Yumi Yumi

I've collected here print and online mentions of my English-language NAMI-NAMI foodblog as well as my Estonian-language NAMI-NAMI recipe collection , as well as direct links to articles written by me and food photos taken by me and/or K. Happy browsing! (UPDATED MAY 2009) Everyone's a Critic, October 7, 2008 Nami-nami foodblog was mentioned in Debbie Elkind's article Everyone's a Critic published in an Australian SBS Online. . 10 December 2007 Nami-nami foodblog was listed as one of the finalists in the 2007 Food Blog Awards Rural category , alongside Lucullian Delights, Farmgirl Fare and Garlic Breath. I did not win , unfortunately, but it was such an honour to be a finalist in the annual food blog awards. You can read more here . 9 November 2007 The food section of Guardian Unlimited Blogs , aptly named Word of Mouth , mentioned my K's cannelés post in "Our Faves" section :) 21 October 2007 Wynn Williamson of the Wide Open Education site mentions Na...

Did you know that Estonia has a 'national fish', in a similar vein to countries having chosen a 'national flower', a 'national drink', a 'national bird' etc? Well, we do since 2006 and it's a Baltic Herring ( Clupea harengus membras ). However, the big cousin on that tiny fish - Atlantic herring ( Clupea harengus ) is very popular as well, and here's the most popular way of serving Atlantic herring in Estonia. You need salted Atlantic herring filets for this dish, available either at deli or fish counters or in a canned versions in your supermarket aisle. If the fish is too salty, then soak it in milk or several rounds of cold water first. I must admit that I'm not a big fan of 'raw' fish, and salted herring belongs to that category of fish, too (I know it's cured, but it's hot heat-treated). But I served this at our Christmas Eve Dinner, where it was universally praised and finished very quickly. You cannot beat an old trad...

It's the 2nd Christmas Day already, and finally I've got a spare moment to wish you all a Joyful Christmas and tell you a little about our Christmas meal. In Estonia, we celebrate Christmas Eve - that's when Father Yule (Jõuluvana) brings us presents (I've added a photo of my two nephews opening theirs a year ago). For a third year already, K. and I have had our families over for a big traditional Christmas meal. That's 10 persons altogether - my parents, K's mum and auntie, my sister with her family, and us two. Luckily we've got a big enough table to seat us all comfortably, and as we both enjoy cooking to our loved ones, hosting a Christmas dinner has been a pure pleasure. This year we decided to start with some fish dishes. There was salmon in a red wine vinegar (a Finnish recipe that translates as 'Glass-blower's fish'), as well as lightly-salted Atlantic herring with sour cream and onions (a VERY Estonian dish that I'll tell you more ab...

October 2012, photo by Juta Kübarsepp for the December issue of Kodu ja  Aed, 2012 From the recipe archives (originally posted in January 2007) At the tender age of 18 I moved to Denmark for a year as an exchange student. Wide-eyed and over-excited, I enjoyed the experience a lot. It was quite a life-changing experience. I didn't see my friends and family for almost a year, so I had to adjust to the new environment, make new friends and generally grow up quickly. At the age of 18, this was definitely something to cherish. A new country meant lots of new foods, too (and over 10 kg extra weight upon return, sadly). Usually, the Danes would try to impress the exchange students by introducing them to 'typical' Danish items of kartofler med frikadeller (potatoes with meat balls) and rugbrød og leverpostej (rye bread and liver pate). Although delicious, these didn't impress me as such, as they're staple foods in in Estonia, too. But I had my first quiche , my first hot...

Another extremely simple dessert idea. Take a ripe and non-astringent persimmon/sharon/kaki fruit, peel (optional), cube. Layer with cottage cheese. Drizzle with maple syrup or agave nectar or honey. Enjoy. Mmmmmmm....

Citrus fruit (especially clementines and mandarines, but also oranges) and cranberries are pretty Christmassy, don't you think? Last night I combined these two in a simple loaf cake, and we enjoyed it for dinner last night as well as for breakfast this morning. Very simple to make - and very satisfying. I loved the slightly sour-bitter flavour that dried cranberries (also known as craisins) provided in this otherwise sweet cake. Orange Loaf with Dried Cranberries ( Apelsinikeeks kuivatatud jõhvikatega ) Makes 1 loaf cake 200 g unsalted butter, at room temperature 180 g (200 ml) caster sugar 3 large eggs 1 medium-sized orange (both grated zest and the juice) 220 g (400 ml) plain/all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 100 g dried cranberries Cream butter and egg (using a wooden spoon and muscle power, or the paddle attachment on your KitchenAid). Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add orange juice and zest. Mix flour and baking powder, stir in the cranber...

I've mentioned before that every weekend we have pancakes for breakfast. I'm no good in making them, so I stay in bed until K. calls me to table. Here's a lovely photo of last weekend's pancakes - small and chubby farmers' cheese pancakes that we enjoyed with home-made lingonberry and pear jam (lingonberries were picked by K's mum, pears are from my parents' backyard and the jam was made by me). That's family cooperation, isn't it :) Hope you've all had a lovely weekend!

Looking for a light, quick and festive starter? Well, try this one :) It's a lovely Italian winter salad (Sicilian in origin, apparently), where fennel provides a lovely and slightly aniseedy crunch, orange provides the necessary sweet note, onion the sharpness and toasted walnuts add textural interest. Orange and fennel salad ( Apelsini ja apteegitilli salat ) Serves 4 large handful or two of salad leaves (f.ex. lamb's lettuce) 1-2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced 6 medium-sized (red blood) oranges, peeled and thinly sliced sea salt freshly ground black pepper extra virgin olive oil walnut halves, toasted Peel the oranges (remove as much of the white pith as possible) and cut crosswise into thin slices. Remove the hard bottom part of the fennel bulbs and discard, cut the fennel into thin slices. Peel the red onion, cut into thin slices. Place orange, fennel and onion slices into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and drizzle ...