Photo

I say that too when a bowling ball falls on me.

Last weekend was incredibly hot and sunny - the best time of day was the evening, when it was still warm enough to sit outdoors, but it wasn’t too hot any more. This picture was taken around 10pm last night.

I made Finnish pasty for dinner, which is no different from Cornish pasty, I believe, except that it is eaten by Finnish-Americans.

When my ancestors came to America, they started out in upper Michigan, working in the copper and iron mines there.  The climate and terrain of upper Michigan is much like Finland so I’m sure that was part of the appeal.  A pasty (pronounced with a short ‘a’, not like the exotic dancer accoutrement) is basically a savory pie, filled with chopped meat, potatoes, carrots, onions and rutabaga in a crust.  It would have been hearty food for a long day’s work—miners can’t exactly climb out easily for lunch.  According to folklore, the pasty could be heated on the back of a shovel with a miner’s headlamp for the heat source.  One was not supposed to eat the thick crust—it was for holding on to the pasty with dirty hands, as they had no where to go down below the earth to wash up before eating.  Some pasties were even baked with meat and potatoes in one end and apples in the other, sort of a combination dinner and dessert.

Crust: (makes 5-6 pasty)

• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 sticks (or 3/4 cup) butter (cold)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• Enough cold water to make a slightly sticky dough, ~1/4 - 1/2 cups.

 Combine flour, butter and salt, using a pastry blender (or two knives, or just cut the butter up) until it the bits of butter are about the size of peas and well coated in flour. Add enough water, a little at a time, to form a dough.  Toss mixture until it forms a ball.  Kneed dough lightly against a smooth surface with heel of the hand several times and form it into a ball.  Dust with flour and wrap in plastic.  Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Filling:

• Stew meat, flank steak, round steak, etc. cut into 1/2” pieces.
• 2 potatoes, diced.
• 1-2 large carrots, chopped.
• 1-2 turnips or rutabagas, chopped.
• 1-2 onions, chopped.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
  

 Chop all ingredients and mix into bowl, adding salt and pepper.  Take dough and divide into 5-6 pieces with a knife.  Flatten out each piece with the heel of the hand (sort of like making tortillas) until it it is about 6-8” in diameter.  Pile a couple handfuls of filling on one half of the circle and bring the dough over.  Seal edges with water and crimp crust along open side.  I usually just bake them on aluminum foil (the dough is so buttery you don’t really need to grease the pan if you use foil).  Cut a slit in the top of each pasty.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.  After 30 minutes, remove from oven and slide a small bit of butter into each slit.  Return to oven and bake 30 minutes more.  Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve.  I think they taste really great with IKEA’s Gravlaxsås or mustard & they are perfect for hikes and picnics and all sorts of adventures.

My mother makes a different version of pasty, which is sort of a giant meat pie, baked in a pie pan, with finely shredded potatoes, onions and ground meat, and is supposed to be eaten cold.

Ovro: ‘Delusionalist’ (2011)

Video from upcoming album, produced & edited by Ovro.

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Ovro

Via http://www.youtube.com/user/SPEmedia

Artist: Uusi Fantasia (from Finland)
Title : Takaisin 2002
Genre: Triphop/Chillout
split screen / loop video by:
Riku Pihlanto / Untamo Lehto / Viljami Eronen

L’Histoire de la Finlande en BD.

History of Finland in a comic strip.

Jenni Vartiainen - Ihmisten edessä (by WMFinland)

Jenni Vartiainen’s “Ihmisten edessä.”

Just discovered this singer today; not usually a fan of this genre but I really enjoy this song.