Starters

 

Cold cucumber soup

200 g cucumber (approx. 15 cm piece)
½ green bell pepper
1 garlic clove
1 dl chopped mint
2 dl natural yoghurt
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Cut the cucumber into pieces and put bell peppers in the blender. Add other ingredients and puré until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish the gazpacho with fresh mint and serve as appetizer with crispy bread.

 

Beetroot salad with nuts

1 kg beetroot
3 tbsp olive oil
salt
black pepper
3 tbsp fresh thyme
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 big red onion
butter
100 g rucola
100 g goat's cheese or feta
50 g pecan nuts
50 g walnuts
4 tbsp balsamico

Peel the beetroots and cut them into wedges. Put the wedges in an oven bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, thyme, honey and cinnamon. Roast the beetroots in 200 C for about 30-40 minutes or until cooked. Let them cool down for a few minutes. Peel the onion and slice it into rings. Saute the rings in butter for a few minutes and mix them with beetroots. Rinse and dry rucola leaves and place them on a plate. Spread the vegetables on the rucola bed and top with crumbled cheese and crushed nuts.

Drizzle with dark and sweet balsamico to serve, if desired.

 

The best roast beef sandwich ever

400 g roast beef
12 slices of white toast
3 pickled cucumbers
1 red onion
1 iceberg lettuce
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
8 olives
8 cocktail sticks
salt and pepper

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat the pan and sear the beef on both sides in a drop of oil. Put it into 180 C oven for 10 minutes until the meat is 52 C and still red inside. Let it rest for about 10 minutes.
Make the dressing by mixing together mayonnaise, honey and mustard. Slice the cucumbers and peeled red onion. Toast the bread slices in a toaster.
Slice the meat and assemble the sandwiches as follows: spread a thin layer of mustard-mayo on three slices of bread and place salad leaves on two of them. Spread cucumber, onion and meat on the salad. Stack up the slices on top of each other so that the slice with only mayonnaise will be the cover of the sandwich. Put the olives in cocktail sticks, attach the sandwiches in same sticks and halve them or cut them into four pieces. Serve with chips and fresh salad.

 

 

Filled eggs

(serves approx. 6)
6–8 eggs
100 g tuna (in water)
100 g sour cream
50 g chive flavoured cream cheese
2 stems of spring onion
½ mild chilli
½ dl small capers
½ dl fresh chives
juice of ½ big lemon + some grated peel
salt and pepper
big capers and chives, to garnish

Bring the water to boil and put the eggs in water with a spoon. Cook for 10 minutes and cool down under cold water. Halve the eggs lengthwise and carefully scoop out the yolks with a teaspoon.
Put the yolks and all filling ingredients in a hand blender and puré until smooth. Put the paste in a decorating bag, cut open the corner of the bag and spread the paste on the egg halves. Decorate with capers and chopped chives.

 

 

Watermelon salad

1 big watermelon
0,5 l strawberries
200 g feta cheese
0,5 l fresh peas
1 dl olive oil
2 tbsp white balsamico syrup
3 tbsp lemon juice
pinch of pepper
rucola

One watermelon makes 4 to 6 portions depending on the desired size of the portion. Put the melon in the fridge on the previous day (as it tastes fresh when cold). Halve the watermelon and cut both halves into 2 or 3 melon boats. Cut the fruit pulp into big cubes. Place these chunks on the melon peel with feta crumbs. Slice the strawberries and spread them and peas on this salad. Mix together the olive oil, syrup, lemon juice and pepper, and drizzle it over the portions. Garnish with rucola leaves. 

 

 

Marinated scampi, grilled country bread and lemon mayonnaise

Scampi
300 g peeled scampi
2 garlic cloves
½ red chilli
½ fennel
2 sprigs of tarragon
½ lemon peel
3 dl olive oil
salt and pepper

Lemon mayonnaise
juice and grated peel of 1 lemon
1 dl mayonnaise
salt
sugar

To serve
country bread
romaine lettuce
tarragon

Defrost the scampi and dry them well. Chop the garlic cloves, chilli, fennel and tarragon, and grate the lemon peel. Put them in a pan with oil. Heat the oil to 70 C. Add the scampi and cook them for two minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the scampi cool down in their frying oil for about 10 minutes. 

Mix half of the lemon juice and the grated peel with mayonnaise. Add juice if necessary. Season with salt and sugar. 

Slice the bread and brush the slices with olive oil. Grill them on a grill pan until they receive beautiful stripes on their surface. Spread the lettuce leaves, slightly cooled scampi and lemon mayonnaise on the bread slices. Garnish with tarragon leaves.

 

 

Toast Skagen, whitefish roe and dill mayonnaise

Toast Skagen
400 g peeled shrimp tails
½ red onion, chopped
4 sprigs dill
½ bundle of chives
1–1 ½ dl mayonnaise
grated peel and juice of ½ lemon
salt and black pepper

Dill mayonnaise
1 bundle of dill
½ dl rapeseed oil
1 dl mayonnaise

Whitefish roe
1 can of whitefish roe
1 white country bread
olive oil, for frying

Drain well the shrimps. Chop the onion, dill and chives. Put the shrimps in a bowl, add other ingredients and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Blanch the dill quickly in boiling water and let it cool down under cold water. Squeeze extra water and put the dill in a blender. Mash until puréed by adding just a bit of oil so that it becomes bright green in colour.

Strain the oil and throw away the dill mash, as only the oil will be used. Mix together oil and mayonnaise and season with salt if necessary.

Drain the roe in a sieve. Cut four slices of bread, heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the slices of bread on both sides.

Spread the shrimp mass on the slices and decorate with dill mayonnaise and whitefish roe. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs.

 

 

Blinis, vendace roe and cold-smoked salmon

Blinis
(make the dough at least 2 hours, preferably one day before)
4 dl whole milk
20 g yeast
3 dl buckwheat flour
3 dl wheat flour
2 dl beer
3 egg yolks
1 tbsp salt
3 eggs
50 g melted butter for the dough
(plenty of) butter for frying

vendance roe / cold-smoked salmon / crème fraîche / red onion (to serve)

Make the blini dough in a big bowl as it will puff up a lot during the night. Start making the blinis by dissolving the yeast in lukewarm milk. Whisk in the buckwheat flour. Cover the dough with a towel and let it stay overnight (at least 12 hours) in the room temperature.

Finish making the dough by whisking in beer, wheat flour, salt and egg yolks. Beat the egg whites into froth and add carefully to the dough. Add melted butter and let the dough rest for a while before frying.

Fry blinis one by one in generous butter. The pan must not be too hot so that the blinis don’t burn. You can also put a small dollop of butter in the middle of each blini. Blinis are at their best when served hot but can also wait a while in the oven before serving. Serve with vendance roe, cold-smoked salmon, crème fraîche and red onion. 

 

 

Fig and brie salad with walnuts and honey

1 dl walnuts
pinch salt
2 pots of oak leaf lettuce
150 g brie
4–6 fresh figs
honey

Heat the pan and roast the walnuts for a while. Sprinkle some salt on them. Rip the salad with your hands and spread it evenly on the plates. Slice the cheese and spread the slices on the salad leaves. Cut the figs and add them and walnuts to the salad. Season with honey.

 

 

Finnish Squeaky Cheese Salad

1 bunch frisée or loose leaf lettuce (or a bag of lettuce mix)
50 g rocket
200 g Finnish squeaky cheese
2 dl frozen lingonberries or cranberries
3 dl red grapes
2 dl walnuts

Dressing
2 limes, squeezed
¾ dl avocado or olive oil
½ tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp honey
Black pepper

Mix the dressing ingredients and let sit for a while. Wash the lettuce and tear it onto a platter. Cut the cheese into appropriate-sized pieces and cut the grapes in half. Mix them with the lettuce and pour dressing on top. This lovely salad is a nice starter, but it also accompanies meat dishes well.

 

 

Rosebay Willowherb Pesto

5 dl fresh rosebay willowherb leaves, chopped
3–5 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped or pressed
pinches of black pepper, salt and sugar

Pick the rosebay willowherbs in early summer, on dry weather, before the flowering phase. Instead of this plant you can also use young bishop weed’s leaves for this dish. Chop the rosebay willowherb leaves first with scissors before chopping them with a sharp knife. Mix together with oil, garlic and spices. Stir in a blender and let season in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Serve with crushed smoked reindeer (available in shops that sell reindeer products) and local unlevened bread, if possible.

 

 

Green buns

0,5 l water
2 dl mash from the green juice
2 tbsp light syrup
1,5 tsp salt
0,5 dl rapeseed oil
12–13 dl three-cereal (wheat, oat, rye) bread roll flour
1 pc dry yeast
seeds (e.g. pumpkin)

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Warm up the water and add the yeast. Mix in the syrup and mash (remove apple and lemon seeds). Whisk in the flour by and by, and add oil in the end to make a soft batter. Let the dough rise in a bowl for 30 minutes.

Make the batter into buns, sprinkle seeds on their surface and let them rise on an oven plate under a kitchen towel for 30 more minutes. Cook in 225 degrees for about 12–15 minutes.

 

 

 

Herb butter

100 g natural quark
100 g butter
1 garlic clove
2-3 dl herbs (f. ex. basil, thyme, rosemary, chive)
a pinch of salt

Let the butter soften at room temperature. Mix the quark, chopped herbs, salt and garlic with butter. Let season in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. As rosemary has a very strong taste, a smaller amount will do.

 

 

 

Parmesan cookies

approximately 30 pcs

100 g parmesan cheese
100 g butter
2 dl wheat flour
1 tsp fresh thyme
approx. 2 tbsp water
salt

Let the butter soften at room temperature. Heat the oven to 175 degrees C. Grate the parmesan and chop the thyme. Mix all ingredients into a dough.

Divide the dough into two and shape both halves into 3-4 cm thick bars. Wrap the bars in clingfilm and put them to the fridge for an hour at least (or for a whole day if you prefer to bake the cookies later). Cut the dough bars into 0,5 cm slices and place them on a baking tray. Sprinkle a few salt crystals on the cookies and cook them in the oven for 7-10 minutes until they get some colour. Let the cookies cool down before serving. Serve with herb butter. 

 

 

Whitefish ceviche

2 whitefish
3 dl coriander
1 cucumber
3 ripe avocados
2 limes
½ lemon
1 red onion
1 red chili
salt

Fillet the fish into thumb-sized chunks. Squeeze with lime juice, add chopped onion and chili, and a pinch of salt. Let season 2-3 hours in the fridge.

Place cucumber slices and avocado chunks on a flat dish and squeeze with lemon juice. Take marinated fish mixture from the fridge and add chopped coriander and squeeze once more with lime juice. Garnish with lime wedges and coriander leaves, serve at fridge temperature.

 

 

 

Buckwheat oven porridge with apple

This recipe is created by Petra Mäkipää, the author of Herneetkin rokkaa blog.

1 apple
3 dl buckwheat flakes
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp salt
1 l milk
a few dollops of butter for buttering the casserole dish and on top of the porridge

Heat the oven to 200C. Grate the apple coarsely and butter the casserole dish. Measure buckwheat flakes and spices, and add them to the dish. Add grated apple and mix all ingredients together. Add milk and a few dollops of butter in the dish. Cook the porridge in the oven for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. Stir once or twice in the beginning.

If you wish, you can add a handful of nuts or almonds in the porridge, or replace milk with almond milk. This porridge can also be made in a traditional, slow way by letting it cook overnight after the actual cooking process. Enjoy this porridge with milk and apple jam, for instance.

 

 

 

Colourful pestos with crostini

Crostini, oven-roasted mini-breads

1 fresh baguette
1 dl olive oil

Heat the oven to 200C. Slice the baguette, put the slices on a baking tray and brush them with olive oil. Roast the slices in the oven for 5-10 minutes until they turn golden. Take them from the oven and let cool down for a while. Spread pestos on the crostini and serve as appetizers.

Pea pesto

1 bag (200 g) of frozen peas, defrosted
1 dl grated parmesan cheese
1 dl olive oil
2 tbsp pine kernels or cashew nuts
1 pot of fresh basil, both leaves and stems
salt and black pepper from the mill

Beetroot pesto

1 can (380 g) of pickled beetroot
2 dl grated parmesan cheese
1 dl olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 dl pine kernels
1 pot of basil leaves
salt and black pepper from the mill

Goat’s cheese pesto

200 g goat’s cheese, f. ex. Chavroux
150 g crème fraîche
1 garlic clove
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp peeled almonds or cashew nuts
salt and white pepper to taste
water for thinning the paste (if necessary)

Mix all ingredients in the blender and check the taste. Season again if necessary. Pestos are wonderful also the following day when served with pasta, and they keep well in the fridge for about three days.

 

 

Vietnamese summer rolls

250 g rice noodles
1–2 packets of round rice paper sheets (easily breakable!)
2 dl tiger prawns or big shrimps
2 ripe avocados
1 cucumber
2–3 carrots
bunch of spring onion
1–2 pots of fresh coriander

Cook the rice noodles and let them cool down. Peel the prawns. Chop all ingredients into long and thin strips, so that the spring roll sheets are easy to fill.

Dip each rice sheet in water and place it on a platter. Put a small amount of noodles, herbs, prawns, avocado and vegetables in the middle of each sheet. Fold both edges inwards and roll the sheet into a tight roll. This requires a little bit of training but is quick to learn. Roll all sheets into rolls. Cut the rolls in the middle, diagonally or straight, and place them on a serving tray. Serve with satay or sweet chilli sauce as appetizers or as a side dish.

Nutty satay sauce

150 g salted peanuts
1/2 dl rape oil
1 dl coconut milk
1 tbsp sambal oelek chili paste
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp brown or white sugar
1 tbsp lime juice

Mix all ingredients in a blender into a coarse paste. Serve with summer rolls.

 

 

Barley porridge in the oven

2 dl barley flakes
1,5 l whole milk
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt

Heat the oven to 175C. Measure the barley flakes into a big (at least 3 litres) oven bowl. Add milk, salt and two to three dollops of butter. Cook on the lower level of oven for about 2 hours. Stir the porridge a few times during cooking.

 

 

Beetroot pesto

1 can (380 g) canned beetroots
2 dl grated parmesan cheese
1 dl olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1 dl pine nuts
1 bunch of basil
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a blender and let sit for a couple of hours. Taste to check the flavour. Tip! You can use leftover pesto with pasta the next day. Pesto lasts approximately three days in a refrigerator.

1 fresh baguette
1 dl olive oil

Cut the baguette into slices. Place the slices on a baking tray and brush with olive oil. Toast at 200˚C for 5-10 minutes until starting to colour. Take the slices out of the oven and let cool for a moment. Spread the slices with beetroot pesto and garnish with basil leaves.

 

 

Quick Porcini Sandwiches

2 slices of country bread
1–2 firm Porcini mushrooms
Crème fraîche or cream cheese
Chives, for garnish
Ground salt and black pepper

Slice the porcini mushrooms and fry the slices in butter until they have a nice colour. Season with salt. Toast the bread slices and spread a thick layer of crème fraîche or cream cheese on them. Sprinkle with chopped chives. Place the porcini slices on top and season with freshly ground salt and black pepper.

 

 

Halloumi on a bed of eggplants

2 eggplants
0.5 dl olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
2 pks halloumi cheese
Fresh mint
Pine nuts
White balsamic vinegar

Cut the eggplants lengthwise into slices 1 cm thick. Sprinkle with salt and leave for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture. Rinse off the salt and pat dry with kitchen paper. Place the slices on a baking tray and brush with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake at 225˚C for about 20 minutes. Slice the halloumi cheese and place the slices on the eggplants. Bake for another 10 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with white balsamic vinegar and garnish with fresh mint and pine nuts. This recipe makes enough for four people.

 

 

Delicious Mushroom Quiche

1 packet savoury short crust pastry
400g fresh porcini mushrooms
1 onion
500ml single cream
5 egg yolks
butter, for frying
salt and pepper
flat-leaf parsley

If required, roll out the short crust pastry into a thin sheet and place in a buttered tin, measuring approximately 24cm. Carefully press the pastry into the tin, not forgetting to secure the edges. Pierce with a fork to prevent the pastry from puffing up in the oven. Blind bake in 180°C for 5-8 minutes. Chop the porcini mushrooms and the onion and pan fry gently in some butter. Separate the egg yolks and add the cream, mixing well. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the mushrooms and onion mixture on to the blind baked pastry and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Now pour in the egg and cream mixture and bake in 175°C oven for 40-45 minutes.

 

Avocado with shrimp

4 ripe and ready-to-eat avocados
1 bag (180 g) of frozen shrimp
1 dl mayonnaise
Lemon juice
Dill or chives
Black pepper
Pentik chili salt

Thaw the frozen shrimp and drain them in a colander. Split the avocados and remove the pits. Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent the avocado from turning brown. Fill the pit hole with a couple of teaspoons of mayonnaise, and put shrimp on top. Grind Pentik chili salt in a mortar. Spice the avocados with black pepper, salt and a squirt of lemon juice. Garnish the avocados with chives or dill.

 

 

Wasabi cucumbers

1-2 cucumbers
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp wasabi paste
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
Less than a ½ tsp of soy sauce
1 tsp sugar

Cut the cucumbers into thin slices with a cheese slicer. Sprinkle salt over cucumber slices and drain the excess liquid. Mix the wasabi paste, rice vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Roast the sesame seeds gently in a frying pan and add the drained cucumbers and the sauce. Spice this wonderful side dish up to your taste.

 

 

Goat cheese bread

olive oil
fresh slices of bread
goat cheese
red grapes
fresh thyme
salt and pepper
3 tbsp honey

Spread olive oil and goat cheese on bread slices. Roast the bread slices in 200° oven for about 5–10 minutes until their surface turns slightly brown and the cheese melts.
Halve the grapes and garnish bread slices with thyme, salt and pepper. Drizzle some honey on them.

 

 

 

 

Green Pea Soup with Champagne (Crème Ninon)

200 g frozen peas
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
6 dl vegetable stock
1 dl cream

1–2 dl champagne or sparkling wine
Salt and black pepper,
From mill to taste

Sauté the onions in butter in a sauce pan. Add peas and the vegetable stock. Boil for 30 minutes and puree with a hand blender. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Add cream and champagne
just before serving. 

 

Rye Bread Christmas Tree with Fish Roe

Rye Bread
Sour cream
Fish roe
Chives or dill
Black pepper

Cut the rye bread into different sizes with star-shaped gingerbread cutters. Stack up the pieces and put sour cream and fish roe between them. Garnish with dill or chives and black pepper.

 

 

Beetroot and goat cheese soup

400 g fresh beetroot
2 small to medium-sized potatoes
1 onion
2 tbsp butter
1 garlic clove
water
½ vegetable stock cube
ground black pepper
100 g spreading goat cheese

To garnish
crème fraîche
fresh thyme

Peel the beetroot, potatoes and onion, and chop them into chunks. Heat the butter in a saucepan and saute the chunks for a while. Stir in a pressed garlic glove. Pour water over the vegetables so that they become covered. Crumble the vegetable stock cube into the saucepan. Let boil until the beetroot is cooked. Add water if necessary. Add spices and goat cheese, and puree the soup in a blender. For a silky texture, you can still sieve the soup if you wish. Garnish each portion with crème fraîche and fresh thyme.