Snail snail show me your horns…

One of our favourite guests could remember me from ten years ago, when I won the special dish competition in the Oulu Garlic Night. When he saw me, he came to think about my winning dish, Burgundy snails. I promised him to bring the recipe on the site right away.

First I will tell a bit about the history of this great dish. While I was working in Iserlohn, in Germany, we were lucky to have a famous chef to work at the restaurant, who used to work in one of the best restaurants in Dortmund. The restaurant was famous also for the fact, that the players from Borussia Dortmund used to dine there after the game. It was the players that often chose this dish as a apetizer. This excellent chef brought the dish also to Iserlohn and later I presented it for the Oulu citizens for over ten years ago. And now I will reveal the recipe for all the food lovers.

Snails Burgundy

Approximately ½ kg chopped onions, carrots, parsnip and celery
300 g boiled snails
Chopped garlic, after taste
Butter
App. 2 dl cream
3 egg yolks
1 dl Pernod (liqueur with taste of anis)
3 dl red wine
Salt, pepper, parsley

Stir fry the vegetables in a big casserole. Don´t let them get too brown. Add the snails. Then add 1 dl Pernod and 3 dl of red wine. Let it simmer. Season with salt, pepper and parsley. Add 2 dl cream and let the mix simmer. Take the casserole away from the heat and add the egg yolks, one at the time, mixing continuously. Place the mix in the snail forms. You can also use a low, large form, just that the form don´t get too thick. You can also spread the mix on pieces of bread. Rost in the owen with grill function, untill the surface has obtained a nice color.

Matti`s earlier stories

Mamma mia!

Summer is about to be over and we are heading a new season. A new girl came to mix the soup with us, Katri, who is mixing mostly at the office. In the beginning of September, me and Katri found the good old pasta machine from the basement, and so was born the Trattoria Rauhala.

That´s right, we got hooked on Italy. The smell of olives and the sound of the wine leaves blowing in the wind is wonderful, specially when we didn`t get the swamps this summer in Finland. We invited some friends over to Rauhala to test some of the pasta recipies from the boot country. Making the pasta is not fast food, but a nice way to spend time and the result is delicious. Tagliatelle and ricotta and spinach filled raviolis were definetively worth the trouble. The sauces were done in many different variations; with Parma ham, creamy artichock sauce, traditional fresh pesto and exiting roasted aubergines with tomato and mozzarella sauce. This last one was really a hit, when I poared it over potato gnocchis and put it in the owen for a while. Focaccia bread was made in a second and succeeded so well, that there was nothing left. Alko had to offer some excellent Italian wines for our meal. Of course the wines were discussed , but that`s pretty normal in a Italian dinner table.

Stomachs full and mouths smiling we finished this meal with Tiramisú, that literary brought the spirit up ( means ”take me up”). I will happily share some of the Italian night`s joy and put here on the site the recipe of the focaccia bread. And if you would already feel fever for Italy, take a part in our Italian cooking course. Italian cooking – service can be requested from our sails department.

Focaccia bread

7 dl. wheat flower
App. 7 dl durum wheat flower
30 g. fresh yeast
2 sp. salt
2 sp.sugar
App. 6 dl water
Herbal oil:
1 sp. rosemary
Salt
2 mashed garlic cloves
3 sp. olive oil

Mix the yeast in water of hand temperature. Add the sugar and let it stay for a moment. Mix slowly the salt, both types of flower and rest of the water. Start to work with the dough untill is homogen, soft and elastic. Let the dough raise about ½ hour. Roll the dough to the 1, 5 cm thick plate. Place the dogh on the owen plate with high corners or on the owen paper and spread the herbal oil on the top with a soft brush. Then push some deep holes in the dough with your fingers in several places. Let the bread raise to double. Bake it in the owen in 200 degrees around 15 minutes. Take it out of the owen and spread some more oliveoil on the top. This recipe is for one owen plateful bread.

Pasta and pretty ladies in Seelari

We spent such a nice saturday evening in September in the Hietasaari Seelari. The hairdressers from Jörö-Jukka came to cook Italian specialities with us. Hilarious laughs and sticky dogh fingers made the chef smile. This evening I was really wondering, can working be this fun ! Great thanks to the staff of Jörö- Jukka for a great evening.

Highly requested Barbecue sauce

We have been asked several times the recipe for our barbecue sauce, that we have been offering with different meat and grill dishes. So, here it is:

Barbecuesauce

1 chopped onion
1 sp. of garlic
Seasoning:
1 sp. of chili
1 sp. of curry
1 sp. of paprika
1 sp. cumin
1 sp. salt or meat broth
1 ½ sp. timiam or/and oregano
3 kg crushed tomatoes
½ l water
App. ½ can of sirup

Stir fry the onion in a pan or a casserole. Add the garlic and herbs. Use the seasoning after your own taste. Fry further, don´t burn. Add the crushed tomatoes, water and sirup. Let it simmer at least one hour. The taste gets more “attitude” the longer your boil. If wanted, the sauce can be mixed fine. Serve cold or warm.

It´s all about mojo!

Now, in the early summer it´s wonderful to think about all the many barbecues, that the long summer has to offer. If you wish to spice up you chicken, meat or fish with little bit extra, try the mojo-marinade. I got to know this great marinade, when i was working in a boat in the Caribbean, during the `90s. In this marinade you can taste garlic and chili in a pleasant way and the caraway gives the marinade the final and funny touch. How long is the marinating time? I would say 3 hours for the fish (salmon filé). A smaller fish can of course have little less time. Chicken, turkey, pork or meat should stay in the marinade over the night. Those who have participated in Matti´s steak course, well remember, that the salt should be added first at the end of the barbecue. But who remembers why?
After the rainy summer, I´ll be waiting for the mushrooms. Hopefully we get a good harvest also this year. Before the mushroom period starts, my plan is to cruise a bit in Europe, and take home some inspiration from atleast the Balkan area. Good summer for everybody, many sunny days and great new taste-experiences! 

Mojo-marinade

This portion should be enough for 3 kg fish or 2 kg chicken or meat.

4 pieces of garlic
A small chili
½ handful of parsley
2 lime fruits (juice)   
2 spoonfuls of vinegar
1 spoonful of caraway
Pepper

- If you are worried about the hotness of the chili, remove the seeds before mixing.
- Mix all the ingredients and poar them on the top of the fish or meat to give taste.
- A good advice in home kitchen is to put everything in a plastic bag, press the air out, and close the bag firmly. In this way you can turn the bag upside down, so that the spices really get into every part of the fish or meat.
- Before the barbecue, you can poar away the unnecessary liquid and add some oil on the top of the fish or the meet.

Absolutely tasty, so far you like the chili :)