The Primal Gourmet Cookbook

August 17, 2020
Lvovski, a self-taught Canadian cook born to Moldovan and Lithuanian Jewish immigrant parents, brings his cultural identity to bear in this solid debut collection of hearty recipes, nearly all conforming to the Paleo or Whole30 diet. Standouts include the Ukrainian-style Bronia’s borscht, his grandmother’s recipe for a lush red concoction of beef short ribs in a soup of beets and other vegetables. The slow cooker mojo pork is based on a menu item from Toronto’s La Cubana restaurant and features pork shoulder in an orange juice marinade. And there are plenty of tasty salads, including a grilled shrimp cobb with a touch of dill. Indeed, dill is a favored ingredient throughout and shows up in everything from matzo balls to pan-fried salmon. Substitutions in the name of dietary restrictions include Greek lamb burgers with the bun replaced by slabs of iceberg lettuce, dairy-free broccoli cheddar soup that gets its cheese-like tang from nutritional yeast powder, and "miracle" fish and chips made with a batter that uses cassava flour (an ingredient Lvovski notes can be hard to find, but doesn’t provide any tips on where to source it). Among the many sauces, dressings, and spice blends offered is a Lebanese sauce dubbed “the Dracula killer,” aptly named given its 15 cloves of garlic in a cup and a half of avocado oil. Roots, both familial and vegetable, supply plenty of depth and flavor, and readers who adhere to any number of eating regimens will welcome the robust fare.