Dear followers, we have nearly survived January. Like my old teacher used to say 'you survive January then rest of the year is a piece of cake'. Well, it is the last day of January, the daylight hours are getting longer, the spring is closer, the temperatures will soon rise again, and summer will come... I am trying to convince myself here, sorry. To celebrate, I decided to bake, not quite a cake, but delicious homemade rolls, that brings to my mind home, childhood, and all the warm and fuzzy feels. The recipe is simple and even forming the rolls is easier when you finish the dough with the oil instead of adding it to the water. Instead of using sugar to feed the yeast, I used the acacia-honey. I also used steel-cut oats, because that is what I have at home for the porridge. There is a wide difference between the amounts of flour to add. This is because in different altitudes you might need more or less flour. The important point is to leave the dough soft before rising it. Add the flour carefully with a little bit at the time. The dough makes 16 pieces. This bread is tasty for breakfast, for a snack, for a lunchbox, with a soup or a stew... Here is the recipe for the vegetable soup I made for dinner with the rolls. I hope you enjoy the recipe and the hope that arrives with the beginning of February... 'Till next time ~ Cheers! FINNISH OAT ROLLS
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I think potatoes have been given a bad rep for no reason because as they are, with the skin on them, they actually have several health benefits we can take advantage of. It is what we put on it that is often the problem, not the delightful veggie in itself. One medium-sized (150 g / 5.3oz) skin-on potato has:
Up here in Northern Europe, we have some best-tasting potatoes in the world. The small, long, oval-shaped potato has so much taste if you ever get a chance to sample them, jump right in! Thomas Keller in his master class says the following about the delightful treats growing in Lapland:
Originally they peeled the potatoes, and yes, they might look a prettier if they are peeled, but you would lose most of the benefits of a potato by taking the skin off. I just washed the potatoes well and left the skin on. I served the Hasselback potatoes with herb crusted pork loin and some carrots, a retro dish for sure, but so tasty and delightfully handy to make when you can just prepare everything ahead of time, put them in the oven all at the same time and in about hours time you have a great meal ready to be served. I hope you enjoy them! Till next time ~ Cheers! HASSELBACK POTATOES
For those flavor loving readers, the recipe for spicy roasted chickpeas (aka Garbanzo beans) should fit the bill. I tried these for the first time recently and absolutely loved them. They can be served as a perfectly healthy snack, just cooled off a bit, as they a crunchy, spicy, and so so good and easy to make. Or you can serve them as the side, the carb of the meal, as I did with tangerine roasted turkey breast and raw shredded carrots. The carrots were a delightful, fresh tasting addition to the meal, balancing the hotness of the beans, making it all around a well balanced and healthy meal. I had added some spices to the turkey breast as well, cinnamon, coriander spice, paprika, and chili, with salt and pepper of course, and the slices of the tangerine on the top of the turkey breast, into a roasting bag, and in the oven.
Hope you enjoy these meal ideas and get to roast some beans this weekend. The fun part of it is, there really isn't any fancy ingredients, most of the spices are in your cupboards, or are easy to find in a grocery store. Til next time ~ Cheers! SPICY ROASTED CHICKPEAS
The Finnish pancake, the one big whole deep baking tray of it at once, brings back sweet childhood memories by just having the scent of it baking in the oven in my kitchen. In Finland, it is used as a dessert or an evening snack. The special tradition of serving pea-soup for lunch on Tuesdays and having a slice of pancake with strawberry jam as a dessert is in the memory of most of the Finnish school kids.
But not only as a dessert, this can be used as a breakfast as well. You can make the mix a night before and have it in the fridge overnight, and then just pour it into a pan and bake in the morning while getting ready for the day. The mix is a bit thicker in consistency than a waffle dough, and the results will melt in your mouth. Traditionally the pancake slices are served with strawberry jam, but my personal favorite is very cinnamony applesauce on top of it. And on a special occasion, a spoon of whipped cream to accompany it. I have cut the amount of sugar to half from the original, traditional recipe. I don't think it is necessary to put that much sugar into it if you serve it with sweet jam on top. I hope you'll enjoy this childhood treat of ours. Till next time ~ Cheers! THE FINNISH PANCAKE
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