Latest news with #AlissaTimoshkina
National Geographic
09-04-2025
- National Geographic
This chef is proving Eastern European food is more than cabbage
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). How would you define the cuisine of Eastern Europe? The tradition of sharing food around the table with multiple generations and passing on stories through recipes is at the heart of Eastern European cuisine. There's also a sense of diversity across cultural and ethnic groups. In terms of specific dishes, techniques and ingredients, fermentation spans the region. Pies are a simple way of making the most of a few ingredients. And there will always be some form of dumpling. Sour cream is used for stirring into sauces or soups and for dipping dumplings, fritters or pancakes. In summer, there's an abundance of herbs — dill, parsley, coriander — and lots of simple but fragrant spices like caraway, fennel seeds and black pepper. How did your upbringing shape your relationship with food? I grew up in Omsk, Siberia, in the 1980s and 1990s, and I remember endless food queues. It's nothing compared with what previous generations went through, but it was still a difficult time economically for a huge chunk of Eastern Europe and Russia. Life revolved around finding food, cooking food and making the most of what you had. Back then, several generations would live in one flat. That created magical moments of having lots of people around, especially in the kitchen. I had three generations living under one roof and cooking for me. That gave me first-hand experience of almost 100 years of Eastern European history, all of which was represented in different dishes. The Dormition Cathedral is a popular monument in Alissa's hometown of Omsk in Russia. Photograph by Zoonar GmbH, Alamy Beetroot and plum twarog cheese is a bright celebration of Slavic dining heritage. Photograph by Lizzie Mayson What were your biggest influences when writing your second cookbook? The starting point was the war in Ukraine, which pushed me to revisit my family identity. Until recently, I called myself Russian because that's where I grew up. But my family is Ashkenazi Jewish, Ukrainian and Belarusian, then further down the line, there's some Polish heritage. It's very much about seeing that complexity — Eastern Europe is a fascinating place from a historical perspective. Different regimes come and go, borders collapse and new countries and sovereign states are formed. Food is the most powerful and relatable language to explore this history through. How has the region's history shaped individual countries' culinary traditions? Kapusta: Vegetable-Forward Recipes from Eastern Europe, by Alissa Timoshkina (£28, Quadrille) Photograph by Alissa Timoshkina It's like a mosaic that keeps shifting depending on which historical period or angle you look at it from. The Soviet government had a clear idea of how to use food to implement the notion of Soviet identity. Its dream house was without a kitchen; you'd have a private home, but then communal dining spaces. In the 1930s, the minister of foreign trade went to the US to learn about mass food production. A lot of mayo salads date back to the 1930s, and meat patties inspired by American fast food, though Soviet canteens would use more bread because there wasn't a lot of meat available. Going further back, the Ottoman Empire also breaks the borders. Suddenly, we have a lot of Mediterranean dishes, similar to Moldova and parts of Romania. In more southern parts of Eastern Europe like Bulgaria and Ukraine, you find filo pies filled with salty, crumbly brynza cheese, similar to Turkish and Greek feta pies. Then there's the central European influence in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and parts of Hungary, where you'll find strudels and dishes we associate with German or Austrian cuisine. It's beautiful how these little details open the door to a fascinating history behind the dishes. What inspired you to name the book after cabbage? Kapusta means cabbage in many Eastern European Slavic languages. When I studied in the UK, I would always be faced with some form of 'all you eat over there is cabbage'. I internalised that and felt embarrassed, but the older I got, the more fascinated I became with my region's cuisine. I felt it was time to turn this cliche on its head. Kapusta has accompanied Eastern Europeans through the most unimaginable hardships. The more I thought about it, the more it became a symbol of the defiance and endurance of their spirit. Published in Issue 27 (spring 2025) of Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK). To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
Telegraph
05-03-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Udmurt dumplings with beetroot and raspberry
Udmurts (from the Permic for 'meadow people') are an ethnic group from the Eastern European part of Russia. Their food, although heavily influenced by the standardised Soviet diet, is full of fascinating combinations, and dishes like these dumplings are a regional staple. Overview Prep time 50 mins Cook time 20 mins Serves 4 Ingredients For the dough 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 2 eggs 1 tbsp vegetable oil For the filling 90g ready-cooked beetroot 1-2 tbsp soft brown sugar 115g raspberries To serve Unsalted butter, melted Soft brown sugar Method Step To make the dough, mix 300g plain flour and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Step In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 eggs with 100ml warm water and 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Pour this into the dry ingredients bowl. Step Start by mixing with a fork, then gradually work the mixture with your hands to form a dough. Knead it for 2 minutes, cover with cling film, and rest in the fridge while you prepare the filling. Step Grate 90g ready-cooked beetroot, drain and discard the juices. In a bowl, mix it with 1-2 tbsp soft brown sugar. Add 115g raspberries, mixing gently with a fork to mash the raspberries a little, then taste and adjust the sweetness to your liking. Step Next, shape the dumplings. Dust a clean surface with some flour and work the dough for a few minutes to wake it up. Then, roll it out into a large sheet of any shape, as thinly as you can. Using an upside-down mug or a pastry ring, cut out as many circles as you can, roughly 8cm in diameter. Step Knead the offcuts into a ball, roll out again and repeat until you have used up all the dough. Step Place 1 heaped tbsp of the filling in the middle of each circle and pinch the edges together firmly to create a half-moon shape. You can press them with the back of a fork to create a lovely frill effect. Keep the finished dumplings under a damp tea towel while you shape the rest. Kapusta, by Alissa Timoshkina (Quadrille, £28), is out now
Telegraph
05-03-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Tzimmes (Ashkenazi carrot, beef and prune stew)
A classic of Eastern European Jewish cuisine, this dish is a bit of a culinary shapeshifter. I have decided to opt for the simplest yet most delicious version – a meat stew with carrots and prunes. This is definitely a Sunday-lunch type of dish, as the overall cooking and preparation time comes to three hours. But the joy of tucking into the rich, sweet, smoky stew is worth all the effort. For a vegetarian version, omit the beef and swap the beef stock for vegetable; add two extra carrots and two extra potatoes to make up the volume. Ingredients Vegetable oil, for frying 500g stewing beef, cut into chunks 2 onions, cut into chunks 8 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks 6 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 4 bay leaves 100g pitted prunes, roughly chopped 700ml beef stock 1 tbsp honey 2 tsp garlic powder 1 small bunch of parsley, chopped Method Step Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas mark 3. Step Heat a little oil in a casserole or ovenproof, lidded pan and fry 500g stewing beef (cut into chunks) with a pinch of salt and pepper over a medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, until browned on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. Step Throw in 2 onions (cut into chunks) and 8 carrots (peeled and cut into chunks) and coat them in the oil. Season, and fry for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, letting them brown in places. Step Take off the heat. Return the beef to the casserole and mix well with the vegetables. Add 6 potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks), 4 bay leaves and 100g pitted prunes (roughly chopped). Try to scatter them equally around the casserole. Kapusta, by Alissa Timoshkina (Quadrille, £28), is out now
Associated Press
18-02-2025
- Lifestyle
- Associated Press
A recipe from ‘Kapusta': Cabbage Rolls with Sauerkraut Leaves, Beef and Rice in a Tomato Sauce
In her new cookbook, 'Kapusta: Vegetable-Forward Recipes from Eastern Europe, ' Alissa Timoshkina calls cabbage rolls 'a culinary genre in their own right.' There are variations across the region, all involving cabbage leaves stuffed with a filling and poached in a sauce. 'This seemingly simple dish holds the key to a fascinating story of Eastern Europe, celebrating both its shared history and its regional diversity,' she writes. Cabbage rolls, or stuffed cabbage, can be eaten as a main course. Some recipes call for fresh leaves while others use fermented ones. Timoshkina encourages cooks to experiment. For a vegetarian version, substitute mushrooms for the beef. Serves 6-8 Ingredients: For the rolls: 1/2 cup long grain white rice vegetable oil, for frying 1 onion, peeled and finely diced 1 carrot, peeled and grated 4–6 garlic cloves, finely chopped 14 ounces ground beef (3/4 cup to 1 cup) 1 small bunch of dill, finely chopped 1 tablespoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 10–12 fermented or fresh cabbage leaves 4 bay leaves salt and black pepper, to taste For the sauce: 14 ounces diced tomatoes 1 heaped teaspoon brown sugar 1 cup beef stock Parboil the rice (check the packet instructions and halve the time) in very salty water, then drain and set aside. Directions: Heat some vegetable oil in a large frying pan or casserole (Dutch oven) and fry the onion and carrot over medium heat with a generous pinch of salt for 10–12 minutes, until golden and soft. Add the garlic, stir through and take off the heat. Empty the contents into a large mixing bowl, add the beef, rice, dill, coriander and paprika, then give everything a thorough mix. Preheat the oven to 400°F. To make the rolls, place a cabbage leaf on a chopping board and add a heaped tablespoon of the filling onto the lower end of the leaf. Roll up the leaf as you would a burrito, tucking in the edges as you go. Place seam-side down into the casserole used to fry the vegetables. Repeat with all the leaves and filling. Nestle the rolls tightly into the dish, ideally into one layer, but you can make two, depending on the size and shape of your dish. Stick the bay leaves in between your rolls. To make the sauce, season the tomatoes with the sugar, then add salt and pepper to taste. Mix with the stock and pour over the rolls. Cover with a lid and bake for 2 hours, then remove the lid and bake for a further 10 minutes for the leaves to caramelize on top. Serve with mashed potatoes or some bread. ___
Associated Press
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Eastern Europe's traditional ingredients get star treatment in the new cookbook ‘Kapusta'
Cabbage would seem to check a lot of boxes for what's prized these days in Western food circles. It's nutritious and inexpensive. Seasonal. Colorful. Climate-hardy. Fermentable. So why does it still struggle for respect? 'It's about how you cook it. People tend to overcook it, not letting it express all its potential,' says Alissa Timoshkina, whose new cookbook, 'Kapusta: Vegetable-Forward Recipes from Eastern Europe,' celebrates cabbage as one of the backbones of the region's cooking. ('Kapusta' means cabbage in many Slavic languages.) The other mainstays, she says, are beetroot, potatoes, carrots and mushrooms; each gets a chapter, along with dumplings and ' pickles and ferments.' Although cabbage has sometimes conjured up images of poverty and bleakness (Timoshkina mentions '1984' and 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' as two famous examples), she sees it winning wider recognition in a kind of East-West culinary meeting of the minds. 'There's a natural crossover,' she says, given today's greater focus on vegetables and simple, healthy ingredients. In Eastern Europe, 'there's almost a sacred reverence' for these foods, 'whereas in the West, it's coming from a different place: awareness of your responsibility for climate change, sustainability. People are starting to think about how we eat differently.' Take the current interest in fermentation, for example. 'I love the fact that I'm not just catering to a trend, but it's actually talking about a culture and a tradition centuries and centuries back,' says Timoshkina. She notes that cabbage also has a magical quality in folklore — the legends that children grew in cabbage patches, or that cabbages could increase fertility. What they're eating in various countries and ethnic groups Timoshkina, who was born in Siberia in a Ukrainian-Jewish family, moved to England as a teenager and became a food writer, cook and historian. Her previous cookbook, 'Salt and Time,' featured recipes from Siberia and other parts of the former Soviet Union. There are various ways to define Eastern Europe, she notes. She follows the U.N.'s definition, which includes 10 countries, and she includes even more ethnic groups. She generally avoids referring to Russia, however, because of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. For its part, Ukrainian food has a large role in the book. The recipes in 'Kapusta' range from savory pies ('Patatnik,' for example, a Bulgarian potato pie) to cold-weather stews (such as Ashkenazi 'Tzimmes' with carrots, beef and prunes) to summery dishes ('Chlodnik,' a cold borscht with kefir). They go from basic ('Classic Sauerkraut') to more adventurous ('Taratuta,' a Ukrainian beetroot, gherkin and horseradish salad). Also typical of the region's cooking, she says, are paprika, coriander, caraway, fennel, dill and pepper. And lots of sour cream. Dumplings and stuffed cabbage Timoshkina considers dumplings the ultimate comfort food, though she acknowledges they take some time to prepare. 'It's probably something you do on a weekend and then you'd make a big batch,' she says. 'You can store it in the freezer, and you always have yourself a lovely, comforting meal.' Dumpling recipes here include 'Polish Pierogi with Sauerkraut and Mushrooms' and 'Udmurt Dumplings with Beetroot and Raspberry.' And then there are cabbage rolls, or stuffed cabbage. They're called gołąbki in Poland, halupki in Czechia and Slovakia, szárma in Hungary and sarmale in Moldova, to name just some, she writes. Here too, make a big batch and freeze them. 'It's an iconic dish that people from every region of Eastern Europe have their own version of,' says Timoshkina. 'Everyone claims them as their own.'
