The Taste That Brings Us Together

A first look inside

This book helps you bring people together over familiar food: a hot bowl of soup, homemade dumplings, vegetables, baking and simple desserts. Choose one main dish and one accompaniment; that is enough for a first shared supper. Read the whole recipe before you start, weigh the ingredients and get the equipment ready. Vegetable weights are after peeling and trimming unless stated otherwise; canned pulses are weighed after draining. Use medium eggs. A teaspoon is 5 ml and a tablespoon is 15 ml. Oven temperatures are for conventional top-and-bottom heat; for a fan oven, usually reduce the setting by 20°C. Times are approximate: the size of the pieces, your cookware and your oven affect the result.

Ask guests about allergies in advance. These recipes use wheat, eggs, dairy, fish, nuts, sesame and mustard; check the labels of substitutes too. Wash vegetables and herbs, but do not wash raw chicken. Keep raw meat, fish and eggs separate from ready-to-eat food, and wash hands and equipment after handling them. Do not taste raw dough or batter. Check chicken with a thermometer: at least 74°C in the thickest part, away from the bone.

Divide leftovers into small, shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. If the room is hotter than 32°C, refrigerate within 1 hour. Do not leave a large pot on the counter until completely cold. Store at 0–4°C and use within 2–3 days; fresh spreads and creamy desserts are best used within 2 days. Reheat hot dishes to 74°C in the centre. Artificial intelligence assisted with the writing and translations. The recipes have been reviewed editorially, but have not been trial-cooked; use the described signs of doneness and a thermometer.

Family Table Borscht

Serves 6 · preparation 20 minutes · about 60 minutes in total. Use a pot with a capacity of at least 4 litres.

Ingredients: beetroot, 300 g; potatoes, 300 g; white cabbage, 250 g; cooked beans, 240 g; onion, 100 g; carrot, 100 g; tomato paste, 30 g; vegetable oil, 30 ml; water or unsalted vegetable stock, 1.8 litres; 5% apple cider vinegar, 15 ml; garlic, 6 g; dill, 10 g; salt, 8 g; black pepper, ¼ tsp; sour cream to serve, 80 g, optional.

1. Cut the potatoes into 2 cm cubes and finely shred the cabbage. Coarsely grate the beetroot and carrot, and finely chop the onion. Rinse canned beans and let them drain.

2. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Cook the onion and carrot over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the beetroot, tomato paste, vinegar and 150 ml of the measured stock. Cover and cook gently for 15–20 minutes, until the beetroot is almost tender; lower the heat a little if necessary.

3. Bring the remaining stock to the boil in the pot. Add the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for another 7–10 minutes: a fork should pass easily through the potatoes.

4. Add the beetroot mixture, beans, salt and pepper to the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the chopped garlic and dill, and leave covered for 10 minutes. Offer sour cream separately.

Substitution: use 240 g of cooked chickpeas instead of beans. If your stock is salted, start with 4 g of salt and adjust only after all the ingredients have been added.

This is a free excerpt. The complete PDF includes all the sections listed above.