Baker in the Making

Here's one of my more recent attempts

I have a confession to make. I was never a very good baker (except for sponge cakes). In the early days of my cooking career I managed to make sweet bread (pulla in Finnish) so hard that my alsatian dog Pippin could not chew them. "Pulla" is very much like your basic yeast bread, except more sugar, butter and sometimes cream or jam on it. Or you can slice it up, add marsipan or jam and whipped cream in the middle. That'd be the Finnish delicacy for Shrove Tuesday. Or roll out the dough on the table add cinnamon, sugar and butter, roll it up, cut to wedges, bake and call them "cuff on the ear" (or more commonly, cinnamon roll). The one in the picture was rolled out on the table and filled with dried figs, marzipan chunks and dark choc pieces. Then rolled into one long log, sprinkled with coarse sugar and almond flakes. Bit sweet, eh. Note to self: next time be very sparing with the choc!

Basic "pulla"

5 dl milk
50 gr yeast
1-2 eggs
2 dl sugar
~1,5 L wheat flour
1 tsp salt
200 gr butter, margarine or 1,5 dl oil rape-seed oil

1 egg + coarse sugar for garnish
Directions for how to bake "pulla" are below with bread roll instructions.

Even making bread rolls proved difficult. All I got was yeast-smelling, thick lumps that would stick to your teeth. Until quite lately, I discovered how the trick is done. It's in the working of the dough. You really need to work the dough diligently and thoroughly. I love oat bread, so these are my current favorite rolls. Be careful not to add more oatmeal flour, as it makes the bread too dry. I find 3 dl oatmeal is ok, but beyond that it gets very dry. You can subsititute some (or all of it) with other types of flour, or flour and seeds. I found the tips at Murmeli's blog (in Finnish). Thanks, much appreciated!

Minna's bread rolls

Breakfast roll

5 dl water
25 gr yeast
1 tsp salt
1-2 tbps sugar
2-3 dl oatmeal flour
3 dl wholegrain wheat flour
4+ dl dark wheat flour
2 tbsp butter or oil

1. Take everything to room temperature 1 hr before baking. It's also handy to have everything measured beforehand, as finding flour bags from cupboard with your hands in dough is, well, quite messy. Measure all flour in a separate bowl.
2. Heat liquid (water, milk) in a kettle to body temperature. Be careful, it warms quickly!
3. Crumble yeast in a big bowl, pour liquid over and mix. Then add salt and sugar. I use whisk because it adds air to the dough and thus makes the bread more fluffy. (Add eggs here if youre making sweet bread)
4. Grab the flour and whisk it slowly to the liquid mixture. When the dough is like loose porridge, get rid of the whisk and put your (clean) hand in the dough.
5. Squeeze, knead and press the dough while adding more flour. Be careful not to add too much in one go.  If the dough feels too loose, add some more flour. When the dough starts to de-attach from your hand, add the melted/soft butter or oil. Do some more squeezing, and add a little bit more flour. Dough is ready when it starts to loosen from the bowl and hand. For bread rolls, you can leave the dough quite loose. I often find 10-11 dl flour is enough bread rolls (plus some more on the table for making the rolls). Kneading usually takes 10-15 minutes.
6. Cover the dough and let it rise (30 mins) in a warm place. It's ready when it's double size.
7. Knead air bubbles out of the dough
8. Sprinkle flour (generously) on your table and put the dough over it. Roll (pat and squeeze) it to a long, thin rectangle. For bread rolls, make 12 small buns and put them on oven tin. Pat them into 1,5 cm thick oval lumps. If youre making sweet bread, make small buns and put them on the tin.
9. Cover, let rise. Set your oven to 225 C.
10. Bread rolls you can just bake in the middle upper part of the oven when they have risen. Depending on your oven 10-12 mins. Sweetbread: wipe the buns with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on size. The rolls and buns should aquire a nice golden-brown colour. When ready, knock their bottom side to hear a hollow sound (it means its well baked). If not, put them back in the oven for a short while.
11. Put the bread rolls on a grill and let them cool. Sweet buns are best to be kept under a kitchen towel until cooled. This kind of bread wont keep very well in room temperature, so I suggest freezing for later use.

These ones happen to be made into milk but usually it's just water

The Light Side of Life

Helsingin Sanomat (the biggest Finnish newspaper) tipped me off. This is quite an entertaining and informative gadget that shows how healthy eating is dependent on daytime. So we eat healthy in the morning and by the late night news have found our gargantuan eating monster, and begun devouring pizzas, hamburgers and ice cream. The site is worth to have a look at for those who are interested in healthy eating and changing their eating habits.

There is an old saying that goes "Eat like a king in the morning, like a prince during the day, and like a beggar in the evening". Personally I've always found that bit of advice problematic, as I really dont feel like eating much in the morning. Just coffee and bread for me, thanks. When I was overhauling my eating habits, I had to teach myself to eat lunch, even before noon! (It wasn't easy) Though, I recognize the need and craving for sweets and palate pampering towards the evening. I suppose it is as the day progresses, and we get tired and loose energy, the body starts to crave more. Researchers actually have found that sleep deprivation makes you eat 300 calories more per day. So how about actually winding down and having a decent amount sleep?

Being an avid self-indulger (hey, someone's gotta do it!) I've tried to teach myself to enjoy some less questionable evening treats. Some are actually very good, so good that it makes you wonder how can this stuff be healthy?!

Mango-Banana Smoothie

This is less imaginative recipe than most of the smoothie recipes out there. See for instance here.
Nevertheless, this one is my favourite. It's quick, cheap and simple. Most of all, I love the taste. It's especially good during hot summer evenings. This makes 1 big glass or 2 smaller ones.

2-3 dl unsweetened apple juice
1 banana
1,5 dl frozen mango cubes

1. Put everything in a bowl. Grab a stick mixer and pure the whole thing. If you have a bowl with a lid, I strongly advise using it. Mango cubes tend to splurge about quite a bit.
2. Pour in a glass and enjoy!

Banana-Blueberry Quark

This is another simple, easy and rather a healty dessert type of food. I don't usually put in cream, as it is like giving your finger to the devil, start with small doses and end up using more and more. Usually I dont use any sweeteners with it but if your sweet tooth is aching bad, a teeny weeny pinch of stevia is good. This makes for 2 or one greedy.

250 gr quark (fat-free or low-fat)
1 banana
1+ dl blueberries
touch of vanilla powder
(sweetener of your choice, sparingly dosed)
(1 dl low-fat fake whipping cream or vanilla custard)

1. Put everything (but the creamy stuff) in a bowl and mix with a stick mixer.
(2. Whip the cream and slowly mix it in with a spoon.)
3. It's ready to serve!

Tomato-Basil Salad

Tomato and basil are a great pair. They make a great salad just with onion and a touch of olive oil and vinegar. Add mozzarella to that and its mmmmmmm..  Here's another kind salad, for light evening meal or side dish. Lovely with grilled chicken or warm baguette. This makes for one not too famished person.

1,5 dl sweet mini plum tomatos
10 basil leaves
1/2 small very finely sliced onion (shallot)
5-6 pieces artichoke in oil (with herbs/grilled)
Handful of rucola leaves
1 tsp balsamico
Pepper
1-2 tbsp olive oil (or use the artichoke oil instead)


1. Halve tomatos, slice onion, cut artichoke in 1 cm pieces. Rince rucola.
2. Put tomatos, onion and artichoke into a bowl and rip basil and rucola over them.
3. Sprinkle oil, balsamico and pepper over. Mix with spoon and let sit for 15 mins.
4. Serve.

Winter Chanterelle Risotto

Oh well, my favorite musrooms and recent obsession with risotto. What else you could expect?!
This makes for 2. This risotto can be also made without bacon, just saute garlic, onion and celery together. You can use dried penny buns instead of winter chanterells, then consider using 0,5 dl chopped parsley instead of peas.

Winter Chanterelle Risotto with Bacon

• 1,5 dl arborio rice
• 1 onion quite finely chopped
• 10-15 cm piece of celery stick sliced
• 1-2 garlic glove(s), sliced
• 1 dl dry sherry or 1,5 dl white wine
• 1,5- 2 dl of dried winter chanterelles
• 150 gr fillet bacon
• 1 dl grated parmesan
• 6-7dl (or so) low salt chicken stock
• 0,5 dl peas
• butter for frying
• (olive oil)

1. Soak the mushrooms in water, 15 mins is enough. Dice and slice all the veggies.
2. Remove all the excess, visible white fat from the bacon. Cut the bacon into thin slices
3. Heat the pan to almost max-maximum heat, fry the bacon until it lightly browns.
4. Lower the heat, put in some olive oil if needed and saute the onions. Scrape bacon and mushies into a bowl and set aside.
5. Put the stock into a kettle and bring it near boiling temperature.
6. Set the pan on medium heat and melt the butter. Saute the celery and garlic. Put the rice in, mix and stir, and let it aquire a glassy appearance (1-2 mins). It should not get brown. Pour in the wine and let it lightly simmer while stirring. Let the rice absorb the wine.
7. Add the first ladle of stock, let the rice absorb it while stirring occasionally. Do not let the risotto boil vigorously.
8. Repeat 7 until the rice is almost done (when there's still something to bite but the hard starchey quality is gone) and put in the peas and bacon-musroom mixture.
9. Add stock and let the rice absorb it. Test the rice and add some more stock if it's not ready yet, let absorb.
10. Take the pan off the heat, mix in the parmesan and let it melt.
11. Pile on a plate, sprinkle parmesan over and serve!

There's Nothing Permanent but Change

As you notice, I've done some changes on the blog - name, pictures, colour scheme. Along with the name change, the blog will be available with new blogger and domain adresses. The old adress, www.minnaskitchen.com will still work. I've added a domain, www.bluntcook.com, to serve as the main url for the blog. Additionally, the blogger adress will change accordingly. So the following urls will work from mon 21 May 2012 onwards  (and minnas-experimentalcooking.blogspot.com ceases to work):

• www.bluntcook.com
• www.bluntcook.blogspot.com
• www.minnaskitchen.com

As for the changes, I felt I needed to profile it a tad better. The blog is about creating, experimenting with recipes, nature, Finnish food culture, lessons learned and non-fuss instructions how to prepare good meals. I wanted to reflect to my approach to live, love and cooking; creative, curious and straightforward. Therefore: Blunt Cook - with sharp instruments and twisted recipes. A good inspiration for blog makeover offered delicious days, thank you very much! It's a good read for any aspiring blogger.

Saltimbocca alla Kanana

This is my chicken version of saltimbocca alla romana. Kanana comes from the Finnish word "kana" meaning chicken, and "na" here is pure onomatopoetic sillyness. Well, "kanana" means as a chicken (as in "my day as a chicken") but it has little relevance here. I am fully aware that this is not exactly like the original recipe with veal, and for those, you can find many recipes just by googling.

I don't use any additional salt to the fillets as prosciutto contains quite a bit already. I suggest adding salt only after tasting. Another tip is that if you use potato wedges as the side dish, try to take them out the oven 5-10 mins before serving, they cool a little and develop the most delicious sweet taste!

Main ingredients

Saltimbocca alla Kanana

• 2 Boneless chicken breast fillets
• 6 Prosciutto slices
• 8-10 Fresh sage leaves
• 1 dl (+0,5dl water) Dry sherry
• 1 tbsp Butter
• Black pepper
• (Plain cotton thread to tie)

This time I used chives

1. Take the fillets to room temperature. Prepare what ever you are going to serve the saltimbocca with. I often use owen baked potato wedges as they suck up the liquids from saltimbocca and are very tasty. Of course, rice will do nicely too. So peel and cut the potatos, spice them up (I often use just salt and pepper, but paprika is good too, some herbs, or lemon juice to give some spicyness), mix in olive oil and put them into oven for ~30 mins (200C). Or put the rice to the boil.
2. Cut a hole in the side of each fillet. Be careful, it's very easy to cut it through but now we want to create a cavity inside the file. When you have cut the fillets, fill them each with 1-2 sage leaves and 3 prosciutto slices. Don't remove the fat from prosciutto, chicken is so dry that it requires all the extra moisture it can get. If you punctured the sides while cutting, and the filling is spilling out, you can use plain, colourless cotton thread to tie the fillet.
3. Heat up the pan. Put in butter, let it melt and bubble, and fry the fillets from both sides so that it gets nice colour.
4. Lower the heat, put sherry (and water) in the pan, put the lid on and let gently simmer for 10-15 mins. When the chicks are almost done, put in some sage leaves and let simmer for 2-3 mins.
5. Fish the fillets out, grind some pepper on them, ladle some of the liquid over and serve!

Lovely, even though I say it myself ;)

Pork and Cider, a Match Made in Heaven

This is something I stumbled upon when I found an extra can of cider in my fridge. It was simple apple cider on the dryer side and the pork fillet I used was one of those pre-marinated and vacuum packed ones. Actually, the more spicy the marinade, the better. The spicy sauce made by boiling the fillet in cider contrasts beautifully the gentleness of Lappish carrot-potato mash.

My grand-ma used to make Lappish potato mash. She used only potatos, and Red Lappish potatos from her own field. On a dry year, you had to be careful when boiling them because they were really fragile. If you weren't careful, you got a potato pulp smoothie :D The safest way was to steam boil them. For this recipe you can use any floury type potato, such as Rosamunda.

This dish is best made in phases so that you first put the mash ingredients to the boil, then fry the fillet and while it simmers, make the mash. I use one carrot to four medium sized potatos.

Pork in Cider Sauce and Lappish Carrot-Potato Mash 

• 1 whole pre-marinated pork fillet
• 1 can of apple cider (0,5 L; drink the rest)
• Potatos, 4-5 medium sized
• Carrot (s), 1 small one
• Cream, approx. 0,25 dl (add carefully and if the mash is too stiff add some more)
• Butter, 2-3 tbsp
• Onion, a small one, very very thinly diced
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Flour to thicken the sauce

 

1. First you need to peel carrot(s) and potatos for the mash. Put them in water, add some salt and let it gently boil, till they are soft (a fork easily sinks in), but not too soft (potatos crumble).
2. Heat a frying pan very warm (so that meat browns easy). Put in a knob of butter and let it melt and boil. Put the meat in and fry it from every side so that it turns brown. Frying seals the surface, so the meat juices will stay in.
3. Lower the heat and pour in the cider. It should cover the fillet till mid-way. Put a lid on and let it simmer on a low heat for about 20 mins or so.
4. Dice onion very, very thinly. When the potatos and carrots are ready, drain, add onion, butter, cream, ground black pepper and mash it all together. Preferably dont use mixer or any food blender but a wooden or metallic tool and mash it by hand. Blender easily makes the structure like adhesive paste. Taste for salt.
5. Check that the pork has cooked properly, it has to be well done. I usually just brutally cut it into 2 and see if it's still pink on the inside. If it is, back into the pan it goes!
6. Pour the cider from the pan into a kettle. I use rice flour to thicken as it has very little taste on it's own, and you can just sprinkle it in. Check the bag for measures.
7. Serve!

Reasoning with Risotto

Lately, I've been fascinated with risotto. A creamy, thick, lovely risotto that sends all the low-carb people scrambling for cover. Back in the day - school -  risotto would mean parboiled rice, frozen pea-corn-paprika mix and some chicken. Yuck. Well, you could eat it if you were really hungry. Famished. That's the most you can say about it. Now, italian risotto is something quite different. I dont claim to be an expert (yet) but I've been conducting some experiments. Here's one of them, with some lessons learned. This recipe was inspired by my brother, who once served me the most delicious persillade I could ever think of.

Red wine & parsley risotto (with beef fillet)

(makes for one hungry person)

1 small onion, diced
0,75 dl chopped fresh parsley
1 dl arborio rice
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp butter
1 - 1,5 dl red wine
3-4 dl chicken stock
0,5 dl grated parmesan
Black pepper

~200+ gr beef fillet
Butter
Salt, pepper

Preparation: take the meat to room temperature approx. 1 hr before frying.
1. Dice the onion, chop parsley, grate cheese. Put the chicken stock in a kettle, mild heat (hot but not boiling) and keep it warm.
2. Heat the butter in a deep pan, saute onions. Set oven to 200 Celsius (you need this for the meat later on).
3. Add rice, let it aquire slightly glassy appearance stirring it constantly on the pan.
4. Add red wine, let lightly simmer with occasional stir until the liquid is absorbed.
5. Add some of  the stock. Let the rice absorb it, stirring once in a while.
6. Repeat 5. Heat another pan for frying the meat.
7. Fry the meat, browning all sides. Cover the meat with tin foil and put the it in the oven for 5-10 mins depending how well done you want it.
8. Keep adding the stock until the rice is soft but has a tinge of "al dente" to it. Add the chopped parsley and some stock. Take the meat out of the oven and let it rest 10 minutes before salting and cutting.
9. Add parmesan to the mix and stir until melted.
10. Cut the meat into thin slices, serve, garnish with fresh parsley.

Lessons learned:

1. Dont use too strong a red wine (or dilute it).  Syrah Pinotage is too strong, if the risotto is to accompany more delicate flavours.
2. Dont use too strong a parmesan. Dont get me wrong: the taste can be heavenly but too pungent for milder flavours, so it entirely depends on how you serve this dish. With green peas and some celery this would make a lovely "light" meal on its own.

Enjoy!