Vivi Ahola's Piirakkaa Recipe
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Ingredients: |
Ingredients: First make rice filling: Cook 5 c. water and 2½ c. regular rice until water disappears. Add a lump of butter, 3¾ c. milk and cook till creamy. Add 1 c. cream and 1 tsp. salt to this mixture.
For Crust: Mix 1 c. white flour, 2 c. rye flour, 1¾ c. water, ¼ c. butter, and ¾ tsp. salt. This mixture will be very, very soft.
Shape into long roll on a pastry cloth to about 2 inches in diameter. Cut into 12 equal portions and dust with flour. Pat each into a small round cake and roll out into a circle about 6 to 8 inches in diameter, keeping as round as possible.
Fill with 3 or 4 tbsp. of filling and spread to within an inch of edge. Fold two sides of dough into filling, forming an oval, but leaving an inch-wide strip on the filling exposed. Crimp edges of dough. Place piirakkaa on greased baking sheet. Bake in a very hot oven (450º ) for 15 min. or until lightly browned, basting twice with milk/butter mixture (½ c. hot milk and 2 tbsp. butter). Remove from oven and baste once more while still hot. Cover with a clean towel to soften crusts. Place aluminum foil over towel. Can serve hot or cold. Can be frozen and warmed in microwave. Serve with cheese and luncheon meat.
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Directions: |
Directions:Mom's cousin, Dorothy, also made Piirakkaa every Christmas for her family. She received the recipe while visiting Finland. Surprisingly, her recipe is exactly the same as Vivi Ahola's. |
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Personal
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Personal
Notes: I remember Mrs. Ahola bringing piirakkaa to Gramma Hilda's house after Grampa Al's funeral. I liked it, but never dreamt of making it myself. As I look over this recipe, I'm thinking that I might just have to give it a try. In Bea Ojakangas' "Finnish Cookbook", she writes that when a fellow courted a girl in old-time Karelia, he was always introduced to her family early on. If the family approved of him, the ladies of the house would quickly retreat to the kitchen and make piirakkaa, while the men visited in the living room. No piirakkaa, no chance with the girl. How nerve racking that must have been for the young fellow!! Today, piirakkaa is still made, but after the daughter has already announced her engagement.
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