Foods from Finland

Berry Whip

2 cups (cran)berries (fresh) *
1,5 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 dash salt
1/3 cup farina

* You can use cranberries, black currants, red currants or cowberries.


Heat cranberries in 1 1/2 cups water to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until berries pop, about 8 minutes.

Press cranberries through sieve to remove skins. return juice to saucepan. Add sugar, 1 cup water and the salt; heat to boiling.

Add farina gradually, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Pour into small mixer bowl. Beat on high speed until pudding becomes fluffy and light pink, 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve with milk.

Now, there's a recipe I would like to try!

Here in New England, we are BIG on using cranberries in the fall!

That looks great!

Lee

Nice if my recipe is interesting - we too here in Finland use a lot of cranberries and other ones like blueberry and lingonberry. I like to pick them from the forest by myself too. Here is other one recipe with berries, the most typical in the North Finland.

Reindeer stew

To make this stew, very thin, frozen slices of reindeer meat are slowly braised in lots of butter. This dish is typical of Lapland, the northern province of Finland, and is traditionally served with sugared lingonberries or lingonberry jam and potato puree made with Lapland almond potatoes.

700 g frozen reindeer roast*
100 g butter
salt
fresh or frozen lingonberries or cranberries or lingonberry jam

Start with cutting the half-frozen reindeer roast into paper thin slices. Melt the butter in frying pan.

When the butter is hot, cook the meat slices in it in batches, stirring until the excess moisture has evaporated. Do not brown the meat. Transfer the cooked slices in a saucepan. Repeat with the remaining meat slices. Season with salt. Traditionally no other seasonings are used — or indeed needed — to flavour this stew.

Rinse the frying pan with a dash of water and pour the water on the meat in the saucepan. Cover the pan with lid and let the stew simmer for a short while. Reindeer roast is very tender and does not have to be cooked for a long time.

Mix fresh berries with sugar and let stand until the sugar has melted. Bring frozen berries to the boil in saucepan with some sugar to taste. Stir gently until the sugar has melted. Serve with the stew.

Serving suggestion:
Spoon some potato puree on the middle of plate. Top the puree with reindeer stew and sugared lingonberries or jam.
Serves 2 - 4.



*Note: If you can´t find meat of reindeer, deer/elk/moose are good choices too.

This is one of my favourites:

Finnish Apple Pie



150 g butter
3 dl wheat flour
½ dl milk

4-5 apples

½ dl sugar
1 egg
2 dl milk
1 - 2 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oven +225 celcius degrees.

Mix butter and wheat flour, add milk, stir together.

Push dough onto a pie pan. Peel and core the apples, then slice them, cover the pan with the apples sciles (like in the picture).

Mix sugar, cinnamon, egg and milk, pour over the apples.

Bake in the oven for about 20 - 30 minutes.


Try with vanilla sauce or ice cream.

Rosolli Salad



4 boiled potatoes
4 boiled carrots
4 boiled beetroot or pickled beetroot
2 apples
1 gherkin
1 small onion
salt, white pepper

Dressing:
1 1/2 dl sour cream
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 1/2 tsp sugar

(water the beetroot was cooked in)

Cook the vegetables in their skin well beforehand until just tender. Peel the vegetables and onion, and cut them into small, equal-sized cubes. Cut apples like vegetables. Mix them together and season with a little salt and white pepper.

Whip the cream lightly, season with sugar and vinegar and add a few drops of beetroot liquid for colour. Serve the dressing separately. Garnish the salad with hard-boiled eggs, the yolks and whites chopped separately and laid in stripes on the top.

Note: This salad is traditional specially at the Finnish Christmas table.

Steak of Linström

1 lb freshly minced beef
4 egg yolks
4 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons finely chopped boiled potatoes
3 tablespoons finely chopped pickled beets or 3 tablespoons boiled beetroots
2 tablespoons grated onions
1 tablespoon capers
salt, white pepper
butter (for frying)


Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients and make four nicely shaped, high burgers.

2. Fry them at once in lots of butter (they should not be made in advance).

3. They should be medium rare inside.

4. Serve with the butter they fried in and fried or smashed potatoes and fried onions, or on a toast.

KARELIAN STEW



The traditional Karelian stew only contains two to three types of meat (sometimes with the addition of variety meats), water and salt. Only these few simple ingredients are needed to produce a truly flavourful stew.

According to one's liking, additional ingredients like allspice, pepper and bay leaf, onion and root vegetables like carrots or rutabaga may also be added to the stew. The stew is best when baked for a long time at a low temperature. In this recipe, the lamb may be omitted and replaced with pork and liver. Also, you may replace part of the liver with kidneys and/or heart. If you are using kassler pork, note that it is fattier than top loin.

Cut the meats and the liver (or kidneys/heart) in chunky pieces. If using vegetables, peel and cut them in chunky pieces as well. To make the stew more flavourful, you may brown the meats (but not the variety meats) and the vegetables quickly in a bit of butter in a hot skillet.

Layer the meats (and the marrowbones and vegetables, if using any) in a deep, large pot, adding some salt, whole pepper and allspice berries and the bay leaves between the layers. Place some of the fattiest pieces, like the kassler, on top. If you are using side pork, arrange the slices on the top as well.

Pour some cold water in the pot, just enough to almost cover the ingredients. Cook the stew, uncovered, at 125 °C for about 1½ to 5 hours, or until the meats are thoroughly tender and succulent. The cooking temperature must not exceed 150 °C. Mix the stew a couple of times during cooking.

Serve the Karelian stew with potato puree or boiled potatoes and sugared lingonberries or lingonberry jam,pickled gherkins and/or pickled beetroots.

Recipe source: family recipe.

KARELIAN POTATO PASTIES

pasty dough:

500 ml bolted rye flour *)
½ tsp salt
150 - 200 ml water
(1 - 2 tbsp turnip rape oil) ​

filling:

about 700 g potatoes, peeled
50 - 100 ml potatoes' cooking liquid
50 - 75 ml cream
2 eggs
lump of butter
pinch of salt ​

for brushing:

whole milk
lump of butter ​

Cook the potatoes in water until tender. Reserve the liquid. Puree the potatoes through a food milk and let cool a bit. Add the eggs and enough cooking liquid and cream to get a smooth mixture. The amount of liquid depends on the quality of the potatoes — the filling must not be too runny. Add a lump of butter and mix. Season with salt, cover and set aside to cool.

Prepare the pasty dough: mix the flour and salt, add the oil and water little at a time and mix to get a firm, non-sticky dough. Divide the dough in 15 - 20 equal-size pieces and roll them into small balls. With a tapered rolling pin, roll out the flattened balls one at a time into very thin disks, about 1 mm thick and 10 - 15 cm in diameter. (You could also try to use a pasta machine for rolling.) Cover the pie disks lightly with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
Spread about ½ cm thick layer of the potato filling evenly in the centre of the pie disks, see figure 1 below. Note: the filling must not be too runny, it should hold its shape when spread on the pie disks.
Raise the edges of the pie disks over the filling towards the centre, pinching the edges with your fingers (see figure 2) to make the pasty look like shown in figure 3.

Figure 1

Figure 2​

Figure 3​

​

Place the pasties on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake at 255 - 300 °C for about 5 - 7 minutes or until brown specks start to appear on their surface.

Meanwhile, heat about 150 ml whole milk in a saucepan, add a big lump of butter and let it melt. Using tongs or spatula, dip the piping hot pasties one at a time in the hot milk-butter mixture and place them in a large, shallow bowl or a plate, preferably in one layer. Cover the bowl tightly with parchment paper and a towel, and let the pasties soften for about half an hour.

Serve the warm pasties spread with butter. They may also be served with various savoury toppings, like ham, cheese, etc. Pasties can be reheated in oven or a toaster.

*) Use rye flour milled from partly hulled rye kernels, having a finer texture and lighter colour than regular rye flour. If this flour (also known as "bolted rye flour") is unavailable, use half regular rye flour and half wheat flour.

Recipe source: traditional Finnish recipe.

Other variations for filling:

KARELIAN RICE PASTIES

150 ml short grain rice
300 ml water
650 ml whole milk
butter
1 - 2 eggs or egg yolks
pinch of salt

KARELIAN CARROT PASTIES

300 g carrots, diced
pat of butter
100 - 200 ml cream
2 egg yolks
dark molasses
pinch of salt

BAKED EGG CHEESE
Traditional Finnish cheese

Making fresh cheese by curdling milk with buttermilk is an old tradition on Finnish dairy farms. The cheese can be seasoned with various spices or herbs and eaten fresh or it can be baked in oven until golden.

The best cheese is made from freshly milked, unprocessed cows' milk, but also regular store-bought milk will do. Use regular, store-bought buttermilk. Note that some special buttermilks, eg the ones containing acidophilus and bifidus bacteria, may result in a stretchy cheese, and should not be used. Let two of the eggs and the buttermilk — unopened, in its carton — stand at room temperature for a few hours or overnight.

Later, or on the next day, bring the milk slowly to the boil in a very large, thick-bottomed saucepan, stirring continually. If the milk is brought to a thorough but brief boil, the resulting cheese will have a better, lighter consistency. Break the two eggs in a bowl and whisk together with the buttermilk.

Pour the buttermilk mixture in the hot milk in thin stream, whisking continually. Bring the mixture to the boil again, but remove from heat straight away. The mixture must not be allowed to cook any more. Cover the pan and let stand in a warm place for half an hour for the curds and whey to separate. If the mixture is left to stand for too long, it will become too tough.

Curd and whey slowly separating

When the whey has turned clear, transfer the resulted curd with a slotted spoon to a strainer lined with clean cheesecloth dampened with boiling water. Drain the curd thoroughly and transfer to a bowl. The left over whey can be used as liquid for bread doughs, pancake batters etc.

Stir in two and a half lightly beaten eggs and the salt. Reserve the remaining half an egg for glazing. Beat the mixture for a few minutes with an electric mixer, until it is smooth. Spoon the mixture into a wooden or plastic cheese mould lined with a clean cheesecloth dampened with boiling water. If you do not have a special mould, use a bowl-shaped, cheesecloth-lined strainer instead.


Cheese mould


Line the mould with cheesecloth


Fill the mould with curd


Cover the mould

Cover the cheese by lifting the overhanging edges of cheesecloth over it and place a light weight on top. Place the mould in refrigerator overnight and let any extra liquid run out into a bowl or a deep plate placed underneath the mould. There wont be much liquid coming out from the cheese, but it has to be pressed to make it firm.


pressed, unbaked fresh cheese

On the next day, unmould the cheese, brush the surface with the reserved half an egg and bake at 225 °C for 15 - 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown on surface and golden inside.

Serve the cheese warm, either as a dessert with homemade raspberry or cloudberry jam and vanilla-flavoured whipped cream, or as a savoury snack with bread, pastries, etc.

Egg cheese can be stored for several days in refrigerator, wrapped in parchment paper. Do not use tightly sealed plastic wraps or bags for wrapping or the cheese will turn sour.

Recipe source: traditional Finnish recipe

EGG AND BUTTER SPREAD

4 eggs
40 - 60 g butter

Cook the eggs in boiling water for 10 minutes. Rinse the eggs with cold water and shell them.

Using a fork, finely mash the warm eggs together with the butter. Season with salt, if necessary. You can use an egg slicer to slice the eggs before mashing. Slice them first crosswise and then lengthwise.

Egg and butter spread is traditionally served spread on Finnish Karelian pasties.

It can also be used in sandwiches or on canapés. Store the spread covered in refrigerator but take it out to soften before use.

Recipe source: family recipe/traditional Finnish recipe

These dishes look magnificent, and so different!

The Rosolli salad is making my mouth water!

Yumm!

Lee

This one is traditionally eaten before the Easter (but other times too):

Finnish Pea Soup



Ingredients:

500 g peas (dried)
3 l beef broth (from cubes, if you like)
500 g minced meat
1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon marjoram
1 tablespoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt (more if needed)


Directions:

Soak peas in water overnight.

Add peas and bring them to a boil in the beef broth.

Add marjoram or thyme.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 - 1.5 hours.

Heat oil in a pan and on medium heat, add the mince meat and stir fry till nicely browned.

When peas are cooked and mushy add the meat and stir together.

Serve hot, season with salt and mustard.

Finnish Peas in the pod

Fresh green peas cooked inside their pods is a typical Finnish summer treat. Its name by Finnish is Apposet.

The pods are eaten by dipping them in melted butter and sticking them in the mouth whole, pulling between the teeth, stripping off the peas and the green pulp.

fresh green field or garden peas in pods — 1 - 2 l per person
water
salt
(bunch of parsley or dill)
melted butter

Melt some butter.

Rinse the pea pods thoroughly under running water. Preferably use organically grown peas that have not been sprayed with insecticides. The pea variety used in this recipe should be the field pea (Pisum sativum arvense). Since field peas are nowadays hard to find in Finnish stores and market stalls, the sweeter garden peas (Pisum sativum sativum) are usually used instead of them.

Bring water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the salt. Use one tablespoon of salt for every one litre of water. (Add the parsley, if using it.) Pour in the whole pods and lower the heat. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes, or until the pods feel tender and are just about to open up. They must not become mushy. The cooking time varies depending on the pea variety used. Field peas may take even up to one hour to cook.

Drain the pods and pour into a warmed serving dish. Field peas may be sprinkled with a dash of sugar. Serve immediately with the melted butter. The pods are eaten whole: hold a pod by its stem, dip it in the cup of melted butter and stick it in your mouth. Pull it out between your teeth, stripping off the pulp and the peas.

Sandwich cake with fish



Sandwich cake is scandinavian speciality. It is a typical in big parties like weddings. What fish makes with cake anyway? Let´s see.

500g toast
milk or fish broth


Filling nr 1:
400g cottage cheese
150g shrimps
150g-200g mayonnaise
chives

Filling nr 2:
100g cottage cheese with sour cream
200g tuna fish
fresh dill


* Remove the edges of the toasts and place them to tray (for ex. 3x4)
* Moisten toast with milk or broth
* Spread filling nr.1 on toasts and place the next layer and moisten also this one. Now spread filling nr.2 on toasts.
* Place the third layer but do not moisten this one. Cover the whole cake with filling nr.1 so the seams won't be noticeable.
* Put the cake to the fridge for 12 hour (cover by plastic bag)
* Decorate the cake before serving with for ex. raw pickled salmon, smoked raw salmon, tuna, caviar, lime, lemon, cucumber, boiled eggs, fresh herbs....

CARROT CASSEROLE



Like many other Finnish Christmas casserole dishes, this carrot casserole tastes a bit sweet.

Below you will find two recipes featuring slightly different preparation methods. Bring the water to the boil in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until water is wholly absorbed in it. Add the milk and bring the mixture to the boil again, stirring frequently. Lower the heat to minimum, cover the pan with lid and simmer until the rice and milk have thickened into a soft-textured, velvety smooth porridge. Stir every now and then to prevent the porridge from burning on the bottom or forming a skin on the surface.

Meanwhile, peel the carrots and cut off their ends. Cut the carrots in about 5 cm long chunks. If they are very thick, halve them lengthwise. Cook the carrots in boiling water until tender. Pour out the cooking water. Place the uncovered pan back to the warm stove plate, so that the excess moisture will evaporate, and the carrots feel dry. Puree the carrots through a food mill.

Mix the carrot puree in the rice porridge and let the mixture cool a bit. Add the salt, molasses, eggs and half of the cream. Whip the rest of the cream and gently fold it in. Pour the batter into one or two buttered oven casseroles.

Sprinkle the surface with a thin layer of dry breadcrumbs and decorate it by pressing little bumps on it with the tip of a spoon. Dot the surface with pats of butter.

Bake the casserole either at 175 °C for 1 - 1½ hours or at 200 °C for about 1 hour until the batter is set and cooked, slightly puffed and golden brown on top. Serve the casserole with baked Christmas ham.

Although carrot casserole is always best when prepared, baked and eaten fresh from the scratch, it can be frozen after baking. In that case, omit the breadcrumbs. Let the frozen casserole thaw in refrigerator. If necessary, moisten the casserole by mixing in a bit of cream before warming it up. Cover the casserole and warm at 150 °C.

Quicker method for making carrot casserole: Cook the rice in boiling water until almost tender. Strain the rice. Peel and grate the raw carrots using a very fine grater. Whip the cream. Mix the cooked rice, grated carrots, eggs, egg yolks, salt and molasses and finally fold in the whipped cream. Pour the batter into one or two buttered oven casseroles.

Sprinkle the surface with a thin layer of dry breadcrumbs and decorate it by pressing little bumps on it with the tip of a spoon. Dot the surface with pats of butter.

Bake the casserole either at 175 °C for 1 - 1½ hours or at 200 °C for about 1 hour until the batter is set and cooked, slightly puffed and golden brown on top. Serve the casserole with baked Christmas ham.

Although carrot casserole is always best when prepared, baked and eaten fresh from the scratch, it can be frozen after baking. In that case, omit the breadcrumbs. Let the frozen casserole thaw in refrigerator. If necessary, moisten the casserole by mixing in a bit of cream before warming it up. Cover the casserole and warm at 150 °C.

Recipe source: family recipe/traditional Finnish recipe

------------------------------------------------

Quite similar is also

RUTABAGA CASSEROLE



Use a large, sturdy knife and watch your fingers when cutting up rutabaga, since it is a rather hard-textured vegetable.

It is best to cut it in thick slices, then remove the peel around the slices with a paring knife or a vegetable peeler. Thickly slice and peel the rutabaga(s). Cut the slices in chunky pieces. Cook the pieces in unsalted water until almost tender. Pour out the cooking water. Place the uncovered pan back to the warm stove plate, so that the excess moisture will evaporate, and the rutabaga feels dry.

Push the rutabaga through a food mill to get about 1 kilogram of smooth puree. Let the puree cool a bit, then mix in the salt, molasses, flour, eggs and half of the cream. Whip the rest of the cream and gently fold it in. Pour the runny batter into one or two buttered oven casseroles.

Sprinkle the surface with a thin layer of dry breadcrumbs and decorate it by pressing little bumps on it with the tip of a spoon. Dot the surface generously with pats of butter.

Bake the casserole either at 175 °C for 1 - 1½ hours or at 150 °C for a bit longer until the batter is set, slightly puffed and golden brown on top. Serve the casserole with baked Christmas ham.

Although rutabaga casserole is always best when prepared, baked and eaten fresh from the scratch, it can be frozen after baking. In that case, omit the breadcrumbs. Let the frozen casserole thaw in refrigerator. If necessary, moisten the casserole by mixing in a bit of cream before warming it up. Cover the casserole and warm at 150 °C.

Recipe source: family recipe/traditional Finnish recipe

New Potatoes with Pickled Herring



In Finland, the beginning of the new potato season in the early summer is as much an anticipated moment as the asparagus season in the central Europe.

For many Finns, nothing is better than a very simple, yet tasty dish of boiled new potatoes eaten with pickled herring, a pat of butter and a sprig of fresh dill.

A lot of care should be put in finding and buying fresh new potatoes of the highest quality. Flavour, freshness and texture of the potato are the most important factors when picking them out.

Good potatoes must be firm, ie not give back when pressed, and they should not be watery, floury or rubbery after they have been cooked. Ideally, new potatoes should be consumed as soon as they have been picked, preferably on the same day.

If you should be lucky enough to have some excellent new potatoes at hand, here is some advice for cooking them properly. Since new potatoes, especially small ones, are very delicate, it is usually best to steam them instead of cooking submerged in water.

small new potatoes — as fresh as possible
salt
large bunch of fresh dill
for serving:
pickled or marinated herring
fresh dill
butter
(salt)

Pick out potatoes of about the same size and peel them. The paper-thin peel of fresh new potatoes usually comes off easily by just rubbing the potatoes between your hands and rinsing them briefly under cold running water. You can also brush the potatoes with a vegetable brush under cold running water or scrape them with a paring knife if necessary. Cleaned, peeled new potatoes have to be cooked immediately.

To boil new potatoes:
Bring a large saucepan of water to a brisk boil. Add some salt and lots of fresh dill, but save most of the dill leaves for seasoning of the cooked potatoes. Wait for the water to come to the boil again and add the potatoes. Immediately lower the heat, the water should just gently simmer. Make sure there is enough water to cover the potatoes by a couple of centimetres.

Cover the pan with lid and cook until the potatoes are tender. The cooking time depends on the size and variety of the potatoes, but it should usually take about 15 to 20 minutes, and less, if the potatoes are very tiny (about thumb-sized). Test doneness by inserting a fork in a potato, it should sink in easily. If the potatoes are cooked for too long, they will break. However, a common mistake, practised especially by many restaurants, is to serve boiled new potatoes underdone and too hard.

To steam new potatoes:
Pour water in the lower part of a steaming pan and bring it to the boil. Add some salt. Place the potatoes in the upper part of the steamer and place inside the lower part. Preferably tuck some dill stems between the potatoes, but save most of the dill leaves for seasoning of the cooked potatoes. Cover with lid and steam until tender. Test doneness by inserting a fork in a potato, it should sink in easily. Continue with the recipe as described below.

Strain out the water and pick out and discard the now mushy dill, leaving the potatoes in the pan.

Switch off the heat and place the pan uncovered on the still warm stove plate for a couple of minutes for the excess steam to evaporate from the potatoes. You may shake the pan very gently to prevent the potatoes from burning or sticking on its bottom.

Coarsely chop the fresh dill leaves (for a quick, simple method, see here) and sprinkle on the potatoes (see the picture on above right).

Serve immediately with pickled herring, pats of butter and fresh dill sprigs.




YES! This is what the summer looks like to me...

Fried Baltic Herrings

4 portions

700 gr Baltic Herring fillets
salt
ground black or white pepper
1 dl rye flour
finely shredded dill
shredded chives
butter and oil for frying

Place half of the Baltic Herring fillets on a greaseproof paper, skin side down, and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, shredded dill and shredded chives. Place the remaining Baltic Herring fillets, skin side up, over the (skin side down) fillets. Cover the fillets on both sides with rye flour.

Fry the Baltic Herring fillets on both sides in butter and some oil, on a frying pan, until golden brown.




(I just ate them yesterday. )

Ok one more today...

Runeberg's muffin




Ingredients:
- 200 g margarine or butter
- 2 dl sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 dl wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 dl sweet bread crumbs (e.g. crumbled biscuits)
- 2 dl ground almonds (appr. 80 g)
- 1 dl single cream
- solid raspberry jam

To moisten:
- 2 dl water
- 1 dl sugar

Topping:
solid raspberry jam or marmelade

Icing:
- 1 dl icing sugar
- 2 tsp water or lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Grind the almonds and combine them with the bread crumbs. Cream the butter or margarine and sugar together. Add one egg at a time, beating the mixture well after each egg. Combine the flour and baking powder and stir into the mixture.

Add the cardemom, bread crumbs and almonds and finally the cream. Mix lightly but do not unnecessarily stir the mixture. Grease a muffin mould and put a equal amount of the mixture into the hollows. Leave room for the mixture to raise in the hollows. Using a floured fingertip, press a hole in the middle of each muffin. Place about half a teaspoonful of jam or marmelade on each muffin. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes.

Boil the water and melt the sugar in it. Moisten the baked muffins with the liquid. When the muffins are still hot, add another half a teaspoonful of jam in the middle. Let the muffins cool.

Combine the icing sugar and water or lemon juice in a small bowl. Pour the liquid icing around the jam.


* These muffins have got they name from Finnish poet, Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804 - 1877) and are traditional food serving specially at 5th of February what we are calling as "Day of Runeberg" as it was his birthday. Story tells these kind of muffins were his favourites what he ate every day at breakfast.

GRAVLAX
Salt-cured raw salmon

We Nordic people, to whom salmon has almost always been common everyday food, cannot help but smile or stand aghast at the ridiculously high pricing of various gravlax products sold in gourmet shops, delicatessen counters or airport "luxury" food shops in some countries, as gravlax is one of the simplest and easiest dishes in the world to be prepared at home, if you only have access to good-quality, fresh salmon.

one fillet or a piece of fresh salmon fillet with skin
coarse-grained sea salt — 3 - 4 tbsp per 1 kg of fish *)
sugar — 4 tbsp per 1 kg of fish
large bunch of fresh dill

Choosing the right type of fish:
The salmon must be absolutely fresh and kept properly chilled. Also trout or rainbow trout may be used instead of salmon. Frozen fish should not be used, especially when making freshly salted fish, as freezing worsens the texture of the above mentioned oily fish species (see the note printed in bold below). In countries where salmon and other trout fish do not occur naturally and are only available as imported, frozen products, it is best to seek a good-quality speciality fishmonger selling sushi-grade fresh salmon and other fish.

However, after seeing outside Finland, that for example in countries like Ireland the fresh fish sold to consumers is often positively infested with sealworms/codworms (Pseudoterranova decipiens) or other types of parasites, I think in most countries it is never absolutely safe to eat raw fish without freezing it first. To avoid any risks, follow the guidelines issued by your local food safety authorities.

Curing the fish:

Place the salmon fillet skin-side down on a large piece of clean parchment paper. Run your fingers on the surface of the fillet to feel any bones and remove them by pulling them out using fish tweezers (or use regular tweezers). Make sure your hands and all the utensils you are using are clean — it is a good idea to wear disposable, thin plastic gloves.
Mix together the salt and sugar and sprinkle evenly on the fillet. Some people also like to add just a hint of freshly grated or coarsely crushed white pepper in the mixture. Distribute the dill sprigs, with their stems slightly crushed with a back of a spoon, on top (see the pictures below). Do not use chopped dill, as the small leaves will only get soggy during curing and become difficult to remove afterwards. One can never use "too much" dill to season gravlax!

Note: when making traditional gravlax, only salt, sugar and dill are used to enhance the delicious, natural flavour of raw salmon flesh. Adding all kinds of "exotic" spices on the salmon or drenching it in liquors, like vodka, aquavit, cognac or brandy, will completely adulterate the unique, delicate flavour of this dish (for example, curing salmon with cognac may produce a turpentine-like off-flavour). Of course you can use whatever "unorthodox" ingredients to cure your salmon — just don't call it gravlax, as it would be a bit of an insult toward this ancient dish and the Nordic culinary heritage.


Piece of fresh salmon fillet


Sprinkle with salt and sugar

Distribute dill on surface


Wrap and place in a dish

Tightly wrap the fillet in the parchment paper, then in plastic and place the package, with the fish skin-side down, in a deep dish, to catch any juices leaking out of the packet (see the picture above). There is no need to turn the fillet during curing or place any weight on top of it, as stated in some recipes. Place the dish in refrigerator for about 12 - 24 hours — but no longer than 48 hours. The longer the fillet is kept this way, the saltier it becomes.

In my family, we find the salmon best when it is only very lightly salted. In fact, we often just cut fresh, skinned salmon into thick, shortish strips, place them on a plate, sprinkle with a little bit of salt, cover and let stand in refrigerator for an hour or two. We then eat the salmon either plain or dipped in soy sauce mixed with a bit of wasabi paste, like sashimi.

Slicing the gravlax:
Unwrap the paper package, pour out the accumulated juices, remove the dill and gently wipe the surface of the fish clean. Cut the flesh into thin slices along the skin with a filleting knife (see the pictures below).

Slicing a fillet or piece of salt-cured salmon

Remove the soggy, limp dill, pour out accumulated juices and wipe the surface clean


Cut out thin slices along the skin with a fish filleting knife


Repeat until all flesh is cut out

Serving the gravlax:
Arrange the salmon slices in a serving dish and sprinkle lots of fresh, chopped dill on top. Gravlax can be served as it is, garnished with dill and lemon slices or wedges, or with the traditional Swedish dill and mustard sauce, or used to make gravlax canapés, or more elaborate open-face sandwiches, garnished with lettuce, mayonnaise, créme fraiche, lemon, dill, slices of hard-boiled egg, shrimps, etc. Especially in summer time, one may serve freshly-boiled new potatoes as an accompaniment or eating gravlax to layer it thickly on a thin slice of generously buttered white bread or toast, dark sourdough rye or black sweet-and-sour rye bread, or rye crispbread, with lots of chopped fresh dill sprinkled on top.

Also the leftover skin from the salmon fillet may be eaten: scrape off any remaining flesh from the skin, so that only the skin is left. Cut the skin up crosswise in narrow strips (about 1 centimetre wide), and either grill them or fry in a hot pan until crisp and curled up, but do not let them burn. Serve immediately, eg on side of the gravlax or as a crunchy snack with beer and drinks.

Storing the gravlax:
Wrapped in plastic and refrigerated, gravlax made according to this recipe will keep for up to two to three days. It should never be frozen, as freezing worsens the texture of salmon and other oily fish.

Additional information:
Also smaller cuts of salmon fillet may be salt-cured — just reduce the amount of sugar and salt in proportion to the weight of the fillet cut. Let salmon pieces that are thin and/or weighing less than 400 - 500 grams marinate only for about 8 to 12 hours. Cut out and eat a slice of the fish to see, whether it is salty enough for your taste. Note that the flesh on the surface will be saltier than that next to the skin-side. Gravlax should not be overly salty — while the original purpose of salting raw salmon was to preserve it, today salt is only used as a seasoning.

*) If you do not happen to have coarse-grained sea salt, use half the amount finely granulated sea salt. Regular table salts, especially those containing anti-caking agents, added iodine or other additives, should not be used in salting gravlax, or indeed any other fish or food.

Note: An excellent appetizer.

Recipe source: traditional Nordic recipe

LINGONBERRY PARFAIT




200 ml lingonberries or cranberries — fresh or frozen
200 ml sugar
200 ml cream
4 egg yolks

additional equipment:

cheesecloth
cylindrical or rectangular parfait mould, about 600 - 1000 ml in capacity, preferably with a lid, or small individual freeze-proof ramekins or disposable paper or plastic cups

Place the berries and sugar in a saucepan on medium-low heat and crush the berries with a pounder. If the berries are frozen, heat the mixture gently until the berries start to soften, and then crush them.

Cook the berries and sugar, covered, for 15 - 20 minutes on medium or low heat. Strain the liquid in a bowl through a fine cheesecloth, cover and let cool at room temperature. The liquid will thicken into a thick syrup as it cools down.

Whip the cream until stiff. Beat the egg yolks until pale and fluffy and gently combine with the whipped cream. Add the thick berry syrup, mix thoroughly and pour in a chilled parfait mould or into small individual moulds, paper/plastic cups, etc. Cover the dish with a lid (or with plastic wrap and foil) and freeze overnight.

Remove the lid or the cover from the parfait mould. Unmould the parfait by dipping the mould upside down briefly into hot water. Quickly wipe the surface of the mould dry with a towel and turn it onto the serving plate: the parfait should easily slide out from the mould.

The mould may also be carefully warmed with a hairdryer to help to loosen the parfait. Serve the unmoulded parfait immediately or place it in freezer to wait for the serving time. Garnish the parfait with whipped cream, lingonberries, cranberries, chocolate shavings, etc.

Recipe source: "Karpalojäädyke" by chef Eero Mäkelä

More traditional Finnish foods (also some Finno-Russian and Finno-Swedish recipes):

http://www.dlc.fi/~marian1/gourmet/finnish.htm

Pick up your favourites.

Kalakukko - Traditional Fish-Pork Pie

"Traditional loaf-shaped fish and pork pie of the Savo region in eastern Finland. The filling consists of layers of fish and pork fat, which are wrapped inside a rye crust and slowly baked in oven. Kalakukko can be filled with whole small fish (vendace) or fish fillets (eg vendace, perch, rainbow trout) and with layers of pork fat and salt. Patakukko is another version of kukko where the filling ingredients are layered in a deep pot or oven pan, covered with dough crust and baked."

Dough:
1 2/3 cups (4 dl) water
3 cups (7 dl) rye flour
1 1/4 cups (3 dl) all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp (50 gr) butter
2 tsp salt

Filling:
1 3/4 pounds (800 gr) small fish (vendace, perch)
7 ounces (200 gr) side pork or bacon
1 Tbsp salt

1. Clean the fish and strain well. Prepare the dough. Mix the flours and salt and then stir them into the water. Add the soft butter and knead into a firm dough. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a circular, approximately 1 cm thick crust (the center of the crust should be thicker than the edges). Sprinkle the center of the crust with rye flour.

2. Place the fish, salt and side pork, in layers, onto the center of the crust. Raise the edges and close the seam tightly with water and flour. Form into a round shape. Place the pie upside down (the seam downwards) onto a baking tray covered with greaseproof paper.

3. Bake at 400°F (200°C) until the crust has a brownish color. Wrap the pie in foil, lower the heat to 200°F (75 - 100 ° C), and bake for approximately 5 - 6 more hours. After removing the pie from the oven, cover it with a kitchen towel to soften the crust.

Source: http://wholegrainscouncil.org/recipes/main-dishes/finnish-fish-pie-or-kalakukko



Picture: http://hirose.sendai-nct.ac.jp/00submenu/05zaiko/WWW-page/Finnishfood.html

----------------------------------------------

Warning note:

Do not eat this pie too often, as the areas in which this food is eaten frequently, heart diseases are common - it contains much fat.

I'm bumping this up for dandiamond.

Saliha, of all the wonderful-looking dishes you've posted in this thread, the first thing I'd go for are the potato pasties with egg and butter topping.

Wow!

Lee

Saliha said:

Steak of Linström

1 lb freshly minced beef
4 egg yolks
4 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons finely chopped boiled potatoes
3 tablespoons finely chopped pickled beets or 3 tablespoons boiled beetroots
2 tablespoons grated onions
1 tablespoon capers
salt, white pepper
butter (for frying)


Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients and make four nicely shaped, high burgers.

2. Fry them at once in lots of butter (they should not be made in advance).

3. They should be medium rare inside.

4. Serve with the butter they fried in and fried or smashed potatoes and fried onions, or on a toast.

Click to expand...

I want this! Looks wonderful.

QSis said:

I'm bumping this up for dandiamond.

Saliha, of all the wonderful-looking dishes you've posted in this thread, the first thing I'd go for are the potato pasties with egg and butter topping.

Wow!

Lee

Click to expand...

Looks like the Michigan Upper Peninsula Finnish Pasty's didn't make it Qsis.

Dan, I took your post out of the dinner thread (great photos and recipes get lost and buried in those threads) and started a thread of its own in the Ethnic Forum.

http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26573&highlight=pasties

If you want, I will move your stuff here. Let me know and it's done!

Lee

Saliha said:

GRAVLAX
Salt-cured raw salmon

We Nordic people, to whom salmon has almost always been common everyday food, cannot help but smile or stand aghast at the ridiculously high pricing of various gravlax products sold in gourmet shops, delicatessen counters or airport "luxury" food shops in some countries, as gravlax is one of the simplest and easiest dishes in the world to be prepared at home, if you only have access to good-quality, fresh salmon.

one fillet or a piece of fresh salmon fillet with skin
coarse-grained sea salt — 3 - 4 tbsp per 1 kg of fish *)
sugar — 4 tbsp per 1 kg of fish
large bunch of fresh dill

Choosing the right type of fish:
The salmon must be absolutely fresh and kept properly chilled. Also trout or rainbow trout may be used instead of salmon. Frozen fish should not be used, especially when making freshly salted fish, as freezing worsens the texture of the above mentioned oily fish species (see the note printed in bold below). In countries where salmon and other trout fish do not occur naturally and are only available as imported, frozen products, it is best to seek a good-quality speciality fishmonger selling sushi-grade fresh salmon and other fish.

However, after seeing outside Finland, that for example in countries like Ireland the fresh fish sold to consumers is often positively infested with sealworms/codworms (Pseudoterranova decipiens) or other types of parasites, I think in most countries it is never absolutely safe to eat raw fish without freezing it first. To avoid any risks, follow the guidelines issued by your local food safety authorities.

Curing the fish:

Place the salmon fillet skin-side down on a large piece of clean parchment paper. Run your fingers on the surface of the fillet to feel any bones and remove them by pulling them out using fish tweezers (or use regular tweezers). Make sure your hands and all the utensils you are using are clean — it is a good idea to wear disposable, thin plastic gloves.
Mix together the salt and sugar and sprinkle evenly on the fillet. Some people also like to add just a hint of freshly grated or coarsely crushed white pepper in the mixture. Distribute the dill sprigs, with their stems slightly crushed with a back of a spoon, on top (see the pictures below). Do not use chopped dill, as the small leaves will only get soggy during curing and become difficult to remove afterwards. One can never use "too much" dill to season gravlax!

Note: when making traditional gravlax, only salt, sugar and dill are used to enhance the delicious, natural flavour of raw salmon flesh. Adding all kinds of "exotic" spices on the salmon or drenching it in liquors, like vodka, aquavit, cognac or brandy, will completely adulterate the unique, delicate flavour of this dish (for example, curing salmon with cognac may produce a turpentine-like off-flavour). Of course you can use whatever "unorthodox" ingredients to cure your salmon — just don't call it gravlax, as it would be a bit of an insult toward this ancient dish and the Nordic culinary heritage.

Piece of fresh salmon fillet

Sprinkle with salt and sugar

Distribute dill on surface

Wrap and place in a dish

Tightly wrap the fillet in the parchment paper, then in plastic and place the package, with the fish skin-side down, in a deep dish, to catch any juices leaking out of the packet (see the picture above). There is no need to turn the fillet during curing or place any weight on top of it, as stated in some recipes. Place the dish in refrigerator for about 12 - 24 hours — but no longer than 48 hours. The longer the fillet is kept this way, the saltier it becomes.

In my family, we find the salmon best when it is only very lightly salted. In fact, we often just cut fresh, skinned salmon into thick, shortish strips, place them on a plate, sprinkle with a little bit of salt, cover and let stand in refrigerator for an hour or two. We then eat the salmon either plain or dipped in soy sauce mixed with a bit of wasabi paste, like sashimi.

Slicing the gravlax:
Unwrap the paper package, pour out the accumulated juices, remove the dill and gently wipe the surface of the fish clean. Cut the flesh into thin slices along the skin with a filleting knife (see the pictures below).

Slicing a fillet or piece of salt-cured salmon

Remove the soggy, limp dill, pour out accumulated juices and wipe the surface clean

Cut out thin slices along the skin with a fish filleting knife

Repeat until all flesh is cut out

Serving the gravlax:
Arrange the salmon slices in a serving dish and sprinkle lots of fresh, chopped dill on top. Gravlax can be served as it is, garnished with dill and lemon slices or wedges, or with the traditional Swedish dill and mustard sauce, or used to make gravlax canapés, or more elaborate open-face sandwiches, garnished with lettuce, mayonnaise, créme fraiche, lemon, dill, slices of hard-boiled egg, shrimps, etc. Especially in summer time, one may serve freshly-boiled new potatoes as an accompaniment or eating gravlax to layer it thickly on a thin slice of generously buttered white bread or toast, dark sourdough rye or black sweet-and-sour rye bread, or rye crispbread, with lots of chopped fresh dill sprinkled on top.

Also the leftover skin from the salmon fillet may be eaten: scrape off any remaining flesh from the skin, so that only the skin is left. Cut the skin up crosswise in narrow strips (about 1 centimetre wide), and either grill them or fry in a hot pan until crisp and curled up, but do not let them burn. Serve immediately, eg on side of the gravlax or as a crunchy snack with beer and drinks.

Storing the gravlax:
Wrapped in plastic and refrigerated, gravlax made according to this recipe will keep for up to two to three days. It should never be frozen, as freezing worsens the texture of salmon and other oily fish.

Additional information:
Also smaller cuts of salmon fillet may be salt-cured — just reduce the amount of sugar and salt in proportion to the weight of the fillet cut. Let salmon pieces that are thin and/or weighing less than 400 - 500 grams marinate only for about 8 to 12 hours. Cut out and eat a slice of the fish to see, whether it is salty enough for your taste. Note that the flesh on the surface will be saltier than that next to the skin-side. Gravlax should not be overly salty — while the original purpose of salting raw salmon was to preserve it, today salt is only used as a seasoning.

*) If you do not happen to have coarse-grained sea salt, use half the amount finely granulated sea salt. Regular table salts, especially those containing anti-caking agents, added iodine or other additives, should not be used in salting gravlax, or indeed any other fish or food.

Note: An excellent appetizer.

Recipe source: traditional Nordic recipe

Click to expand...

This is on my to-do list after I get things back to normal.

QSis said:

Dan, I took your post out of the dinner thread (great photos and recipes get lost and buried in those threads) and started a thread of its own in the Ethnic Forum.

http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26573&highlight=pasties

If you want, I will move your stuff here. Let me know and it's done!

Lee

Click to expand...

Yea Lee, that is a good idea.