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.

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.

Tofu steaks, Creamy Garlic Potatoes & Fennel sauce

I was on a experimental mood couple days ago. So i wanted to try out to make my own recipe of tofu steaks. I also love the taste of fennel so i decided to try out to make a sauce by using it, and damn it was good! Here is a recipe how to make this delicious dish:

Tofu Steaks

• 1 packet of Tofu ( i used the ready marinated one)
• About 3 dl Frozen Spenach
• 3 cloves of Garlic
• 1 Onion
• 2 eggs ( i used one for these, but i think it wasn't enough)
• About 1 dl bread grumps
• About 2 dl Flours
• Olive oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Chili powder
• Santamaria Roasted Cummin-Pepper mix
• Santamaria Garlic & Pepper mix

First chop the tofu on small cubes and  melt the spenach. Chop the Onions and garlic too. Add everything in a big bowl. Use Hand plender to chop the mix down to almost like a puree. Add the spices and eggs. Mix with using a spoon. Add the bread grumps and the flours (not all at one time) and some olive oil (about 1/2 dl). Mix until it comes more stiff. Add more flours, if it looks too soft. Add some Olive oil on pan and heat it up. Make flat handsize steaks with your hands and put them on the hot pan. Fry both sides until the steaks get colden brown. Ready to serve!

Fennel Sauce

• About half of the Fennel
• Half Onion
• 4-5 dl Cream
• Salt & Pepper
• Santamaria Cummin-Pepper mix
• About 2 tablespoons of flours
• Olive Oil  

Chop the fennel and onions in to a small cubes. Pour some olive oil on a pot and heat the fennel-onion mix in it. Let it cook until the fennel gets smooth and soft. Put the heat down to smaller heat and add the cream. Mix the flours with a hint of cold water in a mug, until it's liquid. Pour it into the the pot. Sterve well until the the sauce starts to get thicker. Add a hint of salt and pepper( I use mixed black and white pepper roast). Add also some roasted Cummin ( I used Santamaria Roasted Cummin-pepper mix). Ready to serve!

Creamy Garlic Potatoes

• About 10 potatoes
• 5 Cloves of Garlic
• Salt & Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Santamaria Garlic-Pepper mix 
• Santamaria Barbeque & Grill mix
• About 4-5 dl cream

Peel the potatoes and chop them into small cube shaped slices. Heat up the owen to 225 degrees. Pour some olive oil on a flat oven bin. Add the potatoes, chopped garlic and spices. Mix well and then last add the cream. Let it cook in the oven about 30-40 minutes, until the surface looks colden brown. Ready to serve!