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After preparing the dough, you roll it out on the table and then cut it with a round cutter. Lehtovaara is famous for its high quality Finnish and international kitchen.
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Runeberginkatu 40, Helsinki www.cupla.fi tel. Brush the top with water once more, and then sprinkle a generous amount of rye flour to the top. Just as there are different fillings for the dish, there are also two very different ways to open the kalakukko. The same could also be said about the traditional kalakukko which kept for very long times when unopened, so it was an ideal food to prepare in bigger amounts and store for a later use.
Filling:
The easiest thing is to have your fish gutted and cleaned by the fishmonger or if you feel like it, you can easily clean them yourself, especially if you are making a smaller amount. In the region of
southern Savo, the fish you use to fill the dish is vendace (muikku in Finnish), which often leads to this dish being called muikkukukko. This way the first slice has more of the crust and less of the fish, and when eating with company you usually share the first piece with everyone at the table. Use a rolling pin to get the sheet of dough into about 1.5-2 cm thick, slightly thinner at the edges. You then line a small ramekin with the piece of dough, and then place the blueberry filling into the dish before covering them with another round piece of dough and baking it in the oven for about 60 minutes. The other way to open and eat the kalakukko is to slice it
as you would do a normal loaf of bread, this way the amount of crust and filling stays more even throughout the whole kalakukko. Other variations of the dish in eastern Finland include different meat fillings as well as a potato filling. This will help soften the outside of the kukko and also lets the filling cook for a while longer.
Rye is an essential ingredient in kalakukko.
Tasty choice for filling.
Kalakukko the Finnish Cornish pasty
The traditional Finnish dish of kalakukko, from the Savo region of Finland, means fish baked inside a loaf of bread. In the northern parts of Savo the fish of choice is European perch (or ahven). Shape the mix into a nice round ball and then press it flat. Kalakukko spread its way across Finland during the time when people emigrated from the Savo region, and it has gained popularity amongst Finns all around the country.
Two kinds and two ways to eat them When it comes to the preparation of the kalakukko, there are two distinctly different ways. Different regions of Finland have also started to prepare their own versions of this Finnish dish, and a close relative of the traditional kalakukko is the Northern Karelian dish lanttukukko which is made by using swede as the filling. Lower the temperature to 150 degrees and bake for at least another four hours, making sure you brush it with the melted butter at least once every hour. The slightly more traditional way is to cut a round hole on the top of the kalakukko, and then continue to cut round shapes from the top down as you go along. If any appear, take care to fill them so that the juice will not escape from the inside during cooking. So you still had to clean the fish even after it was cooked.
Sweet version made of blueberries If there is a way to prepare a savoury dish with something sweet in it, the Finns will most likely find a way to do so. With this way you are more likely to need a fork and knife, as the crust will not keep the filling inside. Knead the dough into a smooth mix, if needed add a little bit more rye flour to make the dough into a nice and "hard" consistency. Brush the edges of the rolled out dough with water, then gently lift the edges of the dough upwards so that they cover all the fish and pork mix. Use a wet knife to smoothen the surface of the kukko, and be sure to check all the edges for small tears or holes. Pinch the dough so that it closes nice and neatly on the top of the kalakukko. And so we find sweeter variations on the kalakukko theme as well, using almost the same type of dough but substituting the filling with blueberries. Sprinkle some rye flour onto the table and pour the dough mix out of the bowl. After that replace it with the bacon and keep layering them until you run out of fish and meat. This way it is also easier to eat with your hands and it is more convenient to spread a small amount of butter on the top of the slice. After cleaning and washing the fish, dry it by placing it on a paper-towel. The crust of the pie is made from rye flour, although you do often find people adding a small bit of wheat flour to make the dough easier to handle. Then, in turns, lay a layer of
Ideal food for travelling salesmen During the early part of the last century, the traditional way of preparing the dish was largely unknown in many parts of Finland, but variations of the dish have been discovered in various regions. One favourite of travelling salesmen was prepared in the Viena region of Finland, where the fish was laid on top of a thin layer of rye flour dough, and then the edges were turned up to cover the fish so that both ends would still be left open. Gently lift the kalakukko to the baking tray, lined with baking parchment. You should eat it hot, with a generous dollop of whipped cream and a cup of coffee.
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Lehtovaara is known for its warm atmosphere, friendly, appreciated service and delicious portions that indulge the taste buds. Take care to look for any tears in the kukko, and be quick to fill them using the left over dough, water and rye flour. The secret of preparing the kalakukko correctly is to bake it in the oven long enough so that all the fish bones have softened to edible consistency, while leaving the filling nice and moist. 16
29 AUGUST 4 SEPTEMBER 2008
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How to make it
Kalakukko
Dough ingredients: 6 dl of water 5 teaspoons of salt 1.6 dl of melted butter 8 dl of flour (wheat) 6 dl of rye flour 2 dl of whole wheat flour Filling ingredients: 700 g of vendace (gutted and cleaned) 170 g of sliced bacon 150 g of sliced side of pork 1.5 teaspoons of salt 0.5 teaspoons of ground black pepper Other ingredients: Rye flour to sprinkle while rolling the dough Melted butter to paste while baking Add the salt, melted butter and flours into the water. Cut out all the excess dough, but keep it in case you need to fill some holes that might appear while baking. After you take the kukko out of the oven, baste it with melted butter one more time, then wrap it in tinfoil and then into one or two kitchen towels. Preparing the kalakukko: Sprinkle a thin layer of rye flour onto the middle of the rolled out dough sheet. The dish is called rättänä or mustikkakukko. This way of preparation took a lot less time than the Savo way, but the downside was that the fishbones did not have the time to soften up enough so that you could eat them. Heat in an oven to 225 degrees. fish, sprinkle some salt and pepper on top of them, then add some side of pork and keep doing this until you run out of the side of pork. Bake it in 225 degrees for one hour, then brush it with the melted butter. The British Cornish pasty is based on the same idea as the Finnish kalakukko providing a whole packed lunch in one convenient package.
VILLE VUORINEN HEL SINKI TIMES
KALAKUKKO can be a slightly confusing word for the first timer, as the word kala means fish and kukko means rooster, but in the case of kalakukko, the word kukko is derived from the word kukkaro which means wallet, which in turn comes from the fact that the crust of the kalakukko is used to hide and wrap the fish inside it. 010 239 1190
Ravintola Safka
"Finish gastronomy at its best" Lunch Tue-Fri 12pm-2pm lunch menu changes daily Dinner is served tue-sat from 6pm
Vironkatu 8, 00170 Helsinki tel.: 09 135 7287, e-mail safka@safka.fi. You can enjoy the kalakukko either hot or cold, and the traditional drink to go with it is buttermilk, or piimä, as the Finns call it.
These smaller versions of the kalakukko were ideal for the travelling salesman, as the slightly salted and baked fish stayed edible for a long time