A Visit To Tallinn And Spring Salad With Herbs

Last week, we took our West Australian visitors for a ferry trip across the Gulf of Finland, to visit the old town at Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The boat trip takes only 1 ½ hours and it is a popular day or weekend trip from Helsinki. The old town is a Unesco world cultural heritage site. It is beautifully preserved with a large section of the old town wall and towers still standing.

Apart from all the beautiful old buildings and cobbled streets, there are interesting and imaginative decorations and signboards everywhere you look.

We loved this gutter in the shape of a boot with 5 little toe holes where the water pours through.

... as well as this lamp above the door of the Maritime Museum.

This iron man on a doorway delighted some young tourists.

And some of the 'decorations' were quite modern and just for fun.

Every cobbled street and alley had a lovely visual surprise in store.

My Aussie visitors brought the warm and sunny weather with them and I decided to make this salad for lunch.

Artichoke, Olive and Chickpea Salad with Fresh Herbs

A Small jar of pitted Kalamata Olives in Olive Oil

A Small can or carton of Chickpeas

A Small jar/can of Artichoke hearts

1 - 2 Tblsps each fresh herbs, according to your taste:

Parsley

Rosemary

Basil

Sage

A Few Coriander leaves

Some Mint leaves

- whichever ones you prefer but get at least 4 types

-  Drain the Olives, Chickpeas and Artichoke hearts.

-  Halve the olives and mix olives, chickpeas & artichokes(if the artichokes are big halve or cut into quarters)

-  Finely chop the herbs in quantities you prefer and mix through.

Make a salad dressing with Vinegar, Oil, Lemon Juice, Salt and lots of coarsely ground Black Pepper and toss.

Variation: Add washed, chopped English Spinach.

Serve on its own with good rye or sourdough bread) or with savoury muffins or cold meat as lunch.

South, North, A Hint Of Spring And Lemony Steamed Salmon

Our short trip back to the land downunder was luckily spaced around the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland. We were fortunate that all flights returned to normal just two days before we flew back to Helsinki. Of course we would have been delighted to spend a few more days on beautiful beaches and enjoying the sublime Australian autumn weather.

 

Unfortunately, our trip meant that we missed the annual Icebreak 2010 Kayaking competition near home here. Following a very snowy winter, April has been unusually warm in Helsinki. The big melt resulted in an impressive amount of water streaming over the rapids and waterfall near home. Fortunately, a few enthusiastic kayaking fans placed some excellent video material  and photos on the web to allow us to catch up on some of the action.

Apart from the bustling birdlife out there, a few hints of green and colours are appearing everywhere. I am anxiously waiting for the eruption of spring before some of my visitors from West Australia arrive later in the month.

 

Vappu and the May Day parades were grey and wet this year. I had to shelf my own planned celebration at the local driving range and instead, practise in the lounge with the new SKLZ toy we bought on Syney airport. It comprises a little green mat, soft balls with velcro plus three velcro pads that you stick on your golf clubs. Because the little ball sticks to the club, you can see whether the shot would have gone straight or whether you hooked/sliced it. Great fun. Recommended for rainy days.

When in Finland, you eat lots of Salmon. Therefore I am always looking for different ways to prepare this yummy fish. Visiting our friend Dave, in Perth, it just happened that he prepared this salmon dish for us. Quick and simple and delicious – it really does not need a recipe.

Lemony Steamed Salmon

Prepare a steamer, or get water boiling in a wok with a lid.

Wash and slice 1-2 lemons – very thin slices. Remove any pips.

Prepare squares of greaseproof paper by placing slices of lemon on it – the same size as your fish fillet.

Place a fillet on the lemon slices.

Then cover the top of the Salmon Fillet with more lemon slices.

Fold the paper parcel closing and sealing it well. Fold the sides under the parcel.

Place on a steaming rack or in the top basket of a steamer and put the lid on.

Steam the Salmon for 10-15 minutes.

Open the parcels over a bowl, there will be quite a bit of liquid inside and the lemon will go really soft.

Drain off the liquid and serve the Salmon with the lemon slices piled on top.

Sprinkle with a little chopped Dill or Parsley.

Serve with Asparagus Spears.

I usually steam the Asparagus at the same time as the Salmon, in their own parcel with some Balsamic Vinegar, a pat of Butter, Salt and Pepper.

 

These boots were made for walking.

I said goodbye to my old hiking boots today. I have been hiking in them for 10 years. I paid only $20 for them on a sale in the K-Mart in Detroit but they hiked the Inca Trail in Peru, climbed the Grand Canyon, the overnight hike through the Royal National Park, too many day hikes to list here, and got me through two snowy and slushy winters in Finland. Now they are falling apart inside and are not so waterproof anymore. It has been good fun, cheers!

 

The Sounds of Spring, Rainy Day Art And Malted Guinness Bread With Walnuts

Easter weekend was moody with lots of fog and rain except for a few lovely hours of sunshine on monday. The rain heralded the arrival of spring, of course. Temperatures were particularly mild this week and the ice in the bay and on the river is melting very quickly. For the first time this week, you could see the migratory birds arriving over the bay. So, on Easter Monday, when I headed out to slip and slide in the slush along the hiking trails, the sound of birdsong and the thundering river were vying to fill the sky around me with the most beautiful sounds. And, peeping through the slush, were the first few green shoots from some bulbs. There really is no bad or ugly season in Finland.

I also took an historic picture yesterday. Well, I would like to think so. It was mentioned on the English news bulletin that a stork had been spotted in southern Finland although it is very early in the season for them to be arriving already. When I checked the pictures I took around the bay and at the bird santuary, what did I see…. a stork. I had been concentrating on other things and never even noticed. I was rather pleased.

I love catching up on art blogs and art exhibitions on rainy days. Currently on show at the Amos Anderson Art Museum in Helsinki, is a wonderful exhibition of Escher’s art, called Impossible Worlds. I do own quite a few books on his art, but nothing is quite as good as seeing the real thing. And some favourite blogs are Finnish artist Maarah who will email her rainy day sketches to you if you subscribe. Another favourite is a young British graphic artist, Albert Eyre  who does commissions. Check out some the modern and dynamic art on his site. Other sites I regularly visit is Gurney Journey  and my favourite graffiti site  
Art Crimes.The Writing on The Wall. I am always on the lookout for interesting graffiti and discovered this scene on a construction site at the beginning of winter. I thought it was an interesting combination of textures and colour.
 

Easter is a busy time in the kitchen. I was baking hot cross buns, shortbread and an interesting malt bread that is made with Guinness and includes walnuts and raisins. It tastes wonderful with a big hunk of strong, aged cheddar or a hard cheese such as a mimolette  Living in Finland, you just have to search and settle for some cheddar. Not many interesting cheeses are available here.

Malt And Guinness Bread With Walnuts and Raisins

1 ½ Cups Malt – I used the really dark malt that is used to make the dark rye bread here in Finland but you can use a Graham or Malthouse flour instead.

2 Cups Plain Flour, I actually replaced one cup with bread making flour, and it makes a very firm dough.

2 teaspoons Sea Salt

1 Sachet Dry Yeast, about 10g

350 ml Guinness - adjust according to the flours your are using

50 ml Lukewarm Water

½ Cup Walnuts, chopped

½ Cup Raisins

- Dissolve the yeast in 50ml of the water and let it sit till frothy.

- Mix the flour and salt.

- Make a well in the flour and add the yeast mixture and the Guinness.

- The dough will be quite sticky and moist.

- Knead the dough for 5 minutes till smooth and elastic.

- Place in an oiled bowl and let it rise for 1 ½ hours or, till doubled in size.

- Deflate the dough and press into a circle shape.

- Sprinkle with the walnuts and raisins.

- Bring the dough into the centre from the edges to cover the nuts and raisins.

- Turn over and form into a round loaf.

- Put it seam side down on a lined baking sheet and let it rise again till double in size. It will take about 30 minutes.

- Preheat the oven to 220 C.

- Slash the top of the loaf a few times and brush with an egg wash.

- Place the bread in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

- Turn the oven down to 180 C and continue baking for another 20 to 30 minutes on the fan.

- Cover with foil if the top gets too brown.

- The loaf is ready when the base sounds hollow when tapped

- Turn off the oven and leave it in the oven with the door slightly open for another 5 minutes before you take it out.

- Let it cool for 15 minutes while you get the salty butter and cheese ready and pour some red wine.

I will be spending the next two weeks back in Australia in Sydney and Perth. After a long winter I am looking forward to two weeks of sublime autumn weather, sunshine and blue ocean, before returning to the northern spring.