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16.10.2010

A liver lover

Filed under: Alakarppi,Gluteeniton,laktoositon,Lihaa,meat,paleo,Soosit — Meri @ 13.45

Before I just hated liver. Loathed. But then I prepared some myself. Firstly, the minced liver patties were awesome! Then, I managed to prepare a simple liver paté which has a full, round taste with a bit of acidic sweetness from Bristol Cream. Booze? Oh yeah! Liquor has it’s place and it’s in a paté. Here’s something you might enjoy at Christmas.

pate

Liver Paté

  • 300 g cooked organic beef liver
  • an onion
  • 1 glove of garlic
  • 1 dl butter + butter for sautéing
  • 2-3 Tbsp cognac or whiskey or sherry (I used Bristol Cream)
  • salt, freshly ground black pepper

Sauté the chopped onion, garlic and liver (unless it’s already cooked) in butter. Chop the liver into smaller junks before putting everything in a blender and blending until smooth, add butter, booze and season the whole thing. Check the taste. Let sit in the fridge. Paté will keep in the fridge for a week and in a frozen for two months. May be enjoyed on a slice of courgette or just plain. Or better yet: why not make a paleo voileipäkakku (salty sandwich cake) using this and portobellos! Why not indeed.

You’ve been paleo’d

Filed under: Alakarppi,Arkiruoka,Gluteeniton,Lihaa,Maidoton,meat,paleo — Meri @ 12.52

…which is better than punk’d! This time I managed to paleolize (YES it’s a word!) a very traditional Finnish food that is EVERY child’s favourite. Lihamakaroonilaatikko (translates as a casserole made of minced meat and pasta.) Since there’s no need for a human to eat any pasta and lots of reasons to eat none, it’s naturally better to just ditch the wheat devil. Before I went fully paleo I used to do this by replacing the pasta with cottage cheese. That’s also an excellent choice.

But since I’ve also ditched all dairy (except butter) I had to come up with a new solution. This following was sort of an accident, but aren’t the best inventions always? Like jeans? Yep. This is goooood as Jim Carrey would put it.

casserole

Paleo Casserole

  • minced meat
  • 3-4 organic eggs
  • 1 dl coconut milk
  • 2-3 Tbsps coconut flour
  • mushroom and/or eggplant (aka aubergine – sounds so much better)
  • onion
  • butter, salt, pepper

Chop the onion and fry in butter. Add minced meat and brown. Put the mixture in an (silicone) oven mould. Mix in some roughly chopped mushroom or eggplant: the key is their consistency which is sort of fluffy one. Add a splash of coconut milk, four eggs and couple of spoons coconut flour. Mix well but don’t overdo it. Season with salt and pepa. Pour into the mould and note that it’s better if the mould isn’t full of the mixture but rather it should make a bit thinner, omelette like form.

Bake in 200 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes or until settled. Serve with ketchup! Supa delish!

P.S. This one would also LOVE the paleo’d cheesy crust: mixed coconut flour and nutritional yeast on top, drool 😛

10.10.2010

You want paleo pancakes? You got paleo pancakes!

Filed under: Alakarppi,Gluteeniton,laktoositon,Lihaa,Maidoton,meat,paleo — Meri @ 17.08

And I’m not talking about the sissy, wussy paleo “pancakes” that imitate the regular sweet, wheat pancakes to be enjoyed with jam and chocolate. No! Forget about the mushed bananas and coconut milk and gluten free grains. Ditch the honey and maple syrup how ever organic they may be. These pancakes are made of actual beef liver! You heard me. LIVER PANCAKES!

I know, it’s a tad provocative to call these pancakes. Nevertheless, I think they resemble pancakes and therefore I shall call them that. Or patties? Patties or pancakes, these crepés made out of ground liver are a traditional Finnish food. I always loathed these in school, I couldn’t stand the taste of liver. Still it’s hard for me to eat just plain liver and I don’t really do that even if I wanted to. But these are more subtle in their livery taste and oh so tasty!

liver

I’m proud to present, organic beef liver patties!

Liver patties

  • 400 g organic beef liver
  • 3 carrots
  • 1 onion
  • marjoram/rosemary/estragon
  • salt
  • 1 egg
  • (butter for frying)

Grind the beef liver into fine “puré” (we used the finest blade in the meat grinder, the more coarse one would prolly have done as well). Grate the carrots and the onion, mix into liver. Add the egg and season with salt and some dried herbs. I hear marjoram and rosemary are very typical when spicing up liver but since we didn’t have neither I chose estragon. Worked.

Bake the liver patties on a large pan in a generous amount of butter, some three or four little patties at a time. Swap over when they’re settled and fry the other side. Eat with plenty of mushed cauliflower and lingonberries. Superb. And there are any left after your liver feast, believe me, the taste just intensifies after a night in fridge… Boy I turned from liver hater to a lover. Lov-errr <3  A big thank you for the Metsäojan tila who provided the quality liver (and 15 kilos of beef).

21.9.2010

I’d do anything for loaf (and I will do this)

Filed under: Alakarppi,Arkiruoka,Gluteeniton,Lihaa,Maidoton,meat,paleo — Meri @ 16.05

This meaty course is dedicated to the legendary Meatloaf. A simple yet catchy tune, this porky bit.

porkloaf

Pork Loaf

  • 500 g organic pork meat, minced
  • 1 organic egg
  • 1 onion
  • 1 dl coconut milk
  • 2 Tbsp coconut flour
  • 1,5 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • salt, pepper

Yes, it’s the very same recipe I use for burgers and meatballs but just to remind you, it also works as a loaf. And there’s nothing easier than a loaf. Just grate the onion and mix all the ingredients. Put in a (silicone) oven mold and bake in approx. 200 degrees for a good 40 minutes or until the loaf’s settled. Made out of greasy pork meat this is DELISH!

15.9.2010

For all You Badgers Out There: Mushroom!

Filed under: Alakarppi,Arkiruoka,Gluteeniton,Lihaa,Maidoton,meat,paleo,Sieniä,Uunista — Meri @ 19.27

A little preliminary cooking inspiration, may I present, the classic: Badger Badger Badger!

…I was lucky enough to got offered some freshly picked mushroom the other day at work. Our speech therapist is a true forest fairy (even her name is Peppi – a suitable name for an elf) picking mushroom, running in the woods, taking her dogs for a walk. Thanks to her magic I had a huge bowl of cep mushroom (tatteja)! And they were my first. Ever. I’ve never cooked ceps before and I’ve only eaten them a couple of times in a restaurant. Did you know that when you bake them on a pan they mush and form a creamy sauce? Wonderful!

So it was good, no, it was better! I LOVE these! They almost win chantarelles, I must say. Anyway, this is what I did.

ceps

Mushroom Mushroom

  • a bowlful of ceps
  • butter
  • onion
  • garlic
  • coconut milk
  • salt

Chop the onion, garlic  and the ceps. Fry onion and garlic on the pan in a large amount of butter. Add the mushroom and let it cook for a good ten minutes, stirring often. Add a splash of coconut milk (say 1 dl) and cook it down a little. Season with salt. Now: you may as well eat it as it is, but I did the following and boy was that delicious!

Mushroom Bake

  • mushroom sauce
  • baked organic minced pork meat

Set the minced meat on the bottom of an oven casserole. Cover with the mushroom sauce. Sprinkle coconut flour and nutritional yeast on top to create a cheesy crust if you like. Bake in approx. 200 degrees for a good 20 minutes. Enjoy with sauerkraut and/or lingonberries and vegetables.

12.9.2010

I <3 them piggies

Filed under: Lihaa,meat,paleo,Pelasta maailma — Meri @ 15.57

…also on my plate! But only if they’ve led a happy life. And at the organic pig farm, Säästöpossu in Karkkila, they have. We drove to Karkkila last Friday to pick up 20 kilos of organically raised pork and can’t say I’d regret: the minced pork meat is fatty and delicious as well as the charming cutlets. The ribs are just waiting in the freezer to get grilled and the roasts are waiting to be put into an Eco-Pot to transform them into some breath takingly tasty Carelian roast! And look at these pigs: no signs of apathy.

If you’d like to get your own organic piggies, check out Luomupossu.fi.

possu

possu2

possu3

possu4

possu5

18.7.2010

Sides and burgers

Filed under: Alakarppi,Gluteeniton,laktoositon,Lihaa,Maidoton,meat,paleo,Side order — Meri @ 18.50

Just some quick ones, two different side orders and “Mc Feast” paleo burgers. Burgers made by the same killer recipe as before, mayo tuned with lemon. Deeeeelish!

burger

Chantarelles and bacon

  • chantarelles
  • bacon
  • -doh?

Chop them, bake them in the pan! You’d never had guessed?

uuniside

Spring onion and cherry tomatoes

  • spring onions
  • cherry tomatoes
  • olive oil
  • salt, pepper

Cut the tomatoes in half, chop the onions. Put them on a baking tray and add a splash of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Let bake in a hot oven until… done? A little char in the onions makes them taste sooo much better 😛 But any way you like!

27.6.2010

Kick Ass Comfort Food!

Filed under: Alakarppi,Gluteeniton,laktoositon,Lihaa,Maidoton,meat,paleo — Meri @ 8.48

Here’s a killer side order that’s almost so good, it threathens the main course status. Being no ordinary “paleo mashed potatoes” this nasty delicacy is guaranteed to satisfy even the most demanding comfort need. I served this with some salad and minced lamb meat (seasoned with paprika and salt, a little butter).

muussi

[The photo doesn’t do this side order justice! It’s beautiful!]

The Ultimate Mashed “Potatoes”

  • a big cauliflower
  • 2 onions
  • 4 skinny chorizos
  • salt, butter
  • (garlic)

Rip the cauliflower in pieces and boil until tender. Slice the onions and cut the chorizos into a dice size bites and bake them on a pan. You may add some garlic, I did. Also a knob of butter and/or a little salt will do the food good.

Set aside and pour away the water from the cooked cauliflower. Puré with a blender and add the onion chorizo mix into the mash. Mix well, taste to adjust the salt. Dig in! You’re so gonna dig it.

19.6.2010

A Junk of Meat

Filed under: Alakarppi,Arkiruoka,Gluteeniton,Lihaa,meat,paleo — Meri @ 21.10

…and what to do with it. I arranged a huge (well not huge but 130 kg anyway) order of meat some weeks ago. The idea was to buy some well kept (meaning ethical raising conditions) grass-fed meat of a quality beef from Highland Cattle. The whole procedure was more than easy and so the day arrived and our 10 kg share of meat. Six kilos minced meat, two kilos soup meat and two kilos silverside roast (or bottom side roast, ulkopaisti in Finnish).

meat

Minced meat’s a piece of cake and the soup meat’s obvious. But in care anyone’s wondering what to do with the silverside roast here’s an ultimately easy and delicious recipe.

Love me tender

  • silverside roast
  • butter
  • garlic cloves
  • meat bouillon, from a cube or a fond (NOT containing MSG)
  • a carrot

Cut the roast into rough cubes. Fry on a pan in loads of butter to get a nice tan for the cubes. Put into an oven casserole together with peeled whole garlic cloves, cut carrot and enough beef bouillon to cover the meat. Cover the dish with a tin foil and let it cook in the oven 1,5 or 2 hours on a mild heat (150 degrees or so). Remove the tin foil and let it still cook for about an half an hour. And whoomp there it is! Tender, garlicky, tasty meat. Can’t get any better than this. Veeeeery paleo.

16.5.2010

Get them Paleo Patties

Filed under: Alakarppi,Arkiruoka,Gluteeniton,laktoositon,lammas,Lihaa,Maidoton,meat,paleo — Meri @ 19.50

Yeps, I know every one knows how to make burgers, but still: these were best I’ve ever made so am gonna share it with you. Just one word of advice. Alter all you want to, but DO NOT SKIP FRYING THE BURGERS ON A PAN IN BUTTER! It’s thee key to success.

The measurements are approximations since I just did it by heart as I always do… Forgive me. They just turned out so good I’m gonna try repeat it for you.

patties

[Golden burgers in the golden rays of the evening sunlight. Summer is crazy, a-la-la-la-laa!]

Golden Burgers

  •  600 gr minced lamb meat
  • 1 organic egg
  • 1 onion
  • fist size piece of a turnip or a small turnip (käytin kaskinauriin)
  • 1,5 Tblsp coconut flour
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • approx. 1 dl coconut milk
  • salt
  • pepper
  • BUTTER for frying

Grate onion and turnip, mix into a dough with other ingredients, season with salt and pepper. Form into patties and bake in a generous amount of butter until almost done. Leaves them juice and tasty and the texture is perfect!

I’m overwhelmed by my own skills 😀 Can you imagine: just seven years ago I hated cooking and didn’t know anything. Now I’ve got me precious patties.

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