Borscht (Photo provided —Yvona Fast)

It’s February. The weather has been unseasonably warm. Yesterday marked the day we honor our past presidents, especially George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Saturday, Feb. 24, marks the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Many Ukrainians have sought shelter in other countries, but millions remain. Besieged communities struggle to meet basic needs of food and shelter in the midst of war. Lack of heat, electric power and water are major problems in affected areas.

Families need access to nourishing meals. One organization helping to bring hope and help meet the need is the World Central Kitchen. They have brought countless nourishing meals and pounds of food to distribution sites in more than 9,000 communities. Restaurants and communities here in the U.S. and Europe have chipped in, providing chefs and funds.

Every nation has a cultural food heritage, and Ukraine is no exception. Preparing traditional foods unites us with people in other cultures and regions.

Ukrainian traditional dishes are similar to other Eastern European cuisines, Poles, Lithuanians, Turks, and Tatars have all influenced Ukrainian cuisine. They include vareniky or pirrohy, holubtsi (cabbage rolls, usually stuffed with ground meat and rice), Nalesniki (Nalysnyky) which are similar to blintzes, Chicken Kyiv, Deruni (Potato Pancakes), Salo, Holubtsi, Olivier Potato Salad, Solyanka, Bohrach, many kinds of borscht, Paska (Easter Bread) and walnut-stuffed prunes.

While the Ukrainian people live under siege, we can show empathy by coming together to cook Ukrainian cuisine.

Every family is different, so every dish has numerous variations.

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Borscht

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Borscht — or beet soup — is common throughout eastern Europe. Hot soup is healing and warms your soul. It only takes a few ingredients — some beets, an onion, a few cloves of garlic, a couple stalks of celery, a couple carrots, a couple potatoes, a can of beans and a can of tomatoes make enough soup to feed a family of four, with leftovers.

Beets are loaded with iron and may help fight chronic inflammation and lower blood pressure. Cabbage has many vitamins and fiber. Both beans and meat are good sources of protein.

There are many ways to make it — vegetarian; with beef, pork, or chicken — soup is so variable. Here is my version.

Special equipment: Large, heavy-bottomed stockpot.

Ingredients:

1 strip bacon or 1 Tablespoon olive oil or butter (for sauteing onions and celery

1or 2 stalks celery (about 1 cup diced)

1 large onion (about 1 cup diced)

1 large carrot (about 1 cup diced)

2 cups chopped cabbage

2 cloves of garlic (minced, grated or pressed)

8 cups broth (beef, chicken or vegetable)

1 bay leaf

Few grains allspice and few peppercorns

1 or 2 potatoes, diced

2 or 3 medium to large peeled beets

1 or 2 cups fresh or frozen green beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups cooked or canned beans (navy or cannellini are good)

1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley or dill (or some of each)

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: shredded pork, chopped-up kielbasa or pork sausage

Directions:

Cook bacon to release fat. Slice celery and chop onion, and add. Cook 5 minutes while chopping the carrots and cabbage; add these and cook 5 more minutes.

Add garlic, broth, bay leaf, allspice, peppercorns, potatoes and beets. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add green beans and tomatoes with liquid and cook about 5 minutes until beans are soft.

Drain and add beans (if using canned), parsley, dill and optional ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt and rye bread or baguette.

Option: For a meatier soup, begin with a pound of beef or pork stew meat; cook at the beginning with bay leaves, salt and 10 cups of water. Simmer about an hour. Saute the onions and celery in a skillet and then add to the soup with the rest of the ingredients.

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Aracia Mahshia-Bil-Goz (Ukrainian Walnut-Stuffed Prunes)

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Both plums and walnuts are common in Ukraine. This delicious dessert is easy to make. The fiber in prunes and the protein in nuts also make it relatively healthy.

Ingredients:

1/2 – 1 cup steeping liquid — this can be red wine (traditional), apple cider, brewed English breakfast tea, Japanese mirin or simply water.

12 dried, pitted prunes

12 walnut halves or quarters (depending on the size of your prunes)

Syrup, optional

Creme fraiche, Greek yogurt, whipped cream, or condensed milk for serving

Directions:

Place prunes In a saucepan with tight lid. Cover with steeping liquid and bring to a boil. Simmer 1 minute. Turn off heat and leave overnight or for several hours. Prunes should plump.

Toast the walnuts (either in a hot, dry skillet on the stove or in the oven. This is optional.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the prunes to a plate with paper towels (to absorb any excess liquid).

Insert a walnut into the plum; there should be a slit where the pit was removed.

Boil down the remaining steeping liquid to make a syrup. Add sugar if needed (or if you used tea)

To serve: Place on a board or plate, drizzle with syrup and top with whipped cream or creme fraiche. Or place Greek yogurt in bowls and a couple prunes on top; drizzle with syrup.

Option: In place of the syrup, mix together 2 Tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Place on a plate and roll each prune in the sugar-cinnamon to coat, then serve.

Option: In place of the syrup, use 1/4 cup heavy cream mixed with a teaspoon of maple syrup, or 1/4 cup condensed milk, to pour over the prunes.

Option: Sprinkle with one-fourth cup grated semisweet chocolate.

Serves 6.

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Author of the award-winning cookbook “Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from Your Garden, CSA or Farmers’ Market,” Yvona Fast lives in Lake Clear.