This one is lovely served with salty or spicy meat. It’s of course just gorgeous with no meat! It goes great alongside some simple roasted potatoes or spicy roasted cauliflower! Sour cream is…

I realised today that I haven't been posting many Estonian recipes lately, which doesn't mean I haven't been eating lots of local food recently. I have. Especially cabbage dishes, as the new season's cabbage has hit the stalls. Today's dish is not strictly seasonal per se - it can be made in the middle of a rainy autumn, dark winter and promising spring. But somehow I always crave this dish in the early to mid-summer, when the cabbage tastes sweetest. Estonian Cabbage and Mince Stew (Hakkliha-kapsahautis) Serves 4 1 large green cabbage (about 2 pounds/1 kg), finely shredded 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks 1 Tbsp vegetable oil about a cup of freshly boiled water salt freshly ground black pepper 400 g (leanish) beef mince 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced 1 Tbsp vegetable oil fresh parsley (optional) boiled potatoes, to serve Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the carrots and the cabbage, season with salt and sauté for a few minutes, until the cabbage wilts a little. Add the boiling water, cover and simmer on a medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, until cabbage starts to soften. On a frying pan, heat the oil, then add onions and minced beef. Fry, stirring regularly, until the mince is browned all over. Add the whole lot to the softened cabbage. Give it a quick turn and continue simmering for another 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until the cabbage is nicely softened. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley, if you wish, and serve with boiled potatoes.

Estonian Meatball Soup: This soup is a perfect option during cold winter months! Enjoy our easy recipes!Visit our website: www.happyfoodstube.com/estonian-meatball-soup-frikadelli-supp

If you're looking for a minced meat sauce recipe, try out this amazing Estonian version with south cream! It is delicious, tangy, and mouthwatering.

I am born and bred in South-Estonia. I still live here and I couldn't imagine it any other way. South has a special place in my heart. It just has this uniquely different vibe. My vegan cooking workshops usually take place in Tallinn, which is in north and it's fun, but I love to drive back to our little forest cabin afterwards. Even if it's 3am. I guess there's no place like home. The culture-historical region where I'm from, is called Mulgimaa. We have our own dialect and we also have our own historical foods. Some of them are widely loved, like today's recipe, which is even considered Estonian national food in some cases. My mom has been cooking mashed potatoes with barley since I remember. She learned to make it from my dad, who learned to make it from his grandmother and so on. There are different versions of it, but the base is always the same - potatoes and barley. This dish is often served with pan-fried cubed lard and onions, but since I'm a vegan, I just love it with the onions or "beef" it up with delicious pan-fried eggplant, which has a really nice hearty texture. Some people also like to eat it with sour cream, but I replace it with sunflower sour cream. The main reasons we love this dish so much, it's because it's really filling, delicious, very affordable, doesn't need much labor and it heats up really nice when pan-fried the next day. That way it gets golden brown and crispy...yum! We also love to eat some home-made preserves with. For example tomato and green bean preserve or some spicy pickles. So it's all in all a winter season food. And since the days are getting a bit chillier here, it's the perfect time to share this recipe. Happy cooking and if you have some time, I would love to hear about your favorite foods from your region! Time: a bit over an hour Serves: 4 people Mashed potatoes with barley: 3 ⅓ pounds / 1 ½ kg potatoes ½ cup / 100 g pearl barley 2 onions 2 tsp fine salt (I used pink salt) 2 - 3 bay leaves 6 ⅓ cups / 1,5 liter water For serving: 3 onions 1 medium eggplant salt and pepper to taste sunflower sour cream, if you like Peel the potatoes and cut the bigger ones into half. Put them into a thick-bottomed pot along with thoroughly rinsed barley, chopped onions, salt and bay leaves. Cover everything with water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and let it boil on a medium heat for at least an hour. In the meantime, you can prepare the onions, eggplant and also sunflower sour cream, if you like. Pan-fry the onions in plenty of oil, until really golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the eggplant into small cubes. Heat up a pan, add plenty of oil and half of the eggplant cubes. Sprinkle some salt on them and pan-fry them for a few minutes, until they are translucent and golden brown. Put the cubes on a plate covered with a paper towel, so it absorbs the extra oil. Pan-fry the remaining batch of eggplant cubes exactly the same way. Now check on the potatoes. If they still have too much water left (it shouldn't be too soupy), let it boil without a lid on high heat for about 5 minutes. Now mash everything using an old-school potato masher, definitely not a hand blender. Taste for salt and add more, if needed. Serve with pan-fried onions, pan-fried eggplant and some sunflower sour cream.

Traditional Estonian recipes allow all dishes of Estonian food to be made by following a few simple rules. Easy for beginners but interesting for seasoned cooks

Here's my entry for the 10th installment of Waiter, there is something in my ... (WTISIM) foodblogging event, a brainchild of three fabulous British foodbloggers Johanna, Jeanne and Andrew. This month's edition is hosted by Andrew, who has asked us to send in our recipes for LAYERED CAKES. I decided to try meekook or a layered honey cake that is available in most cake shops and is a popular birthday table option. It consists of six thin cake layers and six simple sweetened sour cream layers. Our layers were slightly thicker than we expected them to be, but the taste was exactly right. Enjoy! MEEKOOK aka Estonian Honey Cake* (Meetort) Serves 12-16 Honey cake layers: 3 Tbsp honey 200 g (250 ml/1 cup) caster sugar 3 large eggs 2 tsp baking soda/bicarbonate of soda 360 g plain flour (600 ml) Between layers: 1 kg sour cream 85 g (100 ml) caster sugar Whisk eggs until pale and thick. Heat honey and sugar in a large saucepan. When it's about to boil, remove from the heat and add the whisked eggs, stirring until combined. Add baking soda and stir again. Add flour gradually, mixing until combined. Put aside to cool completely! Divide the dough into six equal parts (it's easiest to do it by rolling it into a cylinder and then cutting into six pieces). Take six sheets of baking/parchment paper, dust very slightly with flour. On a slightly floured parchment paper, form each piece of dough into a ball and then roll out into a 24 cm circles. Bake one dough circle at the time for 5 minutes in the middle of a 225 C oven until dark golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking paper. Layer five baked circles with the sour cream on a cake stand, covering also the top cake circle. Crush the sixth cake circle in a food processor and sprinkle on the top layer of sour cream. Place into the fridge for 6 hours or overnight. Here are links to my previous Waiter there is something in my ... entries: September 2007 (SAVOURY PRESERVE): Gooseberry Chutney August 2007 (MEATLESS BBQ): Roasted onions with blue cheese. July 2007 (SAUCES): Munakaste alias my grandma Senta's egg & smoked ham sauce. June 2007 (DUMPLINGS): Vareniki dumplings with curd cheese filling, served with home-made apricot jam & pistachios. May 2007 (STUFFED VEGETABLES): Stuffed tomatoes with two types of salad - cod liver salad & cucumber and wild garlic salad. April 2007 (BREAD): a traditional Estonian quick mushroom bread, Seenekarask. March 2007 (EASTER BASKET): a selection of various Easter delights. February 2007 (PIE): a great Russian puff pastry and fish pie, Salmon Kulebyaka. January 2007 (STEW): my version (in collaboration with Anthony Bourdain:) of the French classic Boeuf Bourguignon.

Sille Vadi, a food blogger and a specialist for academic affairs at the University of Tartu, conducted a kind of sociological inquiry asking what does Christmas taste and smell like – and put a little part of those tastes and smells into practice with a little twist.

Rhubarb is very popular in Estonian cooking and features in numerous recipes. As this tarty fruit is now in season it's a great time to make this tasty treat. Rabarberikook is very easy to make and has been enjoyed by Estonians for generations. Ingredients Base 2 ½ cups plain flour 1 cup granulated sugar 1 egg 150g unsalted butter ¼ tsp baking powder Filling 600g rhubarb, chopped into small pieces 8 tbsp sugar 1tsp cinnamon Topping 6 eggs 6 tbsp sugar 6 tbsp flour 1tsp vanilla extract Icing sugar for dusting on top. Method Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease a rectangle cake pan. In a bowl cream the butter and sugar using an electric mixer. Add the egg. In a separate bowl combine the flour and baking powder and then add to the butter mixture. Spread the batter evenly into the greased pan. The mixture can be quite sticky so use the back of a wet spoon to get a nice smooth result. Combine the rhubarb with the sugar and cinnamon. Gentle spoon over the top of the base layer. To prepare the topping, beat the eggs and sugar together until light and airy. Add the flour and vanilla extract then pour over the rhubarb filling. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool then sprinkle with icing sugar. Cut into squares and serve with cream.

If you're looking for a minced meat sauce recipe, try out this amazing Estonian version with south cream! It is delicious, tangy, and mouthwatering.

Traditional Estonian recipes allow all dishes of Estonian food to be made by following a few simple rules. Easy for beginners but interesting for seasoned cooks

Are you visiting Estonia and don't know what to eat? Check our complete guide and first hand impressions on the top traditional Estonian food.

Here's a true Estonian classic - a layered cookie cake. If you've been reading Nami-Nami blog, you may remember that an Estonian cookie cake was also featured at the festive spread we served for Average Betty few weeks ago. It's a popular cake on children's birthday parties and on September 1st (the day all Estonian kids go back to school). I suspect these are the main reasons for its popularity: * There are just a few ingredients. * It's pretty cheap and affordable. * It's yummy :) * There are endless variations - you can use different flavoured cookies, different cream, different decorations. * The cake takes about 10-15 minutes to assemble, and every kid can make it, even small ones. The cookie cake above was made with the help of my 3,5 year old daughter - she did all the cookie-dipping and cookie-placing, I was left with spreading the sour cream between the layers. And she's made this cake before - here's a family portrait taken in January - few days before our son's first birthday and few weeks before our daughter's third birthday: Photo by Hele-Mai Alamaa (Pere & Kodu) as part for the cover story back in February. I make two main versions - one with halva and sour cream filling, the other with plain sour cream filling. That's right - plain, unflavoured sour cream - the cookies are sweet enough and there's absolutely no need to sweeten the cream that goes between the cookies. However, there are lots of people who add thinly sliced bananas between the layer, but I haven't tried that myself. I guess I like the classics remain classic :) As far as the cookies go, you need rectangular unfilled cookies - either plain or chocolate-flavoured or any other flavour you like. The cookies shouldn't be more than 5-6 mm (1/4-inch) thick. In Estonia any flavour produced and distributed by Estonian Kalev or Latvian Selga would work, elsewhere you could try with Bahlsen Leibniz's Butter Biscuits, or LU's Le Petit Beurre biscuit cookies, for instance. Sounds familiar? There's a similar, yet different popular cake in Germany, called Keller Kuchen (Cellar cake) or Kalter Hund (Cold Dog), or radiokaka in Sweden, where butter cookies are layered with chocolate and coconut butter cream. NB! Make this cake at least 4 hours earlier, preferably day before, so the sour cream has time to soften the cookies and make the cake more cakey. You can top the cake with chocolate glaze and decorate it just half an hour before serving. Estonian cookie cake (Kõige parem küpsisetort) Serves 12 to 15 4 packets of square/rectangular cookies (180 g/6 oz each) 100-200 ml milk or coffee for dipping the cookies 750 g thick sour cream (about 20% fat content) Chocolate glaze: 100 g dark chocolate 50 g unsalted butter 4 Tbsp double cream To decorate: crispy pearl sugar fresh berries coconut flakes/shredded coconut Dip 12 to 15 cookies into the milk or coffee and place onto a suitable cake tray (I usually use 3x5 cookies or 15 in total, depending on your cake tray, you may prefer 3x4 pattern, resulting in 12 servings). Now spread about a third of the sour cream evenly on top of the cookies. Continue with 3 more cookie and 2 more sour cream layers, finishing with the cookie layer. Cover the cake with a cling film and place into the fridge to soften. To make the chocolate glaze, break the chocolate into pieces and place into a small saucepan with butter and fresh cream. Slowly heat on a medium heat, stirring regularly, until the glaze is smooth and glossy. Spoon over the cake, spreading it evenly all over the top. (If using shredded coconut or pearl sugar for garnish, do it now, so it sticks into the chocolate glaze). Place back into the fridge to harden. To serve, cut the cake into neat squares (or rectangles, if your cookies weren't square), or smaller slices, if you prefer. Garnish with berries, if you wish (I used the wonderful green variety of blackcurrants, Vertti, that I was talking about in a recent post). Here's exactly the same cake, using chocolate-flavoured cookies and garnished with crispy pearl sugar granules: Similar recipes in English-language foodblogs: Easy 7-layer cake @ Steven and Chris Kellerkuchen / Cellar cake @ Light Recipes Similar recipes in Estonian foodblogs: Küpsisetort kohupiimakreemi ja banaaniga @ Sööme silmadega (Dagris) Šokolaadine küpsisetort @ Kiilike köögis (Anneli) Kohupiimakreemiga küpsisetort @ Siit nurgast ja sealt nurgast (Mari-Liis) Vale-napoleoni kook @ Kokkama Ragnega (Ragne) Šokolaadi-toorjuustukook küpsistega @ Kokkama Ragnega (Ragne) Hapukoorekreemiga küpsisetort @ Tassike.ee (Marju) Küpsisetort @ Magusad fotod (Marit) Kohvimaitseline küpsisetort @ Hea toit, parem elu! (Merit) Küpsisetort @ Head asjad (Neve) Halvaa-küpsisetort @ Maitse asi (Jaanika)

As promised in my last post here is a recipe that I have adapted to create a Savoyard fusion Estonian

Exciting hot pink potato salad made with a combo of potatoes, roasted beets and a tangy yogurt-mustard dressing.

Estonian Black Bread is fermented Rye bread. My Sister s recipe

With hearty staples, tender meats, and plenty of European influence, Estonian food packs so much warmth and comfort in every bite.

Alexander cake, March 2011, dyed with sea-buckthorn juice concentrate I'm dedicating February to various Estonian recipes, so if you've travelled to Estonia and want a specific recipe or two, let me know. Aleksandrikook aka Alexander cake has been requested here on Nami-Nami on several occasions, so it's about time to listen to my dear readers and post a recipe :) To start with, Alexander cake is not actually Estonian in its origin, even though it's rather popular here and found in many traditional coffee and pastry shops. Our Nordic neighbours, Finns, claim the cake as their own. But then I've even come across recipes for Alexander cake in Latvian cookbooks, so it's popular in all over the North-Eastern corner of Europe. Apparently its history goes back to 1814 or 1818, depending on your sources, when Alexander I of Russia, the reigning czar, visited Helsinki, and was served this concoction on his birthday. The cake is mentioned in Kullo manor's ledger books from 1819-1821. By 1850s, the cakes were sold in Café Ekberg (they still are, gorgeously pink in colour and sandwiched with apple spread). In principle, it's a simple cake. Two layers of shorcrust pastry, sandwiched with thick raspberry (or other) jam, and topped with simple icing. However, as one talented Estonian food blogger has written somewhere, it's actually a tricky cake to do well. First, it's important not to overmix the pastry, as it won't have the right texture. It's important to roll out the pastry evenly, as otherwise it won't bake evenly. To lift one cake layer on top of the other is tricky as well - if you're unlucky, it'll break apart. If you're making this in a cafeteria, then you'll need to cut perfectly even-sized rectangles, and the glaze needs to be pretty and pink (or cocoa-brown, if you're opting for the cocoa glaze). NOTE: this should be baked and put together a day before serving, otherwise it'll be too dry and crumbly! Alexander cake, September 2009, dyed with fresh black aronia juice and white chocolate I've included some links to Estonian and Finnish foodbloggers that have written about the cake - you'll find them at the end of this post. Alexander cake (Aleksandrikook) Cuts into 12 rectangles Alexander cake, March 2011, dyed with sea-buckthorn juice concentrate Pastry layers: 125 g caster sugar (150 ml) 300 g all-purpose flour (500 ml, about 2 cups) 1 tsp baking powder 200 g butter, at room temperature 1 egg Filling: 250 ml (1 cup) thick raspberry jam Glaze: 250 g icing sugar/confectioners sugar (about 400 ml) 3-4 Tbsp raspberry or black aronia juice Make the pastry by mixing all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the butter, and using your fingers for mixing, mix until you've got large crumbs. Add the egg and quickly mix the pastry until it comes together. Take a parchment paper that fits your baking sheet. Place the pastry on top of the paper and using a slightly floured rolling pin, roll the pastry to fit the baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 175C/350F oven until dry and light golden brown (about 20 minutes). Take out from the oven, and cut into two even-sized rectangles (the final cake will be half the size of your baking sheet). Cool lightly.* Spread the jam over one shortcake base. Then very carefully lift the other shortcake layer on top of the one covered with jam. Cut into squares (but don't separate the pieces) and leave to cool completely. Make the glaze by mixing some colourful juice into the icing sugar until you've got a runny sugar glaze. Pour and spread that over the cake pieces and leave to set. * Note that there is an alternative way of baking this cake - you'll sandwich two shortcake layers together with jam BEFORE baking (obviously you'll need to bake it a bit longer then). I've never tried this version. Alexander cake, March 2011, dyed with sea-buckthorn juice concentrate Fancy more? Here are some links to other foodbloggers' posts about Alexander cake - these give you a good idea about the different ways of glazing the cake. ESTONIAN BLOGGERS: Aniitram (a classic cocoa frosting and white frosting, zigzag pattern), MARU (Estonian designer and food writer), Qsti, Ragne, Liina, Sille FINNISH BLOGGERS: Kinuskikissa (one of the most popular Finnish foodbloggers, she used a cappuccino-flavoured glaze), Jaana, Sarppu (apple version), Maija (she uses marzipan in the filling!). LATVIAN BLOGGERS: Zitinja

I am born and bred in South-Estonia. I still live here and I couldn't imagine it any other way. South has a special place in my heart. It just has this uniquely different vibe. My vegan cooking workshops usually take place in Tallinn, which is in north and it's fun, but I love to drive back to our little forest cabin afterwards. Even if it's 3am. I guess there's no place like home. The culture-historical region where I'm from, is called Mulgimaa. We have our own dialect and we also have our own historical foods. Some of them are widely loved, like today's recipe, which is even considered Estonian national food in some cases. My mom has been cooking mashed potatoes with barley since I remember. She learned to make it from my dad, who learned to make it from his grandmother and so on. There are different versions of it, but the base is always the same - potatoes and barley. This dish is often served with pan-fried cubed lard and onions, but since I'm a vegan, I just love it with the onions or "beef" it up with delicious pan-fried eggplant, which has a really nice hearty texture. Some people also like to eat it with sour cream, but I replace it with sunflower sour cream. The main reasons we love this dish so much, it's because it's really filling, delicious, very affordable, doesn't need much labor and it heats up really nice when pan-fried the next day. That way it gets golden brown and crispy...yum! We also love to eat some home-made preserves with. For example tomato and green bean preserve or some spicy pickles. So it's all in all a winter season food. And since the days are getting a bit chillier here, it's the perfect time to share this recipe. Happy cooking and if you have some time, I would love to hear about your favorite foods from your region! Time: a bit over an hour Serves: 4 people Mashed potatoes with barley: 3 ⅓ pounds / 1 ½ kg potatoes ½ cup / 100 g pearl barley 2 onions 2 tsp fine salt (I used pink salt) 2 - 3 bay leaves 6 ⅓ cups / 1,5 liter water For serving: 3 onions 1 medium eggplant salt and pepper to taste sunflower sour cream, if you like Peel the potatoes and cut the bigger ones into half. Put them into a thick-bottomed pot along with thoroughly rinsed barley, chopped onions, salt and bay leaves. Cover everything with water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and let it boil on a medium heat for at least an hour. In the meantime, you can prepare the onions, eggplant and also sunflower sour cream, if you like. Pan-fry the onions in plenty of oil, until really golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the eggplant into small cubes. Heat up a pan, add plenty of oil and half of the eggplant cubes. Sprinkle some salt on them and pan-fry them for a few minutes, until they are translucent and golden brown. Put the cubes on a plate covered with a paper towel, so it absorbs the extra oil. Pan-fry the remaining batch of eggplant cubes exactly the same way. Now check on the potatoes. If they still have too much water left (it shouldn't be too soupy), let it boil without a lid on high heat for about 5 minutes. Now mash everything using an old-school potato masher, definitely not a hand blender. Taste for salt and add more, if needed. Serve with pan-fried onions, pan-fried eggplant and some sunflower sour cream.

If you don't try out these incredible Estonian foods, what's the point of traveling to this country? From substantial staples, flavorful meat dishes, and

The Classics “pirukad” by Aivar Ruukel is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 1. Pirukad Pirukad (sing. Pirukas) are filled Estonian dumplings. Large pirukas are traditionally filled with cabbage, meat, and carrots. And small pirukas can contain different fillings. For example, meat, ham, cabbage, rice, mushrooms, and carrots. “Delicious Russian Salad served on the plate” by wuestenigel is licensed under CC BY […]

With hearty staples, tender meats, and plenty of European influence, Estonian food packs so much warmth and comfort in every bite.

Sauerkraut is another must-have ingredient on our Christmas table - a lovely side-dish to all those fatty chunks of roast pork and crac...

UPDATE 1.9.2007: You can read Johanna's round-up here! My dear blog friend Johanna is hosting the latest round of Sugar High Friday, and the theme is local specialities. There are plenty of typical Estonian cakes and desserts I could write about, but considering that I have recently posted kama promotion packs* to some lovely bloggers across the world, I thought it would be appropriate to give the recipients some tips for using that funny Estonian roasted meal mixture consisting of boiled, roasted and ground peas, rye, barley and wheat. I've written thoroughly about kama here, and shared recipes for kama mousse with season's berries, and boozy kama & mascarpone truffles before. I think it's time to move on and give you the recipe for the authentic way of eating kama. Well, semi-authentic. Adding sugar to kama is a 20th century thing. The really 'authentic' way of eating kama would be without sugar and accompanied with bread and salted sprats, or perhaps humble sandwiches. That's not how most Estonians think of kama nowadays, however, to whom kama drink as described below is more familiar and rather popular summer fare.. I understand it's tricky to replicate, as you need both a kama mixture and a fermented milk product (kefir or buttermilk or sour milk) for making this, both of which aren't so easily available. I guess thin plain drinking yogurt would work, too. Kama, the traditional Estonian summer drink/dessert (Kama, traditsioonilisel moel) Serves 1 250 ml kefir, sour milk or buttermilk 2 Tbsp kama mixture 2 Tbsp sugar a pinch of salt Mix all ingredients, let stand in the fridge for 10 minutes, then garnish with berries (I've used Alpine strawberries from my container garden), bilberry syrup (see photo here) or go all modern with a drizzle of chocolate sauce (top). Serve. Kama can either be eaten with a small spoon, or drunk straight from the cup. Use more or less kama mixture, depending on your preferences. * Kama Promotion Packs consist of a 400 g packet of kama flour, a bag of kama breakfast cereal, a bar of kama 'chocolate' and a packet of kama 'Tootsie rolls'. Contact me if you're interested in trying it - I'm happy to send it to you, though I've decided to charge P&P from now on.

For most of my life, the holiday season was synonymous with Grandma Vellend's piparkoogid, the Estonian spin on gingersnaps.

Igasuvine klassik lapsepõlvest :) Eriti kena kisselli saad siis, kui kasutad noori punaseid rabarbrivarsi. Vahendid kokkamiseks leiate kauplusest Apelsin.

With hearty staples, tender meats, and plenty of European influence, Estonian food packs so much warmth and comfort in every bite.

It was a chilly -9 degrees yesterday, the perfect time to stay indoors and enjoy some baking. In the past I have made several apple based desserts including apple pie, apple slice, apple puffs etc. but never apple cake. This is the first time I have tried this recipe and I am happy to say I'm pleased with the result. This is a traditional Estonian recipe and if the photo doesn't do it justice, I can assure you it's very tasty! Estonian Apple Cake Ingredients 6 apples, chopped 1 cup sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 cup milk 125g butter 2 eggs, separated 1 tsp cinnamon Method Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Beat egg yolks and sugar then add in the milk and butter. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder, then add them to the milk and egg yolk mixture. Stir in chopped apples. In a separate bowl beat egg whites until frothy and gently fold them in to the batter. Grease a 26 cm round baking tin and sprinkle some fine breadcrumbs on the bottom and sides. Pour apple mixture into the baking tin. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve with cream custard or ice.cream.

With hearty staples, tender meats, and plenty of European influence, Estonian food packs so much warmth and comfort in every bite.

Originally posted in February 2012, slightly edited. It's Shrove Tuesday tomorrow, and before feasting on delicious Lenten buns (I've blogged about the classic ones, chocolate ones and luscious raspberry and marzipan ones), Estonians eat split pea soup. Thick, hearty, well-flavoured (smoked pork!) and textured (peas + pearl barley) - all the elements of a substantial and delicious winter soup are present. Here's a recipe that I've been using for years to make a big (I mean it!) pot of delicious soup. It's a fusion recipe, of a kind. You see - apparently in the Southern Estonia, they used to put barley in the split pea soup; in the North, they replaced the pearl barley with cubed carrots and potatoes. I use them all, so it's a meet-me-in-the-middle soup :) Note that the soup reheats very well. As it thickens when cooling, you may need to add some water when reheating it, and adjusting the seasoning again, if necessary. Estonian Yellow Split Pea Soup with Smoked Pork (Hernesupp suitsulihaga) Serves eight to ten 200 g yellow split peas 150 g pearl barley 3 litres of water about 1 kg of smoked pork - rib, cheek or hock 1 large onion 2 to 3 large carrots 2 large potatoes salt to taste 2 to 3 tsp sharp mustard (or to taste) fresh herbs (parsley, celery, dill, thyme, savory) ON THE PREVIOUS NIGHT OR IN THE MORNING: Pick through the peas and pearl barley to remove any grit. Place into a bowl, pour over enough cold water to cover by couple of centimetres and leave to soak. (This reduces the cooking time considerably). ON THE DAY: Place the smoked pork into a large bowl (definitely larger than 5 litres!). Add the 3 litres of water and bring slowly into a boil. Remove any froth and scum that appears on the surface. Rinse the soaked barley and peas, drain and add to the saucepan. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer gently for about an hour. Meanwhile, peel and chop (or grate coarsely) the onion, carrots and potatoes. If you wish, you can sauté the onion and carrots in some oil - this enhances the flavour. Add the vegetables to the soup and continue simmering for about half an hour, until the meat and vegetables are fully cooked. Take the pork out of the soup, remove the meat from the bones and chop finely. Return the chopped meat into the saucepan. Season the soup with mustard and salt, add some herbs of your choice and serve.

I’ve had quite a few requests for the recipe for this Estonian black bread in the 24 hours since I made it so I thought I should get it up on the blog quickly. I made it for the first time o…

Con l’Abbecedario Culinario della Comunità Europea facciamo tappa in Estonia. Tra i piatti della cucina estone ho scelto i Pirukad dei fagottini ripieni che vengono serviti come aperitivi, o come stuzzichini nei kohvilaud o come antipasto nei pranzi. Possono essere di impasti diversi: di pasta frolla (muretainas), di pasta sfoglia (lehetainas) o di pasta lievitata (Pärmitainas); quest’ultima è la più popolare. Il ripieno può essere di: cavoli, carote, funghi, pesce, riso ecc. ma da quanto ho capito quello tradizionale è di carne cotta (Liha) che può essere arrosto, stufata o bollita. Per i miei pikurad ho preso spunto liberamente da qui, dove utilizza la pasta lievitata (Pärmitainas) la cui ricetta è tratta da un libro di Karin Annus Kärner Estonian Tastes And Traditions. Mentre per il ripieno ho scelto il cavolo verza condito con cipolla e carota che ho unito alla carne di manzo dello stracotto. Per la ricetta originale rimando - qui - Ingredienti per 15 pirukad: Per l’impasto (Pärmitainas): 250 g circa di farina 0 (150 farina 0 - 100 g Manitoba) 56 g di burro fuso 90 ml di latte riscaldato 30 ml di acqua tiepida 5 g di zucchero semolato 3 g di lievito di birra secco o 9 g di lievito di birra fresco 1 uovo pizzico di cardamomo macinato pizzico di sale Per il ripieno: 200 g di cavolo verza 1 carota 1 cipolla borettana olio extra vergine di oliva sale pepe nero 100 g circa di carne di manzo cotta (io stracotto) Preparazione: In un bicchiere si versa l’acqua tiepida (i 30 ml), il lievito e il pizzico di zucchero, si gira e si lascia riposare per 5-6 minuti per farlo attivare. In un altro bicchiere si sbatte l’uovo. In una ciotola capiente si versa il burro fuso, il latte riscaldato, il pizzico di sale, di zucchero, il cardamomo e metà dell’uovo (il resto si conserva in frigorifero). Si mescola il tutto, si aggiunge il lievito e pian piano s’incorpora la farina (se occorre si aggiunge altra farina). Si trasferisce il composto sulla spianatoia e s’impasta energicamente per almeno 15 minuti, fino ad avere un impasto consistente morbido ed elastico. Si dà la forma di una palla, si mette in una capiente ciotola unta di olio extra vergine di oliva e si copre con un panno. Si lascia a lievitare nel forno spento fino al raddoppio. Nel frattempo si prepara il ripieno. Si taglia a pezzetti la carota, la cipolla e il cavolo verza. In un’ampia padella si mette l’olio extra vergine di oliva, si uniscono le verdure e si fanno appassire per 8-10 minuti, si sala e si pepa. Poi si aggiunge la carne cotta finemente tagliata, quasi tritata. Si fa insaporire il tutto. Si lascia raffreddare (Il ripieno deve essere freddo). Passato il tempo di lievitazione, si prende l’impasto si stende una sfoglia di 5 millimetri circa di spessore e si formano dei cerchi con uno stampo, non deve essere grande (io 9 cm). Su ogni cerchio si mette un po’ di ripieno e si chiude a mezzaluna, si sigillano bene i bordi di chiusura. Si dispongono i pirukad su una placca da forno rivestita di carta forno; si spennellano con parte dell’uovo sbattuto messo da parte. Si mettono nel forno caldo a 190° C per 20-25 minuti; fino a doratura. Con questa ricetta partecipo alla raccolta dell'Abbecedario Culinario della Comunità Europea per la cucina dell’Estonia ospitato dal blog Cafe Lynnylu

Tuntud Viljandimaa ehk mulgi roog hapukapsastest, sealihast ja kruupidest. (NB!

A Estonian traditional Meat Jelly Sült

Tõenäoliselt mõlgub postituse pealkirjaks olev lausejupp praegu paljude peas. Ütlematagi on selge, et selle õhtu toit on eestimaine: kas siin kasvatatud või valmistatud. Eestimaa põllud, farmid, ta…

Are you visiting Estonia and don't know what to eat? Check our complete guide and first hand impressions on the top traditional Estonian food.

Authentic Lithuanian recipes have a rich and varied culinary tradition that has been influenced by both its ne

February 2012 It's Shrove Tuesday today, and I'm sharing a traditional Estonian Shrove Tuesday recipe with you. You'll need exactly three ingredients - pearl barley, smoked pork and water (and some salt to taste, if necessary). Cheap, simple, filling, flavoursome, and surprisingly delicious :) You'll need a good chunk of smoked pork - ribs are perfect, though I've often used a fattier smoked cheek. This particular piece of meat is called maasuitsuribi (country-smoked ribs) in Estonian: Note that this porridge reheats rather well - just slowly warm it until piping hot on your frying pan. I like to serve this with some sour cream. Barley Porridge with Smoked Pork (Vastlapuder) Serves four to six 200 g smoked pork (rib, cheek or thickly cut bacon) 175 g pearl barley, rinsed and drained 1 l boiling water salt, to taste Cut the smoked pork into dice: Fry the pork cubes in a heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, until browned and slightly crispened. (Drain off the excess oil, if necessary - various cuts of pork are rather different. Leave about a tablespoon or two of pork fat). Add the pearl barley and sauté for about a minute, stirring. Add the boiling water. Reduce heat, cover the pan with a lid. Simmer on a low heat for about an hour, stirring couple of times, until the barley is just ever so lightly al dente (you don't want it to go too mushy). Taste for seasoning, add some salt, if necessary. February 2008 MORE DELICIOUS SHROVE TUESDAY RECIPES @ NAMI-NAMI: Yellow split pea soup with smoked pork Traditional lenten buns Lenten buns with raspberries and marzipan Chocolate-y lenten buns

During the long and light Wednesday night most Estonians stayed up really late, sat around a bonfire and ate lots of barbecued and roasted pork and sausages. So did we, although we chose to stay "in town" this year and enjoy our new garden and patio. Few friends came over and we ate lots of delicious food, including two different types of pork, grilled chicken livers in sherry-honey marinade, boiled new potatoes with lots of dill, Estonian home-made cheese, egg and cottage cheese salad, freshly pickled cucumbers, home-baked rye bread, a crispy coleslaw, and various desserts. (Thank you, P&K and P&K for your potluck contributions ;))! One of the dishes I really wanted to make again - and share with you - was the traditional Estonian-style "šašlõkk" or shashlik. It's a controversial dish. Most people buy their shashlik meat from the supermarkets, already seasoned and marinated. Those who make it from scratch can argue about the best cut of pork to use, whether or not to use vinegar, how much onion to use etc. I LOVE the hint of vinegar flavour in my shashlik, but it does dry the meat out a little, so you must choose a juicy cut of pork (this is NOT the recipe for using tenderloin or such like), or simply omit the vinegar from the recipe below. It'll still be a delicious meat dish. Traditional side dishes would include freshly boiled new potatoes, a cucumber and tomato salad with some sour cream (but a coleslaw would work as well) and some ketchup :) Estonian Shashlik (Traditsiooniline šašlõkk) Serves 4 to 6, depending on the amount of side dishes 1 kg pork shoulder 4 large onions 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed 2 Tbsp vinegar (30% proof) 2 tsp finely ground salt 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp caster sugar Cut the pork shoulder into thick slices (about 1,5-2 cm), then into small chunks, sized about 4x4 cm. Place into a large bowl. Peel the onions and cut into thin slices. Add to the bowl with crushed garlic, salt, pepper and sugar. Sprinkle the vinegar on top: Now - wearing a pair of kitchen gloves - massage the meat and onion rings for about 10-15 minutes, so the onion juices are released and the seasonings are firmly massaged into the meat chunks. Instead of dark red (as above), the meat should look much paler now: Cover the bowl and leave to marinate for 24 hours. Pierce the meat chunks into a skewer and cook over hot coals until fully cooked and dark brown outside. (Sorry, I cannot give more accurate timings here - it all depends on your cooking vehicle).

Medical Medium: Estonian Stew - now at www.medicalmedium.com

We embarked on a food and sightseeing tour in Tallinn, Estonia, to discover traditional and modern food & drink that is enjoyed by locals in Estonia.

Food: What do Estonians eat? Hearty, simple, country food is how traditional Estonian cuisine can be described. Like many countries in Europe, Estonia's

Estonian Meatball Soup: This soup is a perfect option during cold winter months! Enjoy our easy recipes!Visit our website: www.happyfoodstube.com/estonian-meatball-soup-frikadelli-supp

I've got a problem with most oat cookie recipes I come across. They are way too complicated and contain way too many ingredients, whereas I ...