Published in 2019, Cook for Ukraine founder Alissa Timoshkina’s debut, Salt & Time, is a modernised compendium of traditional Siberian dishes – and an attempt to correct the misconceptions that many Europeans have about the region’s cuisine. On the one hand, there’s “the romanticised notion of Russians eating blinis with caviar every morning”, the Omsk native writes; on the other, “the stark image of the Soviets gazing at bare market shelves”.
Her second cookbook, Kapusta, is just as diverting in tone and encyclopedic in scope: named after the word for cabbage in many Slavic languages, its pages roam from Belarus to Bulgaria, with Alissa translating classic recipes ranging from kefir-spiked borscht to honey-drizzled twarog fritters for Western cooks and kitchens. “Since the dawn of time, the geographical position of the region, with its abundance of rivers, forests, mountains and plains, made it the perfect highway for explorers, traders, invaders, and settlers,” she explains in her introduction, “and so produced a cultural and hence culinary landscape of extraordinary variety, ranging as far and wide as the Slavs, the Romans, the Greeks, the Bulgars, the Tatar-Mongols, the Ottomans, the Austro-Hungarians, the Roma and the Ashkenazi Jews. No other part of Europe can boast such a cornucopia of histories and flavours.”
Helpfully at this point in the cold, grey trudge of February, five of Kapusta’s chapters take hardy, winter vegetables as their focus – namely, cabbage, beetroot, potato, carrot, and mushrooms – and explain how to dress them up in less expected ways: to make them sweet with paprika or caraway, rich and tart with sour cream, bright with parsley or dill…
Ahead of the book’s publication, Timoshkina shares a trio of recipes to see you through until March, below.
Polish Potato and Gherkin Salad
Serves 4
- 1 large carrot, peeled
- 3 potatoes of the same size, peeled
- 3 eggs
- 4 medium gherkins or 2 large sour cucumbers
- 4 heaped tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 heaped teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 25g (1oz) dill, finely chopped
- 2 pinches of flaky sea salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 4 rye bread slices to serve
Put the carrots and potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold salted water and boil until cooked through but not mushy. Remove from the pan and cook the eggs in the same water for 12 minutes. While the eggs cook, chop the gherkins into equal-sized small cubes. This is a real test of your knife skills. In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard and dill, and season with salt and pepper. Taste, and adjust the seasoning or the amount of mustard to your liking. Add the vegetables to the bowl. When the eggs are ready, peel and dice them in a shape similar to the rest of the veggies. Mix everything well to evenly coat the vegetables and eggs in the dressing. Chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving, if you have the patience. Make sure to have a slice of rye bread on the side.
Herby Smetana Bed with Colourful Beets
Serves 4-6
- 4 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 4 medium or large beetroots of different colours, peeled
- 1 small garlic bulb
- Sea salt flakes, to taste
- 300g (1 ¼ cups) sour cream
- 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 small bunch of each: coriander, dill, parsley, mint, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon toasted sunflower seeds
- Unrefined cold-pressed sunflower oil
- Sea salt flakes and black pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). I like to use two trays to roast the vegetables as the beetroot should crisp and caramelise rather than steam (when overcrowded, this tends to be the result). Divide the oil equally between two roasting trays and heat it up in the oven. Cut the beetroots into bite-sized wedges. Remove the roasting trays from the oven and add the beetroots and whole bulb of garlic to the sizzling oil. Using a spoon, coat the vegetables in the hot oil, then season with sea salt flakes. Roast for 40-45 minutes, or until caramelised and cooked through. Meanwhile, prepare the herby smetana bed. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients. Taste and adjust acidity and seasoning as you prefer. The dip will be thick with greens. To serve, spread the smetana on a large platter (or you can use two smaller plates). Pop the roasted garlic out of its skins and place on top with the roasted beetroots. Drizzle with some sunflower oil and sprinkle with the sunflower seeds. Finish with a final seasoning of sea salt flakes.
White Cabbage Slaw with Carrots, Peppers and Sunflower Seeds
Serves 4-6
- ½ medium white cabbage, roughly 450g (1lb)
- 1 sweet and tart apple, cored
- 1 red or yellow pepper, cored and deseeded
- 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
- Large bunch of dill, fronds and stalks, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, toasted, plus extra to serve
- Handful of red currants or dried cranberries
- Zest and juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon runny honey (or a pinch of sugar)
- 4 tablespoons quality unrefined sunflower oil
- Flaky sea salt to taste
Start by thinly slicing all the vegetables (apart from the carrot) using a mandoline. Although highly precarious, this method results in evenly sliced vegetables, which allows them to absorb the dressing in equal measure and creates a delightful sensory experience in your mouth. Place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl and season with a big pinch of salt. To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients in a separate bowl and give them a whisk. Taste and adjust to your liking – add more salt or balance out the sweetness and acidity. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and give them a gentle massage with your hands. Next, add the dill, sunflower seeds and red currants. Gently toss, then serve. If you like, add another pinch of salt, and scatter over more dill, currants and seeds.
Kapusta by Alissa Timoshkina (Quadrille, £28), with photography by Laura Edwards, is published on 20 February 2025