There are barely any street lights in 1967, just flickering candles in every window (the result of regular Soviet-era power cuts). Mum, then only nine, is clutching a white cotton shawl filled with edible gifts: a round Christmas bread called kalach, walnuts, apples and baked pyrizhky – brioche-like stuffed buns with sour cabbage or chicken hearts, and some with sweet curd cheese and raisins. Children are sent to sing carols and present goodies to their godparents in exchange for similar gifts, or preferably a couple of roubles. Mum’s older brother is waiting for her around the corner – the whole thing considered too uncool at 13 years old.

Even though religious celebrations were frowned upon in the USSR and most churches were used as warehouses, Ukraine clung on tight to its Christmas and Easter traditions. For my mother, Olga, Christmas memories have a feeling of mystery, evoking a deep blue almost Gogolian night, the snow crisp beneath her feet.

For me, Christmas became really magical when I moved to England 14 years ago. I’ve swapped – with great abandon – the traditional 12-dish vegetarian Ukrainian fare for rich beef roasts and crisp parsnips. Now I love to experiment with flavours and incorporate new traditions into my celebrations. Raw turnip som tam (my son’s grandmother is Thai) has made it in a few times, as well as Azerbaijani plov. Georgia, with its fresh herby cooking, inspired my Christmas menu this year and, for me, a whole roasted fish is both celebratory and the best way to showcase these amazing flavours.

Christmas ultimately reminds me of home and family. Now I have my own child, I want to create something for the two of us, and my closest friends, that is rooted in my heritage and the traditions my family fought so hard to cling to, while embracing the new life I have made for myself here in the UK.

Whole roast hake with kindzmari sauce

Hake is sustainable, it tastes sweet and looks great roasted whole. The Georgian-inspired kindzmari sauce (kindzi meaning coriander and dzmari is vinegar) is one of my favourites. You can roast the fish in it and you will get almost an escabeche effect. However, I prefer to serve it on the side as a sauce to pour all over the fish.

Serves 6-8
coriander 100g, leaves, stalks and roots
parsley 50g, leaves and stalks
green chilli 1 (optional)
garlic 2-3 cloves, roughly chopped
sugar or honey 1 tbsp
good quality white wine vinegar 4 tbsp
pomegranate molasses a dash (or some tklapi fruit leather soaked in warm water, if you can find it)
coriander seeds 1 tsp, toasted and ground
allspice a pinch
cinnamon a pinch
cayenne pepper a small pinch
whole hake about 2.5kg (cut off the head if you don’t have a big enough tray)
olive oil 2 tbsp

Chop the coriander (roots and all) and the parsley roughly and place with the chilli (if using), garlic, sugar or honey, vinegar, salt, pomegranate molasses and the spices into a food processor. Add a little bit of water to help it blitz into a pourable consistency. Taste it, adjusting if necessary; it should be fragrant with spices, but also fresh, sweet, sour and a little salty. Reserve about 50g sauce in the processor – you will use it as a base for the pkhali-lobio dressing (see below).

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. When all of the side dishes (see below) are ready, score the fish on both sides and rub with a little olive oil and some sea salt and a little black pepper. Oil a flat baking tray, pop the fish on (you may need to bend it to fit it on the tray) and put into the oven for 40 minutes, or until the flesh can be easily lifted away from the bones.

Pkhali-lobio

I adore brussels sprouts and always look out for alternative ways to cook them. This dish is not necessarily authentic; the original is more of a slow-cooked, stewy affair. I am really keen on a “burnt” cabbage flavour and sprouts that are still firm, with a bit of a bite, so grilling is my favourite way of cooking them.

When in Georgia, I found it quite unusual to mix sprouts and beans together but it works! Walnuts turn the kindzmari sauce (see above) into a rounded, smooth dressing with loads of texture.

Make this recipe your own and experiment with the nuts, spices and beans that you use. After all, it’s your Christmas.

Serves 6
walnuts 100g, toasted
lemon ½, zest only
kindzmari sauce 50g (see above)
rapeseed oil 25ml
brussels sprouts 500g, halved lengthways
groundnut oil 2 tbsp
your favourite beans 200g, soaked overnight and boiled without salt until tender
pomegranate ½, seeds only

First make your walnut dressing. Reserve a handful of walnuts and add the rest along with the lemon zest to the kindzmari sauce you’ve left in your food processor. Trickle in the rapeseed oil as you blend. You should get a lovely pesto-like consistency. Place the dressing into a large bowl ready for the sprouts post-grilling.

Blanch the sprouts in boiling water for 2 minutes and refresh under cold water. Drain them thoroughly and toss in enough groundnut oil to lightly coat. Heat a griddle pan until very hot and grill the sprouts, cut side down, until char marks appear. Place them straight into the bowl containing the dressing – they’ll absorb all the flavours better when they are still warm.

Finally, add the cooled beans to the dressed sprouts and give it all a good stir. Serve at room temperature (if you put it in the fridge the oil tends to set unpleasantly) with the pomegranate seeds and reserved walnuts sprinkled on top.

Beetroot and carrot pickle

A considerable population of Koreans live in the south of Ukraine and their pickled carrots are established as one of the main celebratory sides all over the ex-Soviet Union.

This is my version, to which I’ve also added some raw beetroot. If you can find golden or candy beetroot use those as they won’t stain the whole dish, but if not, regular beetroot will do.

Makes approx a 500ml jar
sugar 1 tbsp
good sherry vinegar 3 tbsp
sea salt ½ tbsp
cayenne pepper ¼ tsp
caraway seeds 1 tbsp, toasted and ground
coriander seeds 1 tbsp, toasted and ground
garlic 2 large cloves, crushed
carrots, 400g julienned (it’s worth finding a julienne peeler for this)
beetroot 100g, julienned
coriander ½ bunch, chopped (optional)
dill ½ bunch, chopped (optional)

Put the sugar, vinegar, salt, spices and garlic in a bowl and mix together well. Taste this. It should be the perfect balance of salty, sweet and acidic. Adjust it to your taste, but remember it has to pack a punch – there are a lot of carrots and beets to pickle.

Add the pickling liquid to the carrots and beetroot and massage everything with your hands. Serve with chopped coriander or dill (or both!) stirred through it. The pickle will keep in a sterilised jar in the fridge for over a month.

Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine & Beyond by Olia Hercules, is published by Mitchell Beazley, RRP £25. Click here to order a copy of Mamushka for £20 at the Guardian Bookshop

Wine match

Marks & Spencer Tbilvino Qvevris, Kakheti, Georgia 2012 (£9)
M&S’s version of Georgia’s distinctive amphora-fermented white (actually orange-coloured) wines is very nicely done. There’s just a touch of red wine-like grip and a festive spiciness to go with its juicy orchard fruit and crackle of acidity.