School holidays at last – all over the country kids are rejoicing in their new found freedom, on the other hand many parents, particularly those in households where both parents are working, are wondering how on earth they will manage to cope and keep the children amused for the entire summer.
Well how about taking a brave step – let them into the kitchen, better still welcome them in.
Kids love to cook. Do you remember when you made your first fairy cakes or perhaps you’ve never baked a cake in your life but wish you could. Cooking is a life skill and children love it, you’ll be absolutely amazed at how fast they learn and how skilled and dextrous they become when they are given the opportunity to cook and handle kitchen equipment.
This week I’ve got an Introductory Course running here at the school, eight different nationalities ranging in age from 17-75 are learning basic cooking techniques and having so much fun. We can bring total beginners from ‘this is a wooden spoon’ to being able to give a dinner party in one week. It is one of our most popular courses and books up months in advance each year. Students range from barristers to bankers, farmers to foreign correspondents with an occasional actor and accountant thrown in.
Many of the older students particularly, regret that they never took time out to learn to cook and all wish they had the opportunity to soak up the basics when they were little.
Next week it’s a 2½ day course for Dads and Daughters, Mums and Sons, so if you feel like spending some quality time with your offspring and bonding over a Banoffi Pie well this could be your big chance. Earlier in the week Rick Bayless from Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago comes to Shanagarry to teach a Mexican food course. He’s a super star in the US, having been chosen as Chef of the Year in 1995. That will bring us to the end of our short course series until September.
But back to the kids in the kitchen. The following recipes come from Mary Contini’s new book entitled ‘Easy Peasy, Sweetie Pie’. I’m a big fan of this talented Scottish writer who has a passion for improving the diet of children in particular and making them realise that its fun to cook and ‘easy peasy’ to make simply delicious food.
‘Easy Peasy Sweetie Pie’ by Mary Contini is published by Ebury Press, London.
Grumpy Angel’s Breakfast
May says that a really yummy energy-packed breakfast will take away all the grumpies and make you into an angel!
You will need, any mixed fruits such as:
Strawberries, raspberries or blackberries or a slice of ripe melon
A kiwi fruit
An apple
Some grapes
A peach
6 tablespoons of Gree-style yoghurt
1 tablespoon of Crunchy Munchies (see next recipe)
Rinse any soft fruits or berries and throw away the stalks and any mouldy fruit. Put the fruit into the mixing bowl and squash it down with a fork.
If you want to, peel the skin off the fruit you are using. If not, just wash the skin well. Chop all the fruit into bite-sized pieces, cutting away any pips or seeds. Put it into the mixing bowl as you go. Prepare as much fruit as you like.
Add the yoghurt.
Sprinkle a tablespoon of Crunchy Munchies on top.
Crunchy Munchies
You will need 8 ingredients
100g of rolled oats
2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon of chopped hazelnuts
1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of runny honey
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
2 tablespoons of sultanas
Grease a baking tray (at least 1cm deep) and have a mug of hot water standing by.
Turn on the oven to 200C/400F.gas mark 6.
Mix together the oats, coconut, hazelnuts, sunflower and sesame seeds in a large mixing bowl.
Dip the tablespoon into the mug of hot water and use this to measure out a tablespoon of runny honey. Pour it over the dressing.
Add the tablespoon of sunflower oil, mix everything together.
Spread the mixture roughly onto the greased baking tray and, using oven gloves, put the tray on the middle shelf of the oven. Set the timer for 20 minutes.
When the time is up, use your oven gloves to take the tray out of the oven. The mixture will be nicely toasted and chunky.
Tip it back into the mixing bowl and add the sultanas. Mix everything together. Leave to cool. Store the Crunchy Munchies in an airtight container. They are really good sprinkled over breakfast cereal, baked fruit or used in Grumpy Angel’s Breakfast.
You can make up Crunchy Munchies with any combination of nuts and dried fruits that you like. You will need to use the oats, honey and oil as a base. Try adding chopped dates, chopped dried apricots, or walnuts and pecans.
Chilly Banana
2 bananas
300g of frozen raspberries (not defrosted)
some cream, whipped if you like
2 small glasses.
Pop the raspberries into a liquidiser. Peel and chop the bananas. Add them too. Put the lid on and whisk for a few minutes. Using a spatula, scrape the mixture out of the liquidiser and divide it between the glasses, add a blob of cream before sharing.
You can make this with any frozen soft berries; maybe strawberries or blackberries or mixed soft fruits.
Flora’s Flop Flops
225g of self-raising flour
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of castor sugar
1 large egg
275ml of semi-skimmed milk
some butter for frying
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the bicarbonate of soda, a pinch of slalt and the sugar and mix everything together.
Break the egg into a small bowl and beat it with a fork. Add it to the mixing bowl. Add the milk.
Use a balloon whisk to mix everything together to make a thick batter. Don’t worry about any lumps – keep mixing and they will disappear.
Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave it for an hour or so.
Melt a small blob of butter in the frying pan over a medium heat. When it starts to sizzle, put 3 or 4 tablespoons of the thick batter into the frying pan, spaced well apart.
Turn down the heat and cook the Flop Flops for 3-4 minutes until lots of little bubbles appear on the surface and they start to brown underneath.
Slide a fish slice underneath and use a fork to help you carefully flip each one over. Cook them for another 2-3 minutes on the other side until they are golden brown.
Put the cooked Flip Flops on the warmed plate and cover them with a clean tea towel. Keep them in a warm place and cook the rest of the batter in the same way. There are very nice eaten still warm with butter and a big blob of jam.
You could also add 2 tablespoons of raisins or blueberries to the batter.