New Year's Eve. Was thinking of doing a bit of an inventory of the year, but thought I'd call my parents first. In the aftermath of my English Christmas they came to enjoy here Dad has been taken to hospital (pneumonia) and mum is incarcerated at my sister's after being judged unfit to stay at home alone with the dog. The main incriminating...
This gloriously red dessert is called Kiisseli, which is the Finnish group name to all berry and fruit based dessert soups where - guess what - fruit/berries are boiled in water until all juice comes out and the juice is then thickened with corn or potato starch. This particular one is Cranberry Soup, Karpalokiisseli. The English translation for Kiisseli is Kissel, my online...
This was the first Christmas that my parents came to stay with us. I hope it's not the last, but it's likely it will be. They find it quite a trek to travel here from Finland and although they are in a pretty good shape now they are starting to show their age. My dad's still very sharp but physically weaker, my mother...
Long time no meal planning. Actually that's not true. I have been meal planning for a long time for this special week. My parents are spending the Christmas with us this year, so weeks ago already I started to jot down ideas and particularly successful recipes that I thought my parents would enjoy. But it's really only in the last couple of days...
A Finnish Christmas table traditionally has been crowned by several different kinds of bakes (casseroles in US English) depending on where in Finland we are talking about. There are regional differences and some may have fallen on the wayside and now these three remain: carrot, swede and potato. But the greatest of these is potato. The smelliest is the swede. And the one...
atlantic
Wild Atlantic salmon and crayfish or salmon and prawns baked with sour cream and dill
22:48
Baking salmon with a sour cream topping is quite a traditional everyday way of cooking salmon in Finland. We like our sour cream, we call it Smetana. It's one of the few good things that has come to us across our eastern border. No, just kidding, although miraculously can't think of anything just now. Other than that the Finnish food culture is indeed...
I was reminded about this recipe by a discussion online. Someone was posting a question trying to find the recipe for these raspberry jam filled sandwich biscuits, a bit like Jammy Dodgers, but softer and lovelier. The person asking had been given the delicious cookies by their professor (my professor never gave me biscuits, which probably was a good thing considering his personal...
I've been catching up on MasterChef: The Professionals on BBC iPlayer. I'm loving it as always. I'm not sure why there are so few women though. Is it all a huge misogynistic conspiracy or are women just not entering or crap cooks or what! I was routing for the only remaining woman, the pretty lady chef Joey, whose food is always so beautiful...
These Persian spiced lamb shanks are the best I have ever made. By a mile. And I have cooked some mean shanks. No, modesty is not my thing. At least I'm not taking any credit for this recipe, because it is not mine. But I did find it online, I suppose that's something. I googled "Persian spiced lamb shanks" because that was exactly...
