Breads | Tuhti’s cheesy classic dish is among the nobility of comfort foods

Pan bagnat, or Nizza salad bread

6 servings

preparation time 25 min

6 baguette rolls or 2 small baguettes

3 hard-boiled eggs

2 tomatoes

2 prk (à 150/115 g) domestic lake fish in oil (e.g. pizza fish)

2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar

18 stoneless olives

1 clove of garlic

a few sprigs of basil

salt, ground black pepper

Marinated red onion

1 small red onion

½ tsp salt

½ teaspoon of sugar

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

1. First make the pickled onion. Peel and slice the onion. Toss it with salt, sugar and vinegar in a small bowl. Leave to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. Hard boil the eggs, about 8 minutes. Cool the eggs in cold water and peel them. Slice the eggs and tomatoes.

3. Combine the lake fish with oil, vinegar and olives.

4. Split the rolls or baguettes. Peel the garlic and rub it on the cut surfaces of the bread. Spoon the fish-olive mixture on top.

5. Finish with pickled onions, egg and tomato slices and basil leaves. Season with salt and black pepper. You can eat the breads right away, but their taste improves if you wrap them in cling film and let them rest in a cool place under a light weight for about an hour.

Tip You can replace the lake fish with tuna, canned salmon or gray salmon.

Tuna melt, i.e. tuna cheese breads

4 servings

preparation time 20 min

8 slices of country bread

1 spring onion

2–3 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 dl mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of capers

2 tsp dijon mustard

½ tsp ground black pepper

2 prk (à 200/150 g) tuna in oil

3 tablespoons of chopped parsley

2 teaspoons of dried oregano

1 tomato

150 g grated strong cheese (e.g. provolone, Appenzeller or cheddar)

For greasing bread

butter at room temperature

1. Chop the spring onion. Wash the lemon, grate its peel finely and squeeze out the juice. Combine mayonnaise, capers, spring onion, lemon zest and juice, mustard and pepper in a bowl. Drain the tuna and add to the mixture. Chop the parsley into the mixture. Season with oregano and, if desired, a pinch of salt.

2. Slice the tomato and grate the cheese.

3. Spread the tuna paste on four pieces of bread. Add the tomato slices on top. Press grated cheese on the bread.

4. Spread the remaining four loaves of bread with butter. Lift the buttered bread over the filling so that the butter side is facing out.

5. Heat the frying pan. Put the breads butter side down in the pan. If you want, spread a little butter on the top loaves. Bake on medium heat for about 3 minutes until the breads are nicely golden brown. Lightly press the bread during baking, for example with a pot lid or a spatula. Turn the loaves over and bake them on the other side for about 3 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the loaves have a nice color.

Katsu Sando, or Japanese chicken bread

4 loaves of bread

preparation time 35 min

8 slices of light toast

4 tablespoons full mayonnaise

Crispy chicken patties

4 chicken minute steaks

1 teaspoon of salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

approx. 1 dl wheat flour

2 eggs

approx. 3 dl panko flour

Sauce

4 tablespoons of ketchup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon of sugar

2 teaspoons of soy sauce

1 tsp dijon mustard

½ tsp mirin or white vinegar

Cabbage salad

4 dl white cabbage in thin strips

2 spring onions

2 tablespoons of sesame or rapeseed oil

2 teaspoons mirin or white vinegar

½ tsp salt

½ teaspoon of sugar

For frying

about ½ l of rapeseed oil

1. First make the coleslaw. Cut the cabbage into as thin strips as possible. Chop the spring onions. Combine oil, vinegar, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add cabbage and spring onions. Shred the cabbage with your hands and mix well. Set aside for a moment.

2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Put the wheat flour on one plate. Crack the eggs onto another plate and break up their texture with a fork. Put the panko flour on the third plate. First roll the pieces in wheat flour, then dip in egg and finally roll in panko flour.

3. Heat the oil in a pot to 180 degrees. (Check the temperature with a digital frying thermometer. You can also check the temperature with a small piece of bread: the oil is hot enough when the piece of bread browns and bubbles on its surface in about a minute. Keep the temperature as even as possible by adjusting the power of the stove. Also keep the lid close at hand in case the oil overheats.) Fry the steaks in a couple of batches, about 2–4 minutes per side, until the surface is beautifully golden brown. Lift the steaks to drain on a paper towel on a plate.

4. Mix the sauce ingredients together.

5. Cut off the edges of the toast. Spread the bread with sauce and mayonnaise. You can also add some coleslaw to the bread if you like. Put the chicken on top of the bread and put the other bread on top. Cut in half down the middle. Serve with coleslaw.

Tip Cool the frying oil, and dispose of the remaining oil in, for example, an empty plastic bottle with mixed waste.