Lozhka

At last, food eaten with a spoon is given its due! This original and soulful collection of recipes from Alissa Timoshkina celebrates some of the many cuisines of Eastern Europe through their soups and stews; their dumplings and goulashes. The pages seem to be scented with dill and caraway and many kinds of broth. There is a wonderfully soothing quality to Alissa’s recipes; her food will make you feel looked after. While paying homage to the traditional dishes of her grandmother’s generation, Alissa's recipes are also lighter and more vegetable-centric. For anyone, like me, who sees soup in all its forms as the eternal comfort food, Lozhka is a deeply consoling book to read and to cook from. -- Bee Wilson
Lozhka is brilliant! The spoon is the most seductive of utensils, with its curved, sensuous shape. It is also the most comforting, possessing the power to soothe and uplift, as the recipes in Lozhka abundantly show. Dumplings, soups and stews get star billing as spoons accompany us on a journey through the culinary cultures of Eastern Europe. Alissa’s recipes are both nostalgic and innovative, each one promising solace and delight. -- Darra Goldstein
Journey across countries and cultures with nothing but a spoon in your hand and Alissa’s voice in your ear. Lush and magical. -- Bonny Reichert, bestselling author of How to Share an Egg: A True Story of Hunger, Love and Plenty
Lozhka feels like it’s been here all along; lived in, loved, ready to offer cosy comfort in the form of a bowl of borsch and a book of tales to curl up on the couch with too. -- Alice Zaslavsky
A glorious collection of entirely new recipes and flavour combinations (at least to me). I couldn’t love this book more. -- Diana Henry
Just as you would tuck into a bowl of Alissa’s quince borscht or linger over her boozy, chocolate and smetana-layered trifle, I promise you will want to do the same with this deeply felt gem of a book. Like the most generous Eastern European tables, it will not let you leave you hungry. -- Polina Chesnakova
In this brilliant book, Alissa uses the humble spoon as the jumping-off point for a rich, loving take on the soul food of her native region. The recipes and writing are equally nourishing, leaving anyone who cooks (or reads) from its pages well-fed in every sense of the word. -- Adeena Sussman
Alissa DID IT again! Recipes, memories, and whimsical traditional folklore visuals woven together in perfect unison creating a magical reading and cooking experience. Colours and images invite you to cook something new yet ancient, decadent yet delightfully light every night of the season. Reading through Lozhka feels like sitting down with your Babtsia and leaning into her warm wise embrace as she whispers to you the secrets of a happy and long life. -- Zikki Siman-Tov, chef and author of Eat Small Plates
Alissa’s new book delivers soulful, spoonable wonders that will keep you nourished and happy all year round. With evocative photographs, lively writing, and recipes that are simple to make yet full of surprises (borsch with quince! beetroot and hazelnut jam!), it is a loving homage to Eastern European cuisine. Warm, generous, and deeply personal. -- Anya von Bremzen, author National Dish and Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking
Although my mother's family left Eastern Europe for America four generations ago, a deep and persistent craving for the flavours of my ancestors' homeland—vibrant dill and pungent garlic; meaty mushrooms and thick sour cream—lives deep within me. Alissa's book welcomes me, and anyone with a curious or yearning palate, to the table with generosity and homey sophistication. -- Leah Koenig, IACP-Award Winning author of Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome's Jewish Kitchen