Karelian Pie recipe

This delicacy from the Karelia region is an iconic element of Finnish cuisine, popular all over the country.

Rice porridge:

• 1 litre milk 250 g short-grain rice

• 40 g butter

• 1 tsp salt

- Put the rice in a large nonstick pan and add enough water to cover it. Bring it to boil, stirring constantly.
- Add milk and salt and simmer for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When the rice is cooked, take the pan off the heat source, add butter and mix gently. Add milk if necessary, to modify the consistency if the porridge becomes unworkably thick (this depends on the starch quantity of the rice).

Dough:

• 300 g rye flour

• 225 ml cold water

• 1 tsp salt

- Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Knead the dough until smooth and shape it into a log.
- Cover it with cling film and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Forming the pasties:

• 200 g butter

• 1 litre water

- Melt the butter in a bowl and add warm water.

Baking:

- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Celsius.

- Cut the dough into 24 pieces and roll each into a ball. With a rolling pin, roll each one into an oval shape. Stack them under a damp kitchen towel.

- Place two tablespoons of the filling onto a piece of dough and fold the edges in towards the middle. Crimp neat, tight pleats and push the crimps down slightly into the filling to prevent burning.

- Bake approximately eight minutes. After baking, dip the pasties quickly individually into a butter and water mixture (immerse completely and remove), then let them cool under a clean kitchen towel.

Egg butter:

This is a traditional topping for Karelian pies. This recipe offers a good way to cook eggs to enjoy them with just a sprinkle of salt. The reason for soft-boiling the eggs is that it lets the yolks mix nicely with the butter.

• 3 eggs

• 150 g butter

• salt

- Cut the butter into cubes, put them in a mixing bowl, and allow to warm to room temperature.
- Put the eggs into a small pot and cover them with water. Bring the water to boil over a high heat.
- After boiling for one minute, remove from the heat and let stand for nine minutes.
- Drain and then fill with cold water to cool the eggs.
- After cooling for ten minutes, peel the eggs and use a fork to crush them into the soft butter.
- Mix well and season with salt to taste.
- Cover and store in the fridge.

(Republish from website finland.fi)