Category: cabbage

Simple Yeast Free Cabbage Hand Pies. Pärmivabad kapsapirukad

handpies (26)Waiting for a white ship is something Estonian. This is a concept and myth about freedom.

The concept dates from 1861 when several hundred followers of the religious prophet Juhan Leinberg (the so-called prophet Maltsvet), mostly peasants, waited for a few weeks near Tallinn for a white ship to take them away to a more prosperous and free country. The concept soon spread widely because it was used in literature.

After the Soviet regime was restored in Estonia in 1944, the concept quickly acquired a specific meaning – the white ship stood for the end of Soviet power, either by means of the intervention by Western countries or by diplomatic pressure. Waiting for the white ship was a popular concept especially in the post-war decade, and the ruling regime had to work strenuously against it.

When outside is winter, without snow and cold.  Concept about waiting for liberty and changes is still actual. Please, spring, come as soon as you can!

24 February is the national day of Estonia, marking its declaration of freedom in 1918. Celebrate with us !

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Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. Kapsarullid

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Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are dish what is known, I believe, in everywhere. But every nation has its own recipe, something different, which give for this dish special touch and make it different,

Cabbage rolls are an everyday dish in Estonia. Ok, it takes some time for preparation, so we probably make them for weekend dinner.
In my recipe, Cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat. But you can stuff them using only vegetables,

It’s also one of those dishes that combines everything in one: your proteins and some vegetable, Obviously, you still want a few side dishes, it’s perfect with potatoes or rice or some buckwheat

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Cabbage Soup. Värskekapsasupp

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Cabbage Soup. Värskekapsasupp

Do you know old story about Axe Soup?

Long long time ago. Poor Soldier came from War.
He was tired and hungry.

Knocked on the door and asked for food. The hostess was stingy and said that she is poor herself and have not any food.
Ok, said Soldier. But do you have an axe? Lets cook an ax soup, then.
This sounded interesting, the hostess heard for the first time about ax soup  and agreed.

Soldier put cattle on the stove and added water and an ax. Let it simmer, tasted and said: it is too strong. To make this lighter, we have to add something. Do you have some meat?
Yes, agreed hostess and went to the pantry for meat.  During this time soldier hid  an ax and changed water.
Hostess brought meat, soldier added this in to the cattle. Let simmer, tasted and asked. This is still too strong. You have very strong ax,.. To make this lighter, please bring some barley…
then they added some vegetable to make soup ” lighter”.

Finally was soup ready.  Look, said Soldier: we cooked this so long, that ax is just dissolved!
Hostess tasted soup and was amazed: so delicious, who might have known that ax is so delicious!

This is story about envy, greed and deceit. And how to cook something about nothing 🙂

Now you probably already know, that I prefer dishes which take time max 30 minutes. And this soup is the same. You can cook it in a decent manner: prepare stock and use meat and spend hours to have perfect dish.

But at the afternoon, you have not time. And this is the simplest version to prepare soup. In my opinion cabbage suits with sausages. But you can cook vegan version, or use minced meat or bacon or…. whatever you like.

Cabbage Soup

  • Servings: 4-6
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Cabbage Soup. Värskekapsasupp

Ingredients

    per eater
  • 1 potato
  • 1/2 carrot
  • 1/2 onion
  • ca 100 g cabbage
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • meat “leftovers”, use what do you have at home. Ham, sausage, meat,…
  • salt, pepper, bay leaf

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Old-school Cabbage-Carrot Salad. Kapsa- porgandisalat.

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Old School Cabbage Carrot Salad http://www.estoniancuisine.com

In 1988-1992 I have been studied in university (this time university last 5 years).  This was very complicated and messy time.
Of course, students are always poor and has complicated life 🙂 But this time in Estonia took place changes.

We have been more than 40 years occupied by soviet union, all this period were lack of food products, deficit. Most of milk and meat and butter,  produced in Estonia,  were sent to the Russia.
But in the beginning of 90-s, was situation very bad. This was not only deficit, but to get any milk, butter, flour, sugar, semolina…. and so one, you must have a special coupon.

 

 

 

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Old School Cabbage Carrot Salad http://www.estoniancuisine.com

today is very cool to be vegan, This time we have to be vegans…we fryed potatoes using water, and this salad was one of the main dish. Vegetables were something, what we had….. Because most of the Estonians had and have some land in country or country grandmothers.
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Estonian Hotpot. Ühepajatoit

Ühepajatoit means in Estonian ” food, which is made in a one  cauldron”

The most important, Do not boil, but stew. The best Ühepajatoit has little bit mushy consistency

Estonian Hotpot. Ühepajatoit

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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A light, rich of vegetables Ühepajatoit for a dinner.

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Ingredients

  • ca 600 g meat. I prefer pork sirloin
  • 4 carrots
  • 1 onion
  • 4 potatoes
  • half of small cabbage
  • (peas, beens, tomato….)
  • salt, pepper, oil

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6 Simple Salad to accompany the main dish

Radish and Egg Salad

I have been to many countries, and one of the biggest differences in eating culture/habits/cuicine is how salad is served.
Salad as a main or separate dish, this is understandable. You can have Caesare Salad for lunch for example.

But, how is salad served, as accompany for the main dish, are differences between countries.

There are three courses in most countries : appetizer;  main dish, which includes protein and salad and then dessert.

However, there are exceptions, as well. I was  amazed to see that in Portugal rice and potato (with some meat/fish) were served on the same plate  .. In addition to that we visited a restaurant with a very  generous cook  in Malta 🙂 french fries, boiled potato, couscous, pasta were on the same plate.  And some bread of course. and a LOT of meat 🙂 Continue reading “6 Simple Salad to accompany the main dish” →

#recipeswap Rhubarbsalad. Rabarberisalat

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Rhubarb Salad

In my childhood was the best dessert and treat rhubarb with sugar. Just so simple: we dipped rhubarb stalks in to the sugar.  Sour! Sour.. sour!!! 🙂

Dianna Donnely from https://realfoodmeals.com/2017/03/18/crunchy-cabbage-salad-with-sliced-almonds/ introduced delicious salad. I saw photos and was sure, that there are rhubarb .. But it was celery:)

So, I promised to Dianna that I will test similar recipe with rhubarb. (And replaced other ingredients the local)

Rhubarb is strange vegetable. The plant do not need (too) much care, so in all gardens are small place for rhubarb, which means that in May, June all Estonia has a flood of rhubarb. And we are looking for recipes.. ..what else to do. So, thank you Dianna for inspiration!

In my childhood was the best dessert and treat rhubarb with sugar. Just so simple: we dipped rhubarb stalks in to the sugar.  Sour! Sour.. sour!!! 🙂
From rhubarb leaves we are cooking soup. And with others.. baking lot of cakes. And rhubarb leftovers freezing for winter..
When you are looking for Estonian cake recipes, there are always written “apple or rhubarb”. This is means that the same cake you can bake in spring with rhubarb and in autumn with apples.

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Cauliflower Casserole

You probably know this old joke.

Mother: why did you buy for child potato chips?!
Grandmother: But potato is vegetable and vegetables are healthy.
I present to you one nice healthy 🙂 vegetable casserole. Suitable as main dish or side dish.

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Cauliflower Casserole

Cauliflower Casserole

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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A fresh, light vegetable casserole perfect for a dinner.

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Estonian Style Sauerkraut with Pork and Barley. Mulgikapsad

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Estonian Style Sauerkraut with Pork and Barley. Mulgikapsad

Estonian Style Sauerkraut with Pork and Barley is called ” Mulgikapsad”. Kapsad- means Cabbage and
Mulgi- Mulgimaa is an area in South-Estonia, with own culture, traditions, food and dialect.

This area and culture is a perfect example of the globalisation already in 19th of the century. During the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865 was the lack of cotton and price was very high.
So, as demand for alternatives. South Estonia, Mulgimaa has perfect conditions for the cultivation of linen. Bondage was in Estonia abolished 1816, but still, farmers were very poor and the land was owned by landlords. But because of America and demand for linen, farmers get enough money to buy from landlords land and farms. And this area becomes rich and successful. This made others little bit jealous and they started to call people and this area Mulgimaa 🙂
In Latvia means word- Mulk- ” silly” and in Estonia it means “hole”- in meaning that all richness went into the one hole…:)

I am Mulk ( person, who is living and born in Mulgimaa), as well. My mother’s ancestry has been lived in Mulgimaa more than 400 years. Maybe more, but we have first written documents from 1630 of the year 🙂

Mulgikapsad can be served as a meal unto itself, usually with boiled potato and certainly with some fermented milk for a drink. You may cook this as a vegan, without meat.

Barley has been cultivated in Estonia longer than any other crops – for over 4,000 years. And pearl barley has been a staple food for Estonians through the ages; it has even been a food fit for celebrations. In the olden days, the tradition in Estonian villages was to make sauerkraut soup with pork and barley groats on Thursdays and Sundays.

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Sauerkraut Soup. Hapukapsasupp

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Sauerkraut Soup. Hapukapsasupp

Soup from Sauerkraut, fermented cabbage, is very easy to cook.

How to make Sauerkraut, look at this recipe

Sauerkraut Soup

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Sauerkraut sour and salty soup is warming winter-time dish, which needs time to get best result

Ingredients

  • ca 500 g streaky and fat pork with bones
  • 500 g sauerkraut
  • 1/2 cup barley groats
  • 3 litre cold water
  • 1 grated carrot and onion, if you cabbage is not contains carrot
  • salt, pepper, bay leaf,sugar, mustard, caraway seeds and vodka

Directions

  1. Put meat, cabbage and barley in to cold water, and let to boil
  2. Remove foam
  3. Add salt, pepper, bay leaf and let soup simmer while all ingredients ready (min 1 hour)
  4. Add grated carrot and onion.
  5. Season and let soup simmer, while all flavours are felt. As much time you have to let soup simmer, as best result you get.

    6. Serve with sour- cream. Head isu!

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