LIHAMMURAKIPPERAS (Finnish Meatloaf stuffed with vegetables and cheese and wrapped in a sour cream pastry dough shell)
Pastry-wrapped meat dishes are a staple of many cultures, for instance Welsh pasties, shepherd's pie, the Greek spanikopita, Spanish empanadas, etc. Although I have been unable to find documentation for this dish prior to the late 1600's, the widespread use of similar dishes in every culture argues for the presence of some similar dish in the medieval period in Finland.
Finnish meatloaf is a rich, high calorie dish suitable for feeding those performing heavy labor in a cold and marginal environment. It is also extremely tasty and a fine treat even for those of us in warmer climes!
INGEDIENTS: -------------------- MEATLOAVES 1 lb ground beef (very lean) 1 lb ground pork (Owen's Country Sausage is good) 1 lb game meat (the Finns like to use hedgehog in this dish, venison or other game works well. Alternately, you can just increase the beef and pork to 1-1/2 lbs each instead.) 4 eggs 1 c. breadcrumbs 1 c. mushrooms, chopped 1-1/2 c. leeks, chopped (onions can be substituted) 2 tbsp. garlic, crushed or finely chopped (3-4 cloves) 1 tbsp. horseradish, finely grated spices to taste (I usually include salt, pepper, sage, dill, and rosemary) 16 to 20 oz. cooked chopped spinach, wrung dry as possible (I usually use two packages of frozen chopped spinach - defrost it, wring it out and use it as is. Note that any vegetable can be used - it is more common in Finland to find chopped beets used in this dish.) 1-1/2 to 2 cups white cheese, grated (Havarti is best, other swisses, queso blanco, mozzarella, etc. will work)
CRUST: 2 c. unbleached flour (sometimes I reduce the amount of wheat flour by 1/2 c. and include barley, rye, or oat flour for a more medieval effect. You have to be cautious doing this as these other flours can be "heavy") 1 tsp. salt 1 egg 1/2 c. sour cream
DIRECTIONS -------------------- MEATLOAVES: 1. Combine meats, eggs, breadcrumbs, mushrooms, leeks, garlic, horseradish, and spices. Mix well. 2. Make a flat rectangle of the meat about 1" thick. (It is a good idea to do this on a sheet of waxed paper, so that it is easier to roll the meat up later.) 3. Arrange the chopped spinach in a solid layer on top of the meat. 4. Sprinkle the cheese to cover the layer of spinach completely. 5. Start from one side and roll the meatloaf up (as though you were making a jellyroll). If you placed your meat on a sheet of waxed paper, you can use the waxed paper to help control the meat and to get it to roll neatly. Be sure to seal the edges and seams well to prevent the cheese from melting out as you cook the loaf. 6. Place the loaf in a shallow pan and cook at 400 degrees F until the meat is cooked through, usually between 45 min to 1 hr. (Don't use a flat cookie sheet unless it has a good lip. Because of the pork and cheese, usually a lot of fat will cook out and the pan needs to catch it. Also monitor the cooking process closely -- the fat can and will smoke badly and can catch on fire.) 7. Set loaf aside to cool.
CRUST: 1. Combine flour and salt. Cut in butter to form fine flakes. 2. Add egg and sour cream. You may also need 1-2 tsp. water to form manageable dough. 3. Turn out onto floured surface and roll into a sheet twice the width of the meatloaf and about 4" longer than the loaf. 4. Place the meatloaf in the center of the sheet of dough. Wrap the dough around the loaf. Dampen the edges at the seams so they will seal well. 5. Place the pastry-wrapped loaf in a greased shallow pan (you may have yet more fat cook out) with the seam down. 6. Brush the pastry shell with beaten egg. (This helps the pastry brown nicely.) 7. Take any leftover scraps of dough and form decorations for the loaf. I usually will make a criss-cross lattice, or else will do pictorial scenes using dough cutouts. Brush the decorations with egg also. 8. Bake at 375 degrees F until the crust is golden brown, usually 25 to 30 min.
Serve hot or at room temperature. Cut slices across the loaf to show the swirled layers. Serve with a hearty dollop of sour cream mixed with chopped fresh dill. Since this meatloaf is very rich, an average serving is based on slices 1" to 2" thick, yielding 18 to 36 servings per meatloaf.
(Finnish Meatloaf stuffed with vegetables and cheese and wrapped in a sour cream pastry dough shell)
Pastry-wrapped meat dishes are a staple of many cultures, for instance Welsh pasties, shepherd's pie, the Greek spanikopita, Spanish empanadas, etc. Although I have been unable to find documentation for this dish prior to the late 1600's, the widespread use of similar dishes in every culture argues for the presence of some similar dish in the medieval period in Finland.
Finnish meatloaf is a rich, high calorie dish suitable for feeding those performing heavy labor in a cold and marginal environment. It is also extremely tasty and a fine treat even for those of us in warmer climes!
INGEDIENTS:
--------------------
MEATLOAVES
1 lb ground beef (very lean)
1 lb ground pork (Owen's Country Sausage is good)
1 lb game meat (the Finns like to use hedgehog in this dish, venison or other game works well. Alternately, you can just increase the beef and pork to 1-1/2 lbs each instead.)
4 eggs
1 c. breadcrumbs
1 c. mushrooms, chopped
1-1/2 c. leeks, chopped (onions can be substituted)
2 tbsp. garlic, crushed or finely chopped (3-4 cloves)
1 tbsp. horseradish, finely grated spices to taste (I usually include salt, pepper, sage, dill, and rosemary)
16 to 20 oz. cooked chopped spinach, wrung dry as possible (I usually use two packages of frozen chopped spinach - defrost it, wring it out and use it as is. Note that any vegetable can be used - it is more common in Finland to find chopped beets used in this dish.)
1-1/2 to 2 cups white cheese, grated (Havarti is best, other swisses, queso blanco, mozzarella, etc. will work)
CRUST:
2 c. unbleached flour (sometimes I reduce the amount of wheat flour by 1/2 c. and include barley, rye, or oat flour for a more medieval effect. You have to be cautious doing this as these other flours can be "heavy")
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 c. sour cream
DIRECTIONS
--------------------
MEATLOAVES:
1. Combine meats, eggs, breadcrumbs, mushrooms, leeks, garlic, horseradish, and spices. Mix well.
2. Make a flat rectangle of the meat about 1" thick. (It is a good idea to do this on a sheet of waxed paper, so that it is easier to roll the meat up later.)
3. Arrange the chopped spinach in a solid layer on top of the meat.
4. Sprinkle the cheese to cover the layer of spinach completely.
5. Start from one side and roll the meatloaf up (as though you were making a jellyroll). If you placed your meat on a sheet of waxed paper, you can use the waxed paper to help control the meat and to get it to roll neatly. Be sure to seal the edges and seams well to prevent the cheese from melting out as you cook the loaf.
6. Place the loaf in a shallow pan and cook at 400 degrees F until the meat is cooked through, usually between 45 min to 1 hr. (Don't use a flat cookie sheet unless it has a good lip. Because of the pork and cheese, usually a lot of fat will cook out and the pan needs to catch it. Also monitor the cooking process closely -- the fat can and will smoke badly and can catch on fire.)
7. Set loaf aside to cool.
CRUST:
1. Combine flour and salt. Cut in butter to form fine flakes.
2. Add egg and sour cream. You may also need 1-2 tsp. water to form manageable dough.
3. Turn out onto floured surface and roll into a sheet twice the width of the meatloaf and about 4" longer than the loaf.
4. Place the meatloaf in the center of the sheet of dough. Wrap the dough around the loaf. Dampen the edges at the seams so they will seal well.
5. Place the pastry-wrapped loaf in a greased shallow pan (you may have yet more fat cook out) with the seam down.
6. Brush the pastry shell with beaten egg. (This helps the pastry brown nicely.)
7. Take any leftover scraps of dough and form decorations for the loaf. I usually will make a criss-cross lattice, or else will do pictorial scenes using dough cutouts. Brush the decorations with egg also.
8. Bake at 375 degrees F until the crust is golden brown, usually 25 to 30 min.
Serve hot or at room temperature. Cut slices across the loaf to show the swirled layers. Serve with a hearty dollop of sour cream mixed with chopped fresh dill. Since this meatloaf is very rich, an average serving is based on slices 1" to 2" thick, yielding 18 to 36 servings per meatloaf.
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