Eating Around the World (From Home....And Gluten Free...): Finland

Welcome to Finland! Again, we did this country a few weeks ago, but life has gotten in the way of writing about it. Finland is one of those countries way up in the boonies in Europe, where it snows all the time (OK, not really...). It looks like such a beautiful country - the pictures remind me of Alaska. This is a place I would love to visit and explore. According to Google, their population is 5.56 million people and the capital is Helsinki. Their national dish is...

Karelian Stew!

Like I said, it snows all the time in Finland (but not really), so stew makes complete sense! In looking at the recipe, it is very similar to the beef stew that I make on a regular basis during the winter. When I was initially doing research into the national dishes of all the country, Finland came up to be wheat, barley, rye, and pastry - all things I couldn't eat, nor could I substitute! I'm grateful that it changed! To go along with the Karelian stew, I made Finnish cabbage casserole and Korvapuusti, which is a cardamom roll (similar to cinnamon rolls). It was the perfect meal for a cold night! Here's what I did:

KARELIAN STEW

2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 C beef broth
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 parsnip, chopped
3 potatoes, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp gluten free flour
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup sour cream

In a Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
Add the beef and cook until browned on all sides.
Add the chopped onion, carrots, celery, and parsnip to the pot.
Cook until the vegetables are soft.
Add the flour and paprika, stir well to coat the meat and vegetables.
Add the beef broth, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf to the pot and stir to combine.
Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover.
Simmer for about 2-4 hours, or until the beef is tender.
Add the chopped potatoes to the pot and cook until tender.
Remove the bay leaf and stir in the sour cream.
Adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Enjoy!

(Source: Karelian Beef Stew)

FINNISH CABBAGE CASSEROLE

1/2 C white rice, cooked
3 tbsp butter – divided
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp salt, divided
One cabbage (about 2 pounds), sliced and chopped
1 tbsp maple syrup

Pepper, to taste
1 3/4 C beef broth

Preheat oven to 400F.
Grease a 12 inch cast iron skillet and set aside.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet and add beef, onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Cook until meat is completely browned.
In another large pot, melt remaining 2 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.
Add chopped cabbage and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Cook covered until soft, stirring occasionally – about 8-10 minutes. (If cabbage is sticking, add 1 tbsp of water.)
Once cabbage is done, turn off heat and add cooked rice, meat/onion mixture, optional maple syrup, and pepper to taste.
Mix to combine and scrape into prepared skillet or baking dish.
Pour broth over the casserole.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown on top. (Casserole will cook faster in a cast iron skillet. Longer cook time is for regular baking dish.)
Cover with foil if top is getting overly brown.
Enjoy!

(Source: Finnish Cabbage Casserole)

KORVAPUUSTI

Dough

11.25 g instant yeast

90 g sugar

180 g whole milk, warmed

17 g powdered psyllium husk

280 g warm water

310 g tapioca starch

260 g millet flour, plus extra for flouring

50 g sorghum flour

10 g xanthan gum

10 g salt

1 tbsp cardamom

2 eggs

75 g butter, softened

Pearl sugar, for garnish

Filling

100 g butter, melted and cooled

125 g sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom

In a small bowl, mix together the yeast, 20 g sugar, and warm milk.
Set aside and let froth, about 10-15 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix together the psyllium husk and water - this will form a gel.
In a large bowl, mix together the tapioca starch, millet flour, sorghum flour, 70 g sugar, xanthan gum, salt, and cardamom.
Add yeast mixture, psyllium gel and eggs.
Using a stand mixer with a dough hook, knead everything together until you get a soft, sticky dough.
Add the softened butter and knead until fully incorporated and have a very soft and sticky dough.
Transfer dough to an oiled container and allow to rise in a warm area until doubled, about 1.5 hours.
Lightly grease a rectangular baking dish with butter.
In a small bowl, mix together the filling sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom.
Prepare a large sheet of parchment paper and dust generously with millet flour
Turn out proved dough onto the parchment paper, dust generously with millet flour, and roll into a rectangle.
Brush dough with butter and sprinkle generously with the filling mixture.
Roll up the dough lengthwise, using the parchment paper to help roll.
Use unflavored floss to cut the log into triangle pieces.
Gently press down on the top of the triangle pieces and brush with butter and add pearl sugar on top.
Place the triangles in the baking dish so they are barely touching, cover with saran wrap, and prove until doubled, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 356 degrees.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
Enjoy!

(Source: Korvapuusti and "Baked to Perfection" by Katarina Cermelj)

The verdict? We really enjoyed Finland. Like I said earlier, the stew was very similar to one that we make on a regular basis, however, the addition of the sour cream made it a bit more creamy, which we really enjoyed. The cabbage casserole was surprisingly good. It seemed pretty "normal", except for the maple syrup. However, the syrup added a hint of sweet that went very well with the rest of the savory dish. The Korvapuusti was fantastic. If you have to do gluten free baking, I HIGHLY recommend the book referenced above, "Baked to Perfection". These were, by far, the best tasting gluten free cinnamon/cardamom rolls I have ever tasted. It looks like a lot of steps, but it's really not bad at all. Overall, a very delicious meal! So delicious that we forgot to take a picture!

Taste of Karelian Stew (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8