Budmo! Recipes from a Ukrainian Kitchen, written by Anna Voloshyna, features an incredible collection of Ukrainian and Eastern European recipes alongside gorgeous photography. A few highlights include Beet Pickled Deviled Eggs, Buckwheat Soup with Wild Mushrooms, Easter Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Crispy Potato Kremzlyky, and Baked Apples with Tvorog Cheese. I will also be sharing her recipe for Potatoes Fried with Pork Belly following the review.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Rizzoli in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Anna Voloshyna
Anna Voloshyna is a Ukrainian-American chef, food writer, food photographer, and stylist. She was born and raised in Ukraine and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area at the age of twenty-one.
Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wallstreet Journal, The Washington Post, All Recipes, Food and Wine, and more. She also teaches in-person and online cooking classes and workshops.
This is Anna’s first cookbook.
Budmo!
Anna begins Budmo! with a short introduction, history of Ukraine, and how the ingredients and traditions of the different regions have shaped the beautiful cuisine.
She has also put together a basic pantry guide with descriptions of notable ingredients and a helpful glossary of Ukrainian culinary terms.
Chapters are divided according to the following: Starters, Salads, and Spreads; Soups and Kashas; Main Dishes; Breads, Crepes, and Dumplings; Pickles, Sauces, and Drinks; and Desserts.
The photography is provided by Anna Voloshyna with photos of her by Maria Boguslav. Most of the recipes are paired with a vibrant, half to full-page photo of the finished dish. There are also step-by-step photos to demonstrate how to form Khachapuri and fill Fried Apple Pyrizhky.
Measurements are listed in US Customary. Titles are written in English and Ukrainian. Each recipe includes a headnote with background information, personal stories, serving ideas, yield, and tips.
Potatoes Fried with Pork Belly
There are many amazing recipes in Budmo!, but I especially loved these Potatoes Fried with Pork Belly (Смажена картопля). They are so incredibly comforting and come together with only a few ingredients (which I happened to already have in my kitchen).
Anna requests this dish whenever she visits her mother (alongside Mom’s Famous Spicy and Sour Tomatoes and Fermented “Sour” Eggplant- both in the book).
Potato slices are cooked in a nonstick, covered frying pan with pieces of pork belly and onion until they develop a crisp exterior with a soft, buttery center. They are seasoned simply with salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving immediately.
A Few Tips
Cut the potatoes in as similar a size as possible to allow for even cooking.
Gently toss towards the end of cooking to keep the potatoes from falling apart too much.
Anna states her mom’s secret to preparing these potatoes is a “perfectly seasoned cast-iron pan with a tight-fitting lid.” I used a 10 inch (25 centimeter) cast iron skillet and it worked beautifully.
Do not overcrowd in a smaller pan.
Adjust the heat as needed to cook the potatoes until tender without burning the edges.
Other Dishes
I also made the Georgian Beet and Walnut Spread, Adjarian Khachapuri, Chicken and Mushroom Crepes, and Beze with Peanuts and Honey Caramel.
When first flipping through the book, I was immediately drawn to the stunning color of the Georgian Beet and Walnut Spread. The flavors are fantastic too! Tender beets are blended with walnuts, cilantro, parsley, garlic, and spices to create a thick mixture, then formed into individual patties.
Adjarian Khachapuri is one of my absolute favorite dishes and I was so excited to see it in Budmo! A homemade flatbread dough is filled with a variety of cheese and baked until golden. It is topped with an egg yolk towards the end of cooking and served with butter.
The Chicken and Mushroom Crepes also have a beautiful presentation. Homemade crepes are filled with a seasoned chicken mushroom mixture. To serve, they are tied up in a bundle with a slice of green onion.
The Beze with Peanuts and Honey Caramel has a wonderful combination of flavors. The beze are meringues with a crisp shell and soft, chewy center. Anna paired them with chopped peanuts and a creamy honey caramel.
Budmo! is a great pick for those interested in Ukrainian and Eastern European cuisines. There is a variety of dishes perfect for quick and easy meals, brunch, celebrations, and everything in between. Some come together in as little as 30 minutes while others require more prep or planning ahead for resting/infusion times.
Most of the ingredients are readily available in larger American grocery stores. A few items that may require further searching include live crawfish, ground fenugreek, semolina, buckwheat flour, bryndza, golden raisins, quail eggs, dried cherries, and salmon roe.
Potatoes Fried with Pork Belly Recipe
Excerpt from Budmo!
Potatoes Fried with Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 8 ounces (227 grams) pork belly cut into pieces 1 inch long and 1/2 inch thick
- 2 pounds (907 grams) medium Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into slices 2 1/2 inches long and 1/4 inch thick
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large yellow onion diced
Instructions
- In a large, nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the pork belly and fry, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, season with a good pinch each of salt and pepper, and mix well with a wooden spatula.
- Cover the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add the onion, mix well, re-cover, and continue to cook, gently tossing the potatoes with the spatula from time to time, until the potatoes and onion are very soft, about 15 minutes.
- When the potatoes are ready, remove from the heat and serve immediately.
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