garlic

August 20 2025

Fresh Pickles

andrestover National dishes, Preserves cucumber, dill, Estonia, garlic, horseradish, Kasepää 0

As promised, I continue the introduction to the food culture of the Peipsi region. In this post, you can read how to make the most amazing fresh pickles I have ever tried. And again, I didn’t make them myself, but a local made them, making this recipe even more authentic. All I can comment on is that the amount of herbs used to make the pickles is impressive, but that’s probably also the reason why they are so delicious.

Preparation time: 24-48 hours
Level: Easy
Quantity: 1 kg of cucumbers

Ingredients:
1 kg cucumbers
10 medium garlic cloves, roughly chopped. If the garlic stalks are green, slice the stalks of two garlic heads into slices about 1 cm thick
2 large horseradish leaves
A good handful of dill stalks with florets
2 liters of water
2 tablespoons of coarse sea salt

Preparation:

Wash the cucumbers and dill sprigs in cold water
Cut the garlic into pieces, and cut one horseradish leaf into pieces.
Use a large glass jar or stainless steel bowl, or cooking pot. Place the chopped horseradish leaves, garlic pieces, garlic stalk pieces, and dill stalks in the bottom of the pot. Place the cucumbers on top, and place the next layer of herbs on top of the cucumbers, and cover everything with horseradish leaves.
Mix cold water with sea salt until the salt dissolves. Pour the salt water over the cucumbers, then cover them with a plate that is smaller than the container. This will help keep the cucumbers and herbs submerged in the liquid. Cover the fermentation container with a lid and leave the cucumbers to ferment at +4 degrees C.
When fermenting in the cold, the cucumbers are very crunchy and have a perfect taste 24 hours later. Ferment the cucumbers for a maximum of 48 hours, then transfer them to a jar without brine and store under the lid.
Ready!!

July 20 2025

Bulgarian Cheese Pot

andrestover National dishes, Vegetarian dishes bell pepper, Bulgaria, garlic, onion 0

I have had a tradition for many years of asking my acquaintances and colleagues to bring me a local recipe or food idea as a gift from their travels. My good colleague Klaarika went on a trip to Bulgaria with her family in the spring, where they enjoyed a special tomato-pepper-cheese stew, and gave me the idea for this dish. This dish can be prepared in many ways. A similar dish is prepared using, for example, sausage or adding rice. I made it by combining two cheeses, peppers, tomatoes, and onions.

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Level: easy
Quantity: for four

Ingredients:
2 red peppers, cut into strips
2 yellow peppers, cut into strips
1 large onion, cut in half and sliced
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
A handful of chopped parsley
2 green onions, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
200 g of easy-to-melt cheese, such as Gouda cheese
150 g of soft white salad cheese or mild-tasting feta cheese
2 eggs
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of oregano to taste
0.5 teaspoon of paprika powder
Olive oil for frying

Preparation:

Slice the peppers, garlic, and onion and fry in olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and fry for a few more minutes.
Season the food with paprika, oregano, black pepper, and paprika powder.
Chop the onion and parsley, and add them to the food. Crumble the white cheese into pieces and add to the food. Mix and fry for a few minutes.
Place all the ingredients in a baking dish. Grate the easily melting cheese with a coarse grater and place the food in the oven. Bake at 180°C for about 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese has completely melted.
Press gently two light holes into the cheese with a spoon and drop an egg into each hole. Return the food to the oven and bake until the egg white has set and the yolk is still slightly runny.
Serve immediately. It is good to offer sourdough bread with the serving.
Ready!!

July 12 2025

Sea bass with tomatoes and capers

andrestover Fish capres, cherry tomatoes, garlic 0

I prepared a Mediterranean-style white sea fish. Sea bass is a fish with a delicious taste and meaty texture, which is great for making various dishes. Season the fish with sea salt and black pepper. Please use salt carefully so that the salt does not drown out the taste of the fish. Cut ripe cherry tomatoes in half, mix with balsamic vinegar, chopped garlic, and capers, and place this mixture on the fish and bake in the oven for about 40-45 minutes.

Preparation time: 1 hour
Level: easy
Quantity: For two

Ingredients:
Two sea bass with heads
About 500 g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp small capers
3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper for seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil for frying the fish
0.5 tsp oregano
Lemon slices for serving.

Preparation:

Clean the fish and wash it with cold water. Pour olive oil into a baking dish and season the fish on both sides with sea salt and black pepper. Do not oversalt the fish. The salt should not weaken the taste of the fish itself.
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place in a bowl, chop the garlic and add to the tomatoes with the capers. Mix with balsamic vinegar, season with black pepper and sea salt, and add oregano. Mix and add the resulting mixture to the fish in the oven dish.
Bake the fish at 200 degrees C for 40-45 minutes.

The fish is ideal with baked potatoes. To prepare them, cut the potatoes into slices, mix with a little olive oil, season with black pepper and sea salt, and place in the oven with the fish.
After 40-45 minutes, the potatoes will also be ready. If desired, sprinkle chopped fresh herbs, oregano, and thyme on the potatoes.
Serve the fish and potatoes immediately. Add a lemon wedge when serving.
Ready!!

June 20 2025

Adjika

andrestover Dips and spreads, National dishes cilantro, garlic, Georgia, paprika, chili 0

This sauce of Georgian origin (ანიკა) needs no introduction. It has been available in Estonian stores since the Soviet era and is still popular here. I did some research on local posts and notes and found that this sauce is often not prepared very hot. The amount of chili is rather moderate and the light sweetness, spices made during cooking, coriander, and garlic dominate. Frequently a little walnuts were also added, which gives the sauce an extra nutty nuance.

Preparation time: 1 hour
Level: Easy
Quantity: About 0.5 liters of adjika

Ingredients:
Five red bell peppers, seeds removed
7 large red Serrano chilies, seeds removed
Handful of walnuts
Large handful of fresh coriander
7 medium cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon ground coriander powder
2 teaspoons ground lentil seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt to taste

Preparation:

Remove the mushrooms from the peppers and cut them into pieces so that they can be passed through a meat grinder.
Clean the chilies from the seeds, and peel the garlic.
Pass all the ingredients through a meat grinder, paprika, chilies, garlic, walnuts, and coriander.
Pour the resulting mixture into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Grind cumin, coriander seeds, and lentil seeds. Add to the boiling adjika. Season the mixture with sea salt.
Boil the adjika until the liquid evaporates and the sauce thickens slightly.
Pour into jars, close the lids, and store the adjika in the refrigerator,
Use as a side dish with meat or vegetarian dishes.
Ready!!

May 24 2025

Breaded Fish in Italian Tomato Sauce

andrestover Fish, National dishes cherry tomatoes, garlic, Italy, onion, pike-perch 0

Double-breaded, crispy fried fish is perfect if marinated in tomato sauce. The dish is inspired by Italian cuisine and uses its flavoring elements. It is recommended to wait at least 30 minutes before eating so that the tomato marinade can soak into the fish pieces a bit.

Preparation time: About 45 minutes
Level: Easy
Serves: two

Ingredients:
One skinless pike-perch fillet
15 ripe cherry tomatoes
200 ml tomato puree (passata)
1 large onion, sliced
6 medium garlic cloves, sliced
2-3 tbsp flour for breading
About 75 g breadcrumbs for breading
2 eggs, beaten, for breading
Sea salt and black pepper for seasoning the fish and sauce
A handful of chopped parsley for adding to the sauce
Cooking oil for frying
2 tbsp capers for adding to the sauce
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and black pepper for seasoning
Dried oregano for seasoning

Preparation:

To make the topping, slice the onion and garlic and fry in 2-3 tbsp cooking oil until slightly translucent. Cut the tomatoes in half and add to the pan. Pour in the tomato passata. Stir and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Season with sea salt, black pepper, and oregano.
Cut the fish into slices about 3.5 cm wide. Season the fish with sea salt and black pepper and coat in flour. Shake off any excess flour from the fish.
Dip the fish pieces in the egg and then coat in breadcrumbs.
Fry the fish pieces in cooking oil until they are nicely golden brown and crispy on both sides.
Add water to the sauce if necessary if it is too thick.
Place the fish pieces in the sauce and let stand for a while so that the fish can absorb the sauce’s flavor.
Serve warm or cold.
Ready!!

April 26 2025

Pasta Aglio e Olio

andrestover National dishes, Pasta garlic, Italy, oliv oil, parsley, chili 0

A classic pasta from the Naples region but enjoyed across Italy. It’s one of the simplest yet most flavorful pasta dishes you can find in Italian cuisine. The dish usually consists of four main ingredients — spaghetti, garlic, olive oil, and parsley — but you can also add dill and, if desired, grated Parmesan cheese.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
7–8 cloves of good-quality garlic, finely chopped or thinly sliced
1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced and then finely chopped
A handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
5–6 tablespoons of good-quality olive oil
200 g of spaghetti
Sea salt and black pepper for seasoning
Optional: Grated Parmesan cheese for serving, although it is often omitted.

Instructions:

Finely chop or thinly slice the garlic, and finely chop the chili pepper and parsley.
Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Be sure to generously salt the pasta water.
A few minutes before the spaghetti is done, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chili, and lightly sauté for about 1 minute.
Add the cooked spaghetti to the pan and toss well. Add some pasta cooking water to create a sauce.
Season with sea salt and black pepper. Stir in the chopped parsley.
If desired, add about 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese.
If the pasta seems too dry, add more pasta cooking water.
Serve immediately, sprinkling with freshly ground black pepper and more Parmesan if you like.
Ready!

April 6 2025

Roman-style artichokes (Carciofi alla Romana)

andrestover National dishes, Vegetarian dishes artichoke, garlic, Italy, parsley 0

A classic dish from the Roman region, it is eaten in Italy, especially in the spring. It tastes so authentically Italian and delicious that it simply has to be made.
It takes a bit of effort to clean fresh artichokes, but there is nothing complicated here and the entire dish preparation takes about fifteen minutes.

Preparation time: 1 hour
Level: Easy
Serves: Two to four

Ingredients:
Eight fresh artichokes
A large handful of finely chopped parsley
3 medium cloves of garlic, finely chopped
100 ml dry white wine
50 ml good quality olive oil
Finely ground black pepper and sea salt to season
Grated parmesan, if desired, for sprinkling over the food when serving
A little chopped parsley for garnish
The juice of one lemon to prevent the artichokes from browning
A few lemon wedges when serving

Preparation:

Preparing the artichokes is a very simple task. Cut off the artichoke stem, leaving about 5-7 cm of stem. Peel the outer, harder part of the stem with a vegetable peeler (about 2-3 mm thick).
Cut off the leaves from about 1/3 of the top of the artichoke and open the artichoke inflorescence with your fingers slightly so that the contents of the inflorescence are visible. Remove the hairy core inside the inflorescence with a teaspoon, it is not edible.
Tear off 3-4 layers of the strongest leaves from the artichoke, they will not boil soft. The more tender and juicy leaves should remain.
Place the prepared artichokes in water with the juice of one lemon squeezed into it.
Finely chop the parsley, finely chop the garlic and mix with the parsley. Add 5-6 tablespoons of olive oil, season with black pepper and sea salt. Mix until smooth.
Open the artichoke petals with your fingers and fill them with the parsley-garlic mixture and press some of the filling into the cleaned artichoke core.
Place the artichokes in a deep ovenproof dish, stem side up, add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and brown the cut surface for 2-3 minutes.
Add the wine. Let it boil and evaporate. Add half a glass of water, cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to below medium, and simmer for 40-45 minutes.
By this time, the water should have evaporated and the artichokes should be completely soft. Test the softness with a knife blade. If the knife enters the artichoke or the stem easily, the artichokes are ready.
Carefully place the artichokes on a serving platter and sprinkle with grated Parmesan if desired. Pour in more olive oil and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Serve warm or chilled.
Ready!!

January 5 2025

Irish Spice Bag

andrestover Fast food, National dishes chicken, chilli, garlic, Ireland, onion 0

This is a food that is inspired by Chinese cuisine, but it was invented in 2010 in Ireland, Dublin. It is offered by many Chinese fast food restaurants, Irish fast food restaurants and pubs in Ireland.
It is certainly not the healthiest food in the world, but it is certainly delicious and very flavorful. The choice of spices is wide and there seems to be no limit. Classic Chinese spices are used, as well as other spices. The choice of spices is largely up to the diners.
If you do not want to make this food fried or deep-fried, then the components can also be made in a hot air fryer.
My Irish Spice Bag version is like this.
I think it would be a good time to bring this dish to the selection of Estonian restaurants.

Preparation time: 60 minutes
Level: Easy
Quantity: For four

Ingredients:
400 g chicken wings
400 g chicken fillet or fillet inside, cut into strips
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into coarse French fries
0.5 red bell pepper, cut into strips
2 red chilies, cut into thin slices
4 shallots, cut into thin slices
3 medium cloves, cut into rings
1L cooking oil for frying and deep-frying
30 g wheat flour for breading
2 tsp sea salt
0.5 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
0.5 tsp hot chili powder
0.5 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
3 tsp paprika powder

For the curry sauce, 200 ml stock
1.5 tsp store-bought English curry powder
3 tbsp sour cream
2 tsp flour
100 ml bahu cream
Sea salt to taste

Chopped green onions and parsley to garnish.
Lemon wedges to serve

Preparation:

Prepare the seasoning mixture. Use 1/3 of the spice mixture to coat the chicken, save the rest.
Prepare the chicken. Cut the chicken fillet into strips of suitable size. Dry the chicken pieces with kitchen paper.
Mix the flour and 1/3 of the seasoning mixture and roll the chicken pieces so that the flour and spices all stick to the chicken.
Heat about 50-80 ml of oil in a large pan and fry the chicken pieces for about 25 minutes until golden brown. Turn the chicken pieces occasionally so they are fried completely on each side.
Peel the potatoes, cut them into chunks the size of a French fry, wash off the starch under running water, and boil them for 8 minutes.
Cool the potatoes under cold water, and dry on kitchen paper.
Heat the cooking oil in a saucepan and fry the potatoes in three batches until crispy and soft on the inside. After frying, transfer to kitchen paper to drain.
Cut the shallots into thin strips, cut the peppers into strips and slice the garlic and chilli peppers.
When the meat is ready, transfer the chicken pieces to kitchen paper to remove excess oil.
Fry the onions, peppers, garlic and chilli slices in a frying pan for about 7-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the curry sauce. Use a ready-made English or Madras curry powder mix available in the store. Pour the broth into the pan, add sour cream, dissolve the flour in the whipped cream so that there are no lumps. Pour into the sauce. Add 1.5 tsp of curry powder and cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. If the sauce is too thick at this point, add water. Season with sea salt.
When the potatoes are ready, pour the potatoes and meat over the vegetables and cover everything with the seasoning mixture.
12 Mix thoroughly.
As the name of the dish suggests, the food should be served in a paper bag. This is definitely not necessary, in pubs, it is also served on a plate with a slice of lemon and curry sauce.
To garnish and add flavor, shake chopped green onions and parsley over the food.
Ready!!

December 8 2024

Potato and tomato casserole with black olives

andrestover National dishes, Vegetarian dishes black olives, garlic, onion, potato, tomato, Turkey, black olives 0

A spicy and delicious casserole inspired by Turkish cuisine.

Preparation time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Level: Easy
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
About 500 g potatoes, cut into 0.5 cm thick slices
2 large onions, cut into wedges and sliced
6 medium cloves of garlic, chopped
200 g black pitted olives
2 medium ripe tomatoes
About 50 ml of high-quality olive oil
A handful of chopped parsley
1 teaspoon oregano for seasoning
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or mild Thai chili powder for seasoning
0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper
Sea salt for seasoning

Preparation:

Quarter the onions and slice into thin slices. Chop the garlic cloves
Cut the tomatoes into quarters and slice them
Slice the potatoes into slices about 0.5 cm thick
Chop the parsley and drain the liquid from the olives.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onions for 5 minutes over high heat. Add the chopped garlic and fry for a few more minutes. Set the fried garlic and onion aside.
Fry the potato slices for about 10-15 minutes until they are lightly browned
Mix the fried onions, garlic, black olives, and 1/3 of the chopped parsley with the potatoes—season with Aleppo pepper, oregano, Msuta pepper, and sea salt.
Pour half of the mixture into the baking dish, add one sliced tomato, and drizzle with olive oil.
Cover the first layer with another layer of the potato-onion mixture, add the tomatoes, and drizzle with olive oil.
Smooth the last layer with a spatula and place in the oven at 200 degrees for about 40 minutes until the top layer slightly browns.
Serve warm. When serving, sprinkle chopped parsley on top.
Ready!!

October 22 2024

Seven hours oven-baked meat stuffed with garlic

andrestover National dishes, Pork garlic, pork neck, red wine, rosemary 0

Oven-baked pork is very characteristic of Estonia. Baked meat is prepared for festive occasions, especially in winter and Christmas and New Year celebrations. Roasted meat seasoned with lots of garlic and cooked for long hours at low heat is a wonderful dish. It takes time to prepare, but the result is well worth it. The meat can be left in the oven overnight on low heat, and it will be ready in the morning.

Preparation time: 45 minutes preparation, cooking time 7 hours
Level: Easy
Quantity: About 2 kg of roast meat

Ingredients:
About 2.5 kg pork neck chop
50 g of butter for browning the meat
10 medium garlic cloves cut in half lengthwise
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2-3 sprigs of rosemary
500 ml of red wine with a stronger taste

Preparation:

Brown the meat with butter on medium-high heat until golden brown on all sides. It takes me 10 to 15 minutes.
Peel the garlic and cut it in half lengthwise. Poke deep holes in the meat with a thin, narrow-edged knife and stuff garlic cloves deep into the holes. Try to season the meat with garlic so that all parts of the meat get pieces of garlic.
Rub the meat well with a mixture of salt and pepper.
Brush the meat with Dijon mustard and place in a cast-iron oven pot or a deep oven dish.
Add rosemary sprigs to the meat and pour red wine over the meat.
Cover the cast iron pot tightly with a lid, using a baking dish, cover it well with foil.
Place the meat at 140 degrees C to cook for seven to eight hours. You don’t even need to look at the meat while it’s cooking, just let it cook calmly all the time.
The liquid from the meat and the red wine together make the perfect stock that can be used to make a very good sauce. If the oven pot or oven dish is properly covered, there should be about 350 ml of liquid at the end of cooking.
Carefully place the meat on a plate, cover with foil, let cool, and place in the refrigerator at +4 degrees C. It is very difficult to cut this meat when it is warm because the meat is so soft that it tends to fall apart. After the cooling, it is possible to cut the nice cuts, which can be heated in the frying oven and served with the rest of the food, but the meat can also be eaten cold on a sandwich.
During cooking, the garlic caramelizes and makes the meat especially tasty.
Ready!!