Rutabaga casserole - Lanttulaatikko

Christmas is just around the corner. So are the Christmas preparations. in Finland one of the traditional Christmas foods are different kinds of casseroles. 

Rutabaga casserole or lanttulaatikko, as we call it (lanttu=rutabaga, laatikko=casserole or box), is one of them and it is one of my all time favourites.  It tastes good on its own but even better with Christmas ham. This casserole takes a bit time to prepare but it is not difficult at all. Just try it. 

This recipe is my mother's and it is one of my favourite Christmas recipes even though it is not the most traditional one. I would say it is even better! Without this there really isn't a Christmas at all. 

I usually prepare this in the beginning of the December since it can be frozen. This way Christmas preparations are easier to handle and not make you dead tired. You even enjoy Christmas more if you aren't exhausted. Christmas should be joyful and not something you are forced to do. 

In this casserole you can clearly taste rutabaga and dark syrup. This is also one of the few recipes my family uses white pepper. Non of us truly enjoys that spice but in this, it is absolutely perfect addition.

3 kg of washed, peeled and cut rutabagas

enough water to cover the rutabagas in large pot

salt

about 3-4 g white pepper

about 400 grams dark syrup

(salt according to taste)

(some boiling water)

1. Wash, peel and slice the rutabagas.
2. Boil the rutabaga pieces in well salted water as long as the pieces become soft. Reserve part of the boiling water in case you need it later for the rutabaga mash.
3. Mash the cooked rutabagas with a potato pestel.
4. Add dark syrup and white pepper to the hot rutabaga mash. Don't add all at once since rutabagas taste a bit different each year and in some years you need to youse more syrup and some years less. Same with the white pepper. The amount are referential. Trust your taste since after all, you are eating it. Add some boiling liquid if the mash is too thick. It shouldn't be runny but not too thick either.
5. Butter the casserole tins and pour in the spiced rutabaga mash. If you wish you can make some pattern on the surface by using a spoon. Add a few smallish pieces of butter on the top. Bake about 3-4 hours in 125 Celsius degrees.

If you want to freeze the casseroles bake only about 3 hours since otherwise casserole dries too much .
Syrup will change the casserole darker each time you bake it since it caramellisizes.
I hope you enjoy the recipe!

If you are searching for a completely traditional version you prefer this one:

1 kg rutabaga
2 dl heavy cream
2 eggs

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp allspice

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¾ dl dark syrup

1. Wash, peel and slice the rutabagas.
2. Boil the rutabaga pieces in well salted water as long as the pieces become soft. Reserve part of the boiling water in case you need it later for the rutabaga mash.
3. Mash the cooked rutabagas with a potato pestel.
4. Mix all the ingredients, add some more if needed.
5. Grease the casserole with butter, add the mix and level. 
6. Add some butter pieces and breadcrumbs on the top.
7. Bake in 175 Celsius degrees for about 2 hours. 

Hello world!

The blog has been silent for way too long time. Sorry about that. I did start this with such enthusiasm and excitement. But I ended up having too little time in the end.  

Well, what has happened that I was able to return to this blog? That's kind of a long story but I'll make it short. 

To make returning to this blog possible, I decided to make a few changes so that it is more possible for me to do that. I am now constantly reorganizing my life so that I'll have a small piece of my own time for the things I like to do. I am carer for two of my three special needs children and that takes quite a bit of my time. Other thing is that I will  (at least for now) provide the ingredients only in metric system. That way I don't have to keep worrying did I make the changes correctly or not. That took a lot of energy since I have dyslexia and numbers can be nightmare. 

Anyway, I'll start adding new recipes soon and I keep adding new content every now and then. Drop by when it suits your day and maybe you'll find something you like to try. 

In the future I'll also write more about gardening and our yard/garden projects that I think might be interesting to others as well.

Love, 

Lady A

Finnish Rye Bun Meets Mediterranean Flavors

I hate to throw away perfectly good ingredients. I hate wasting in all forms. Nowadays people waste a lot - we did (and probably still do) too even though we try to live in a ecological way.

I hate to see when people don't use all the parts of the animals or waste perfectly good food simply because they don't want to eat the same food for the next two or three days. Ingredients needs to be respected and treated with love and care.

In the last few weeks we have started to use banana peels and potato peels. So far all the potato peels have been used but I must admit that I had to throw away about 5 banana peels since I simply did not have time to prepare anything out of them. But I am getting better in this and maybe in the future I will create a banana peel recipe that is easier and healthier to use than cakes and biscuits I have created so far.

So after having all these thoughts I created a rye bread recipe with Mediterranean tastes and here comes the twist.... Potato peels. Oven baked, spiced potato peels. Delicious just like that but in the bread dough they are magnificent.  You simply have to try this!

For potato peels:
400 grams (14.110oz)  potato peels
50 grams (1.7637oz)olive oil
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
2 tsp oregano
4-5 garlic gloves
salt

(black pepper)

1. Let's prepare those potato peels first. wash and dry the potato peels with a towel.
2. Mix oil and spices on the bowl. Add potato peels and mix well.
3. Bake in 200 grams at a time in 225 °C  (440°F) for about 10-12 minutes or so.

For the bread dough:
300 grams (10.582oz) sourdough starter
All of the baked potato peels 
600 (1.3228 lb) grams water
900-1000 grams (1.9842 lb - 2.2046 lb) rye flour
salt

1. Mix the sourdough starter, oven baked potato peels and salt.
2. Add the flour and knead.
3. Take small pieces of the dough  (appr. 100 grams/ 3.5274 oz) in your hands and make it a ball and then flatten it. Do it as long as you have used all  the dough.
4. Let the buns leaven in a warm place (I have done this many times in the oven which I heated as little as possible. That way the buns leaven faster)
5. When ready, bake in the 225 °C  (440°F)  for about 30 minutes or so.

Cinnamon Spelt Cookies

I made these cookies in December when I wanted to have s scent of cinnamon in the house. The yard did not have white snow on it but there was some frost on rocks and moss. The air was nippy and your cheeks would become wonderfully red after a walk in the silent forest. walking in the forest is one my favorite things to do. It is just you and the wind and the trees - you can really relax and hear your own thoughts. It's magical.

These cookies ended up being loved by the whole family and what's best they were really simply and quick to make and the scent of cinnamon prepared the  Christmas spirit.

250  (8.8185 oz) grams butter
200  (0.44092 lb) grams sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla sugar
2-3 tsp baking powder
350  (0.77162 lb)  grams Spelt flour

sugar and cinnamon for covering the cookies

1. Mix soft butter and sugar to tunr it into a soft foam.
2. Add the eggs
3. Mix the dry ingredients and and add them to the butter/sugar mix.
4. make about 30 round balls in your hands.
5. Put some cinnamon-sugar mix in to a small bowl and put the balls in it one by one and cover them with the sugar-cinnamon mix. Put the cookies on the papered baking tray.
6. Put the cookies into fridge for about 20 minutes and bake them in  the center of the oven for about 12-14 minutes in 200 °C (400°F).

Rye Bread with Lingonberry Jam

It is no longer autumn in Finland. Two days a go we got white fluffy flakes which covered the land and turned the whole world white. However, I know, it won't last yet. It will melt away here in southern Finland. Now we just need to wait and see will we get a white Christmas. Hopefully we do. In a mean while we can enjoy these colorful autumn photos of lingonberry bread.

Lingonberries and rye are one of those match made in heaven ingredients. this one of the variations I have made since no one (not even Finns) want to eat same bread day after day. Still healthy, especially if you make your own lingonberry jam since then you can control how much sugar you add in to it and you can even choose to use better sugar option than the common white sugar.

Lingonberries grow even in our yard. They are wonderful addition to many dishes like smashed potatoes and (now close your eyes, if you believe in Santa) sautéed reindeer but also equally delicious with liver casserole which is one of my favourite ones. Lingonberries are smashed and  spiced with sugar when used with these dishes. if you ever have a change to try them - go for it! They are delicious!

I remember that my grandmother who lived in Rovaniemi, always made sautéed reindeer (poronkäristys) when we visited there. She served it often with boiled potatoes and that version was great too but I simply love smashed potatoes with milk, butter and little sugar so you can guess which option I like the best. And I must say that my mom makes the greatest smashed potatoes I have ever eaten. Well, enough about the lingonberries and other dishes. Back to the lingonberry bread.

The recipe goes like this:

350-400 grams (12.346-14.110 oz) sourdough starter
300 grams (10.582 oz)  lingonberry jam
500 grams (1.1023 lb) water
1200 grams (2.6455 lb)  ryeflour

1. Mix the strater, water and salt.
2. Add lingonberry jam. Mix well.
3. Add rye flour.
4.Knead on the baking board, add flours when needed.
5. Bake into two breads
6. Leaven them under a baking cloth for about 6-8 hours or so. Even over night works weel at my house.
7. Then bake them in the 250 °C (480°F) for about 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 200 °C (400°F) and bake them 60 to 75 minutes more or until they are done.

Finnish Sourdough Rye Bread with Malted Rye Flour

 My family wanted to have a different sort of rye bread after a while. I had these malted rye flours in my pantry and I decided to add some of them into the dough in order to get a little richer and slighter sweeter taste. It completely changes the taste of the sourdough rye bread.

I like malted flours. You can do so many things with them and special Easter time treat called mämmi is made by using malted rye flours. It is delicious even though it does look like something you can find in baby's diapers. Still, if you ever have a chance to taste mämmi I say go for it! It's really worth it.

This bread was so good that my family ate half of the bread I had baked before I could take the photos. I had other two  breads too but I had already frozen them so  I was left with this little piece to deal with. Luckily  there was still something left so that I did not need to shoot just  the crumbs.  :)


550-600 grams (1.2125 - 1.3228 lb) sourdough starter
appr.  1100 grams (2.4251 lb) water
1100-1200 grams (2.4251 - 2.6455 lb)  rye flour
800 grams (1.7637 lb) malt flour (I used malted rye flour)
salt

1. Mix the sourdough started, lukewarm water, salt and malted flours. Mix.
2. Add almost all of the rye flour and start kneading. Add more flours if needed. Bake 3 breads.
3. Let the bread leaven in a warm place, under a baking towel for about 6-9 hours (depends on the room temperature)
4. Then bake them in the 250 °C (480°F) for about 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 200 °C (400°F) and bake them 60 to 75 minutes more.