Tatyana Nesteruk - Beyond Borscht

Ukraine, Russia, Poland & More

Tatyana Nesteruk

Founder of Tatyanas Everyday Food
and Author of The European Cake Cookbook

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This cookbook is dedicated to the most hardworking, loving and caring individual I know: my amazing mother, Galina. Thank you for instilling in me a love for cooking and for the amazing recipes.

To my grandmother, Yuliyathank you for your love, kindness and compassion and for all those incredible cabbage piroshki and cheese pancakes. Youll always live on in my memories.

And to my great-grandmothers, Olga and Galina.

Beyond Borscht is a collection of old-world, nostalgic Eastern European recipes from Ukraine, Russia and Poland that have persevered over many years, through many generations and in many countries around the world. Every single recipe in this book is special in its own way and comes with much history. This book is one of the first of its kind: a tribute to incredible Slavic cuisine. I am excited, humbled and honored to have the opportunity to share this amazing, rich and varied cuisine with the world.

This cookbook has a little bit of everythingdishes for every day and every occasion, from easy soups and refreshing salads to hearty braised meats and tasty hand pies. There are also plenty of pickled and stuffed veggies. And this cookbook wouldnt be complete without some of the delicious desserts enjoyed in Slavic culture! Theres a sweet treat for everyone, from easy and delicious creations such as cookies and waffles to elaborate, special-occasion cakes like . In these pages, youll find a true tasting menu representing the colorful and unique cuisine of Eastern Europe.

So, what is it that makes Eastern European cuisine so special? This cuisine is a melting pot of rich flavors influenced by its storied history. Eastern Europe is a vast area, encompassing many countries in several regions: Ukraine, Romania, Belarus, Moldova and parts of Russia and Poland; the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia; and the Caucasus nations Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. In this cookbook, youll find recipes primarily from Ukraine, Russia and Poland, where my family is originally from. Because Eastern Europe encompasses such a large area, youll find many different types of cooking methods, ingredients and techniques. Cooking techniques can vary vastly between regions and seasons. During the summer months, open-fire and coal grilling is used for recipes like . During long winter months, food is either slow-braised, baked or deep-fried. Back in Ukraine, my grandparents used a (pech), a special type of wood-burning fireplace that could also be used for cooking. That type of fireplace is still used today in some villages, although modern stoves have taken over for the most part. Youll also find that most meat recipes are slow-braised, going back to the times when expensive cuts of meat were rare and not accessible to the general population. Theres nothing like the aroma of a hearty, braised dish filling your home!

The cuisine of Eastern Europe is primarily based on ingredients that are readily available and store well. For example, root vegetables (such as beets, potatoes and carrots) are used in many savory recipes because theyre so plentiful and easy to store during long winters. Heartier fruits (such as apples) also store well for longer periods of time and are used in many desserts. Almost every home in Ukraine and Russia has a root cellar for storing vegetables and canned goods or sauerkraut. Summer vegetablessuch as cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini and cabbageare pickled or canned to help them last longer. Mushrooms are also a huge part of Eastern Europes culinary tradition. Wild mushrooms are plentiful in Eastern Europe and can be pickled or dried. My parents often talk about how delicious the wild mushrooms were back in Ukraine. Seafood also accounts for a large part of Slavic cuisine. There are many lakes and rivers in the region, making fish and other seafood available almost year-round. The herbs and spices used are strong and fragrant, giving food incredible aroma and flavor. Common ones include dill, parsley, black pepper, cumin, paprika and coriander. Dill is used in just about everything, from sandwiches and appetizers to soups and pickled vegetables. Its the quintessential Eastern European herb, and youll see it often in this cookbook. And lets not forget the cheese and dairy! Tvorog (quark), smetana (sour cream) and milk are also essential for many recipes.

In old-world Eastern Europe, cooking was primarily a womens affair with the exception of grilling outdoors, which was usually done by men. My grandmother would stay home with the kids and cook most of the day, preparing multiple dishes. A traditional Slavic dinner includes some sort of appetizer and cured meat like salo (salt-cured pork fat) or sausage, a salad, some pickled vegetables as a side and a hearty main dish, followed by tea and cake, cookies or a fruit dessert. It can take all day to prepare a meal like that! Nowadays, with new technology and a more modern way of life, cooking is taking up less time but remains just as important to the Slavic culture. If you ever get invited to a Ukrainian dinner, be prepared for a feast!

Because this cookbook has such a large variety of recipes, coming up with the title Beyond Borscht was not an easy task. How do I correctly represent whats on the inside? That was my dilemma. This collection of recipes represents my Eastern European heritage and the food I grew up with. However, as a Slavic transplant now living in the United States, I know that most people outside the Slavic cultural community may have never heard of or tasted anything but borscht. Borscht is one of the most iconic dishes of Eastern Europes cuisine and almost everyone has tried some version of it. If only they knew what else Eastern Europe had to offer. And thats how the title was bornI wanted to give a nod to all the incredible recipes beyond borscht.

Writing this cookbook has been a trip down memory lane for meevery recipe has a story, a memory, an aroma that takes me back to my childhood. My passion for food started many years ago, when I was still a child. I have always loved food. I was born in Yekaterinburg, Russia, to Polish, Ukrainian and Romanian parents and raised in the United States from a young age. All I knew about food as I was growing up was Eastern European cuisine. Even at a very young age, I was excited to be in the kitchen, especially when my mom would let me help her shape pelmeni and piroshki. From the very start of my career in the food industry, I had a passion for sharing the delicious Eastern European dishes I grew up with. As social media took off, I was encouraged by my family and friends to start sharing recipes on those platforms and on a personal website. I did just that, starting with classic recipes like beef borscht and cabbage piroshki on my YouTube channel, Tatyanas Everyday Food. Fast-forward several years: I had the opportunity to start my own food blog and become a cookbook author, and now I have the chance to share all the incredible old-world recipes that I learned from my mother and grandmother.