Ukraine Independence Day

Walk from Mary le Wigford Church through the High Street up Steep Hill to Lincoln Cathedral to mark Ukraine Independence Day and six months since war criminal Mafiosi thug Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine.

After walking up Steep Hill, a pause in Castle Square to gather everyone together, then through Exchequer Gate to Lincoln Cathedral.

Form a circle. A line of tiny shoes with a white balloon attached. A mother and a child walked through, one at a time, released the balloons, then picked up the shoes, and carried on walking. The act was a symbol of innocent lives lost, Vladimir Putin’s war crimes.

Exactly six months since Putin attacked Ukraine.

On the Independence Day of #Ukraine, we admire the courage& defiance of 🇺🇦people – defenders of their home & fighters for freedom, independence & democracy. You are an inspiration for generations to come.
We stand with you & wish you peace & prosperity. Happy Independence Day 🇺🇦! pic.twitter.com/eEpk4zdf0p

— Maia Sandu (@sandumaiamd) August 24, 2022

Almost midnight in #Ukraine. Have done 27 interviews today. Happy about two things: we survived this day and we have the support of our allies: #USA, #UK, #Poland, #EU. So many people said today: we stand with Ukraine. The war is not over. Please, keep standing with us. 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/6ArR9BQQQF

— Kira Rudik (@kiraincongress) August 24, 2022

The aftermath of yesterday's Russian strike at Chaplyne train station.

25 people died, over 50 wounded.

So many victims, so much grief. So many lives destroyed.

🎥: @suspilne_news pic.twitter.com/p59vG210QN

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 25, 2022

Summing up 24/08:
189 air sirens
200 attempts of air raids by #Russia
25 civilians killed in Chaplyne, incl 11 yo boy

New records of #Russia aggression in #Ukraine

— Lesia Vasylenko (@lesiavasylenko) August 25, 2022

In Kiev, Independence Day marked with captured Russian tanks. Not quite the military parade Putin planned.

War criminal Vladimir Putin marked the day by launching a rocket attack on a railway station, deliberately targeting civilians.

Today, to celebrate Ukraine’s Independence Day, dozens of IP cameras with speaker outputs have been hacked to play patriotic music in Russia as well as occupied Crimea and Donbas. pic.twitter.com/bWjLlpwi7o

— Artoir (@ItsArtoir) August 24, 2022

Across Russia and in occupied Ukraine, Crimea and Donbas, loudspeakers were hacked.

And back in the UK, Army musicians marked Ukraine Independence Day.

Today Ukraine marks 31 years since it gained independence.

To honour the anniversary and as a tribute to the Ukrainian people, the @ScotsGuardsBand performed the winning @Eurovision entry, 'Stefania', on Horse Guards Parade. 🇺🇦🇬🇧@ArmyInLondon #StandWithUkraine #StandForFreedom pic.twitter.com/mUC5k07tC4

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 24, 2022

… to be continued ….

Crushed potatoes with peas

A modification of crushed potatoes with broad beans, an excellent dish from Summer Kitchens, a Ukrainian dish by Olia Hercules, using peas instead of broad beans.

My reason for using peas instead of broad beans, no broad beans.

ingredients

• Boston new potatoes
• broad beans
• small onion
• spring onions
• crème fraiche
• knob of butter
• fresh dill
• season with salt and pepper

method

New potatoes, scrape, add to pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil. Simmer for around twenty minutes.

Peas, pod, cook in boiling water for around five minutes.

Thin strips of streaky bacon in a hot pan medium heat until turning brown.

Add sliced onion, cook a couple of minutes until soft. May need a little oil.

Decant water from new potatoes and peas. Crush but not mash.

Add crushed potatoes and peas to bacon and sliced onion.

Add and stir in crème fraiche.

Add a knob of butter.

Add fresh dill (which I forgot).

Add spring onions (which I lacked).

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve.

thoughts

Not as tasty a dish as before. I think not the substitution of peas for broad beans, I think the crème fraiche.

Crème fraiche 50% less fat is not crème fraiche. This is like reduced fat or even worse zero fat Greek yoghurt. It is not Greek yoghurt.

I tried to make up with a knob or two of butter.

.

Crushed potatoes with broad beans and peas

My fourth attempt with a couple of variations of this excellent dish from Summer Kitchens, a Ukrainian dish by Olia Hercules.

crushed potatoes with broad beans Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules pic.twitter.com/9ghv3QjnqR

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 7, 2022

I have added peas and a dash of French mustard.

Broad beans need to be young and fresh. Too often neither. Sadly they are now being picked too old.

ingredients

podded broad beans and peas crushed broad beans and potatoes pic.twitter.com/9pWIIXkfUN

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 7, 2022

shelled peas and broad beans crushed beans and potatoes pic.twitter.com/U0mKmxYwEK

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 7, 2022

onion and rashers of streaky bacon crushed potatoes with broad beans and peas pic.twitter.com/TwGKc7Rkzu

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 7, 2022

slice onion cut streaky bacon into strips crushed potatoes with broad beans and peas pic.twitter.com/3lOeKjvXCa

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 7, 2022

• Boston new potatoes
• broad beans
• peas
• small onion
• spring onions
• crème fraiche
• knob of butter
• French mustard
• fresh dill
• season with salt and pepper

method

bacon and onion in hot pan crushed potatoes with broad beans and peas pic.twitter.com/oc2gHzVnFa

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 7, 2022

add crushed potatoes to hot pan add creme fraiche stir to stop sticking to pan season with salt and pepper crushed potatoes with broad beans and peas pic.twitter.com/Kdzn1bsdzQ

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 7, 2022

New potatoes, scrape, add to pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil. Simmer for around twenty minutes.

Broad beans, pod, cook in boiling water for a little over five minutes. Add peas.

Thin strips of streaky bacon in a hot pan medium heat until turning brown.

Add sliced onion, cook a couple of minutes until soft. May need a little oil.

Decant water from new potatoes and broad beans and peas. Crush but not mash.

Add crushed potatoes and broad beans and peas to bacon and sliced onion.

Add and stir in crème fraiche.

Add a knob of butter.

Add French mustard.

Add fresh dill.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve.

Hot tip: When broad beans are not in season, use frozen broad beans. When new potatoes out of season, a couple of baked potatoes in the oven, scoop the cooked potatoes out of their skin. Personally I prefer to use what is in season.

thoughts

crushed potatoes with broad beans and peas Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules pic.twitter.com/EqNSThtpDu

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 7, 2022

crushed potatoes with broad beans and peas Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules pic.twitter.com/EqNSThtpDu

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 7, 2022

A very tasty dish.

Decant water then crush not mash, to keep texture of the potatoes.

Tip into pan with bacon strips and onion. Stir, else will burn to bottom of the pan, season with salt and pepper.

Although I had fresh dill, I did not add, as it does nothing for the dish.

Fresh peas added. Did not add spring onions.

I forgot to add a knob of butter but more than made up for with two large dollops of crème fraiche.

I am no great fan of English mustard. I Polish French mustard. I thought I woudd see what it did to the dish.

Crushed potatoes with broad beans

My third attempt at this excellent dish from Summer Kitchens, a Ukrainian dish by Olia Hercules.

crushed potatoes with broad beans Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules #cookbook #CookforUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/JOAPovkDtY

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 30, 2022

Broad beans need to be young and fresh. Too often neither. Sadly they are now being picked too old.

ingredients

broad beans crushed potatoes with broad beans Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules #CookforUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/N5bMvqVcot

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) June 25, 2022

two rashers of streaky bacon cut into thin strips crushed potatoes with broad beans Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules #CookforUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/bVjLFJ2PJC

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) June 25, 2022

• Boston new potatoes
• broad beans
• small onion
• spring onions
• crème fraiche
• knob of butter
• fresh dill
• season with salt and pepper

method

bacon until brown add onions until soft and brown hot pan two rashers of streaky bacon cut into thin strips crushed potatoes with broad beans Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules #CookforUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/6MjFVPsomI

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) June 25, 2022

new potatoes 20 minutes broad beans 10 minutes boiling salted water drain water add to pan add creme fraiche mix crushed potatoes with broad beans Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules #CookforUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/msXIprFuHI

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) June 25, 2022

New potatoes, scrape, add to pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil. Simmer for around twenty minutes.

Broad beans, pod, cook in boiling water for a little over five minutes.

Thin strips of streaky bacon in a hot pan medium heat until turning brown.

Add sliced onion, cook a couple of minutes until soft. May need a little oil.

Decant water from new potatoes and broad beans. Crush but not mash.

Add crushed potatoes and broad beans to bacon and sliced onion.

Add and stir in crème fraiche.

Add a knob of butter.

Add fresh dill.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve.

Hot tip: When broad beans are not in season, use frozen broad beans. When new potatoes out of season, a couple of baked potatoes in the oven, scoop the cooked potatoes out of their skin. Personally I prefer to use what is in season.

thoughts

crushed potatoes with broad beans Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules #CookforUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/ua0arZUQnm

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) June 25, 2022

A very tasty dish.

Decant water then crush not mash, to keep texture of the potatoes.

Tip into pan with bacon strips and onion. Stir, else will burn to bottom of the pan, season with salt and pepper.

Although I had fresh dill, I did not add, as it does nothing for the dish.

Fresh peas added. Did not add spring onions.

I forgot to add a knob of butter but more than made up for with two large dollops of crème fraiche.

Crushed potatoes with broad beans

Fresh broad beans of the season, Boston new potatoes, once again I try this excellent Ukrainian dish from Summer Kitchens by Olia Hercules.

Broad beans need to be young and fresh. Too often neither.

ingredients

• two rashers of streaky bacon cut into thin strips
• Boston new potatoes
• broad beans
• small onion
• spring onions
• crème fraiche
• knob of butter
• fresh dill
• season with salt and pepper

method

New potatoes, scrape, add to pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil. Simmer for around twenty minutes.

Broad beans, pod, cook in boiling water for a little over five minutes.

Thin strips of streaky bacon in a hot pan medium heat until turning brown.

Add a little oil. Add onions, cook a couple of minutes until soft and starting to colour.

Decant water from new potatoes and broad beans. Crush but not mash.

Add crushed potatoes and broad beans to bacon and sliced onions.

Add and stir in crème fraiche.

Add a knob of butter.

Add fresh dill. Add sliced spring onion. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve.

Hot tip: When broad beans are not in season, use frozen broad beans. When new potatoes out of season, a couple of baked potatoes in the oven, scoop the cooked potatoes out of their skin. Personally I prefer to use what is in season.

thoughts

A very tasty dish.

Previously I tipped potatoes and broad beans into the frying pan with bacon and onions to crush. Not a good idea as need to keep moving and started to burn. Crush in the saucepan once water drained, then add to the bacon and onions. Crush not mash, to keep texture of the potatoes. But watch for burning on the bottom of the frying pan.

I used half of a large red onion. The other half saved for the next day, to mix with tinned tuna in sunflower oil for a salad.

My previous attempt, I lacked fresh dill. If fresh dill made a difference, I could not tell. Maybe I did not use sufficient. I added two sprigs of dill leaves.

Sliced spring onion added after potatoes and broad beans crushed.

Slow-roast belly pork with kraut and dried fruit

Dinner for Ukraine, dinner with Jamie Oliver on Maundy Thursday some weeks ago, a fund raiser for Cook for Ukraine, the main dish was slow-roast belly pork. It was amazing, as were all the other dishes.

When I last tried this dish, slow-roast belly pork with kraut and dried fruit, I made a few minor changes from the dish by Olia Hercules in Summer Kitchens. Today, I will try and closely follow her recipe.

I omitted Dijon mustard from the spice mix for the belly-pork. My reasoning, I do not like mustard, and when I last tried French mustard on a dish, it was overpowering and ruined the dish.

Polish French mustard.

I lacked fennel seeds and made do with a handful of fennel leaves.

A piece of belly pork from Redhill farm shop.

The night before, prepare a spice mix with which to coat the pork, mix in a bowl, then apply.

• rapeseed oil (or olive oil)
• Dijon mustard
• salt
• two crushed garlic cloves
• red wine vinegar (or cider vinegar)
• Cyprus honey

I forgot the salt, liberally applied after I had applied the spice mix to the belly pork.

Out of curiosity I stuck my finger in the bowl and licked my finger. Amazing taste. It would make an excellent salad dressing.

Leave for an hour or so, then in the fridge overnight, take out an hour or so in the morning before putting in the oven.

Fan oven 180C for 15-20 minutes, then turn down the oven to 140C for an hour.

• sauerkraut with carrot
• medium onion
• dried apricots
• dates (or prunes)
• two small apples (or larger apple
• toasted then crushed coriander, caraway and fennel seeds

Toast coriander, caraway and fennel seeds, then crush. Save for later.

In a frying pan, hot oil, roughly chopped onion until soft and turning brown.

Add to the pan, sauerkraut, dried fruit roughly chopped, toasted crushed seeds, then after five minutes add and mix in thinly sliced apple.

Remove roast belly pork from baking tin. Tip in contents of frying pan. Nestle belly pork on top. Fan oven 140C for two hours.

I quickly knocked out a stock, with added water from the pan with new potatoes and fresh peas, added to vacated baking tray and made delicious gravy.

Served with Boston new potatoes and fresh peas, accompanied by a medium sweet red wine from Moldova.

OMG this was good. My first attempt, was excellent, but good as it was, I did not feel as good as what was served by Jamie Oliver, which left me a little disappointed. This exceeded what we were served at Dinner for Ukraine.

I do not know why, this attempt, the pork melted away from the bone, cf kleftiko slow-cooked lamb many hours in a wood-fired clay oven.

Obtain the belly pork from a top class family butcher. Ask them to cross hatch score the belly pork.

Usually belly pork is sold as slices. I am curious, the same cooking time if I cook four slices?

What I do not know, the recipe I used from the excellent Summer Kitchen, the same recipe at Dinner for Ukraine?

Very rich as though cooked in wine. I think a combination of factors, fruit, honey, red wine vinegar.

Crushed potatoes with broad beans

I have been waiting for the first broad beans of the season to try this dish. From Summer Kitchens, a Ukrainian dish by Olia Hercules.

Broad beans need to be young and fresh. Too often neither.

crushed potatoes with broad beans Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules #cookbook #CookforUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/JOAPovkDtY

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 30, 2022

ingredients

crushed potatoes with broad beans potatoes broad beans onion spring onions #CookforUkraine #Ukraine️ pic.twitter.com/Gtn8jFWVvI

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 29, 2022

broad beans podded onion and spring onions sliced crushed potatoes with broad beans #CookforUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/NBWgRUfmjm

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 29, 2022

streaky bacon crushed potatoes with broad beans #CookforUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/6Hj4zPKGjB

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 29, 2022

streaky bacon sliced into thin strips #CookforUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/KZEZA7AbuX

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 29, 2022

• Boston new potatoes
• broad beans
• small onion
• spring onions
• crème fraiche
• knob of butter
• fresh dill
• season with salt and pepper

method

streaky bacon plus sliced onions in hot pan crushed potatoes with broad beans #CookforUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/pBThNteYOM

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 29, 2022

strips of streaky bacon and sliced onions crushed potatoes and broad beans #CookForUkraine pic.twitter.com/2tHafahmsW

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 29, 2022

Crushed potatoes with broad beans crush the potatoes and broad beans add crème fraiche and fresh dill season with salt and pepper #CookforUkraine #Ukraine️ pic.twitter.com/9bGkdEwx94

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 29, 2022

crushed potatoes with broad beans #CookforUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/k9huFBs06Z

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 29, 2022

New potatoes, scrape, add to pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil. Simmer for around twenty minutes.

Broad beans, pod, cook in boiling water for a little over five minutes.

Thin strips of streaky bacon in a hot pan medium heat until turning brown. Add a little oil.

Add onions, cook a couple of minutes until soft.

Decant water from new potatoes and broad beans. Crush but not mash.

Add crushed potatoes and broad beans to bacon and sliced onions.

Add and stir in crème fraiche.

Add a knob of butter.

Add fresh dill. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve.

Hot tip: When broad beans are not in season, use frozen broad beans. When new potatoes out of season, a couple of baked potatoes in the oven, scoop the cooked potatoes out of their skin. Personally I prefer to use what is in season.

thoughts

crushed potatoes with broad beans #CookforUkraine pic.twitter.com/GeAiO7CZLa

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 29, 2022

A very tasty dish.

I tipped potatoes and broad beans into the frying pan with bacon and onions to crush. Maybe not a good idea as need to keep moving and started to burn. Maybe a better idea crush in the saucepan once water drained, then add to the bacon and onions. Crush not mash, to keep texture of the potatoes.

I lacked fresh dill. I was going to add dried dill but forgot.

i also forgot to season. Salt and pepper once on the plate.

McDonald’s pulls out of Russia after 30 years

When McDonald’s opened in Red Square it was a symbol of the collapse of the Soviet Union, uncontrolled captilism red in tooth and claw. For Vladimir Putin it was the worst catastrophe to befall Russia, not only the collapse of the Soviet Union, the collapse of the Russian Empire.

We have now gone full circle, McDonald’s stopped trading in March, are now pulling out of Russia permanently.

Although as a Russian friend said to me, when they stopped trading, we will now have a healthier diet.

But, the following are still trading in Russia, complicit in Putin’s war crimes:

• M&S
• Burger King
• Subway
• Nestle
• Total
• Leroy Merlin

Please boycott any company trading in Russia.

If you miss Russian vodka, two recommendations for excellent vodka:

• Amos Owen craft vodka
• Dima’s three-grain Ukrainian vodka

When McDonald’s pulls out of Russia, you know Vladimir Putin has lost the war in Ukraine.

• McDonald’s to leave Russia for good after 30 years

Cook for Ukraine vegetarian

A selection of vegetarian recipes from Summer Kitchens by Olia Hercules.

Cook for Ukraine was founded by Alissa Timoshkina and Olia Hercules, with the help of Clerkenwell Boy.

Their aim was to celebrate Ukrainian and Eastern European food while raising awareness of the humanitarian crisis facing Ukraine as well as emergency funds.

crushed potatoes with beans Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules #cookbook #Ukraine #vegetarian pic.twitter.com/wKef6pSOFy

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 15, 2022

potato cakes stuffed with bean and feta paste Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules #cookbook #Ukraine #vegetarian pic.twitter.com/ykBCv37Cxv

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 15, 2022

vegetables casserole Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules #cookbook #Ukraine #vegetarian pic.twitter.com/FATqef2d4J

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 15, 2022

courgette fritters Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules #cookbook #Ukraine #vegetarian #courgettes #fritters pic.twitter.com/8vXQpZdymv

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 15, 2022

butter bean red onion celery salad Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules #cookbook #Ukraine #vegetarian pic.twitter.com/TcX9nMGv3I

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 15, 2022

Mizeria cucumber Greek yogurt nutmeg Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules #cookbook #Ukraine #vegetarian pic.twitter.com/kqOlFaMp9l

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 15, 2022

cauliflower fritters Summer Kitchens @Olia_Hercules #cookbook #Ukraine #vegetarian #CookforUkraine pic.twitter.com/8aODrGdkVR

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) May 15, 2022

Slow-roast belly pork with kraut and dried fruit

Dinner for Ukraine, dinner with Jamie Oliver on Maundy Thursday a couple of weeks ago, a fund raiser for Cook for Ukraine, the main dish was slow-roast belly pork. It was amazing, as were all the other dishes.

Dare I try to cook this dish? I will give it a try.

A piece of belly pork from Redhill farm shop.

The night before, prepare a spice mix with which to coat the pork, mix in a bowl, then apply.

• rapeseed oil (or olive oil)
• salt
• two garlic cloves
• red wine vinegar (cider vinegar)
• Cyprus honey

Leave for about an hour at room temperature, then pop in the fridge overnight.

The belly-pork raised atop carrots and a celery stick.

Take out of fridge, leave for an hour to reach room temperature. Fan oven 180C for 15-20 minutes. An hour 140C.

• saurkraut
• small onion
• dried apricots
• dates (or prunes)
• two small apples
• roasted ground caroway seeds
• roasted ground coriander seeds
• rossted ground fennel seeds (or fennel leaves)

In a frying pan,hot oil, sliced onion until brown, add saurkraut, dates and apricots, roasted ground caroway seeds and coriander seeds, then add sliced apples and fennel leaves.

Remove roast belly pork from baking tin. Tip in contents of frying pan. Nestle belly pork on top of the kraut and dried fruit. Fan oven 140C for two hours.

Delcious.

Accompanied by red wine from Moldova.

Slow roast pork with kraut and dried fruit from Summer Kitchens. Was this what we were served at Dinner for Ukraine I do not know.

i made a few minor changes from Summer Kitchens.

Lacking a rack I used a carrot slit lengthwise and a couple of sticks of celery. These were pushed to the side when tray filled with kraut and dried fruit.

Seeds toasted for a couple of minutes in a dry pan, tipped onto a plate, crushed with the back of a spoon, to be added back later.

No fennel seeds, used fennel leaves.

Dates used instead of prunes.

For spice rub did not use French mustard. Used red wine vinegar not cider vinegar.

Saurkraut with carrot.

i added boiling water to the baking tray, back in the hot oven, turned off, cooling down. This was to help clean the pan. Then a thought. Stock. Emptied into a peanut butter jar. Maybe use with beetroot soup.

Plenty of roast belly pork left over. Put on windowsill to cool, then into fridge, to be eaten cold another day. Olia Hercules suggests in a brioche bun with watercress.

Summer Kitchens a recipe for pampushky stuffed with slow-roast belly pork.