| Our lineup of recipes this week reads like a menu for a global comfort food restaurant. Most of us have a dish or two that we know simultaneously feeds our belly and our soul. For Olga Massov, borshch is such a dish. In her piece about the beloved Eastern European soup with deep roots in Ukraine she wrote: "In the dead of winter, when temperatures in my then-native Leningrad were consistently below freezing and icy winds and piles of snow were our constant outside companions, a bowl of piping hot borshch was always the thing to bring me back from my semi-frozen state."
Olga talked with cookbook author and activist Olia Hercules about the #CookForUkraine movement, this dish's significance and the role that food plays in linking us to one another. Jim Webster, who has family who immigrated from Ukraine, shared a pierogi recipe from his grandmother's spiral-bound book of family recipes. "... the last chapter is dedicated to Ukrainian dishes. The last time I made her pierogi, I did it because I was working through the fact that she didn't have long to live, and I felt like making her recipe would be the connection I needed in the moment. "Now I'm making them for a connection to a place I've never been and ancestors I know almost nothing about." Aaron Hutcherson described a cooking technique for making Smothered Chicken, a favorite comfort food of mine, noting that "the braising liquid is thickened to form a luscious gravy. And that gravy is the true star of the dish." Don't forget the rice. Daniela Galarza shared her cozy, hearty recipe for Herby Beans and Greens Soup, which was inspired by Ash Reshteh, a traditional Iranian dish that Naz Deravian's cookbook "Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories" describes this way: "Ash is so integral to Iranian cuisine that the word for 'cook' is ash paz — the maker of ash." That's not all. That green soup would be perfect for St. Patrick's Day, as would one of the two Irish whiskey cocktails Carrie Allan featured in her Spirits column. So, skip the green beer, sip a Cameron's Kick Cocktail and toast to finding peace and comfort where you can.
*** Join us on Wednesday, March 16, at noon (E.T.) for the Food team's weekly Q&A where Olia Hercules and fellow cookbook author Alissa Timoshkina will be available to answer questions about Eastern European food and talk about #CookForUkraine. The Food team also will be there to answer any food- or cooking-related questions. Find us at washingtonpost.com/live-chats/. You can submit your questions or advice in advance here.  (Scott Suchman for The Washington Post/food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post) This borshch freezes beautifully, so make a big batch. By Olga Massov ● Read more » | | | Food connects staff writer Jim Webster to his ancestors and their own struggles with Russia. Perspective ● By Jim Webster ● Read more » | | | This is a traditional Southern dish that's easy to adapt to your own tastes. By Aaron Hutcherson ● Read more » | | | Green as moss and full of Persian flavors, make this soup to transition out of winter and into spring. By G. Daniela Galarza ● Read more » | | | The fun part is deciding what to serve along side this dish. Consider avocado slices, pickled jalapenos, salsa, sour cream, lime and cilantro sprigs. By Ann Maloney ● Read more » | | | The chickpea flour acts like a pancake in the pan, but then you fold it over fillings and it becomes something else. By Joe Yonan ● Read more » | | | A bright green and comforting seafood chowder that's bursting with flavors of early spring will hit the spot. By Ellie Krieger ● Read more » | | | "Paddy Drinks: The World of Modern Irish Whiskey Cocktails" features cocktails from the team at the Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog in New York. By M. Carrie Allan ● Read more » | | | |
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