Cook my Books Challenge One- do you know where Armenia is?

As you can see from the pictures, I have a few cookbooks. Not as many as Nigella (she has a collection in the thousands apparently), but more than a lot of people I know. More than the Minister of Finance would like. And probably many more than I actually need.  Even worse, I have some I have never actually cooked anything from. So to rectify this, and give myself a satisfying project to boot, I am going to cook a recipe/recipes from every single one of the 160 cookbooks I own and document the results here as the Cook My Books challenge. I will write up the recipe, and also a brief review of the book, in case you are lucky enough not to have an embargo on cookbook purchases for the next 12 months.  

Now I know this is opening myself up to comparison with another, rather more famous blogger who challenged herself to cook her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I did initially worry about this, then realised I am 

a) not cooking from one book, my collection is pretty eclectic, so I will be cooking a variety of cuisines. And no matter what I am not doing anything in aspic. But I might bake more with lard

b) am cooking from a suburban kitchen in Auckland. Not a cool "loft" in New York City. In fact, given I am sitting typing this in track pants, watching the Rugby League, while my husband, also attired in track pants and stylish Chelsea FC fleece does his ironing.....I cant see there is any way I could be mistaken for a hip urbanite food blogger

d) I don't swear as much, or as creatively

c) Um, its my blog?

So, now we have that settled, the challenge itself. I have started with a New Zealand author, Michal Haines, and her wonderful Scent of the Monsoon Winds. Quite frankly the cover alone is worth the purchase price, never mind a wealth of delicious recipes. The dish I made first is Armenian Street Bread. I did have to get my Atlas out and see where Armenia actually is (needless to say I have not been, for reference  it is just to the right of Turkey, beneath Georgia & above Iran.....) 

Minced lamb with tomato, lemon and garlic, spread on a disk of dough and topped with ricotta and parsley, baked and spritzed with more lemon. Pretty hard to go wrong really, this would traditionally be served as street food, rolled up and eaten on the go. Or eaten on your lap in front of the telly, as the case may be......

Armenian Street Bread (from Scent of the Monsoon Winds by Michal Haines)

Makes 8 individual rounds

First make your bread dough

1 tbsp dry yeast (the original recipe used 3 tbsp, but 1 is plenty)

300ml warm water (ie hand warm, not hot)

1 tsp sugar

450 gr (3 cups) strong flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

Put the yeast & sugar into the water and leave for 10 mins or so in a warm place until it becomes frothy. I put all my dry ingredients & oil into the bowl of my Kitchen Aid but you can do this by hand very easily, it just takes a few minutes longer. If using a mixer, use the dough hook attachment, and while the motor is running, add about half the liquid. Let it mix for a while, then slowly add as much of the remaining liquid as you need to make a smooth dough, you may not need it all. Let the dough mix for about 7 minutes until it is smooth & springy. If making by hand, do the same, using your hands to mix the dough in the bowl until most of it has come together. Tip out onto a clean bench sprinkled with flour, and knead for 10 mins or so until smooth. See here for further info on kneading and yeast cooking, there really is nothing to it so don't be afraid. 

Put the dough back into a clean bowl you have brushed lightly with oil, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm spot for 1.5-2 hours

Meanwhile, make your filling

2 tbsp oil

2 white onions, peeled and finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

450 gr lamb mince

2 tomatoes, skinned & chopped ( I used a small tin of crushed tomatoes as it is winter!)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

Juice of a lemon

2 tsp tomato paste

Handful finely chopped parsley

250 gr ricotta, beaten with 1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp toasted cumin seeds (pop into a dry frying pan and cook over med. heat until fragrant)

1 tsp chilli flakes

Heat the oil over a med-low heat, and add the onion and garlic with 1 tsp of the salt. Fry gently for 5 minutes until the onion is soft, then turn the heat up to med-high. Add the mince (remembering to save a little morsel for your cats, who will attempt to trip you up if you don't.....) and fry for approx 10 minutes until the meat is browning. See here for a rave on browning mince. Turn the heat to low, and add the tomato, remaining 1 tsp salt, sugar, lemon juice and tomato paste. Cook for another 10 minutes until the meat is cooked and the liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool , and stir in the chopped parsley

When your dough is nicely doubled in size (give or take!), pop a tray (or pizza stone if you have it) into the oven and crank the heat up to 230C. Split the dough into 8 balls, and roll each one out as thin as you can. Pop onto your heated tray, and top with some of the mince mixture, some of the ricotta and a sprinkle of the cumin seeds and chilli flakes.

Bake for approx 8 minutes, until nicely browned, then if you like top with 

a sprinkle of ground sumac ( actually a berry, with a tangy citrus flavour)

a squeeze of lemon

more chopped parsley

How good do they look? Well, they taste even better. The bread dough & the cooked mince mixture can both be frozen, so I now have a fabulous dinner ready to be popped in the fridge to defrost and bunged in the oven at supper time. If you don't have ricotta, a sprinkle of feta would also be wonderful, or even natural yoghurt, in which case top once the bread is cooked.

Love this recipe, and I have at least five others I cant wait to try. The book has a variety of dishes, all featuring interesting spices and bold flavours. The recipes are clearly written, and beautifully photographed by Jacqui Blanchard. The book is printed on matt paper, which I personally prefer, with gorgeous colours, completely appropriate to the type of food. What can I say, I recommend..........

Where did Easter go.....?

I actually made the dough these on Thursday night, but my weekend seems to have run away on me. If you find it please do let me know. While the Hot X Bun season is well and truly over, we enjoyed them so much they will be reincarnated as fruit buns, perfect for breakfast or brunch. Mr PK is a fruit bread addict, so these will make a nice alternative.
I made the dough in about 10 mins on Thursday night in the Kitchen Aid, then shaped the buns & left them to rise on Friday morning while I wandered into the village to pick up my coffee. By the time I got back they were ready for the crosses and into the oven. 15 minutes later fresh hot buns, and a rather heavenly smelling kitchen.
This is a Jo Seager recipe, and makes a large batch of approx 28 buns, either halve the mixture if you want less, or what you cant eat fresh pop into the freezer, they defrost beautifully.
For everyday lose the crosses, and perhaps decrease or omit the candied peel.

Hot Cross Buns (recipe by Jo Seager from the NZ Gardener Homegrown Recipes )

4 tsp dried yeast

1¼ cups warm water (about blood temp)
2 tsp sugar
7 cups white high grade flour (this is equal to 1.05 kg)
1½ tsp salt
¼ cup caster sugar
¾ cup raisins or sultanas (I used jumbo raisins)
½ cup currants
½ cup chopped crystallised peel
2 tbsp cinnamon (I also added a grind of nutmeg, about a tsp)
2 tbsp mixed spice
2 cups warm milk (again about blood temp)
75g melted butter, cooled
1 egg beaten

Crosses
1/2 cup flour
1/ cup water

Glaze
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tbsp water


Put the water into a small jug or bowl and mix in the yeast and sugar. Leave in a warm spot for about 10 minutes until it is frothy. If nothing happens your yeast has died, throw the mix out and start with a fresh jar of yeast .
In the bowl of your mixer (or a large bowl if you are making the buns by hand) mix together all the dry ingredients and the fruit. Make a little well in the middle and add the milk, melted butter , egg and your yeast mixture, and mix well. I use the dough hook attachment, but you could mix with a wooden spoon, then turn the whole lot onto a floured bench and knead for about 8-10 minutes. For more info on bread & kneading, see here.
I now popped the dough into the fridge to use the next morning, but if you want to use straight away, shape into 25-30 buns, and leave on a tray covered with a clean tea towel in a warm spot for 1 hour, until they have risen to almost double their size. Preheat the oven to 220C.

If you are using crosses, mix together the flour and water until you have a paste that will drop off a spoon. Fill a small plastic bag (I use a glad bag) and snip off the corner to leave a hole about 1mm across.

Use this as a piping bag, and pipe your crosses on. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden. Glaze as soon as they come out of the oven.

On a rather more sombre note, as some of your already know we lost our lovely puss Pru a couple of months ago. She was a darling and we miss her. Old age crept up and she simply went to sleep under the clothes line ( Pru was a champion sleeper) She is buried under the hydrangea, lying on her favorite toy mouse. Pru never got into the concept of playing with her toys, she preferred to lay on them and have a snooze. Not being the most active girl around myself, most of the time I could see where she was coming from.....a truly cool cat.

Potato and bread, the path to happiness...

Flicking through The Best of Annabel Langbein (what a great go-to book, packed with recipes, and they work) I came across a Potato Focaccia Dough recipe. Potato and Bread. Combined. What's not to love?

Potato and Focaccia Dough- from The Best of Annabel Langbein

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1 cup packed cooked mashed potato ( I didn't have any leftovers, so  I boiled two Agra potatoes and mashed with butter, seasoning and a splash of cream as usual, there was enough for breakfast the next day with a poached egg, joy)
1/4 cup EV Olive Oil
4 1/2 cups strong bread flour (plus a bit extra for mixing)
2 tsp salt
More oil & sea salt for topping

Put the water in a jug with the yeast, I also added a 1/2 tsp sugar, stir, and put in a warm spot next to the heater for 10 minutes or so. Meanwhile put your mashed potato, flour, salt & olive oil into a bowl and either add the water yeast mix and stir with a wooden spoon or your fingers, or do as I do & use the dough hook attachment on your much loved Kitchen Aid. If you are doing it by hand tip the mix out onto a floured bench and knead for about 10 mins by hand (for a description of kneading see here ) It will take 5-8 minutes in the Kitchen Aid. When the dough feels smooth and silky, and bounces back when pressed you are good to go. It may be slightly sticky from the inclusion of the potato, so you may need to add a little more flour, this is quite normal. Rub the inside of the bowl you have used with a little oil, put the dough back in and leave to rest in a warm place until it has pretty much doubled in size, this will take 1-1.5 hours. Yes it takes time, but it isn't time you are actually required to do anything.

When the dough is ready split it into two. I took one portion and popped it into the freezer, the other I rolled out to about 3 cm thick on an oven tray, and placed a tea towel over it, then left it back by the heater to rise a little again for about 30 mins. Pre heat your oven at this point to 220C. Put fingertip dimples all over the dough (just like a brought one!), brush it with EV Olive oil, and sprinkle with Maldon sea salt. I know I sound very precise with the salt, but unlike rock salt which is meant for grinders, a sprinkle of this stuff wont break your teeth, rather just flake into ozone saltiness on your tongue. Pop into the oven for about 20 minutes, then leave to cool on a rack.............if you can resist the smell, in which case you are a better girl than I.
This is simply the best loaf I have ever made. I know I should not wax lyrical such about my own cooking, but quite frankly modesty would be misplaced here, it might make you believe this loaf was something less than utterly delicious and not bother making it. That would be a disaster.........

We ate almost the whole loaf, no butter or oil, just dunked into bowls of vege soup (I admit, Kings soup mix, a few added vege and a bacon bone from the butcher, good stuff for a cold afternoon). I did save a tiny sliver for my lunch the next day, which I spread with butter, and it still tasted good.
If you have never made bread before, can I urge you to do so, it is so rewarding. The house smells yeasty and wholesome, the dough feels gloriously soft and smooth, yet alive in your hands, and the lucky person you break bread with will look at you like you may, just ever so slightly, in a very non-smug NZ sort of way, actually be touched by genius.............just smile serenely and keep eating.

I am covering breadmaking at my next cooking class on Wednesday 4th August, this session is full, but if you are interested in attending another class covering bread, please let me know as I would be happy to do a repeat class if there is enough interest. The more people who can bake their own bread and pizza, the happier I will be........