Alissa Timoshkina is a food writer, historian and campaigner, best known for the multi-award-winning #CookforUkraine initiative, which she co-founded and which continues to provide aid to children affected by the conflict.
Alissa, who is based in London, was born in Siberia to a family with Ukrainian-Jewish lineage. Her book Kapusta, published last year, celebrates vegetables native to eastern Europe and the variety of foods that have shaped culinary tradition in the region. It was highly commended at the Andre Simon Awards last week, described by judge and chef Rowley Leigh as “delightfully fresh and focused”.
This recipe for kobete, or meat and potato pie, comes from a baker, Olga Koutseridi, whose family come from Ukraine’s Greek diaspora in the southern region of Pryazovia, on the Azov Sea – a community Alissa says she knew little about until coming across Olga on Instagram but, she says, it’s an area that has been greatly damaged since the Russian invasion. “Olga draws on her PhD as a historian to not just share recipes but the essential histories behind them, preserving the Azov Sea area.” Alissa says.
As for the pie, Olga says: “This recipe comes from my Greek-Ukrainian grandmother, Eudokia; she learned it from her grandmother. This meat pie was reserved for special occasions such as holidays and communal celebrations.
“Kobete is a national dish of Crimean Tatars and Crimean Greeks. According to my grandmother, it was served for special guests that would visit Greek-Ukrainian villages all over Pryazovia. Traditionally, the pastry for this pie is made using an incredibly laborious laminating process. I adapted this recipe to accommodate the busy home cook!”
Words by Michaela Makusha
Kobete from Pryazovia
Serves 6-8
The lamb can be substituted for minced beef, pork or chicken.
Ingredients
490g puff pastry (2 sheets)
500g potatoes, thinly sliced
2 tsps salt
1 egg, beaten, for brushing
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp black sesame seeds
For the meat filling
450g minced lamb
400g onions, peeled and finely diced
35g coriander, chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground fenugreek (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
To serve
Fresh dill, coriander and spring onions, chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C (400F).
Mix together the lamb mince, onions, coriander, cumin, fenugreek (if using), and salt and pepper.
Roll out one of the pastry sheets into a large rectangle, approximately 27cm x 38cm, and no thicker than 1mm. Transfer the dough to a 23cm x 33cm non-stick rectangular baking tray, pushing it into the sides. (It is important to have enough dough to cover the sides of the baking tray as you will need the extra dough for sealing the pie.)
Place half the potatoes in a single layer covering the bottom of the pie, season with salt, then spread the meat mixture evenly across the potatoes, again seasoning with salt. Cover the meat layer with the remaining potato slices and season with salt again.
Take the second sheet of pastry and roll it out into a rectangle large enough to cover the top of the pie. Transfer it on to the pie and seal it around the edges.
Brush the top of the pie with the egg, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, and cut a cross in the middle of the pie to act as a vent.
Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 50-60 mins, until the pastry is a golden brown colour. Serve hot, garnished with coriander, dill and lots of spring onions.
Kapusta by Alissa Timoshkina is published by Quadrille (£28)
Photographs by Laura Edwards and Lizzie Mayson