UKRAINIAN FLAVOURS WITH A TWIST

Michael Berehovoy, Brand Chef at Moderza Group (a Kyiv-based business management company) manages Argentina Grill restaurants and the all-new YOY (the first Ukrainian eatery in Dubai). Michael joined the Argentina Grill team in 2019 as Executive Chef of both preopening venues including La Mer and The Pointe. He adapted the original menu from the flagship branch in Ukraine, to suit the Middle Eastern market, which involved him relocating to Dubai. Here he shares two innovative recipes

Pumpkin from the oven

Baked pumpkin with the chips of Jerusalem artichoke and beetroot, pumpkin seed oil and homemade fermented baked milk, served with a show presentation

250g half a medium-sized butternut squash 1 tbsp olive oil 5g spices 10g pumpkin seeds 30g salted cottage cheese 30g milk (3.5%) 60g full-fat yoghurt 2 tbsp pumpkin seed oil 15g beetroot, sliced 15g Jerusalem artichoke, sliced

Method

1 Make cuts on the half of the butternut squash, season with spices, pour olive oil and bake at 160 degrees for 25-30 minutes. 2 Bake the milk in the oven at 160 degrees for 3 hours, then let it cool down to room temperature. Add yoghurt and set it aside in a warm place for another 8 hours. 3 Fry the beetroot and Jerusalem artichoke until they become chips. 4 Roast the pumpkin seeds until they turn golden brown. 5 Pour the pumpkin oil on the butternut squash, add salt and mix well.

Purée the butternut squash and plate. 6 Add the other ingredients, and pour the homemade fermented baked milk on top.

Rabbit Sicheniki with roots porridge

Rabbit sicheniki with carrots and onions wrapped in roasted savoy cabbage served with roasted porridge of celery roots and parsnip. Cooked like a risotto with cream and butter, it’s served with spicy cream of young carrot

150g rabbit 2 savoy cabbage leaves 60g celery root 60g parsnip root 30g carrot 15g butter 15g parmesan cheese 3 tbsp cream

Method

1 Grate the roots of the celery and parsnip, on the medium grater and bake. 2 Roast the rabbit with the carrots, spices and cream in the oven, disassemble from the bones, and divide the meat. 3 Blanch the Savoy cabbage leaves. 4 Mix the rabbit meat in the sauce in which it was prepared. 5 Wrap balls of the minced rabbit in cabbage leaves. In a saucepan, combine the baked roots of the vegetables, add oil, and bring to a creamy consistency, then add cheese. 6 Purée the carrot. 7 Serve the dish as displayed.