members recipes

Mulgi puder is a great, filling and low-fat food, if you don´t count the optional bacon crisps. It is a traditional food known by different names all over Estonia, and made in large quantity can be preserved in the fridge. But since everyone seems to ask for seconds... not much there to save.

Ingredients
1 kg potatoes (or 9 to 10 large ones)
150 g barley groats
1 l + ..• water
1 large onion
salt and pepper
[allspice]
2 tbsp butter + a sprinkle of sunflower oil

To serve:
for meat-eaters: 200 g bacon
Sides: fresh parsley, beetroot salad with cumin seeds, dried bass, white bread

Method
soak the barley groats in water overnight or boil them in water until half-done.
Put the potatoes at the bottom of the pot with water and the soaked or boiled groats on top. Boil until the potatoes and groats are soft. you may need to add some more water in the process, cause they tend to drink it up faster than you think.
mash the potatoes and stir in 1 tbsp butter, salt according to your liking and freshly ground black pepper. Cover the pot with a thick warmer or put the porridge into a hot pot and place in a medium heat oven to cook for a little while.
heat some oil in a frying pan, add the other tbsp of butter and the onions, let them turn golden brown. Meat-eaters fry the bacon (cut into little cubes) first and then add the onions. Serve the porridge in ceramic bowls. Make a little hole in the center, put the onions and /or bacon inside.

Beetroot salad is just boiled beetroot cut into large cubes and seasoned with 1 tsp vinegar and ground cumin seeds. White bread is a basic sourdough bread except it has half very fine rye flour and half wheat flour in it and needs half an hour longer (2 hours 20 minutes) to cook.