FOOD BLOG

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Salmon and caviar blini cake

A really indulgent and admittedly slightly old-fashioned dish, this salmon and caviar cake reminds me of some prosperous years our family enjoyed in the 1990s, managing to recover from the blows of the collapsed Soviet regime. While the cake was the star show at most family gatherings, I remember really clearly the very first time I tasted it at my uncle’s and aunt’s dinner party. My adult self is pleasantly surprised to think that as a child I seemed to have really enjoyed the rather sophisticated taste of smoked fish and caviar. Risking living up to the cliché of wealthy Russians gorging on pancakes with caviar, I chose to include this recipe here simply because it is undeniably delicious. I mean what’s there not to like about a cake made entirely out of thin lacy crêpes, layered with fresh herbs, cucumbers, cream cheese, salmon and caviar! Of course, as any cake, it should be made for a very special occasion and treated with real awe. You can go retro with the decoration if you’d like to relive the 90s, or opt for a more contemporary minimalist look, as I did here. 

 

Makes 1 cake, 8 slices 

For the pancakes 

300g of plain flour 

2 pinches of salt

4 tbsp of melted butter 

1 egg

350ml of whole milk

300ml of boiling water 

50-70g of butter for frying 

For the filling 

400g of thick Greek yoghurt or sour cream

1 lemon, juiced and zested 

1 medium bunch of dill

2 tsp of pink peppercorns in brine 

4 tsp of capers 

2 tsp of jalapeños 

1 large cucumber, thinly sliced 

200g of smoked salmon 

200g of poached salmon 

50-100g of red caviar 

180g of cream cheese 

In a large bowl, whisk together plain flour, salt, melted butter, egg, whole milk and boiling water until you get a smooth runny batter.
Heat up a frying pan and melt a teaspoon of butter to grease it. Pour 1/2 a medium ladle on the pan and swirl around till you have one thin even layer. Fry on one side for about 40 seconds to a minute. Flip and fry on the other side for another 30 seconds. 

Stack the crepes on a plate and continue to fry until all the batter is used up. The mix yield around 30 crepes. 

To prepare the filling which will go between the layers of buttery pancakes, mix 400g of Greek yoghurt with juice and zest of 1 lemon, dill, pink pepper corns, capers and jalapeños, all finely chopped. Taste for seasoning and add a small pinch of salt if you like. 

To assemble your cake, add the yoghurt mixture between every two pancakes, and then alternate the layers of smoked and poached salmon, cucumber and caviar. Keep staking them up until you’ve run out of ingredients. You might have a few pancakes leftover, which is never bad news! 

To finish your masterpiece cover the entire cake with cream cheese before serving it proudly to your guests. Make sure they all take a moment to admire your creation and only then cut into it to reveal the beautifully coloured layers. 

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GLAZED COOKIES WITH PLUM JAM

The official Soviet repertoire of confectionaries was rather limited. If you wanted to treat yourself to some sweet goods from a bakery, a canteen or a food shop you were faced with the line up of the usual suspects: a puff pastry cone with cream, a tartlet with jam and egg white cream spiked with crazy food colorants, a chocolate ‘potato’ cake (a simplified version of the Italian chocolate salami) and bright pink glazed cookie sandwich with plum jam. The cookie sandwich was my number one choice no matter what! It must have been its shiny pink coating that never failed to attract me. Truth be told, the cookie did not taste that good, but I hardly new any better at that age. Luckily today I have the chance to turn the mundane Soviet creation into something more flavourful and appealing. I love cooking with plums and have recently discovered that a combination of tarragon and rose water goes incredibly well with the tart sweetness of the plums. So voila, finally my Soviet childhood delight acquires a more sophisticated flavour profile! 

Makes 20-24 cookie sandwiches  

For the plum jam

1kg of ripe but tart plums 

300ml cold water

Large bunch of tarragon

1kg of jam sugar 

For the cookies 

115g of butter, softened

115g of caster sugar

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla extract

240g of plain flour

6 tbsp cornflour

½ tsp salt

For the icing 

100g of plum jam

225g of icing sugar

2-3 tbsp of boiling water 

1 tsp of rose water 

To make the jam:

Stone and cut the plums into quarters. Place in a large pot with 300ml of water and a large bunch of tarragon, bring to boil and then simmer on medium heat for 20-30 minutes or until the plums are soft and supple, and the liquid has reduced.

Add the sugar and mix thoroughly until all the crystals have dissolved and the mix is no longer grainy. Boil on high heat for 5-8 minutes. 

You can test the jam for its setting point by placing a drop on a chilled saucer. Let the jam cool a little and them push with your finger. If the jam wrinkles then its ready to be put into a jar. If it does not, then bring back to boil and cook for 2-3 minutes longer. Test again.

Discard the tarragon before placing the jam into a sterilised 1l jar. This recipe yield more jam than you will need for the cookies, but that’s always good news, right?

To make the cookies 

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375F and line two baking sheets with baking paper. 

Cream the butter and sugar together using an electric hand held mix or stand mixer until pale and fluffy.

Next, mix in the egg and vanilla extract until well incorporated.

Add the flour, cornflour and salt and mix on a low-medium speed. The mixture will look very dry but keep on whisking until bigger clumps are formed and you can easily bring the dough together with your hands.

Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick and chill on a baking tray in the fridge for 20 mins to firm up.

Once chilled and firm, remove the dough from the fridge and, using a 48mm cookie cutter, cut the rounds and place onto the lined baking sheets.

Bake for 8 mins until the dough is cooked but not coloured. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on the baking tray.

To make the icing

Pass the jam through a sieve, discarding any of the pulp that won’t go through into the bowl. Mix in the icing sugar until you have a pink ball of dough (it may seem like it won’t come together properly but it will!) then gradually stir in the water and rose water until the mixture is the consistency of thick cream. 

To assemble your cookies:

Cover one cookie disk a heaped tsp of icing and let it set for a few minutes. Place a heaped tsp of jam onto the other cookie disk and cover with the iced cookie.

Enjoy as part of a Russian tea party spread or just eat them standing in the kitchen with a glass of milk. 

 

Recipe from Salt and Time. Order your copy here.

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A winter warmer classic

Every winter I get addicted to one ingredient and use it as widely as possible. Last year it was shallots cooked in butter, wine and herbs, this year it’s chicken! I’ve been pescatarian first about 20 years but after a year of breastfeeding my daughter my body demanded animal protein and chicken was happy to oblige. The daughter in question also influenced not only what but how I cook – mainly one pot or tray dishes that are easy to throw together (quite literally) with one hand. So a chicken soup / stew of sorts became my new staple. It really ticks all the boxes: a perfect winter warmer, it has all the nutrients my family needs, full of simply yet delightful flavour & it keeps for days!

I’ve made different versions of it so feel free to add your stamp. Mine is mainly dictated by what’s in the fridge and needs to go first. So it’s pretty green too in every sense of the word!

Recipe

Makes 4-6

1.5 litres of chicken stock (home-made or cubes)

2 chicken legs or breasts

1 celery stick

1 broken onion

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons of capers

1 small bunch of parsley stalks & leaves

Splash of white wine

1 large yellow potato

1 tin of beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Lots of greens of choice – cavolo Nero, kale, Savoy cabbage

1/2 lemon

Salt and fresh pepper to taste

Method

Heat up the stock in a pot and boil the chicken until tender and falls off the bone easily if using legs. Strain and pull the meat. Set aside.

Heat up some olive oil in a pan fry the celery, onion, garlic, capers and fund it chopped parsley stalks with some salt and Italian herbs for 10 mins until it starts to catch. Add a splash of white wine and increase the heat till the alcohol evaporates.

Add the fried stuff into the pot with the chicken along with peeled and cubed potato and beans.

Bring to boil and cook till the potato is soft. At this point add the greens and give them a few minutes only so they don’t lose their colour.

Take off the heat and squeeze half a lemon.

Season more to taste and serve with some cracked black pepper.

It’s a great way to use all sorts of greens that might be getting tired sitting around in the fridge. You can also swap potato for orzo or any other pasta which works just as well!

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Salt&Time recipe: Buckwheat mushroom risotto

An old Russian saying goes: ‘Shchi da kasha pishcha nasha’
(good luck trying to pronounce that one!), which simply means
that Shchi soup and porridge are national staples. With buckwheat and mushrooms being amongst the most ancient ingredients of Slavic cuisine, dating far back into the Middle Ages, porridge with fried onions, mushrooms and soft herbs is an indisputable classic. Indeed, nothing can beat the combination of sweet, earthy and woody flavours that these ingredients produce when mixed together. Thinking of ways to elevate this simple dish,
I felt that all these flavours could be highlighted even more if cooked together as a risotto, with the addition of garlic, white wine, pine nuts and a pungent tarragon pesto. Having served this dish at one of my supper clubs, I received the best feedback from a guest who compared eating the dish to a walk through a Siberian wood. Well,bon appétit and enjoy your promenade!

SERVES 4
—
20g dried wild mushrooms 100ml boiling water
2 tablespoons sunflower oil 1 small onion, finely diced 400g chestnut mushrooms,chopped
2 pinches of salt
4 garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon finelychopped thyme
1 teaspoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley, plus extra
150ml dry white wine
splash of soy sauce
400g roasted buckwheat
600ml vegetable stock
knob of unsalted butter
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
50g toasted pine nuts, to garnish

Soak the wild mushrooms in 100g of boiling water for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, heat the oil in a medium pot and fry off the onions for a few minutes until they are translucent but not yet caramelised. Next add the chopped chestnut mushrooms, two generous pinches of salt and cook on medium heat for 5-8 minutes.

Drain the wild mushrooms and chop them roughly. Reserve the liquid and add the chopped mushrooms into the pot, along with garlic and the herbs. Cook for another 5 minutes before adding the white wine and a splash of soy sauce. Turn up the heat for 5-8 minutes to let the alcohol evaporate, and then add the buckwheat. Lower the heat to a medium and stir well until the buckwheat soaks up all the liquid. 

Start adding the mix of mushroom stock and the reserved liquid in which the dried mushrooms were soaking, 100ml at a time, stirring constantly. Let the liquid get absorbed before adding the next 100ml. Continue until all the stock is used up. The buckwheat should be almost cooked by that point. 

Add a knob of butter and a pinch of salt, close firmly with a lid and let rest for 10 minutes. 

Serve with a sprinkle of pine nuts and some fresh dill and parsley leaves.

Order a copy of Salt and Time here

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Sister, sister: the beautiful duo behind Zardosht Persianesque food brand

The gorgeous Zardosht sisters, Soli and Sanaz, were on my foodie radar for some 6 years now. First I marvelled at their Broadway market stall, adorned with rose petals, gorgeous platters and steaming stews of Persian delights and have been ‘stalking’ them on Instagram ever since.  Back in the day when I was till in my academic / film festival admin world, I toyed with the idea of working in food, and seeing a job advert on their stall I sighed ‘Oh, if only I had the courage to actually do what I really love’, but I did not back then.

But 4 years ago when the KinoVino journey started to take a more defined course, I finally had a reason to contact the two lovely women to suggest a kino-foodie collaboration. And this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship (if I may use the over quoted phrase from Casablanca). While our plan of a joint KinoVino took four years (!) to come to fruition, I’ve had the joy of finally realising my dream and working in Zardosht kitchen, expanding my culinary horizons. As well as learning so many new dishes, I got inspiration on how to brighten up familiar things with the use of right herbs and spices (and a few decent cuts and burns along the way).

Being a huge admirer of talented young women who are not just outstanding cooks but also know how to turn their passion and talent into a proper business, I could not pass the chance to ask Soli and Sanaz a few questions about their heritage, their love of food and how the idea of the Zardosht brand came about. 

What is your earliest memory of food 

Sanaz: My earliest memory of food is from the days when my Mum, my sister Soli and I used to travel from Dubai to Shiraz during the summer holidays to visit my grandmother. I loved the afternoon walks we had together to the food market. It’s been years since I have visited Iran but I still recall the smell of the vegetables, fruits, flowers, spices and Persian pastries. We would always gather together in my Nan’s garden with aunts and cousins and it was the best! I miss those days!

Soli: Getting sick at the dinner table because I’d had a whole large uncooked green pepper- I was about 2 and I remember really LOVING them.

Who is your culinary hero 

Sanaz: My sister, Soli – and our Mum!

Soli: My mother and the only Persian food writer I know from her generation called Roza Montazami- Her cookbook is a bible in almost every Persian household- Many of her original recipes contained wine which were edited in the later editions published post Iranian revolution. My sister Setareh sent me this book when I was 17 and I still refer to it all the time. I’m a bit tired of the celebrity chef culture but I do love Jamie Oliver – for me, he is above all that and has done such a great job of making cooking look both easy and accessible to everyone..When I first moved to the UK, I had a notebook ready so I could frantically write down his recipes every time he was on tv. I also adore Nigel Slaters writing.

What inspired you to start a food business 

Sanaz: My sister Soli Zardosht left the fashion industry in her mid 20’s and started a Persianesque food stall at Broadway Market and a residency at Cafe Oto. I used to travel to London from Bristol to help with cooking. I always loved and enjoyed cooking from a very early age, so would always have friends over and cook for them. Once I graduated in Business Management, I decided to move to London and cook with my sister. I love our moments together in the kitchen!
Soli: My background in fashion and the lack of modern Persian cooking in London or anywhere.

 

What is your go-to-dish

Sanaz: I love making fish! Any type of fish, though I often make trout, olives, tomato and avocado!

Soli: A Persian stew made with chicken, sour grapes, tomatoes, aubergines and courgettes served with Persian saffron rice.

 

For you what is the most important thing about feeding people 

Sanaz: Spending time cooking and eating with friends is what I enjoy the most. I’m most happy when my private clients that I cook for on a weekly basis write to me about how much they like the flavours!

Soli: Making that meal the highlight of their day. When I have people over for dinner, I go out of my way to create just the right atmosphere to complement and enhance the dinner- the lighting, how the rooms smell, fresh flowers, the right platters, napkins…I take dinner parties very seriously.

What was your biggest kitchen disaster 

Sanaz: Ahaha, It’s hard to recall a disaster – although we did once spill all our just-made gazpacho on the floor, just before service! There are probably a few other episodes that the team members might tell you about – perhaps you should ask them!

Soli: On more than one occasion, at the end of a very long day preparing food for the market, I somehow managed to drop the plate containing the orange-blossom mascarpone filled dates. Preparing them each week is a real labour of love so there would often be a tear or two after the initial shock.

How do you judge the success of your dishes 

Sanaz: The compliments we receive from new customers and regulars on the flavours of our dishes. When our loyal/regular customers come back every week to Broadway Market to have our food it makes me very happy to see and hear their appreciation.

Soli: People always compliment the colours and the plating of our dishes but after this what I really like witnessing is how after the first mouthful, they often stop for a second in appreciation of the many layers of flavours. Whenever I’m at OTO I try to find the time to spy on our customers a little and gage their reaction to be sure we are still doing it right. We also get a lot of direct feedback from our customers, both at cafe OTO and at our stand on Broadway market which is really nice.

What are the key 3 ingredients that define Zardosht cooking style 

Sanaz: The spices, use of saffron and herbs.

Soli: Zardosht is about cooking Persian dishes with a modern and fresh approach. Our priority is to cook and serve food that is wholesome yet complex in terms of flavours, non pretentious , plentiful and a feast for the eyes.

What’s it like to work with your sister

Sanaz: I love it! We inspire each other. I love every single thing she has made. She’s the best cook! I miss her food – she moved to New York a few years ago and I miss dropping by her place, spending time and having dinner with her.

Soli: It’s really rewarding, we have the exact same palette and our shared childhood food experiences make communicating much easier than if I were to say explain the idea of a new dish to anyone else and vice versa.

What would you advise people who are aspiring to start a food business 

Sanaz: Go for it! It can be hard work, but take the risk and also be open to new ideas from your team members – and be open to change!

Soli: Make sure you LOVE cooking.

Book your tickets for a much-awaited KinoVino collaboration on 16th May!

Follow Soli and Sanaz on Instagram & explore their website

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Salt and Time: Recipes from a Russian Kitchen

I’ve never been more excited about anything than being finally able to share some pretty amazing news! At the end of last year I have signed a contract with an incredible publisher – Octopus – and since then have been working on my first cookbook! Entitled Salt and Time: Recipes from a  Russian Kitchen, the book explores the culinary heritage that I grew up with, delving into the intricate history of Russian, Siberian and Soviet cooking. It will feature dishes dear to my family, recipes that I’ve discovered in Soviet and pre-Revolutionary Russian cookbooks as well as my own contemporary takes on classic flavour combinations. It’s been an absolute dream come true to work with an incredible team at Octopus, my agent, Zoe Ross,  as well as with a group of most talented women in the industry – Lizzie Mayson, Tamara Vos, Louie Waller and Charlotte Heal. 

Yes, I am particularly proud that this book has been created by an all-women crew! 

The beauty will be out on 7th of March 2019 but you can already pre-order it on Amazon.

Somebody, please pinch me! 

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At the heart of Kurdish cuisine with Melek Erdal

I met Melek under the saddest but also most meaningful circumstances – almost a year ago, at a funeral of a mutual friend, Mehmet Aksoy. For a really long time, Mehmet has been trying to put us in touch as he knew that we’d get along really well, for various reasons, not least because of our shared love of food. And so we have; in loosing a friend, I gained a new one. It’s been beyond special to work with Melek on a charity edition of KinoVino x Cook for Syria hosted in memory of Mehmet. While Melek has already occupied a special place in my heart thanks to her warm personality, her incredible food, which I got to taste on the night, made me fall in love with this lady even more! 

So I am really excited to share Melek’s interview here, not only because she is a very talented chef and writer, but also because her story, as well as the story of Kurdish (food) culture, needs to be told.

 

What inspired you to start cooking?

I don’t remember this being a decision.  It was such an ingrained part of who we are and how we express ourselves.  All of my earliest memories are to do with food – I remember very little about life in Istanbul but the pockets of moments in time I do remember all involve food.  

I remember the bread and yoghurt I was fed at my grandads funeral to comfort me.  I remember the olive tapenade mum gave me when she would take me to a cleaning job at a wealthy family’s home…I remember the homemade candy she would make me out of sugar, rosewater and lemon.  I remember the first time we moved to London and I was curious to open the jar of English mustard…only to be traumatized by the pain in  my nostrils…I detested mustard for a very long time…until I loved it.

Cooking was the way I got to spend time with my mum, it was the reason we would gather with family and friends, it was what dad did for work.  It defined us in so many ways.

It quickly became my way of connecting and making friends.  After school my friends would come over on the way home to have one of my sandwiches…they were a bit mega.  When I got older my place was always the place to come and eat.

It was not you see, a conscious decision for a career…I studied history at university and was set to be a lawyer…but the opportunity came to have a space…to make a place where the community could come and eat…so I finished university and found myself with a café.

I went the reverse way…when I looked up and saw I had a café…I realized that this would be what I would do…and everything else would spring from this.

How/where did you learn to cook?

Self taught; from mums, aunties, grandmothers…and from dad.  From practice…from tasting…from exploring.  If you want to cook …everything is your learning ground.  Not one chef or school can be the master of all cuisine or cooking…so make friends, speak to strangers, travel…be a humble student and be inquisitive.

Describe a typical meal in a Kurdish household

A typical meal involves bread, butter, yoghurt, and grains…everything else is built around this…and a shepherd salad! – tomato, onions, peppers, parsley, cucumber…olive oil and lemon juice very liberally!

What is the role of food in the Kurdish culture?

Food is everything, Alissa. (heart emoji / world emoji / baguette emoji)

For a people who are the largest ethnic minority without a country of their own…dispersed across the middle east and Europe…a nomadic rural people who were thrust into the urban cities…no ingrained written culture…no official records…how have we survived? How have we thrived with such a strong sense of our identity?

We have embraced oral storytelling…through songs, through mythologizing our recent past, through poignant celebration, through dance, through our limerick, ….and our food.  

With the absence of official records and script…we use all other senses for testimony.  Some foods have myths and stories around them…others or done for feeling or occasions.  Your versions of recipes change with region and dialect…but there is joy in this contention…a battleground of connection and laughs.

Food is survival.  Our ceremonies and rituals that are brought to life with food, form the fabric our communities and are a way for us to stay connected with each other.  It is also the way we have introduced ourselves and been initiated into the communities we have entered.  Finally, the food industry has been our way to survive first moving to cities.  Most Kurds know how to cook…and so it was the only thing we knew to do in new cities where other opportunities were not afforded to us.  So next time you go and get a kebab…ask said kebab man what he did before…you might find an interesting story.

What is the quintessential Kurdish flavour?

Flat bread (‘Lavash’) – bread must come with everything – otherwise how you will you know you’ve eaten?
Sun-dried tomato paste goes in to the base of a lot of foods.
Yoghurt, yoghurt yoghurt! – it is an accompaniment to most dishes
Garlic, burnt butter, lemon and grains…things that are hearty and rustic…things that can sustain you for hard labour!

Kurds also love a breakfast spread any time of day for any meal- the kurds are famous for their breakfast spreads…we usually eat on the floor with a colourful water resistant cloth.  We jewel with small dishes of fresh things.  And cracked egg of some sort and fresh bread as the main feature.  Always served with a concentrated potent tea.

Your favourite place to eat

I have so many – but my second home is Song Que on Kingsland Road.

Hands down the best Vietnamese in London.

Its family run.  The family are the sweetest, most joyous and hard working.  The parents practice ballroom dance in the stock room downstairs in their spare time.

Their daughter Sharlene practically runs the place and her fiancé and brother are also part of the team.  Staf bring their babies and families and they all eat together.

The Rare beef pho is my favourite.  So fragrant and delicate in flavor. Not oily…a warm hug in a bowl.

I love that it has a canteen feel… I love informal dining…it reminds me of my travels in Vietnam and has practically been a second home to me the past few years.

Your three key ingredients

Lemons Parsley and Mint : ) and everyone knows it.

I was in Nepal staying with my dear friend Bishal who owns a lovely Café – Café Soma in Kathmandu – Bishal made the kids call me Aunty Lemon.  Because apparently I always say “d’you know what this needs…some lemon!”

Describe your typical cooking ritual (when you are alone in your kitchen cooking for pleasure)

I love making a one pot dish.  It would usually involve me braising some chicken or fish, adding a grain, some veg (whatever I have) and stock.  And eating this in a bowl topped with some pickled beetroot and fresh mint yoghurt.

Who is your culinary inspiration?

I loved Anthony Bourdain and was so devastated when he passed.  He understood that connection with food and the people who make it.  He knew how to get into the fabric of a community.

I love Jamie Oliver because he made food accessible and his passion was infectious…he made great food and made us believe we could make it too.

My mum and dad…dad would come home late from work and would wake me up so we could eat together.  Some boiled eggs with Aleppo chilli, tomatoes, peppers and bread and yoghurt.  He didn’t like eating alone…This stayed with me…along with his ability to connect with people and never make language a barrier.

Tell us a bit about the recipe you are going to share.

I am going to share a filo recipe that is both humble and grand…what food should be.  Its simple but a bit mesmerizing.  I love when simple ingredients can make a magic dish.

You can use shredded and off cuts of filo pastry that you have set aside.

 

My Orange Filo Syrup Cake with Cardamom Cream & Toasted Pistachios

  • Syrup
  • 400g caster sugar
  • 350ml water
  • 1 orange, juiced
  • 1 tspn ground cinnamon
  • Cake
  • 500g filo pastry
  • 3 oranges
  • 5 eggs
  • 200g Greek yoghurt
  • 180ml olive oil
  • 100g granulated sugar
  • 1 tbspn baking powder
  • Cream
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp vanilla pod or paste
  • 2 tsp soft dark brown sugar (1 tsp if using vanilla paste)
  • 1 500ml tub double cream
  • Toasted and crushed pistachios

Method

  1. First make the syrup to set aside to cool.  Combine all syrup ingredients, including the two orange halves, in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool whilst you make the cake.
  2. Whisk all the ingredients of the cream together until thickened in texture and refridgerate.
  3. Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Lightly rub a baking tin with olive oil.
  4. Roughly tear into filo into shreds, into the baking tin, and leave to dry a little while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
  5. Cut one orange in half, and slice that half into thin half-moons to place ontop of the cake mix the cake. Zest and juice the remaining oranges.
  6. Combine the rest of the cake ingredients including orange juice and zest intoa  blender or food processor. Blend together for a few minutes until the mixture is frothy.
  7. Pour the mixture over the filo. Stir together gently and make sure it is thoroughly mized. Arrange the sliced oranges on top of the cake.
  8. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and the filling set. Once out of the oven, immediately pour the cooled syrup over the hot cake. Set aside for at least 1 hour, till most of the syrup has soaked in.
  9. You can then place in the fridge to cool even more or serve warm.
  10. Serve a slice with a scoop of the cream and top with the pistachios and an extra drizzle of the syrup from the base of the tin.

Note:
When pouring the syrup over the cake, ensure you pour cool syrup over the hot cake (not hot syrup over hot cake). This will ensure it is fully absorbed. Use a ladle and pour over slowly to ensure absorbtion.

 

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A woman’s place is in the kitchen?

For many of us, nurture is associated with women. From mothers’ first milk to our grannies indulging us with weekend treats, our caregivers while we grow up are most likely to have been female.

I was raised by three women in Soviet Russia during the 1980s, when a small apartment often housed several generations. This made for a powerful connection between me, my parents, grandparents and great grandmother. I learned from them; sometimes I felt that I too had lived through the Russian revolution, war and Stalinist terror, so vivid were their stories.

My home education also included rich culinary traditions encompassing Russian, Ukrainian and Jewish cuisines, and my earliest and strongest culinary influence was my great grandmother, Rosalia. A Holocaust survivor, she fled Nazi-occupied Ukraine in 1942 and settled in Siberia where she lived until her death in 2003. She’d witnessed grave atrocities and great deprivation, but Rosalia was one of the gentlest and most generous people I’ve known. For most of her life, she worked as a cook in Soviet canteens – so while I would hesitate to call her a chef, she was definitely a feeder who continued to cook until her very last days.

This love of sharing food was passed on to me. I hadn’t considered a career in cooking until four years ago. At the time I was working for London’s Russian film festival (I’d studied film before), but often found myself down the rabbit hole of Instagram looking at food. I saw people – including my Ukrainian friend Olia Hercules – making waves with their cooking. Having noticed the trend towards less formal dining experiences, I wondered whether there might be a niche for a cinema-inspired supper club, and KinoVino was born.

We are all familiar with the paradox: acts of feeding are associated with women, but remain limited to the domestic realm, while professional cooking is dominated by men. But that is changing. The internet and social media have helped blur the boundaries between the private and public, and while the implications of this can be mixed, it’s definitely for the better when it comes to food – and to the visibility of women cooks. Look no further than Mazi Mas in Hackney to see a venture that’s training refugee women in London to put their home cooking to work in order to find employment and make a living.

Meanwhile, Britain’s food scene, once defined by high-end dining, now includes supper clubs and street food, which offer opportunities for homely meals and, often, recreate the intimacy of a family dinner (and let’s not pretend these aren’t usually prepared by women around the globe). This is certainly what I try to achieve with KinoVino, which usually features women guest chefs. A very special energy is created when women make a meal and lay the table together. It allows us to establish a symbolic link to those who fed us at the same time as making our mark professionally.

It was in this spirit that chef Romy Gill asked me to take part in her all-female charity dinner The Severn Sisters Feast in Bristol last year, in aid of Action Against Hunger. Rather than making a political statement, Romy wanted this dinner to be both a celebration of female talent and an opportunity for women in the industry to cook together. Each chef was invited to create a dish meaningful to her. The food that decorated the tables reflected the mixed backgrounds of the cooks in the kitchen: Ukrainian dumplings with British spuds, Siberian pickled mushrooms beside an Indian curry. The feast will visit London’s Borough Market on 4 October, adding Ghanaian and Greek cuisines to the repertoire.

Inclusive, diverse, non-hierarchical, and seamlessly blurring the line between professional and domestic cooking: these are the hallmarks of women who work together in kitchens. Everyone is as uniquely qualified to cook and have an opinion about food as they are to eat it. My great grandmother would never have called herself a chef, but I think that if she’d lived in the food culture that I do now, here in London, she’d feel more proud of cooking to earn her keep than she did.

Some 50 years separate Rosalia and me as two women making a living as cooks. She never had the chance to eat at a restaurant. So when I’m peeling onions with my kitchen comrades in Borough Market next week, she’ll be firmly in my consciousness.

Originally published in https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/29/kinovino-supper-club-severn-sisters-feast-female-women-chefs-cooks-alissa-timoshkina

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Cook Beautiful by Athena Calderone. A book review

In our Instagram-obsessed world where the importance of the look is paramount, it’s so refreshing and inspiring to come across someone like Athena Calderone of Eyeswoon. Yes, that woman looks stunning, she cooks stunning food and presents it in the most elegant manner; and yet there is a lot more behind the picture-perfect surface; there is a real warm energy about what she does and a profound understanding of food – its textures, flavour combinations as well as its role in brining people together. 

The first ever dish that I tried to recreate in my kitchen a while back, literally as soon as I’ve read the recipe, was this number (roasted cauliflower with a punchy parsley-capers-jalapeno dressing). SOLD IMMEDIATELY!  Since then this dish has become a staple in my home which I continue to adapt and alter from time to time, and which now feels like a good old classic of my own. Similar can be said about rosemary roasted grapes served atop of a crostini smothered in lemony ricotta. I could not believe my luck to have come across a treasure chest of unique recipes that is Eyeswoon! However, it is not only the elegance of the food and the adventurousness of her palette that drew me to this lady. I discovered her account at a time when I was feeling completely lost in my professional life, emotionally and intellectually depleted after finishing a PhD, creatively stifled after endless hours spend in the library and frankly panicked that I will never find a career that makes me truly happy. The way Athena spoke so honestly about her own creative trials and tribulations and the wisdom and warmth that oozed from the images and the text, made me feel … connected. It does sound insane and a tad scary (hello stalker) to say I felt connected to a person I’ve never met and only saw pictures of her food on Instagram. Yet that’s exactly how I felt and began to reconnect with myself, asking what does make me truly inspired and excited, and what do I feel happiest doing – cooking! That was the answer. 

Fast-forward three years, and here I am sitting on the floor of my living room, pouring over my very own brand new copy of Athena’s debut cookbook – COOK BEAUTIFUL. I have to confess that I’ve been religiously following all the behind-the-scenes moments of the book shoot on Instagram, so again, I have that odd feeling of reconnecting with an old friend while paging through my copy. Well, what can I say, in a nutshell – this book swoons the hell out of my eyes! From the food styling and photography, the the layout and the colour coordination of each chapter, this book is a pure aesthetic delight and I can only lament that this copy will get pretty disheveled as I will page through it time and time again. 

There is a beautiful simplicity to Athena’s style of food – it may be a recipe for roasted squash yet an addition of a crunchy topping or a zesty dressing elevates the dish immediately and makes your realise just how much flavour is packed into this elegantly simple plate. What I do love the most is Athena’s use of herbs – a lady who is not afraid of tarragon is the one after my own heart! As I turned each page I caught myself exclaiming some kind of a sign of pleasant surprise, fascination or curiosity – there is no single recipe in the book that is predictable, ‘trendy’ or similar to the one you’ve already read a few pages ago. However, they all feel like a part of one story for there is a coherence of style and theme running throughout. Seasonality guides the book’s form and content, but it’s also the charm of the author that makes you feel fully immersed in her beautiful universe. 

Each chapter is also complemented with tips on style and decoration of the dinner table. The decor obsessive in me is in heaven and just wants to dive into the page to sit at the exquisite table created by Athena. OK, let’s face it there is no way I will be able to afford to recreate these in exact detail ( I can only buy one set of cutlery from West Elm not six). But having said that, each chapter does strive to make these design ideas as accessible as possible, suggesting how to find a more affordable solution.

Those who know me, have experienced how I love to add a little touch of something extra to the meal when gathering friends at home (not to mention when organising a KinoVino event) or even when having a simple dinner on a Tuesday night with my man (he often begs ‘can we just have a normal meal without all the theatre’). So if you are anything like me, COOK BEAUTIFUL will take your breath away. There is a lot to be said about the pleasure of looking at something aesthetically pleasing – it makes you feel inspired, moved, allured and fascinated, but also gives a sense of comfort, groundedness and connection. This and a lot more is what I experience when I explore Athena’s world. 

All images from COOK BEAUTIFUL

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Return of the Magnificent Severn

Supper club pioneer Alissa Timoshkina explains how a team of extraordinary female chefs came together for last year’s Severn Sisters Feast and why she’s so excited that the gang is getting back for a repeat at Borough Market.

On a chilly November night in 2016 a group of women with a huge passion for food gathered at Bristol’s Yurt Lush to put on a feast for 75 guests to raise money for the charity Action Against Hunger. So began the exciting journey of the venture that is the Severn Sisters Feast. The project was not conceived by chef Romy Gill with a specific gain in mind—nor was it envisaged from the start as an annual event. All Romy wanted to do was to raise awareness about the important work of Action Against Hunger and create an occasion for so many wonderful women working in food to meet and cook together.

As one of the least experienced chefs, still relatively new to the world of food, I was humbled, slightly terrified and extremely excited by Romy’s invitation to take part. And boy, am I glad I said yes to her offer. The Severn Sisters Feast in Bristol was one of the most special events of last year, not only for me but for so many of my fellow ‘sisters’.

Together with our guests we raised over £3,000 for the charity, and many wonderful new collaborations were inspired that night. Having received great coverage in the press, the evening was also the subject of Sheila Dillon’s BBC Radio 4 Food Programme, after which we all knew the Severn Sister Feast must happen again. And so it will, on 4th October 2017 in the beautiful setting of Borough Market’s Market Hall.

Original sisters and new faces
Headed once again by Romy, the line-up will include most of the original sisters, including Rosie Birkett, Elly Pear, Xanthe Clay and Olia Hercules, and we are thrilled to welcome some new faces, like Maria Elia, Paula McIntyre and Zoe Adjonyoh. Our behind the scenes team is equally brilliant and includes such talents as Joey O’Hare, Maxine Thompson and Henrietta Inman.

Bigger in scope and ambition, the feast this year will be hosted by Mina Holland (Guardian Cook) and Kate Hamilton (Suitcase Magazine) and is set to attract over 100 guests. What can I say, we do like a challenge! While the menu is still top secret, you can get a taster of things to come during a series of sessions in Borough’s demo kitchen from some of the chefs: Olia, Zoe, Xanthe and me. For her demo on 28th September, Xanthe will team up with a microbiologist to explore the fascinating phenomenon of fermentation, while on 14th September I will draw on my Jewish-Siberian heritage to present some of my favourite dishes and drinks, adapting them to the produce available at the Market.

The magic of the special energy that is created when people gather around a long dinner table adorned with candles and flowers is beyond words. So is that special buzz that oozes from a busy kitchen where talented women conjure up a feast. Do come along on 4th October for this one-off experience!

Book tickets for the Severn Sisters Feast

Originally published on Borough Market blog
http://boroughmarket.org.uk/articles/return-of-the-magnificent-severn

 

 

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