Traditional Christmas Treats from Finland - Plum Mince Pies and Glögi (Mulled Wine)

The Christmas time smells and tastes are different in every culture.

One of the hardest things for me, when I came to Ecuador, was learn to accept and enjoy Ecuadorian Christmas.

It didn’t even seem like Christmas at first.

There was no snow; it was hot, with sun shining brightly on you.

Everything was green and thriving.

There was not much Christmas preparing, or even advertising, because people didn’t really celebrate Christmas.

They would just go to Midnight Mass and eat a baked chicken with their family.

The gifts were often bought in advance, chosen by the receiver and given right outside the store.

That was the time when the homesickness really hit, the realization of how different everything was.

How I wasn’t at home anymore and how the people really were different from what I was used to and where I was raised.

Not bad but different, unlike me.

That is why I started to work for the perfect Christmas.

I would bake Christmas cookie, decorate the house, put the tree, and make everything look, smell, sound and taste as much Finnish Christmas as I possibly could.

I could not change the outside of the house but I did my best to make the inside look like it had just been ripped from Finland, maybe by a tornado, and arrived to Ecuador by accident.

Because that was how I felt during the Holidays.

I did learn a lot about my cultural heritage and when the worst home sickness passed, in few years time, I was able to create my own Christmas.

A mix of Ecuador, Finland and just plain me.

One of the things I learned to do the hard way were the Minced Christmas Pies.

Usually in Finland people just go to the store and buy a lump of frozen puff paste.

Puff pastry is baked with butter and it takes days to accomplish baking the minced pies but I would toil on, to accomplish the perfect Christmas.

Traditionally, they are filled with plum marmalade but other bake jams are definitely worth a try.

If you want to buy the dough, the pastries are very simple to make.

You need to spread the dough sheet on a baking sheet and let them thaw for approx. 15 minutes.

Then cut the sheet into squares and make diagonal incisions from the corners of the squares towards the center (halfway).

Lift every other corner up and nip them in the center by pressing down with your moistened fingers.

Put a spoonful of bake jam / marmalade in the center.

Bake the tarts in 225 degree oven at approx. 10-15 minutes.

The pies are the best, just roasted.

Or if you wish to do your own dough, here is the recipe I’ve used and have worked very well for me.

FINNISH MINCED CHRISTMAS PIES

300 g  butter
     300 g  wheat flour
     1 teaspoon  baking powder
     2 dl  water

FILLING

     100 g  marmalade (plum)

ON TOP

     1 pcs  egg

DECORATION

     1/2 cup  icing sugar

PREPARATION

1. Take 100 grams of the butter and it pluck it with wheat flour and baking powder by hand (or you can make your dough with food processor but that wouldn’t be as traditional). Add the water and stir quickly until smooth. Do not knead the dough too much, or it will toughen.

2. Roll out the mince pie dough on a floured surface to about 1 1/2 cm thick and about 22 cm x 32 cm in size, flat tops rectangle. Use a long ruler to measure the plate, and the edge in leveling, to make sure it’s even.

3. Spread the rest of the butter so that overlaps on half of the dough sheet. Lift the other half of the  dough on top of the other half and brush the excess flour off. Press the edges of the dough so that they’ll stick and the butter won’t gush off. Press the disc gently at first, then with a rolling pin and roll out another rectangle plate lightly.

4. Fold the sheet in three parts and roll out again into rectangular sheet. Roll out the dough always into a same size and level rectangle. Roll the plate three more times, folded into three parts as indicated above.

5. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator wrapped in foil for about 15 minutes in between when the dough starts to feel too warm. Use plenty of flour, but brush the surface of the dough to remove the excess flour when folding the dough sheet.

6. Let the dough rest in the fridge for one night before baking. Roll out the dough in two installments of about 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Cut the dough into about 9 cm x 9 cm squares.

7. Cut incisions towards the middle in the corners of the squares. Put a teaspoon full of baking jam or marmalade in the middle of every square. Lift every other corner of the dough piece in the middle. Press your finger in the center brought the corners, so that they’ll remain closed.

8. Move the mince pies on the baking sheet and lubricate them with the egg, if you want. bake them for 10-15 minutes in 225°C.

9. Before serving sift some icing sugar on top of the Christmas pies.

TIPS

- Place the butter in the freezer for a while before baking, so that it is easy to cut thin slices of it.

- When the rolling-out the dough, use a light hands! If you press the dough heavily with the rolling pin, it will easily brake and the butter will get out. If this happens, sprinkle the broken part with flour and continue rolling with a little lighter hand.

- Mince pies are the most delicious freshly baked but the dough can last for few days. So if you have visitors coming or a party planned, keep the dough in the fridge and bake it just before everyone arrives.

Serve your Christmas mince pies with traditional glögi or mulled wine from Finland.

It’s simple to do and perfect for the season.

GLÖGI

(For six)

1 bottle  Red wine

1 liter  Cranberry juice

2 dl  concentrated Blackberry juice

5 dl  Water

10  Cloves

2 Allspice

1 teaspoon  Cardamom

10  Cinnamon sticks

Bitter orange peel (pinch)

Raisins (to taste)

Sliced and peeled Almonds (to taste)

Sugar (to taste)

 PREPARATION

1. Mix the wine with Cranberry and Blackberry juices and the water in a pan. Cook until it boils. Turn the stove off and add the spices (cloves, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom and bitter orange peel).

2. Let the mulled wine sit on the stove for at least ten minutes, more if you want the taste stronger.

3. Sift the glögi to serve it.

4. Add raisins, almonds and sugar to the taste.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Monster Awakens

A stony monster rose from the mountain in the twinkling light of the stars.

Sisa could not understand how it could possibly be Amarun.

The monster had the head of a snake and the feathered wings of a bird and a long feathery tail.

It looked like a statue of the feathered monster from the tales told to children to scare them.

Slowly she moved towards the stone figure.

The play of the shadows and light made it look alive and moving.

Like it were still breathing.

She touched the stone and for an instant it felt like feathers in her hands.

She heard the sound of the drums that Kuyllur was playing.

His brother, Lusiru, sang in a monotone voice and danced around the stony monster.

He was smoking a cigar made of fresh tobacco leaves and puffing the smoke over the figure.

The waving and weaving of the smoke over the statue made it look even more alive.

Like it was breathing smoke from its nostrils.

Sisa shivered and grabbed the stone harder.

Again she could feel the feathers and the beat of a large heart.

Scared she kneeled in the earth next to the monster and waited for what would happen.

Lusiru took a large swig of the bottle he had in his hand and sprayed the alcohol from his mouth over Sisa.

He kept chanting and waving the branches in his hand.

Dispelling the smoke and strong alcohol around in the night.

Weaving his footsteps to the beat of his brother’s drum he danced closer to the statue and puffed more smoke over it.

Then he took another swig of the alcohol and sprayed it over the stone monster.

He waved the branches in the air and urged the monster to wake up.

Urged Amarun, Sisa thought.

It was not a monster, it was Amarun.

Finding courage from the thought she stood up and walked to the stone figure.

Slowly she touched it again, feathers, warmth and a strong heartbeat.

She climbed to its back and grabbed hard.

Lusiru screamed to the air and hit the monster to the head with his branches, urging it to wake up.

Sisa felt the monster shaking under her.

Then it raised its huge head to the sky and roared.

She grabbed harder and got hold of a handful of feathers.

Opening its wings Amarun leaped to the sky.

To be continued...

This is the thirthieth part of the story.

To read the first part of the story, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 1  

To read the second part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 2 

To read the third part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 3. 

To read the fourth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 4. 

To read the fifth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 5.

To read the fourteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 14

To read the sixth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 6

To read the seventh part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 7

 To read the eight part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 8

To read the ninth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 9

To read the tenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 10

To read the eleventh part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 11

To read the twelth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 12

To read the thirteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 13

To read the fifteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 15

To read the sixteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 16

To read the seventeenth part, go to the The Queen With The Frozen Heart 17

To read the eighteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 18

To read the nineteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 19

To read the twentieth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 20

To read the twenty first part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Night Of The Black Moon

To read the twenty second part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - To The Enchanted Night

To read the twenty third part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - At The Mouth Of The Cave

To read the twenty fourth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Visiting Star

To read the twenty fifth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - Time To Leave The Home

To read the twenty-sixth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - A Suitable Wife

To read the twenty-seventh part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - Down In The Dungeons

To read the twenty-eight part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - Savouring The Chicha

To read the twenty-ninth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - Flying With The Stars

Jumandi Yuyay - Intercultural Fair in Archidona

The city of Archidona in Napo, Ecuador organized an Intercultural Fair, Jumandi Yuyay in this November.

The fair lasted from November 21st till November 29th.

The fair was organized to honor the national hero Jumandi, a kihos-nawki kasike who fought against the Spanish conquistadors.

The program for the fair included a cultural walk up to the Vocano Sumako.

The walk lasted three days and during it there was held different cultural activities and ceremonies.

Besides the walk the municipality organized contests for students and a book about Jumandi’s life was released.

An exposition of Amazonic agricultural and hunting techniques and architecture was held.

There was also a contest for the best traditional dish.

The festivities culminated on Saturday 29^th into a Cultural Festival with an ancestral ceremony and representations of traditional music, dancing and verses.

The ceremony was held in honor of hero Jumandi and was a collaboration of many local kurakas or shamans.

The fair will be held every year at the same time.

If you are planning to visit Ecuador and especially Ecuadorian Amazon, this would be a perfect opportunity to enjoy the traditional culture.

Who is Jumandi?

Jumandi is a national hero of Ecuador and he has been officially recognized by the National Assembly as such.

Dozens of Amazonian Indians lobbied his recognition as one of the leaders of the Ecuadorian indigenous resistance.

He is one of the initiators and leaders of the struggles against, first the Spanish conquistadores and then their descendants, who has not been widely recognized in the national historiography.

Jumandi is an historical figure in Ecuadorian Amazon and indigenous people of the Amazon basin recognizes his importance in the resistance movement.

But he was not a national figure among with Atahualpa, Rumiñahui and such.

Finally on November 29^th 2011 the National Assembly recognized the importance of Jumandi’s leadership in the struggle of indigenous people.

And he was declared a national hero of Ecuador.

History of Jumandi

When the Spaniards arrived to Ecuador, in the Amazon basin they found a warlike people, the Kihos-Nawkis, who were also great ceramists and farmers.

The Spanish military imposed by force their religion and government to the people of the land.

The great warrior Jumandi, tired of the terrible treatment his people received in the hands of Spaniards.

And conscious of their strength, organizes his best men and invites the people of the forest to expel the invaders from their territory.

They burned the cities of Archidona and Avila that were founded by the Spaniards.

After the success of this first battle the forest people began to sing their chants against the invading enemies everywhere.

This is when the legend of the terrible savage forest people was born.

But the brutality of the invaders had no limits, thousands of Spaniards arrived from Quito with their fire weapons.

Finally there were more invaders than local warriors.

Spanish conquest of the Ecuadorian Amazon

With their numbers and new weapons the Spanish win the battle and capture Jumandi and his best men.

They took them to Quito to humiliate them and torture them publicly with hot irons.

And eventually killed them.

On the execution day the authorities of the Real Audiencia de Quito ordered that all indigenous people living near Quito must attend, in their best clothes.

 This brutal spectacle was to be observed by all indigenous people so they would understand what would happen to all who would take up arms against the Europeans.

Although it was not victorious, this was the first indigenous revolution of America.

And it has defined the indigenous resistance’s objectives and ideals.

This revolution also prevented for many years the Spanish insertion in Amazonian territories.

Ecuadorian Cheese and Noodle Soup - More than just food for Newlyweds!

Every country I know has its own version of Noodle Soup.

In Ecuador noodle soup is something you do when you are in a hurry, don’t have anything else at home to cook, you are too poor to buy better ingredients or you just start to learn to cook.

Which is why it’s also jokingly called the Newlywed’s Soup.

And when you tell you have made noodle soup for lunch you get to be the butt of loads of jokes about your cooking skills.

But although an Ecuadorian homemaker might never admit cooking noodle soup to her friends, she definitely does it in the secrecy of her home.

It is the all-time favorite of children (and husbands) and also super easy to do when you are in a pinch and need something fast but tasty.

Eat it with fresh bread or maybe some gluten free yuca (cassava) bread.

Hope you enjoy this Ecuadorian everyday delicacy!

Cheese and Noodle Soup

Ingredients

1 portion of noodles

½ pound potatoes, diced

4 cloves of garlic

1 sprig of chopped white onion

1 tablespoon butter

¼ cup heavy cream

½ cup shredded fresh cheese

6 cups water

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Pepper and Salt, to taste

1. Fry the chopped onion, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, butter until they are golden.

2. Add the water, potatoes and oregano and cook until the potatoes are soft.

3. In boiling water drop the noodles. Cook for ten minutes.

4. Add cream and cheese. Taste and serve.

ENJOY!