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Maksalaatikko
Liver and rice casserole
Maksalaatikko: Finnish baked liver and rice Christmas casserole with lingonberries
Maksalaatikko is a baked casserole of rice, milk, minced liver, onion, raisins and a little syrup, and it is one of the old dishes on the Finnish Christmas table, eaten all year too. It sounds unusual, but the liver softens into a mild, savoury custard and the raisins and syrup give a gentle sweetness, all cut by sharp lingonberry jam. This version uses pork or calf's liver, minced or very finely chopped; pork liver is the most traditional. Chef's tip: soak the minced liver in milk while the rice cooks, which mellows the flavour.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 3 ¼ cups milk
- 14 oz pork or calf's liverminced or very finely chopped
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 oz butter
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp golden or dark syrup
- 3 ½ oz raisins
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- 7 oz lingonberry jamto serve
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (5)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Simmer 9 oz short-grain (pudding) rice in 2 cups water until absorbed, about 10 minutes, then add 2 ¼ cups milk and cook gently, stirring, for 15 minutes until it is a loose porridge. Cool slightly.
25 minStep 2: Meanwhile mix 14 oz pork or calf's liver with the rest of 1 cup milk and leave to soak.
Step 4: Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan) and butter a 2-litre dish with the rest of ½ oz butter. Stir the liver and milk, onion, 1 egg, 3 tbsp golden or dark syrup, 3 ½ oz raisins, 1 tsp dried marjoram, 2 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground white pepper into the rice.
Step 5: Pour into the dish and bake for 60–75 minutes, until browned on top and firm in the middle; a thermometer in the centre should read at least 160°F. A common mistake is a dry casserole: it should still look moist inside when it comes out.
70 minStep 6: Rest for 10 minutes and serve hot with 7 oz lingonberry jam.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 19 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does maksalaatikko take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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