Favourite Latvian recipes

Meatball soup

Cooking time: 30 min

Ingrediants:

• 2 liters water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 stock cube (optional)
• black pappercorns
• 4 medium carrots
• 4 potatos
• 500g beef mince
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon pepper for seasoning
• 1 large gherkin (optional)
• sour cream for serving

Instructions:

1. Peel and finely slice carrots. Peel and dice potatoes.
2. Place the carrots, bay leaf, peppercorn, stock cube and the water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
3. Add diced potatoes, bring back to a boil and simmer for additional 3 - 5 minutes.
4. While carrots and potatoes are simmering, place mince, egg, breadcrumbs and pepper in a medium bowl and mix together. With wet hands form small balls (size of a teaspoon).
5. Add the balls to the saucepan and simmer on low heat for about 15-20 minutes, until vegetables and meatballs have cooked through.
6. Ladle the soup in bowls and add a tablespoon of sour cream.

Notes:

Serving: 4 people. You can freely add chopped parsley or dill to each serving.

Cabbage Rolls

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

• 1 medium size cabbage
• 300g beef mince
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 small onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
2. Remove outer and any damaged leaves from the cabbage. Cut around the core and place the cabbage (core side up) in the boiling water for 10 - 15 minutes.
3. Remove cabbage from the pot, loosen and remove outer leaves (as many as possible), return the cabbage to the pot to heat it further. Leaves have to be soft enough not to break. Repeat removal of leaves and heating as many times as necessary - you will need 12 leaves. Carefully beat thicker parts of the cabbage leaves with a meat tenderiser.
4. For the filling, grate the carrot and mix together with the mince and cooked rice. Season well.
5. Place two tablespoons of filling on the thickest part of a cabbage leaf, then fold the leaf upwards, fold in both sides and roll up (just like rice paper rolls). Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.
6. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan, add the cabbage rolls and fry for couple minutes on both sides. Place the rolls in an ovenproof dish.
7. Finely chop onion and grate the carrot. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan, add the onion and sautee on low heat until translucent. Add the grated carrots and cook for further 3 minutes. Add sour cream and tomato paste, stir until sour cream has melted, season well.
8. Pour the sauce over cabbage rolls, cover the dish and place it in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
9. Serve hot, boiled potatoes are optional.

Notes:

Serving - 2 people. Alternative recipes do not require sauce - cabbage rolls are fried on a pan, then placed in an oven with a cup of water and couple tablespoons of sour cream.

Potato pancakes

Cooking time: 40 min

• 7 medium potatoes (around 1 lbs or 600g)
• 1 large egg
• 5 tbs flour
• Salt and pepper

1. Finely grate potatoes in a large bowl. Squeeze grated potatoes and drain any excess liquid.
2. Mix in egg, flour, salt and pepper. Combine well.
3. Heat oil in a large frying pan.
4. Drop four heaped tablespoon of potato mixture into the pan and flatten in to make four pancakes.
5. Fry, turning once, until golden brown.
6. Serve with sour cream, lingonberry sauce, green onions and/or butter.

Notes:

Serving - 3 people