Clams with creamy Fennel and Parsnip sauce

This one i made yesterday for the first time. I really like Clams, but i have never made them myself like this before. This is really fast and traditional recipe, exept i made my own little twist on it.

Here's how to make this:

• One bag of clams 
• About 4-5 dl cream
• About 1 dl white wine
• One bunch of Fresh parsley
• Salt & Pepper
• Half small Fennel
• One Parsnip
• One small Onion
• 3 Cloves of Garlic
• Olive oil 

First wash the Clams well. Soak and twirl them in cold water for a while so that the sand will get well off from the Clams. Then Cut the onion, garlic, parsnip and fennel to small pieces. Pour some oil on a hot deep pan and add the veggies to the pan. Fry the mix until veggies look soft. Add some white wine on the pan, put the heat a bit down. Add cream, salt and pepper. Spice up the broth until you think it's tasty enough. Add the parsley. And last add the clams. Shake the pan that the clams get mixed well with the broth. Cover with lit and let it boil on a small heat for about 3-4 minutes until the clams have opened up. Serve with some fresh white bread and enjoy!

Finnish Style Cabbage dish

I haven't updated my blog since November so i had a lot of pictures in my camera. I have made lot's of Finnish traditional dishes lately, maybe also because have missed Finland so much. And yes i am a Finn, living in Stockholm now thou. Anyways back to business. This is a really traditional old school food from Finland. It's Finnish name is "Kaalilaatikko" and normally it's made with minced meat, but i have again made my vegetarian version of it. This dish is really good when it's made well. Some people hate it, but it think it's because they have got the bad version of this at schools in Finland. Here is a recipe how i make it delicious!

• Half of a Cabbage
• One onion
• Minced soy meat
• 3-4 Garlic cloves
• About 3-4 dl porridge rice 
• Oil
• Butter
• About 3-5 dl Cream
• About 3-4 dl Vegetable broth
• Salt & pepper

First boil the rice until it's allmost soft. Heat up the oven to 225 degrees. Fry some soymeat with onion on the pan. Add spices and garlic. Put a a side to cool down. Fry the cabbage on pan in oil just like about 5 minutes, until it's shiny. Don't fry it done, cabbage needs to be crispy.  Add some salt and pepper. Spread some butter on a flat long oven bowl, that the butter covers all the inside of the bowl. Pour the rice and the soymeat mix on the oven bowl and mix it until their mixed together. Add the vegetarian broth and cream on the bowl. Pour it all over that it fills up the bowl with liquid. Cook the dish in the oven about 30-40 minutes, until the surface looks golden brown. Serve with some Cowberry jam and enjoy.

Minced Soybean sauce

Another typical Finnish food is "Jauhelihakastike", which is a creamy meat sauce made from minced meat. And again really simple and fast to make! Ofcourse i make my own vegetarian version, since i don't eat meat. This is the kind of food i like to make when i am tired after work and really don't have any energy or time to make any complex food. And this is really delicious too!

Here is what you need:

• Minced fake meat (minced soybeas, i used Häslans Kök frozen Sojafärsh)
• One onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Cream (optional Soy cream if you want to make a vegan version)
• Fresh Thyme
• Salt & pepper
• Paprica spice
• A hint of soy sauce
• Olive Oil

Fry the soymeat in oil on a pan with the onions and the garlic. Spice up well with salt, pepper, paprika and hint of soy sauce. Add cream and thyme, mix well and taste that you have enought spices. Serve with some boiled potatoes and steamed vegetables like cauliflower. Easy, fast and delicious!

Finnish style Vegetarian Macaroni dish

This is really typical Finnish style homefood. It's called in Finnish "Makaronilaatikko". Finnish people make this often and it's again simple and easy to make. Normally it's made with minced meat, but instead of meat i use minced soybeans. Here is the recipe how to make it:

• about 4 dl Macaroni
• About 3-4 dl minced soybeans (fake minced meat. You can find this in almost all local stores. I used Hälsans Kök frozen sojafärsh)
• One Onion
• 2 Carrots
• 3 Eggs
• about 4 dl Milk
• Breadcrumbs
• Salt & Pepper
• 3-4 cloves of Garlic
• Mixed spices like paprika, chili, herbsalt etc.
• Oil

Heat up the oven about 225 degrees hot.  Boil some water and add the macaronis and carrots in the water. Add some salt in the water. Boil them until macaronis are half soft. Pour the water out. Put a side to cool down. Add some oil on the pan and heat it up. Chop the onions and garlic. Fry the minced soy on the pan with the onions and garlic. Add salt, pepper and other spicies, like paprica and herbs. Thyme is good herb for this too. Spread some oil on a big oven bowl that it covers all the insides of the bowl. Pour the macaroni, carrots and minced soy in and mix util everything is mixed together. Then pour the milk and eggs on a separate bowl. Whip well until the milk and eggs are well mixed. Add some salt, pepper and paprica spice and additional spices like herbs if you want to. Pour the milk-egg mix on the bowl with the macaroni-soy mix. Pour it all over. It should come up almost to the top, that the macaroni is fully covered with the egg-milk. Sprinkle some breadgrumbs on top and cook in the oven about 30 minutes until the cover looks crispy and golden brown. Enjoy with some ketchup on top and sprinkle some cheese on top too if you like.

Finnish style Egg Butter

This simple and delicious butter is my favourite stuff from childhood. It is really traditional Finnish delicasy that we normally eat with another Finnish delicasy called Karelian Pies.

Here is how you make this simple litte dish:

• About 4-5 hard boiled eggs
• Butter
• Salt & pepper
• On top some spring onions (optional)

Boil the eggs hard. Chop them to tiny cubes or mash them with a fork in a bowl. Add about 2-4 spoons of butter, some salt and pepper. Wola, ready! Eat on top of Karelian pies or some toasted dark bread.

These are Karelian pies. I am gonna make these soon in the future by myself and put a recipe here. Meanwhile you can google the recipe. In Finland you can buy these ready cooked in every food stores.

Creamy Salmon Soup

This is quite basic scandinavian style salmon soup and easy to make. I really love creamy fish soups. My granma used to make the best fish soups. This one is warming at the cold winter days. Cheap, quick and easy to make. Takes about 30 minutes to make.

Here's what you need:

• About 6-9 potatoes
• 3 Carrots
• Celery
• Dill
• Fresh or frozen Salmon. 
• One onion
• 3 dl whipped cream
• Allspice (Jamaica pepper)
• Fish broth
• about 8-10 dl water
• Salt & pepper

First peel the potatoes, carrots and onion. Cut the celery. Measure water in the pot and put all the vegetables in the boiling water. Add fish broth & some Allspice (Jamaica pepper). Cut the fish into cubes. Let it boil until potatoes are getting softer. Add the fish cubes into the boiling pot. Put the heat lower. Add the cream and the dill. Add some salt and pepper. Taste that has enough spices. Enjoy with some dark break and glass of cold milk.