March 5, 2006
Mickey is Canadian born, but his ancestors came from Finland & Ireland , here are a few recipes that might have been enjoyed by his ancestors. :-D
the stripes:
2-3 table-spoonfuls of cocoa (cacao) powder
3 table-spoonfuls of cream or melted butter (or
margarine)
1. Whisk the butter and the sugar so that they
become foam.
2. Add the eggs one by one and whisk well.
3. Mix up vanilla sugar, baking powder, wheat
flour and potato flour. Add them into the dough and blend.
4. Put one third of the dough into another bowl.
Add the cocoa powder into the dough. Add cream or melted butter.
5. Spread the dough in layers into a greased
baking tin, first some light dough and then some cocoa dough.
You can make two or three stripes of the cocoa
dough into the cake. You can also spread the light dough on
the bottom of the baking tin and the cocoa dough
on the surface.
6. Bake the cake in 175 degrees (Celsius) on
the lowest level of the oven for 50-60 minutes.
Boxty (Marguerite
sent
some Irish recipes)
Boxty on the griddle, boxty in the pan,
If you can't make boxty, you'll never get your
man!
8 oz/250 g/1 cup raw potato
8 oz/250 g/1 cup mashed potato
8 oz/250 g/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
large knob of butter, melted
about 1/4 pt/125 ml/1/2 cup milk Grate the raw
potatoes into a bowl. Turn out onto a cloth and wring, catching the
liquid.
This will separate into a clear fluid with starch
at the bottom. Pour off the fluid and scrape out the starch and mix
with
the
grated and mashed potatoes. Sieve the dry
ingredients
and mix in along with the melted butter. Add a little milk if necessary
to make a pliable dough. Knead lightly on a
floured
surface. Divide into four and form large, flat cakes. Mark each into
quarters but do not cut right through, and bake
on a griddle or in a heavy pan.
If liked, more milk and an egg can be added to
make a batter which can be fried in bacon fat like drop scones.
Wheat breads
5 decilitres milk
50 grams yeast
(1-2 eggs)
one and a half teaspoonfuls of salt
1-2 decilitres sugar
one table-spoonful of powdered cardamom
900 grams or one kilogram of wheat flour
100-200 grams margarine or butter
Heat the milk until it's as warm as your hand
(about 37 degrees) and dissolve the yeast in it. Add salt,
sugar, the powdered cardamom and the eggs. Blend
some of the wheat flour by whisking powerfully, so that
there will be some air in the dough. Add the
rest of the wheat flour and the soft butter or margarine.
Knead the dough until it's elastic and it doesn't
get stuck in your hands. Let the dough rise in a warm
place until it's twice as big as it was and then
make small wheat breads or long wheat loafs (*) of it. Let them rise.
The wheat breads have risen enough when you press
them with you finger and the hole bounces back. "Grease"
the wheat breads with an egg and sprinkle them
with sugar crumbs or almond chips. Bake the wheat breads in
225 degrees (C.) for about 10 minutes and the
long wheat loafs in 200 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
* The long wheat loafs are usually made in the shape of a braid.
Peggy N ... sent her grandmother's recipe for ...
Irish Bread
4 Cups Flour
3 teas. baking powder
1 teas. soda
scant (pinch) teaspoon salt
2 tabl. shortening
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup plus raisins*
1 table caraway seed
1 to 1 1/2 cup butter milk
Knead for 5 minutes. Make a cross on the batter with a knife Bake 1 hour plus at 350 degrees (Cast iron frying pan is best)
* Plump raisins, put in small pan of water, bring to a boil, turn off heat, cover and let stand and drain.
Stacy ...sent two Finnish recipes
Cornish Finnish Michigan Pasties or just
plain, old Pasties (that's 'a' as in apple, NOT as in taste!)
-4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
-1 1/2 pounds ground beef
-1 cup shortening
-1/2 pound lean ground pork
-1 1/4 cups ice water
-1 tablespoon salt
-5 1/2 thinly sliced potatoes (or diced)
-1 teaspoon ground black pepper
-2 shredded carrots (or diced)
-1 1/2 teaspoons MSG
-1 onion
-1 cube beef bouillon
-1/2 cup diced rutabaga
-1/2 cup hot water
1). Whisk together flour and salt in a large
bowl.
Cut shortening. Make a well in the center of the mixture,
and quickly stir in ice cold water. Form
dough into a ball. Set aside.
2). Dissolve the bouillon cube in the hot water.
Combine uncooked vegetables, uncooked meats, salt, pepper,
monosodium glutamate (MSG), and bouillon.
3). Roll out pastry dough into 6 x 8 inch
rectangles.
Place about 1 1/2 cups of filling in the center of each rectangle.
Bring 6 inch sides together, and seal.
Cut a slit in the top of each pasty. Place on dull, not black,
baking
pans.
4). Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for
45 minutes. Makes 6-8 pasties.
Drop Scones/Pancakes
These are also known as Scotch Pancakes,
especially
in the north. They must be cooked as soon as possible
after mixing, as the acid in the buttermilk
starts
to react with the baking soda at once. For that reason the griddle or
pan should be heated before combining the
ingredients.
8 oz/250 g/2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 large egg
1/2 pt/250 ml/1 cup buttermilk
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Make a
well in the middle with a wooden spoon and add the egg. Break the yolk
and pour in the buttermilk, mixing quickly
to a thick batter. Do not beat, as this would develop the gluten in the
flour
and prevent the pancakes from rising. Fry in
large dollops on a lightly greased, hot griddle or heavy frying pan.
Drop
scones are best served hot for tea, thickly
spread with melting butter and syrup or jam.
Here is an easy way to make thin pancakes:
4 oz/125 g/1 cup plain flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/2 pt/250 ml/1 cup milk
1 tbsp melted butter
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend
for about 30 seconds. The batter should then be allowed to stand for 30
minutes in a cool place. Heat a small pan over
medium heat. Grease with a little butter and wipe with kitchen paper
(paper
towel?) Fry about 2 tbsp of batter at a time, swirling to cover the
base
of the pan. Keep them thin and there will be no
need to turn. Serve rolled up with sugar.
Finnish Kropser (pancake like dish )
-3 eggs
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 teaspoon salt
-2 cups milk
-1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
-1/4 cup butter
1). Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees
C)
2). In a medium bowl stir together sugar, flour,
and salt. Add eggs and milk. Beat with an electric mixer
until blended. Batter will be very thin.
Melt
butter in the baking pan. Turn the pan to be sure all of the sides
are coated then stir the remaining butter
into the batter.
3). Pour batter into the baking pan and bake
for 30 minutes. It will puff up when baking, and flatten when
cool.
Cut into squares and serve. Makes 1
9x13
inch baking pan. Can serve with syrup, jam, honey, or sprinkled w/
sugar.
Potato Soup
The basis of a good soup--especially a simple
soup such as this--is a good stock. The soup would be made with a
white stock, that is, water in which chicken,
ham, or bacon has been boiled. Alternatively, stock can be made from a
ham bone or a chicken carcass boiled with a few
root vegetables and herbs as available, and an onion. The stock
should be strained, allowed to cool and
the fat removed from the surface.
6 medium potatoes
2 medium onions
3 pt/1 1/2 lr/6 cups stock or milk & water
mixed
1 tbsp butter
parsley
salt and pepper
(serves six) Peel and dice the potatoes and chop
the onions. Melt the butter and gently cook the onions and potatoes in
a covered saucepan until soft but not colored. Add the liquid, adjust
the
seasoning to taste, sieve if wished and serve in
bowls decorated with a little chopped
parsley.
Christmas glogg (Marguerite sent
some Finnish recipes.)
1 bottle red wine
2-3 tablespoons Madeira (optional)
1/2 cup raw sugar, or to taste
1/3 cup raisins
1-2 cinnamon sticks
5-6 whole cloves
peelings of one orange
1/4 cup blanched, slivered almonds
1/4 cup vodka to "spike" it up (optional)
In a large kettle, combine all the ingredients
except the vodka. Heat slowly, until the drink is steaming hot. Stir
every
now and then, and taste with a spoon whenever
you feel like it. Do not let the drink get even close to boiling. Just
keep
it warm. Before serving, add vodka if you wish.
Servings: 1 to 6.
Pea and Ham Soup
This soup is made with dried peas; these
generally
have to be soaked overnight, though it is possible to buy some that
need only a few hours' immersion. It is slightly
less trouble to make the soup with split peas--which have no skins--and
here there is a choice of green or yellow. Although there is no
difference
in the taste, the latter give the soup a pleasant golden colour.
1 lb/500 g/2 cups dried peas or split peas
4 oz/125 g/1/2 cup diced pieces of coked ham
or a ham bone
1 large onion and a little fat (optional)
3 pts/1 1/2 lr/6 cups ham stock or water
cream (optional)
parsley (optional)
seasoning
(serves six) Soak the peas as directed
on the packet. Chop the onion, if used, and soften in a little fat over
a low heat.
Add the peas and water or stock and the
ham bone if used. Cook gently until the peas are soft--about an hour.
Remove
the bone and strip off any meat. This should
be diced and reserved. Puree the peas in a blender or pass through a
sieve.
Adjust the seasoning. Add the diced ham and serve
with a swirl of cream or a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top.
Ginger Cookies ( Piparkakut )
(makes about 200) Baking time: 10 minutes/batch
Oven temperature: 400 F (200 C)
1 1/4 cups( 300g) margarine
1 1/4 cups (300g) sugar
3 eggs
1 cup (250 g) dark syrup
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
about 7 cups (1 kg) white flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
1. Boil the syrup and spices, add the margarine
and beat until the mixture is cool.
2. Beat the eggs and sugar.
3. Mix the soda in with part of the flour and
then combine with the syrup/margarine mixture. Add the
whipped eggs and the rest of the flour. Do not
knead the final mixture.
4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and leave
overnight in a cool place.
5. Roll out the dough, cut up into shapes and
bake the cookies in the oven until golden brown.
Baked Limerick Ham
To the Irish, ham is a cured leg of pork. The
preserving process is carried out in a number of different ways:
salting,
smoking, immersion in brine or even honey.
Traditionally,
Limerick ham is smoked over juniper branches. Whole hams
should be steeped in cold water overnight before
cooking but this is not necessary with smaller joints. The ham in this
recipe is not really baked but rather finished
off in the oven after having been cooked by simmering in cider.
3-5 lb/1 1/2-2 kg ham
cider to cover
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp mustard
20 whole cloves
Cover the ham with cold water and bring slowly
to boil. Throw out the water and replace with cider. Bring this just to
the
boil and lower the heat, keeping the liquid
barely
simmering for 20 minutes to the 1 lb/1/2 kg. Remove from the heat and
allow to stand in the liquid for 30 minutes.
Take out the ham, skin it, and score the fat with a sharp knife in a
diamond
pattern. Stud with whole cloves. Mix the sugar
and mustard and rub well into the surface of the ham. Bake in a
pre-heated
oven for a further 10 minutes to the 1 lb/1/2 kg at gas mark 6, 400 F,
200 C.
Christmas pastries ( Joulutortut
)
Pastry:
7 oz. (200g) soft butter or margarine
1 cup (2 1/2 dl) flour
1/3 cup (1 dl) cold water
1 teaspoon vinegar
Filling: ... sweetened prune puree or plum jam
1. Put all the pastry ingredients into a bowl
and mix quickly by hand into a dough. Don't knead too much.
2. Put the dough to a cold place to harden.
3. Roll out on a floured board, folding a few
times to make a puff pastry, and finally make a 1/2 cm thick sheet.
4. Cut the sheet in to 7 x 7 cm squares. Split
the corners of each square.
5. Place a bit of prune puree or plum jam in
the middle of each square. Fold over every other split end onto the
center,
to form a windmill-like pastry.
6. Brush with beaten egg and bake at 450 F (250
C) until light brown. To make round pastries, cut into circles, fill,
and
fold in half. Bake as above.
Beef in Guinness
The Guinness in this recipe has the same function
as the wine in Coq au Vin--the acid & moisture combined with the,
long, slow cooking help tenderize the tough
but flavour some meat.
2 1/2 lb/1 kg shin of beef
2 large onions
6 medium carrots
2 tbsp seasoned flour
a little fat or beef dripping
1/2 pt/250 ml/1 cup Guinness & water mixed
sprig of parsley
(serves four) Cut the beef into chunks
and peel & slice the onions and carrots. Toss the beef in the flour
and brown
quickly in hot fat. Remove the beef and fry the
onions gently until transparent. Return the beef, and add the carrots
and
liquid. Bring just to the boil, reduce the heat to a very gentle
simmer,
cover closely and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. Check that the dish does not
dry out, adding more liquid if necessary. Sprinkle with chopped parsley
and serve with plainly boiled potatoes.
Cinnamon buns ( Korvapuustit )
Rising time: 1 to 1 1/2 hours
Baking time: about 10-15 minutes/batch
Oven temperature: 400 F (200 C)
Suitable for freezing
2 eggs
3/4 cup (2dl) sugar
2 cups milk
2 oz (50 g) yeast or 2 pkgs dry yeast
3 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon crushed cardamom
1/2 lb. (250 g) butter or margarine or 3/4 cup
(2 dl) cooking oil
about 2 1/4 lb. (1 kg) white flour
1/3 cup (1 dl) raisins
egg yolk for glazing almonds for decorating
1. Put the ingredients for the dough ready in
the kitchen the previous evening. If they are cold the dough will take
too
long to rise.
2. Heat the milk to hand temperature so as to
enhance the action of the yeast.
3. Beat the eggs and sugar, add the milk, yeast,
salt and cardamom. If oil is to be used, add it at this stage.
4. Add enough flour to get a thick, elastic
mixture.
Beat it vigorously to put air into the dough. This will enhance the
glutination of the flour and make the dough rise
well.
5. Mix in the rest of the flour and finally the
butter or margarine. Knead the dough until it separates completely from
your hands and the sides of the bowl.
6. If you make the dough with an electric dough
mixer, follow closely the instructions for preparing dough.
7. Cover the dough with a cloth and leave to
rise in a warm place. When the dough has doubled in bulk, place it on a
lightly floured surface and knead well. Add the
raisins.
8. Roll the dough into a sheet about 1 cm thick.
9. Spread the dough with a thick layer of melted
or very soft butter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. If you like, you
can add a layer of chopped or ground almonds
or other nuts.
10. Roll and cut into slices about 3 cm thick.
11. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet covered
with baking paper. Let rise.
12. With a finger or the handle of a knife, make
a vertical depression down each bun so that the spiral like filling
bulges
out on both sides.
13. Let the buns rise. Brush with beaten egg
and bake.
Irish Stew
Irish stew is easy to make and if made with
mutton
and cooked slowly will be both flavour some and tender. Mutton,
being an older meat, has more flavour than lamb
but does need to be cooked for a couple of hours over a low heat with
liquid. It should not be allowed to boil or the
flavour will be spoiled. There is little agreement as to the classic
recipe--
should there be carrots? Should the meat be
browned?
Should mutton, lamb, beef, bacon, or even kid be used? The
following dish will be found to be hearty and
nourishing and traditional enough.
2 1/2 lb/1 kg boned mutton
4 large potatoes
2 large onions
3 or 4 medium carrots
sprig of parsley
1 pt/500 ml/2 cups water
salt & pepper
(serves four) Cut the meat into good sized
chunks. Peel the vegetables and slice thickly. Chop the parsley. Choose
a pot with a well fitting lid and put in the ingredients in layer,
starting
and finishing with potatoes. Pour in the water and season to taste.
Cover
and put on a very low heat for about 2 1/2 hours until the meat is
tender
and the potatoes have thickened the liquid. The dish may also be made
with
lamb, in which case it requires only 1 1/2 hours cooking time.
Mead Sima (Finnish)
- 5 l water
- 350 g sugar
- 350 g brown sugar
- 2 lemons
- tiny bit of yeast
Wash the lemons and peel them thinly. Remove the pith. Slice the lemons and place them with the peel and sugar in a sufficiently large vessel.
Bring half of the water to the boil and pour
it
over the lemons, peel and sugar. Stir and leave to stand covered for a
while.
Add the rest of the water cold. When the liquid
is lukewarm add the yeast.
Keep the mead at room temperature until it
starts
to ferment, i.e. about one day. Put a couple of raisins and 1 tsp of
sugar
into clean bottles, and strain the mead into
the bottles. Loosely cork the bottles and store them in a cool place.
The
mead
is ready when the raisins rise to the surface.
Rhubarb Fool
A fruit fool is a simple and delicious dessert,
rich
and creamy but not overly so.
6-8 plump sticks of rhubarb
4 oz/25 g/1/2 cup sugar
small knob of butter
1/2 pt/250 ml/1 cup whipping cream
(serves four) Cut the rhubarb into chunks
and "sweat" with the sugar and butter over a low heat until cooked but
not
mushy. Liquidise or pass through a food mill.
When cold, fold into stiffly whipped cream. Allow to set in a fridge and
serve with Lady fingers or Boudoir biscuits.
Apple or gooseberry fool is made in exactly the same way, except that in
the case of gooseberries the puree should be
sieved to remove pips. It may be necessary to adjust sugar to taste.
Cheese-and-herbs stuffed salmon (Yrttijuustolla
täytetty lohi)
Ingredients:
- 1 kg salmon fillet
- black and lemon pepper
- salt
- lemon juice
Stuffing:
- unripened cheese
- dill, chives and thyme
Season the fish fillet with salt and black and
lemon peppers to taste. Using a sharp knife, cut a less than one
centimeter
deep opening in the middle of the fillet from
head to tail. Place the knife in the opening and cut a pocket to both
sides
of the opening. Unfold the pockets and
spread
the cheese in. Sprinkle finely chopped dill, chives and thyme on the
cheese. Turn the upper side of each pocket on
the cheese and herbs. Secure the opening with cocktail sticks some 5 cm
apart. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
Bake in 200° C for about 20-25 minutes. When the fish is done, remove the sticks.
Gooseberry Crumble (For
Gus Pike eh?)
This dish is an easily prepared and economical
dessert, especially at the time of year when gooseberries are
plentiful.
The basic method can be used for other fillings, such as rhubarb, apple
or apple & blackberry.
8 oz/250 g/2 cups self raising flour
4 oz/125 g/1/2 cup soft brown sugar
4 oz/125 g/1/2 cup butter
2 lb/1 kg/10 cups gooseberries
6 oz/200 g/1 cup caster sugar
Using your fingertips, rub in the butter lightly
into the flour in a large bowl. When it is like fine bread crumbs mix
in
the brown sugar. Top and tail the berries and cover with the crumble
mixture
in an oven-proof dish, pressing the surface down lightly. Bake for 45
minutes
in the centre of a pre-heated oven at gas mark 4, 350 F, 180 C. Serve
hot
with cream.
Mushroom-omelette roll (Sienimunakaskääryle)
Omelette batter:
- 6 eggs
- 5 dl milk
- 1 dl wheat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
Filling:
- 3 tbsp butter, margarine
or cooking oil
- 1 l chantarelles, hedgehog
mushrooms, ceps
- 2-3 onions, salt, black
pepper
- basil or thyme
(- a little cream or
crème
fraiche)
On top:
- grated cheese
Preheat the oven to 200° C. To prepare the batter, first mix the flour in the milk. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add to the flour and milk mixture. Spice with salt and white pepper. Line a high-edged baking plate with greaseproof paper and pour the omelette batter on the paper. Bake in the oven until light brown. Overturn the omelette on another piece of greaseproof paper and remove the paper from the bottom. Chop the onions for the filling. Fry the chopped mushrooms in hot oil, add the onions and let cook until the liquid has nearly evaporated. Spice with salt and pepper, and, if you like, basil or thyme. (In case you prefer the filling to be more saucelike, add a little cream to the mixture and let cook for a while). Check the taste. Spread the mixture on the omelette and roll the sheet up. Carefully move the roll on a greased ovenproof plate and sprinkle grated cheese on top. Heat the omelette roll in 200° C before serving.
TRADITIONAL IRISH BREAKFAST
Ingredients
8 slices of Shannon
Traditional Irish Bacon (Premium)
4 Shannon Traditional
Irish Sausages (Bangers)
4 slices of Shannon
Traditional Black Breakfast Pudding
4 slices of Shannon
Traditional White Breakfast Pudding
4 eggs
4 Medium size tomatoes
Freshly ground pepper
Over low heat, sauté bacon, turning
frequently
until done to taste. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Keep
hot.
It is
important to note that Irish bacon is not cooked
crisp hard. Place sausages in pan and cook until brown on all sides.
Cut
the
tomatoes in half and fry with slices of pudding
in the bacon fat. Remove and keep hot. All the above items can also be
broiled
instead of being fried. Cook eggs to order.
Serves
4
Mushroom-omelette roll (Sienimunakaskääryle)
Omelette batter:
- 6 eggs
- 5 dl milk
- 1 dl wheat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
Filling:
- 3 tbsp butter, margarine
or cooking oil
- 1 l chantarelles, hedgehog
mushrooms, ceps
- 2-3 onions, salt, black
pepper
- basil or thyme
(- a little cream or
crème
fraiche)
On top:
- grated cheese
Preheat the oven to 200° C. To prepare the
batter, first mix the flour in the milk. Beat the eggs in a separate
bowl
and add to the flour and milk mixture. Spice with salt and white
pepper. Line a high-edged baking plate with greaseproof paper and pour
the omelette batter on the paper. Bake in the oven until light
brown.
Overturn the omelette on another piece of greaseproof paper and
remove
the paper from the bottom. Chop the onions for the filling. Fry the
chopped
mushrooms in hot oil, add the onions and let cook until the liquid has
nearly evaporated. Spice with salt and pepper, and, if you like, basil
or thyme. (In case you prefer the filling to be more saucelike, add a
little
cream to the mixture and let cook for a while). Check the taste. Spread
the mixture on the omelette and roll the sheet up. Carefully move the
roll
on a greased ovenproof plate and sprinkle grated cheese on top. Heat
the
omelette roll in 200° C before serving.
Poor knights ( Köyhät
ritarit)
- a slice of French bread
or
coffee bread per person
- 1 egg
- 3 dl milk
- pinch of salt
For frying:
- butter or margarine
On top:
- lingonberry jam (and whipped
cream)
1. Cut a thick slice of
bread
for each person
2. Whip the egg and mix in
milk and a pinch of salt
3. Dip the slices in the milk
and egg mixture
4. Fry until golden brown
on both sides
5. Serve hot topped with a
bit of lingonberry jam. If you top it all off with
whipped cream, your "poor
knights" become "rich knights".
Sweet Buns (Pikkupullat)
- 5 dl milk
- 50 g yeast
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 dl sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tblsp cardamom
- c. 1 kg plain flour
- 100-150 g margarine or butter
Heat the milk until lukewarm. Dissolve the yeast in a bowl with the warm milk. Stir in egg, sugar, salt and cardemom. Add enough flour to make a thick mixture and beat until shiny.
Add the rest of the flour to the dough and knead by hand. Leave some of the flour for shaping the buns and continue to work the dough until smooth and elastic. Add the softened fat and knead the dough until it comes off your hands and the edges of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave in a warm draught-free place until double in bulk. Then put it on a floured board and shape it into small round buns. Brush the risen buns with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake the buns at 225 °C for 8-10
minutes.
Let cool covered with a towel.