Extraordinary Dinners, says me
Meat Cutlets with Shiitake Gravy
Shitcake Supreme!
I was really surprised by the quality of these meat cutlets I found from the store. I expected some minced meat patties, but it was much more put together. The resulting meal resembled something I’d've ordered at a nice restaurant. Except the lumps in the gravy…. how should I have known to sift it first?? The gravy is actually a vegetarian option, in that there’s no meatjuice required. Surprisingly, it tasted legitimate, old-fashioned, and highly nostalgic. The shitcakes (sorry, shiitake mushrooms) are rarely available in Finland, but I was lucky enough to pass by some fresh ones one August day, and it became the inspiration for this delectable, homemade meal.
mashed potatoes (I prefer the boxed, lumpless stuff)
green beans
butter
6 meat cutlets
Mushroom Gravy
1 cup chopped mushrooms (shiitake were awesome!)
2 tbsp soy sauce
sifted flour – about 1/2 dl (or else, it clumps!)
2 dl hot water with chicken bouillon
salt
olive oil
Melt a chicken bouillon into two cups of hot water. Fry mushrooms in a generous bit of olive oil. When tender, add soy sauce, sifted flour, and chicken-flavored water. Salt to taste. Fry the meat cutlets at medium-high heat for 4 minutes each side, pushing down to heat evenly. Mine turned out burnt, but it added a nice crispiness and doneness that I intend to repeat. Make the mash potatoes according to the box, remembering to add salt! Microwave green beans with a good chunk of butter covered in salt. Serve cutlets with creamy delicious mushroom gravy.
Potato Au Gratin with Minced Meat (Jauheliha-perunagratiini)
Auuuuuu gratin!
This is fairly common for a Finnish dish, allthough I’ve added quite a few ingredients, and mixed a couple traditional recipes to make something outrageously cheesy and creamy. I don’t know if you can buy these bags of frozen cream-potato outside of the Nordic world, but these are splendid!
400 g minced meat
1 carrot
1/2 red pepper
1/3 box tomato paste
2 tbsp herb & pepper cream cheese (optional flavor)
rosemary
salt
1 bag cream potatoes (750g)
5-10 green olives
3 dl milk
1 dl cream
1 egg
A serving of creamy abundance
Fry meat with diced peppers and halved carrot slices. Add tomato puree with cream cheese and seasonings, followed by olive slices. Layer a greased casserole dish with 1/2 of the frozen potatoes, the fried mixture, then the rest of the potatoes. Mix milk, cream, egg, and salt, and pour over food. Bake at 225 celcius for 50-60 minutes, and add shredded cheese to the top when 15 minutes remaining (optional).
Minced Meat Cheese Pockets with Tomato Risotto
Here was another meal I had to improvise after seeing an inexpensive meat product I hadn’t previously seen before. These frozen fish patties were filled with mozzarella and tomato, so how could I resist? The risotto was the perfect mildly spicy and extra flavorful complement that provided a bit more of tomato flavor so that I wouldn’t be tempted to dip my fish in ketchup.
4 fish patties (plain or flavored, used mozzarella & tomato flavored)
2 servings risotto rice
olive oil
1/2 box crushed tomato
1 carrot
2 tbsp pepper-flavored cream cheese
lotza salt and pepper
couple drops Tabasco
This requires no brain work at all. Boil water and add the rice. Add olive oil or whatever the rice box suggests. Meanwhile, fry the meat at medium-high, pushing down to get every spot and flipping when appropriately browned. Fry carrots separately, adding tomato sauce, cream cheese and seasonings towards the end. When rice is still moist but mostly drained, add to carrots in frying pan for a few minutes. Serve shaped like a bunny. 
