ensuring a good cover of the ingredients at each step.

TIP: It is best to use the left hand to do the first two steps and the right to do the final crumb to avoid ‘crumbing’ your fingers as you go

12. Place the crumbed chicken on a plate cover and refrigerate for 30 mins

13. Now comes the cooking part which has a few options. The Côtelettes can be deep fried, shallow fried, baked in an oven or a combination of these (for instance first browned by frying then baking in the oven)

14. If using the oven method heat oven to 180° Celsius

15. Oil an ovenproof tray with sunflower oil place chicken on the tray and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through

16. Place chicken on kitchen paper briefly to absorb excess oil before serving

NOTE: Chicken Kyiv is actually fairly tricky and time consuming to make so if you live in Australia and are time poor you can buy the Kyiv already prepared at your supermarket or butcher and concentrate making the two side dishes.

TOVCHANKA - POTATO AND POPPY SEED MASH

Ingredients:

· 6 large golden potatoes

· 1 x 400gm can cooked kidney beans

· 1 bay leaf

· 4 x cloves

· pinch ground allspice

· 3 tbs dried poppy seeds

· 50 gm butter, cut in small cubes

· Pinch of sugar

· ½ onion finely chopped (or 4 shallots/green onions or 3 tbs chopped chives)

· Salt and ground black pepper

Method:

1. Soak poppy seeds in a small amount of warm water to rehydrate

2. Peel potatoes and cut into 1 ½ cm cubes

3. Place potatoes, cloves, bay leaf and ½ tsp salt in a pot of cold water and bring to the boil

4. Turn heat back, cover the pot with a lid and cook until fork tender, about 30 minutes

5. Add in the beans and cook a further few minutes to warm up

6. Drain the potatoes preserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid for later

7. Pop potato mix back into the cooking pot, place the pot on a very low heat and use a wooden spoon to beat the potatoes until they dry off a bit

8. Turn the heat off and fold in the poppy seeds (and the water they were soaked in), butter, chopped onion, sugar, salt and pepper to taste

9. Mash until ingredients are well blended and potato is smooth. If the mix seems too thick add a little of the reserved potato water as you go

RAINBOW OF ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES

served with sour cream and fresh chopped dill

Ingredients:

· 1 large beetroot, peeled and cut in 2 cm cubes

· 1 large carrot, peeled and cut in 2 cm cubes

· 1 parsnip, peeled and cut in 2 cm cubes

· 1 turnip, peeled and cut in 2 cm cubes

· 1 rutabaga/swede, peeled and cut in 2 cm cubes

· 2 potatoes, peeled and cut in 2 cm cubes

· 1 onion, peeled and cut in 2 cm cubes

· 4 sticks of celery, cut in 2 cm cubes

· 3 bay leaves

· 3 tbs chopped fresh rosemary, oregano, chives and parsley

· ¼ cup sunflower oil

· Salt and cracked black pepper

· 150ml sour cream mixed with 1tbs of chopped fresh dill (as side serve)

NOTE:

Ingredients for this recipe are flexible. Feel free to change the amounts and type of root vegetables used based on taste, availability and number of guests.

Method:

1. Put all the prepared vegetables in a pot of cold water with ½ a tsp of salt

2. Bring the pot to boil, turn back heat a bit and parboil the veg for 10 mins

3. Drain the vegetables and let steam dry a bit in the colander

4. Mix vegetables with chopped herbs, sunflower oil and salt and pepper to taste and turn into a baking tray

5. Roast in oven at 180° Celsius for 30-35 mins, turning over after 15 mins

6. Serve with the dill infused sour cream at the side

These are all Q-ZINE original recipes informed by multiple sources including:

https://kyivguide.com.ua/is-chicken-kiev-really-from-kyiv/

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17392/ukrainian-chicken-kiev/

https://klopotenko.com/en/tovchanka-authentic-ukrainian-mashed-potatoes-with-poppy-seeds/

https://www.tasteatlas.com/tovchanka