"GONE FISHING"

Ice fishing is one of the nicest benefits of the cold winter. At this time of the year you see fisherwomen and fishermen, fisher girls and boys drilling holes into the ice and using their special ice fishing rod to fool the fish.

When you see someone dressed in a one-piece thermo jumpsuit, carrying a huge auger on the shoulder, it's a sign of a real winter.

Ice fishing auger is a huge, manpowered drill.

Drilling keeps fishermen warm.

The first catch of the day is always the most important one, no matter how small.

The bites (worms and caterpillars) are sold even at gas stations, and are available in different colors, like the lines as well.

Särki, (roach), is a common, but not very popular fish in small lakes. It's easy to recognize by it's red eyes. Fishermen say that särki has been partying till the wee hours, that's why they eyes are red, and it no longer ticles your tastebuds.

Finns love ahven, (perch). We fry them, stew them, poach them, deep fry them, bake in rye bread, or smoke them... And, of course, there's nothing better than a pot of perch, cooking in the oven on a low heat while you're taking a sauna, after a long day of ice fishing. The best winter supper, of all times.

"BUN FESTIVAL"

Dear All,
Greetings from the northern edge of the Europe! I am happy to announce that
TASTE OF FINLAND is back, thanks to your activity and messages!
Not much has changed here, except, now I cook the Finnish delights with energy like never before; since I just graduated as a licensed chef.
"TASTE OF MY FINLAND" is the new name of the reborn Finn-food-blog, I sure hope my recipes and stories will tickle your taste buds. And, as always, I enjoy reading your comments, so, if there's anything on your foodie-mind, please use the comment box under each post or send me a mail; minnatalka@yahoo.com.

What a better way to restart the food blog than a mid-winter food festival?!
27th of February Finns celebrate the "laskiainen" = "sliding day" = "shrovetide", with appropriate garnish of traditional cream buns and slow cooked porky pea soup.

The tradition marked originally the beginning of a 40- day long Easter feast. "Laskiainen" was the very last chance to enjoy the rich and fatty foods for a long time. Although in the old days the "sliding" meant a slide into the feast, in modern, secular, Finland it simply symbolizes the slippery tobogganing event. (And the creamy buns!!!)

LASKIAISPULLA, the sliding-bun, divides the nation... You either belong to the jam-supporters or the almond paste-supporters. There's no such an opinion as "whatever" or "anything goes", it's one or  the other. 

Anyway, all the buns look the same, it's the taste that counts. (Doesn't this shrovetide-wisdom sound like a proverb?!) First you bake a cardamom-flavored bun, slice it, and then fill it with almond paste or rasberry jam and finish it with lots of whipped vanilla cream... The amount of cream is enough only when you realize with the very first look at the bun, that it's impossible to eat it without making a mess.

SHROVETIDE BUN

500 millilitres milk
1 egg
200 g sugar
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
22 g dry yeast
about 1000 g wheat flour
150 g butter, melted

You also need another egg for brushing the buns, whipped cream and jam or almond paste (for homemade paste; mix almond flour+cream to a paste), and icing sugar to decorate.

Mix the 42- degree (dry yeast activates in 42℃), egg, sugar, cardamom and salt in a bowl. Mix in another bowl all the flour and the dry yeast. Blend gradually milk with flour, and in the end also the butter. Knead until the dough becomes elastic and smooth. Set aside in a warm place, cover with a tea towel and let rise for 40 minutes.

Punch down dough and turn onto lightly floured surface, knead for 2 minutes, or until smooth. Pick an egg size piece (or slightly larger) of the dough and shape it into a ball. Place balls of dough evenly spaced (leave room to rise) on to prepared baking trays, set aside. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for another 30 minutes.

Brush buns with slightly whipped egg and bake in an oven of 200℃ for 10-15 minutes, or until well browned and cooked through. Let cool before cutting and filling the buns with jam/almond paste and whipped cream. Dust with icing sugar, just before serving.

Another sliding day dish is the porky pea suop, slow food at its best. The taste gets better every time you reheat the soup, therefore it's a perfect  outdoor snack.

SPLIT PEA & HAM SOUP

1 pealed and chopped onion
500 g dried split peas
3 litres of water
500 g-1 kg ham bone
salt, pepper and dried marjoram to taste
Dijon mustard

Let the peas soke in water overnight. Cook them in the same water with ham bone and onion, until the meat is tender and peas soft, and the soup resembles a stew or a casserole. Shred the meat to bite-size, remove the bone, season with salt, pepper, marjoram and mustard.

No matter if you slide with your skis, ice skates or a sledge, as long as you spend the whole day outdoors and keep up the speed. As Finns wish to each other this time of the year "liukasta laskiaista"= "have a slippery sliding day!"

SEASON OF CINNAMON AND GINGER

The temperature has finally dropped below zero, and snow is painting the landscape pure white. TALVI, the winter has officially reached Finland, and we love it! This marks also the beginning of the cinnamon and ginger -season; cookie baking, mulled wine tastings and cosy gatherings.

GINGERBREAD

500 g all purpose flour + extra for baking
225 g granulated sugar
225 g butter, room temperature
1 egg, organic
3 tablespoons dark syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon, grind
1 teaspoon gloves, grind
1 teaspoon ginger, grind
1/2 teaspoon bitter orange peel, grind
1 teaspoon cardamom, grind

Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl until well combined. Sprinkle flour to a baking surface and roll out the batter to a thin sheet. Press different shapes with a cookie cutter, line a baking tray with baking paper and bake gingerbreads in a 200 degrees Celsius oven for about 5 minutes. Cool on wired racks and decorate with sugar icing.

MULLED WINE

1 bottle (75 cl) of red table wine
2 dl water or fruit tea
1 lemon, chest and juice
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
2 cardamom
fresh ginger, size of your thumb nail, peeled and sliced
sugar according to your taste

Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan, warm the drink on moderate heat, DO NOT let boil. Sieve spices and lemon chest out, serve mulled wine when still steaming hot. Put sliced almonds and raisins on the bottom of each class, serve with a long spoon.

CINNAMON CREME CARAMEL
2 dl granulated sugar to coat the molds
5 dl light cream or whole milk
1 vanilla pod
4 organic eggs
1 organic egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon grind cinnamon
3/4 dl granulated sugar
in addition to that you also need creme caramel ramekins, or ovenproof teacups, and large enough baking dish to make a water bath for all the individual creme caramels

Melt the sugar in a pan, watch carefully not to burn it, remove from the heat when the color is deep gold. Pour immediately into small ramekins swirling around to quickly spread the caramel all over the base and to cote the sides as well. Hot sugar sets quickly, so be fast, but don't burn your fingers.

Heat the milk (or cream) and split vanilla pod in a saucepan,until almost boiling. Remove from the heat, remove vanilla and whisk together cinnamon, sugar and eggs.

Put ramekins in a deep baking dish and pour boiling water into the dish until it reaches halfway up the side of ramekins. Bake in a 175 degrees Celsius oven about 50 minutes. Remove creme caramels from the water bath and leave to cool before serving, preferably overnight. Store in a refrigerator.

Loosen the side of créme caramel with a sharp knife, put a serving plate upside down over the pudding. hold the plate and ramekin firmly together, quickly flip them over. Plate is now the right way up and the creme caramel pudding plops down with the caramel sauce.

OLD FASHIONED WINTER CAKE

5 organic eggs
100 g (about 1 dl) granulated sugar
100 g (about 1/2 dl) dark syrup
1/2 teaspoon grind cardamom
1/2 teaspoon grind bitter orange peel
1/2 teaspoon grind cinnamon
120 g (about 2 dl) all purpose flour

to decorate:
100 g dark chocolate
1/4 dl cream
sugar icing

in addition to that you also need butter to butter the cake tin and bread crumbs to coat the tin

Beat the eggs and sugar until foamy, add syrup, spices and flour. Butter the cake tin and add breadcrumbs, shake around to coat the base and the sides evenly. Pour the cake mixture into the tin and bake in 180 degrees Celsius oven about an hour, until the cake is set and a toothpick stick into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Melt the chocolate, add cream and let simmer over a moderate heat until dissolved. Pour the choco sauce over the cake, let set first, then decorate with sugar icing.