Cooking class 1: Tuna & onion quiche bread

My dear friend and food blogging mentor Malaka over at Aloha Mahalo has been attending cooking classes at ABC Cooking Studio in Shibuya, Tokyo for some time, and asked me along to a complimentary lesson to check it out. Being totally self-taught (although admittedly having lived with a professional cook for many years), I was keen to see what a school could offer me that I couldn't learn myself from a book (of which you know I have one or two).

So it was off to Shibuya after work one night to make these very yummy bread quiches.

The cooking school was divided into 3 studios, one for each course they offer (bread, cooking and cakes), I suppose. The baking studio had several large benches, a row of kitchen sinks (the Japanese kitchen sink, which is large enough to bath a 1 year old in, is a wonder to behold!), several dough risers (if that's the word) and a bank of maybe 15 ovens. Although it was after work, it was still light out, all the better to enjoy the view out the huge wall of windows. Windows are so often NOT a feature of Japanese kitchens that it is a dream of mine to one day have one in my own (sad, isn't it?!).

The teacher was also very bright and cheery, and had lots of words of praise and encouragement (probably not necessary in my case, but surely welcomed by kitchen neophytes and brides in training (g)). Those of you that know me, know I'm not one for a lot of palaver in the kitchen (probably why I'm a breadmaker kind of baker, rather than a do-it-by-hand type), but our instructor had just the right words for both my slap-dash style, and Malaka's more careful work.

The day's recipe was very simple, and we were given an illustration-rich recipe card that was very easy to understand. So far so good. I did, however, miss the chopping and measuring that usually goes with cooking. The teachers had everything ready-measured for handing to us to add at just the right moment, so you also missed out on the adrenaline rush from getting everything ready and added in good time.

Anyway, the day's recipe might have been simple, but it was delicious, and I did learn some things that I probably wouldn't have from a book. For instance that sugar and yeast are buddies, so put them close together in you bowl, but keep the egg separate till the very last second. And when making dough balls, cut and don't pull the dough, or you'll loose all the air inside. Ditto not overworking the dough. And for the same reason, always put the cut face (pinched together into what our teacher called an oshiri, or, ahem, "nether region"!) face down when waiting for it to rise.

Throughout the lesson there was plenty of talk about food (what else!), and much washing and drying of dishes at the end of each step. I guess this is necessary if the studio is full, but as it was not so busy the day we were there, I thought it a bit unnecessary to dry the dishes almost before they hit the draining board. But that's just me. I'll be taking my rubber gloves with me next time, as my poor hands didn't cope well with the constant immersion in water, and a quick squirt of alcohol before the start of each step. Still, it's good to know the school takes food hygiene very seriously (other than drying the dishes with a dish towel (g)).

So how to make these darling little breads? Here's my rendition of the recipe in words rather than pictures.

Tuna and onion quiche bread

Makes 6 breads around 10 cm in diameter

For the dough
(1)
50 g white bread flour
10 g plain white flour
2/3 tsp dry yeast
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 an egg, beaten; at room temperature
40-50 ml water, warmed to 42-43 degrees C

(2)
50 g white bread flour
10 g plain white flour
1/3 tsp salt
30 g butter; at room temperature

For the tuna and onion filling
160 g tinned tuna, drained
15 g onion, very finely chopped

For the egg filling
75 g egg, beaten
30 ml fresh cream
pinch of salt (optional; I felt it really didn't need it)
pinch of pepper
1 tbsp Parmesan cheese

To garnish
Dried parsley

1. Measure dough ingredients (1) (except the water) into a mixing bowl and (2) into a small bowl. Add water to bowl (1) and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until very smooth.

2. Add bowl (2) ingredients to bowl (1) and fold in. Turn out onto clean work surface and kneed with the heel of your hand until there are no lumps. Kneading forms gluten in the dough, making it elastic. Form into a ball, with the joint face down, and return to the mixing bowl. Cover with cling film and leave to rise in a 40 degree C oven for 25-35 minutes. (Many Japanese ovens have handy a dough function for this.)

3. Meanwhile, mix the tuna and onion filling and egg filling ingredients in 2 small bowls.

4. Use the finger test to check the dough has risen sufficiently. Insert a finger up to the first knuckle, and if the indentation remains, the dough is ready. Punch the excess gas out of the dough and use a blunt knife to form 6 equal portions. Do not pull the dough apart with your hands as this will let all the gas out. Take each portion one by one in the palm of your less dominant hand and gently form into a ball using 3 large circular motions around the edge of the dough. Place the 6 balls seam side down on an oven tray, cover with a damp towel and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

5. After resting the dough, place each ball seam side up and spread out into circles around 12 cm in diameter. Fit into foil cases, leaving a little (say 2 mm) of the dough hanging over the edge. Prick all over with a fork. Divide tuna and onion filling equally between the 6 dough-lined cases. Cover with cling film and a damp tea towel, and place in 40 degree C oven again to rise for a further 20-25 min. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C if gas, or 200 degrees C if electric.

6. Brush rim of dough with lightly beaten egg and divide the egg filling equally between the quiches. Bake in oven for 9-13 minutes if gas, or 11-15 minutes if electric.

7. When egg filling is cooked, remove from oven to cooling rack and sprinkle with dried parsley.

Enjoy!

A Persian New Year 2: Muhammara and a light-as-air white loaf

When I have a party, I usually try to make something from the culinary repertoire of the homelands of all my guests. This time we were having a celebration for No Ruz, the Persian New Year, which is also celebrated to some extent in other countries that were once under the Persian empire, and among the Kurdish people living in Iraq (as we know from my friend Zanmei's blog) and way over in the east of Turkey. In the rest of Turkey, from where my guests hail, the day is apparently known as the Spring Festival.

Anyway, having yet to suss out any special foods eaten in Turkey during this festival, I went ahead with a lovely Turkish red pepper and pomegranate (again!) dip, known as muhammara, that is totally to die for. I have two recipes for this, one in Alyar Esen Algar's Classical Turkish Cooking: Traditional Turkish Food for the American Kitchen (mentioned earlier), and the other in Australian food legend Stephanie Alexander's opus magna, The Cook's Companion. (This is the point where I get to say what a joy it was to dine in Stephanie's eponymous Melbourne restaurant with the YM (then 18 months) in tow. The food was, of course, to die for, but the fact that boisterous young folk were welcomed so warmly only sealed the restaurant's place in my affections. Regrettably the restaurant is no more, but the memories remain.)

Anyway, I made Stephanie's version again, as it always gets such rave reviews whenever I serve it.

I made it this time with breadcrumbs from the Argentine chimichurri bread I made the other day because Japanese commercial bread contains ingredients that are no-nos for Muslims, and anyway, who is going to complain about more flavour, right? I served it with my dear friend H's bread, which the YM is forever asking me to make (being perhaps the only person in the world doesn't like more flavour in his bread (g)). I was out of wholemeal flour, so used all white flour, substituting 10 g of oatmeal for 10 g of the total weight of flour. It turned out a treat.

Being a starter, I only cut half the loaf, but it quickly became obvious that the Young People around the table wouldn't be satisfied with that. They managed to demolish the whole thing in about 2 minutes, and could easily have polished off another loaf if I'd had it!

Turkish pomegranate and red pepper spread

Makes 1 1/2 cups [S: Note that the measures in this recipe are Australian. Use the measures in brackets if you do not have a set of Aussie measuring cups]

1/4 cup (62 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (125 ml) fresh mixed-grain or sourdough breadcrumbs [S: I used some of the Argentine Chimchurri bread from earlier: yum]
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
1 large red pepper, roasted and peeled
60 g walnuts
1 tsp freshly chopped garlic
1/2 tsp hot chili past or to taste
2 tsp pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp (40 ml) lemon juice
salt

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a small frying pan and saute breadcrumbs and cumin, turning frequently, until lightly golden and smelling wonderful. Remove from heat and tip onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. Roughly puree red pepper, walnuts and chili paste in a food processor, then add crumbs, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and remaining oil. Taste and adjust balance with salt and, if necessary, more pomegranate molasses and lemon juice [S: I've mistakenly added 2 tbsp of pom molasses before and thought it tasted great!]. Scrape into a container and cover. The spread will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Auntie H's light-as-air bread maker white loaf

15 g honey
210 ml water
180 g white bread flour
100 g wholemeal bread flour [S: also works if the wholemeal flour is not of the bread making variety]
17 g butter, diced
5 g salt
10 g powdered milk
10 g dry yeast

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread maker in the order recommended by the manufacturer and bake using the white bread function.

Enjoy!

Nigel's dal and pumpkin soup with chimichurri bread

It was the start of the YM's spring break, and already he was going stir crazy, so I sent him off to the local public library to get some books (and get out of the house for a bit). He insisted that if he had to go, I should have to, too. Fair enough.

I was in for a very nice surprise to find not only a great book on spices (a Japanese translation of a Dorling & Kindersley edition, it turns out), but also that the English language section has been greatly expanded since the last time I was there (admittedly too long ago). And best of all, what did I spy but my hero, Nigel's 2006 hardback, The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater!!! Ah, the joy of getting back together with an old flame! Ah, the familiar flutter of excitement and anticipation that gets you into the kitchen before you've even finished reading the recipes.

If you are familiar with Nigel, you'll know he offers up no-nonsense grub that does exactly as he says it will. Whether that be to "uplift", "excite" or, in this case offer up a soup that is "soothing, yet capable of releasing a slow build-up of heat from its base notes of garlic, chili and ginger; a bowl of soup that both whips and kisses." (Whoa, there!)

The only thing disconcerting about this book, is that my Nigel, as British as they come, is suddenly talking about cookies, cilantro and all-purpose flour and lbs and Fahrenheit. In short, he's speaking the American dialect, as this, apparently, is the American edition (could they not just have put the Americanisms in brackets like the rest of the world does?).

This soup is a joy, for all that (although I am guessing it will be called red lentil (or at very least dhal) and pumpkin soup in the non-localized edition (g)). And the caramelized onion topping simply moreish.

The Argentine chimichurri bread recipe is one I snaffled from Allrecipes years ago and is still my very favourite bread maker recipe. It is full of aromatics, and the smell as it bakes has me salivating every time. I often ramp up the amount of herbs (usually more than doubling the amount in the OR), and have added thyme and rosemary on occasion, too. If you have a bread maker, I really recommend this recipe.

Nigel's dal and pumpkin soup

1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
ginger, a walnut-sized knob
1 cup + 2 tbsp red lentils
1 1/4 tsp turmeric
1 1/4 tsp chili powder
2 cups pumpkin [S: a quarter of a Japanese pumpkin, or a piece the size of your cupped hands; don't peel or chop it yet]
1 small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped

For the onion topping:
2 medium onions, cut into thin rings
2 tbsp oil
2 small hot chili peppers, halved, seeded and chopped finely (or to taste)
2 cloves garlic

Peel the onion and chop it roughly [S: but not too roughly; the cooking time is short]. Peel and crush the garlic and put it with the onion into a medium-sized, heavy-based saucepan. Peel the ginger, cut it into thin shred and stir that in too. Add the lentils and pour in 6 cups of water. Bring to the boil. then turn the heat down to an enthusiastic simmer [S: don't you just love Nigel's way with words!]. Stir in the ground turmeric and chili powder, season and leave to simmer, covered, for 2o minutes.

While the soup is cooking, peel the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and pulp, wrap in clingfilm and microwave on high for 5 minutes or until tender. Open the wrap to let some steam out, and when cool enough to handle, peel and chop the flesh into fat chunks. Set aside.

To make the onion topping, peel the onions and cut them into fine rings. Cook them in the oil in a shallow pan until they start to colour. Cut the chilies in half, scrape out the seeds and slice the flesh finely. Peel and finely slice the garlic and add it with the peppers to the onions. Continue cooking until the onions are a deep golden brown. Set aside.

Remove the lid from the lentils and turn up the heat, boiling hard for five minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, then add the cooked pumpkin. Puree the soup in the blender (for safety, a little at a time) until smooth [S: or use a stick blender right in the pot], then pout it into a bowl. Stir in the roughly chopped coriander and check the seasoning. I find this soup likes a more generous than usual amount of salt.

Serve in deep bowls with a spoonful of the spiced onions on top.

Makes 4 good-sized bowls.

Argentine Chimichurri Bread

"Oregano, parsley, onions, garlic and a dash of cayenne pack plenty of punch in this bread machine loaf. Use it for sandwiches, or try it toasted."

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar [alcohol-free vinegar if making for Muslim friends]
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chopped onion
3 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
3 tablespoons wheat bran [or porridge oats]
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast


DIRECTIONS:

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Basic or White Cycle; press Start.

Enjoy!