Tattaripizzapohja. Buckwheat pizza dough.

Tämä on sovellus kinuapizzapohjasta, hiutaleet tekevät siitä hieman kuohkeamman. Olen myös lisännyt vähän psylliumia. On muuten paras gluteeniton pizzapohja, jota olen maistanut.

This is the best glutenfree pizza crust I've ever tasted. Using the recipe for quinoa pizza dough, I added flakes and psyllium to make it fluffier.

 Tattaripizzapohja

• 1,5 dl lämmintä vettä
• 1 tl raakaruokosokeria
• 1 pkt kuivahiivaa
• 2,5 dl perunajauhoa
• 2,5 dl tattarijauhoa
• 1,5 dl tattari- tai hirssihiutaleita
• 2 tl leivinjauhetta
• 1 tl ksantaania
• 3 rkl psylliumia
• 1,5 tl merisuolaa
• 2 tl oreganoa
• 1 tl basilikaa
• 2,5 dl lämmintä vettä
• 1 rkl hunajaa
• 0,5 dl oliiviöljyä
• 2 rkl omenaviinietikkaa

Sekoita hiiva ja sokeri pienessä kulhossa lämpimään veteen kunnes hiiva alkaa vaahdota. Sekoita kuivat aineet keskenään suuressa kulhossa. Tee keskelle kuoppa ja lisää hiivaseos, loppu vesi, hunaja, oliiviöljy ja omenaviinietikka. Anna kohota vähintään tunti.

Lämmitä uuni 200ºC. Esipaista pellille levitettyä pohjaa 10 minuuttia, päällystä ja paista 10 minuuttia lisää.


Buckwheat pizza dough

• ½ cup warm water
• 1 tsp raw cane sugar
• 1 packet dry yeast
• 1 cup potato starch
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• ½ cup buckwheat or millet flakes
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 3 tbs psyllium
• 1½ tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tbs raw honey
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tbs apple vinegar

In a small bowl, melt yeast and sugar to a cup of warm water until foamy. In a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Make a well in the middle and add the yeast mixture, rest of the water, honey, olive oil and apple vinegar. Set aside for at least an hour.

Spread the dough on a prepared tin and bake it in 200ºC for 10 minutes, then add the toppings and continue baking for 10 minutes more.

Porkkanoita. Carrots.

Sadon ilahduttavimmat porkkanat. The most delightful carrots of the season.

All the carrot harvest.

Me rinsing them.

Kinuapizzapohja. Quinoa pizza dough.

Kun kokeilen jotakin uutta ruokavaliota, suurin ongelmani on lähes aina liika innostus: keksin äkkiä dieetin porsaanreiät ja alan valmistaa herkkuja. Tällä kertaa tein, jyvättömyyden nimessä, saunavieraille pizzaa. Niin kuin tavallista, gluteenittomalla jumalattarella on mahtavan näköinen jyvätön ohje. Kesällä sain kuitenkin enemmän kehuja tästä kananmunattomasta reseptistä, joka kuohkeutetaan pellavansiemenrouheella. Ehkä pitäisi mennä jostain puolivälistä? Tein sen näin.

Kinuapizzapohja

• 2,5 dl lämmintä vettä
• 1 tl raakaruokosokeria
• 1 pkt kuivahiivaa
• 2,5 dl perunajauhoa
• 2,5 dl kinuajauhoa
• 1,5 dl hirssijauhoa
• 2 tl leivinjauhetta
• 1 tl ksantaania
• 2 rkl psylliumia
• 1 tl merisuolaa
• 1 tl oreganoa
• 1 tl basilikaa
• 1 dl lämmintä vettä
• 1 rkl hunajaa
• 0,5 dl oliiviöljyä
• 1 rkl omenaviinietikkaa

Sekoita hiiva ja sokeri pienessä kulhossa lämpimään veteen kunnes hiiva alkaa vaahdota. Sekoita kuivat aineet keskenään suuressa kulhossa. Tee keskelle kuoppa ja lisää hiivaseos, loppu vesi, hunaja, oliiviöljy ja omenaviinietikka. Anna kohota puolesta tunnista tuntiin.

Esipaista pellille levitettyä pohjaa 200ºC viisi minuuttia, päällystä ja paista 10 minuuttia lisää.

Quinoa pizza dough

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tsp raw cane sugar
• 1 packet dry yeast
• 1 cup potato starch
• 1 cup quinoa flour
• ½ cup millet flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 tbs psyllium
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• ½ cup warm water
• 1 tbs raw honey
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 tbs apple vinegar

In a small bowl, melt yeast and sugar to a cup of warm water until foamy. In a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Make a well in the middle and add the yeast mixture, rest of the water, honey, olive oil and apple vinegar. Set aside for at least a half hour.

Bake the spread dough in 200ºC for 5 minutes, then add the toppings and continue baking for 10 minutes more.

Horsmaisia suunnitelmia

Maitohorsmat, ystäväni maitohorsmat. Jo vuosia olen katsellut teitä, muistellen sitä mehevän mahevan ihanaa teetä, jota kerran teistä tein. Mutta en ole saanut uudestaan kerätyksi.

Kerrottakoon, että mustan teen ja maitohorsmanlehtien sekoitusta kutsutaan koporje-teeksi (Koporje sijaitsee vähän Pietarista itään), että aikanaan on yritetty ansaita rahaa myymällä horsmanlehtiä teenä, ja että nuorta maitohorsmaa voi käyttää kuin parsaa (siis sitä oikeaa parsaa, ei parsakaalia). Ja kerrottakoon, että Alaskassa maitohormasta tehdään karamelleja ja siirappia. Ne tehdään kukista—ja se on hyvä sellaisille kuin minä, jotka ovat surullisesti unohtaneet maitohorsman koko alkukesäksi. Siirapin ohje löytyy englanniksi täältä, ja kerron lisää heti, kun olen ehtinyt sitä kokeilla.

p.s. Eikö olekin viehättävää, että maitohorma on englanniksi fireweed?

Glutenfree eggfree dairyfree pancakes/ Gluteenittomat munattomat maidottomat letut

I've noticed I like challenges at work. Big and small. That comes handy, when you have to make a pancake dough and see on a special diets list that there are two persons with coeliac disease, one of them allergic to milk protein and the other one to eggs. A big small challenge.

I thought my midsummer fest would pass experimenting with all kind of naturally glutenfree flours (as I hate the artifically glutenfree ones—they get slimy and I thought they would hardly work without egg), but someone had already done it for me—and much better than I would have ever done it! Thank you for The Daily Dietribe for testing like every kind of glutenfree flour one can imagine. I made these pancakes on three mornings, trying rice, buckwheat and corn flour, and it worked perfectly on each one. They're just delicious. I copy the recipe here in Finnish.


Gluteenittomat letut ilman maitoa tai munaa

3 dl jauhoja tai jauhojen sekoitusta*
1,2 dl tärkkelystä (perunajauho toimii parhaiten)
2 tl leivinjauhetta
½ tl merisuolaa
2 rkl sokeria

0,6 dl makeuttamatonta omenasosetta (muukin sose käy)
2 rkl öljyä
1 dl - 4,5 dl nestettä*

* Jos käytät mantelijauhoa, vettä menee vähemmän, ja jos käytät paksua nestettä kuten kookosmaitoa, nestettä kuluu enemmän. Vesi toimii nesteenä mainiosti, ja sitä kuluu yleensä noin 2,5 dl.

Alkuperäisen reseptin kirjoittaja on testannut tämän kaikilla seuraavilla jauhoilla:

• hirssijauho
• mantelijauho
• tattarijauho
• kinuajauho
• amaranttijauho
• kikhernejauho
• makea riisijauho
• valkea riisijauho
• tumma riisijauho
• teff-jauho (jonkinnäköinen itäafrikkalainen heinä)
• durrajauho
• gluteeniton jauhoseos (niin kuin esim. Sunnuntain; limaantuu kuitenkin helposti)

Lisäksi hän on kokeillut kookosjauhoa: ei toimi. Ja lisäksi minä kokeilin maissijauhoa: toimii mahtavasti.

Valmistus

1. Sekoita kuivat aineet keskenään.
2. Sekoita toisessa astiassa omenasose, öljy ja noin desilitra nestettä. Kaada kuivat aineet märkien sekaan ja sekoita. Lisää nestettä hitaasti (esimerkiksi ruokalusikallinen kerrallaan) kunnes koostumus on paksun lettutaikinan. Paista mieluummin yksi liian paksu lettu ja lisää vettä kuin tee taikinasta liian lötköä!

Vohvelitaikinaan tarvitset hieman paksumman taikinan kuin lettuihin. Muista öljytä pannu ja levitä taikina lusikalla. (Ohut taikina saattaa jämähtää kiinni.)

Kulitsa, pasha, some herons and too many restaurants

I think of food far too much. The healthier I try to eat, the more I think of food, and the more I end up searching for interesting recipes and trying them. I will have to do something about this.

That is, after Easter. Tomorrow is Easter Saturday and I'll make quark pastries and maybe some kulitsa, and on Sunday we'll have them with pasha, after the main course of asparagus and creamy basil sauce. And if I am to choose Easter music, it'll be Paul Desmond, which sounds perfectly like spring.

Spring. I like the light of spring and the bubbling feeling of forgotten dreams and adventures it brings to mind. The faint pink color of days and brightness of evenings. The smell of lilies in the bathroom reminds me of what God's touch in your life must feel like if you believe in God  ̶  and I do think that I know how the touch of God's feels, this feeling of purposefulness, sense, love, light and softness at the same time, although I don't name it so.

Spring! I want to make a heronspotting trip to south of Estonia with my new car. It'll have to be early May: university exams are just over and herons are busy incubating their eggs and looking noble. Pärnumaa should be good for spotting herons; I've been thinking of Luitemaa park south of Pärnu, in spite of having promised myself never to drive the Pärnu ̶ Riga road again. All Pärnumaa birdwatching areas can be found on this map. I wish we'll also have time to visit the islands: they have lots of awesome birds there like eagles and black storks, and I've always wanted to drive all the way down to the southest point of the island and see the lighthouse.

And while in Estonia, I want to visit at least one these Tallinn restaurants: Ariran, an odd non-restaurant looking place which is said to be an east mafia money-laundering spot and where the mrs makes delicious home-style meals; Pirosmani, a Georgian café that somehow manages to make its scuffiness look purposeful; and Moses, which simply looks delicious. And, as usual, I'll have porridge for breakfast in either Reval Café or Gourmet Coffee on Koidula.

In Helsinki, in addition to my all time favourite Dong Bei Hu, I am going to try Lebanese Fattoush in Kontula of all places, and Ethiopian Queen Sheba. And then I promise to start thinking of something else than food.

Stupid Western medicine

I'm getting extremely tired talking to doctors. Extremely. Tired. Probably I should quit the phase one of my doctor round (the Western medicine doctor) and just go directly to following phases (Chinese doctor, herbal books, hearsays). Lately I've benefited mostly of Chinese medicine and hearsays. I get needles of course, and follow a diet. My kidney yang is much better, as it wasn't fortunately the base of the problem; the bottommost problem seems to be spleen yang deficiency. That can be caused by overthinking and too much emotional stress. I can't help thinking: oh really? Like writing a master's thesis and then applying to a PhD program? And at the same time awaking some old panic syndrom sankharas on a vipassana course?

Well, the doctors at the public health care still think I'm depressed, and after realizing I should have never been prescribed Citalopram in the first place, they are toying with what to make me take next. It's getting wilder every appointment. And what makes it more interesting is that I'm not depressed. I'm fatigued  ̶  and not even so much that anymore. Before the Citalopram experiment there was nothing wrong with my general mood, and now that the rest of that crap has left my body, I'm fine again. Have a guess if I will take another pill.

One of the most benefical hearsays I've been listening to is the claim that I'm overhydrated and should drink less and better fluids. Again, I need to eat a heavy breakfast  ̶  just a few mornings of porridge on a road make me shiver unexplainably through the day. Organic eggs fried in butter, hot cocoa, a huge (although sugarfree) apple muffin and chunks of cantaloupe keep me energetic and warm. If I want to lose weight, I can always eat less calories later in the day, but morning is just not the time.

And then the latest hearsay: raw cocoa beans contain stuff that increases the amount of serotonine and dopamine in your brain. I've not bothered to research this by myself yet, but I did make myself a raw cocoa drink in the morning, mixing three teaspoons of raw cocoa powder, cardamon, clove, hot water and oat milk. It tasted and felt awesome.

Kidney yang deficiency, and yes, a list

Last two and half years I've been ill with this illness at one point and that illness another. And, as I am no fan of Western medicine, I usually consult first a Western doctor, then a Chinese doctor, then my herbal books (my guru is Matthew Wood with his amazing The Earthwise Herbal) and probably listen to anyone who has anything to say on the subject, then making my own conclusions.

I admit, it'd be easier to just trust the first doctor. But they don't seem very trustworthy, ignoring symptoms I find relevant and telling I have several unrelated diseases that have a different cause. Nay, I believe we are entities, and that it's not just the things we can see with a microscope, but that there are also things we can't see.

Currently, I've been out of shape for a month or two. Or not so much out of shape than just fatigued. I have never before realized how life energy does actually well up from the lower back  ̶  until now that it doesn't. It feels like my lower back was empty, and gray in a way. No energy. And as much as I'd like to get on with whatever I was doing, I constantly need to lie down (and thank the fabulous Finnish library system for the pile of great books next to my futon).

After consulting unofficial sources I suspected it to be because of a kidney yang deficiency, and my Chinese doctor confirmed. Treatment is simple. I get needles  ̶  acupuncture, that is  ̶  once in two weeks; I eat foods that warm kidney yang; I take it easy, keep myself warm and well-rested and do long walks. I take ginseng and weird Chinese herbal balls that are small and black and that you have to take twenty at the time. I make myself to go swimming at least once a week, and take care that I swim slowly and not too long (and that there is a either a bubble bath or an eucalyptus-scented steam sauna in the swimming hall I go to). I do not overhydrate, which I used to do, and which was probably one of the original causes for the problem. I drink less and when I drink I try to drink juice (blackcurrant and lingonberry being my favourites), check regularly that my fingers are warm and have decreased my caffeine intake (I'm a sucker for green tea). I have also started to feel suspicious about juices that are sweetened with fructose - they do not feel quite right in my body. I meet friends and let them keep me cheered up. And the final treatment: I crochet a lot. Calm things should be good for your kidneys.

But when I went to see a Western doctor  ̶  and a good one she is even though working on a public clinic  ̶  I was diagnosed a depression. A depression? When there's nothing wrong with my mood? But she explained to me that depression manifests itself in many ways, and she thought some mild antidepressants would do me good. So, I got a prescription for Citalopram.

Well, should I take the medicine even though I don't feel myself a least bit depressed? She was so convincing that I decided to take them. How I see it, if they help me to get perkier, I will have more energy to exercise and eat well, and that will eventually help for the cause of the whole unbalance, restoring my kidney yang.

Anyway, I feel the biggest change being the change in morning routines. Or rather, that there are routines. Before, after opening my eyes and meditating an hour on my bed, I used to jump up and start hustling up every little thing I saw that needed taking care of, usually in no logical order and starting several things before finishing any. I would eat when I had time. Now, right after meditation, I have to eat. And eat a lot, at least compared to what I used to eat before. And I am absolutely not to switch on my computer before I eat, or it destroys the good rhythm of the morning.

So, in the honor of my friend Heli, the Mistress of List Making, I shall make two lists.

Good Things to Eat in the Morning

 - two organic eggs fried with butter, sea salt
 - several chunks of homebaked focaccia flavoured with rosemary
 - half a cantaloupe
 - an orange
 - a glass of fruit juice, preferably homemade
 - a mugful of green tea mixed with uplifting and warming herbs like peppermint and cardamon


Good Books to Read When Ill

 - almost anything by Jane Austen
 - J.D. Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye
 - Ranya ElRamly: Auringon asema
 - Azar Nafisi: Reading Lolita in Tehran
 - Jhumpa Lahiri: The Namesake
 - Vikram Seth: A Suitable Young Man
 - Jun'ichiro Tanizaki: Makioka Sisters