We're excited to be teaming up with the Latvian tourism board, Magnetic Latvia, for this Christmas celebration - and you're invited!
A Taste Of Latvia – Virtual Christmas Event (Closed)
#TasteOfLatvia
On Tuesday 15 December, from 6pm GMT we were delighted to team up with Magnetic Latvia for a Christmas party like no other, as we'll be celebrating all things Latvian.
We were joined by top chef Mārtiņš Sirmais cooking some traditional Latvian Christmas delicacies including Rye bread dessert and a porcini mushroom Christmas dish, which you can join in with from the comfort of your own home. Katrīna Dimanta - a pop-folk singer, who has participated in Eurovision - provided the special entertainment.
The two dishes we made were rye bread dessert and grey peas and porcini mushrooms. The ingredients you will need to follow the dish at home are as listed below. Please note, the quantities are all in cups (one cup is 128 grams or 4.5 oz):
PORCINI MUSHROOMS
Canola oil or Olive oil Butter (optional)
Hemp seeds
2 cups grey peas, pre-cooked or black beans
3 medium onions, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
4 dried porcini mushroom soaked (or 1/2 a cup)
Bread chips
Recipe:
1. Take 3 medium size onions and cut in a small dice. Chop 3 garlic cloves. Heat the pan, add olive oil and cook the onions and garlic on a medium heat about 10 min. Add salt, pepper.
2. When onions are translucent, add soaked dried porcini mushrooms ½ cup. Cook porcini few more minutes
3. Then add roasted crushed hemp seeds 1/3 cup and warm them through.
4. Then add pre cooked grey peas 2 cups or black beans, or kidney beans. Add 1 cup tap water and simmer 10 minutes uncovered, until liquid is evaporated by half. Taste salt and pepper.
5. If you want, add 1 tablespoon of butter, then transfer all in the blender and blend it smooth. Serve like a dip with bread, crisps ore vegetables.
RYE BREAD DESERT
Some riga Black balsam (which we will be sending out to the first 50 attendees)
1 cup rye bread
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup Cranberry jam
1 cup Apple juice
1/3 cup Brown sugar
1/3 cup Sugar
Recipe:
1. Add 4 tablespoon sugar and ½ cup Black Balsam to the small sauce pan and heat on a medium high heat until liquid is evaporated by ¼ and became a syrupy, cool it down.
2. Mince rye bread with fingers to make a crumble. Add ¼ teaspoon cardamon and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon to the bread crumble, add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, then mix it ad add little by little apple juice until bread is soaked and sugar is melts. Leave it to rest.
3. Mix mascarpone and Black Balsam syrup until its incorporate.
4. Serve desert in layer. Soaked rye bread, Black Balsam mascarpone and jam.
We were joined by top chef Mārtiņš Sirmais cooking some traditional Latvian Christmas delicacies including Rye bread dessert and a porcini mushroom Christmas dish, which you can join in with from the comfort of your own home. Katrīna Dimanta - a pop-folk singer, who has participated in Eurovision - provided the special entertainment.
The two dishes we made were rye bread dessert and grey peas and porcini mushrooms. The ingredients you will need to follow the dish at home are as listed below. Please note, the quantities are all in cups (one cup is 128 grams or 4.5 oz):
PORCINI MUSHROOMS
Canola oil or Olive oil Butter (optional)
Hemp seeds
2 cups grey peas, pre-cooked or black beans
3 medium onions, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
4 dried porcini mushroom soaked (or 1/2 a cup)
Bread chips
Recipe:
1. Take 3 medium size onions and cut in a small dice. Chop 3 garlic cloves. Heat the pan, add olive oil and cook the onions and garlic on a medium heat about 10 min. Add salt, pepper.
2. When onions are translucent, add soaked dried porcini mushrooms ½ cup. Cook porcini few more minutes
3. Then add roasted crushed hemp seeds 1/3 cup and warm them through.
4. Then add pre cooked grey peas 2 cups or black beans, or kidney beans. Add 1 cup tap water and simmer 10 minutes uncovered, until liquid is evaporated by half. Taste salt and pepper.
5. If you want, add 1 tablespoon of butter, then transfer all in the blender and blend it smooth. Serve like a dip with bread, crisps ore vegetables.
RYE BREAD DESERT
Some riga Black balsam (which we will be sending out to the first 50 attendees)
1 cup rye bread
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup Cranberry jam
1 cup Apple juice
1/3 cup Brown sugar
1/3 cup Sugar
Recipe:
1. Add 4 tablespoon sugar and ½ cup Black Balsam to the small sauce pan and heat on a medium high heat until liquid is evaporated by ¼ and became a syrupy, cool it down.
2. Mince rye bread with fingers to make a crumble. Add ¼ teaspoon cardamon and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon to the bread crumble, add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, then mix it ad add little by little apple juice until bread is soaked and sugar is melts. Leave it to rest.
3. Mix mascarpone and Black Balsam syrup until its incorporate.
4. Serve desert in layer. Soaked rye bread, Black Balsam mascarpone and jam.
BLOG POSTS
We have a paid opportunity for travel and food bloggers, with a UK audience. If you've been to Latvia before and have content to produce on one of the following topics we'd love to hear from you. Alternatively, if you would like to apply to write about the virtual event and the dishes we make on the evening, this is also an option.
The themes and regions that we’re looking to cover are:
- Latvian Christmas dishes
- Food in Latvia
- Latvian tourism offer in Winter/Spring
- Slow travel
- Sustainable travel in Latvia
- Eco tourism
- Culture in Latvia
- SPA in Latvia
- Health tourism in Latvia
- Hiking in Latvia
- Nature tourism in Latvia
- Architecture in Latvia
Please do note that we’re looking for bloggers for this campaign who can post on their platform and have enough experience in one of the above themes or regions to post a detailed guide. Of course we do also know that some level of additional research will always be needed for posts of this length. It is strongly recommended that you also have photography on your chosen theme or region.
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