Roberto Meloni shares his favourite Latvian flavours and a casserole recipe

Roberto Meloni, who has been getting to know Latvian cuisine for more than 20 years, has shared his thoughts on the best Latvian dishes ahead of the country's national holiday, and said what he would put on the table if he were hosting guests. The retailer Rimi reported this on 15 November.

Roberto says he has a favourite dish in Latvia for every season. In winter he especially values soups and says it was in Latvia that he first came to know sour cream. In his view, the most truly Latvian flavour is meatball soup. Among other winter favourites are lingonberry sauce, particularly with venison, and potato pancakes. In summer he enjoys rhubarb, blueberries and blackcurrants, while autumn brings pumpkin soup with ginger and mushroom dishes, with chanterelles his favourite.

Favourites and dislikes

One food he likes regardless of season is curd cheese (biezpiens), which he finds different from the Italian version: less sweet, with character, and healthy. Among local products he also names bread, smoked meat and fish, sea buckthorn, currants, wild berries and cloudberry jam.

Some dishes have not won him over: he does not like aspic, stewed cabbage, porridges, meat roulade with plums or coffee served with grounds. He finds cold beetroot soup an interesting combination, but says his taste buds are still undecided about sklandrausis, a traditional Latvian carrot and potato pie.

The festive table

Roberto will not be in Latvia for this year's national holiday. If he were, he would visit Latvian friends and eat meat, herring under a fur coat, cutlets, ham and a country-style cake. If he had to set the table himself, he would make a beetroot and goat cheese salad with thyme, plus a potato and chanterelle casserole with minced meat and béchamel sauce.

Recipe for four

The casserole needs 800 g of potatoes, 500 g of minced meat, 300 g of chanterelles, an onion, two garlic cloves, 150 g of grated cheese, oil or butter and seasoning. The béchamel uses 50 g of butter, 50 g of flour and 600 ml of milk.

The potato slices are briefly boiled, the chanterelles are fried with onion and minced meat, and the sauce is made from butter, flour and milk. The potatoes, sauce, filling, remaining potatoes, sauce and cheese are layered in a dish. Bake at 180 degrees for 40–45 minutes, then rest for 10 minutes.