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In Finland, especially in countryside, it is usual that people have own kitchen gardens or green houses. There they grow useful plants like vegetables for their own use. Typical plants are: potatoes, carrots, different kind of cabbages, peas, tomatoes, lettuce, parsley, radish, dill, Swedish turnip, beetroot, cucumber, different kind of onions, pumpkins. People can also have for example apple trees and different kind of berries in their gardens. Most popular are: strawberry, gooseberry, red currant, black currant, raspberry. In addition to gardening people can make good use of plentiful crop of Finnish forests. In summer or autumn people are used to go to forest and pick different kind of mushrooms and berries like: blueberry, lingonberry, cloudberry, cranberry. Farming is also a very important part of Finnish culture and the cultural environment. Farmers grow potatoes and grains, usually oats, barley, rye and wheat. When people are cooking they use a lot of products of their own gardens, like potatoes are used every day. So the cuisine is also a part of the cultural environment. Some examples of traditional Finnish cuisine are dishes like pea soup, summer soup and rye bread. Here are few finnish recipes for Karelian stew, pea soup, Karelian rice pasties and rhubarb pudding: Karelian Stew (Karjalan paisti) Pea soup (Hernekeitto) Karelian Rice Pasties (Karjalanpiirakat) 
Part 2 In Italy people use a lot of vegetables and fruits in everyday cooking. The vegetables are always fresh because people often take them from their own kitchen gardens. The vegetables can be for example: potatoes, carrots, peas, many kind of beans, cabbages, tomatoes, parsley, oregano, basil, radish,pumpkins, artichokes and zucchini. Maybe one of the most popular vegetables is artichoke. Potato isn't as popular as it is in Finland because Italian people eat so much pasta. In bigger gardens and farms there are also olive, orange, apple and lemon trees and vine. Most important grains are millet, oats, corn, rice, rye and wheat. Peole also grow sugar cane and sugar beet. In Italy peole don't go to forests to pick up some berries like people do in Finland. There you can see large strawberry "fields" when you are driving a car along big roads. The countryside comes inside of the cities in the form of Italian kitchen gardens. People have their gardens also in suburbs, nearby roads and if they live in a block of flats they can have a little kitchen garden on their balconies. SOME ITALIAN RECIPES Tuscan Bean Soup with Leafy Green Vegetables Serving Size: 6 · · 1 cup dried cannellini , cranberry or navy beans -- soaked and drained · · 10 cups water · · 1 tablespoon olive oil · · 2 cups chopped leeks -- well rinsed · · 1 cup diced celery · · 8 mushrooms -- sliced · · 4 cloves garlic -- minced · · 2 carrots -- peeled and diced · · 1 cup chopped white or red potatoes · · 3 cups shredded kale, Swiss chard, and spinach -- mixed · · 3 tablespoons tomato paste · · 1 tablespoon dried basil · · 1 tablespoon dried oregano · · 2 teaspoons dried sage · · 1/2 teaspoon salt · · 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes · · 2 tablespoons dry red wine Place the beans and water in a large saucepan and cook for 1 hour, until the beans are tender. Drain, reserving 6 cups of the cooking liquid, and set aside. Heat the oil in another large saucepan and add the leeks, celery, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute for about 7 minutes. Add the beans, reserved cooking liquid, and remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle the soup into bowls and season with salt at the table. Serve hot with Italian bread. Italian Vegetable Stew Serving Size: 8 · · 2 tablespoons olive oil · · 1 large onion -- chopped · · 2 stalks celery -- chopped · · 2 cloves garlic -- minced · · 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice · · 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes w/garlic & onions -- with juice · · 3 cups vegetable broth · · 1 16 oz pkg frozen Italian green beans · · 1 15 oz can cannellini beans -- rinsed & drained · · 2 teaspoons dried basil · · 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning · · salt & pepper to taste Heat oil in a Dutch oven. Cook onion and celery until soft, about 5 minutes; add garlic, and cook about 2 additional minutes. Add tomatoes, vegetable broth, frozen green beans, and seasonings to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer about 15 minutes. Add cannellini beans and cook 10 more minutes. Artichokes In Tomato Sauce Serving size: 4 1 Medium Onion Salt & Pepper 2 Garlic Cloves, Minced 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil 1 (28 oz) Can Chopped Tomatoes 1/2 Cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped Clean the artichokes by removing the tough outer leaves and stem, ensuring a flat bottom to enable them to sit upright in a pot. Cut off about 1/3 from the top, and remove the prickly choke from inside. Place the cleaned artichoke immediately in a bowl of water with a little lemon juice to prevent discoloration. See the article"The Mysteries Of The Artichoke Unveiled" for more details on cleaning artichokes. Cut the artichokes into wedges and leave in the lemon water until ready to use. Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until translucent. Add the tomatoes, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain the artichokes and add these to the tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 45 minutes or until the artichokes are fork tender. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little water as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature with the fresh parsley sprinkled on top. Variation: You could also add 8 oz. of sliced portabella mushrooms to this dish. Sauté them first with the onions and garlic. This recipe could be used on top of pasta as well, just cut the artichokes into smaller pieces before cooking. Italian Country Soup Zuppa Vera Contadina Serving size: 4-6 8 Cups Of Chichen Broth (Retain The Meat From The Chicken Used In The Both) 4 Sausage Links Precooked, And Sliced Thinly 1 Cup Chopped Celery 1 Cup Chopped Carrots 1 Cups Green Beans Cut Into 1 Inch Pieces 1/4 Cup Thinly Sliced Leeks 1 Medium Zucchini, Diced 2 Small Summer Squash, Diced 1 Can Cannellini Beans 2 Tomatoes, Seeded And Chopped 1 Cup Short Pasta 3 Cups Shredded Greens (Mustard Green, Spinach or Chard) Salt & Pepper Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese Olive Oil Add the vegetables except the canned beans and greens to the broth, and cook 20 minutes. Add the canned beans, pasta, sausages, meat from the chicken broth, and greens and cook another 15 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Serve warm topped with a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh grated cheese. |
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