Hooked on cooking – what the Cheflet said

It's my experience that children are brutally honest. So it was with some trepidation I asked Jess what she thought of her chicken nuggets.

I am proud to report, “Best nuggets ever! Brilliant indeed.”

I'll take that!

As for the Tower, the remains went home with Jess to share with the rest of the family.

Jess has already booked her place for next year so I think we can say that it was a successful visit. I certainly loved it and I hope Jess did too.

I appreciate that this cooking lark takes some organising but rocket science it ain't and the pleasure the cheflets get from a cooking session is so worth it – not to mention the great photographs – the camera never lies!

Don't forget there are deals to be had out there for all sorts of bits and pieces that will fit the bill for any future cheflet gatherings and it doesn't have to break the bank.

I hope this Hooked on cooking sequence has made you smile and that you may even have budding cheflets as a result!

Hooked on cooking – Jess makes a Tower

It would be rude not to offer Grandad a dessert so here's The Tiramisu Tower, based on the Orange Tiramisu mentioned previously. This time it's the lemon version using our now famous smoothie cups.

Lemon Tiramisu

Lemon syrup

(4 tbsp lemon juice, 100g icing sugar)

20 fl oz whipping cream

Madeira cake

4 tbsp caster sugar

8oz Mascarpone

Lemon curd to fold into Mascarpone mixture

To make the syrup put the lemon juice and the icing sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently so that the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool. Decant the syrup into a squeezy bottle.

Mix the cream carefully with the caster sugar and mascarpone, gently fold lemon curd through the mixture.

Cheflet's privilege!

Slice the cake lengthways as thinly as possible and then using cutters, cut into shapes that fit the smoothie cups.

Layer the cake shapes in the cups and drizzle with syrup, then add a layer of the mascarpone mixture, repeat. Decorate the top of the tiramisu with a circle of Maltesers and place a wafer roll through the hole in the lid of the cup.

Here's the masterpiece :

Grandad's verdict – delicious!

Hooked on cooking – Supper for Jess and Grandad too!

When ready to serve you have two options.

Pre-heat oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Heat a glug of rapeseed oil in a large frying pan on a moderate heat. If you wish to check whether the oil is ready to use drop a breadcrumb into the oil – if it sizzles and begins to colour you're ready to roll. Seal the nuggets on both sides and transfer them to a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or you can continue on the hob – turn the heat down low and turn the nuggets frequently until cooked through and golden brown. This will not take more than 15 minutes since the chicken is bashed thinly. If you want to be certain take one and cut it in half, it should be thoroughly cooked before serving.

As a guide from the three chicken breasts Jess made 8 decent sized nuggets and 1 whole breast for Grandad, prepared in exactly the same way as the nuggets. Grandad's version is called an escalope and is traditionally veal.

Here's the breaded nuggets :

Here's the end product :

Jess learnt the French culinary technique pané – meaning coated with breadcrumbs.

Don't you love it when a plan comes together!

Hooked on cooking – Here's my Cheflet!

It's about time I gave you photographic proof of what I've been droning on about for the last few weeks. Here's my Granddaughter, Jess.

Never let it be said I don't do the research – my question to Jess was what was her favourite fast food choice – easy – chicken nuggets, so, here they are :

Chicken Nuggets

but not as you know them

3 plump chicken breasts (weight 500/600kg)

Cling film

Kitchen mallet or other suitable implement

for bashing i.e. rolling pin

3 x foil trays

2 tbsp plain flour

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp breadcrumbs plus an additional 2 tbsp

to top up

Step 1 :

Pat the chicken dry with kitchen roll. Place a sheet of cling film on your board. You can place the chicken breast whole and cut afterwards or cut into small nugget sized pieces before you begin bashing – bear in mind that the chicken is to be flattened and will therefore be larger than the cut piece. Arrange on the cling film making sure you leave sufficient space between the nuggets. Cover with another sheet of cling film and bash with a kitchen mallet (or rolling pin) to flatten. Set aside.

Step 2 :

Place the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in the foil trays.

Step 3 :

Now for the production line. Jess wanted to wear gloves – sadly I didn't have a pair small enough but hey she managed for a little while. A note before you begin – make sure you have a tray lined with kitchen roll ready to receive your breaded nuggets.

Step 4 :

Coat each piece in flour, then coat in beaten egg and finally in breadcrumbs.

If you are cooking the nuggets later, cover with more kitchen roll and then double cling film and “fridge” until required.

… to be continued!

Hooked on cooking – Dessert design - The Tiramisu Tower

This Tiramisu Tower is perfect for the cheflets to show off their new found talents – for themselves as a treat or, if you are still in entertaining mode, let them create individual Towers for the guests. If you are dining al fresco then your picnic plastic is perfect or, if indoors you could always use glass tumblers for the grown-ups.

Here's the basic recipe :

Orange Tiramisu

(Serves 4/5 depending on size of dessert bowl)

Grated rind and juice of 2 oranges plus

4 additional tbsps of orange juice

20fl oz whipping cream

Madeira cake – 2 x 250g(ish) – you may

not use it all but it won't go to waste

4tbls caster sugar

8oz Mascarpone or Philadelphia

2oz plain chocolate (grated)

or chocolate flakes, bashed in their packets

circular cutters – various sizes

Mix the orange rind and juice.

Mix the cream carefully with the sugar and mascarpone. **see below.

Cut up the cake in shapes that suit the bowl you are using and dip into the orange mixture.

Grate the chocolate

Layer the mascarpone mixture with the sponge and sprinkle with chocolate.

Variations

I'm suggesting an orange syrup as an optional extra. Ideally it should really be made ahead so it can cool properly and become gloopy – in case you're not aware this is a technical cookery term! It needs to be perfect to fold gently through the mascarpone and sugar, creating a brilliant orange stripe through the mixture and a final drizzle over the top of the tower before sprinkling with chocolate**.

Any remaining syrup can be served in a jug (if eating inside) or a squeezy bottle (if eating al fresco)

If you are making double the quantity of this dessert I'd suggest doubling the amount of syrup.

Orange Syrup

200g icing sugar

250ml orange juice (no bits)

Put the sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan and heat gently so that the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.

You could if you wish add an additional layer of oranges or mandarin oranges. You can buy easy peel oranges (the size of a large satsuma) if you'd like to use fresh fruit or, if not available you can buy tins of mandarin oranges in fruit juice. If you used tinned mandarins then you could use the fruit juice in the orange rind and juice dipping mixture – waste not want not!

I appreciate not part of a classical tiramisu but it adds an extra level of fruit and hey – as I've always said, rules are made to be broken.

My final suggestion is that you might want to check out your favourite cut price shop and buy some long handled sundae spoons – ideal to reach the bottom of tall glasses – plastic or otherwise!

Hooked on cooking – Dessert design - a vertical split

 … with a twist

Sorry, couldn't resist an Olympics idea – this sounds like some sort of fancy dive with a degree of difficulty to make your eyes water.

Instant dessert or may be a treat for the cheflets to assemble themselves, this is a variation of a banana split but built vertically in your trusted picnic plastic – the smoothie cups would be ideal.

For 4 cheflets

4 bananas – peeled and sliced when

ready to assemble

4 scoops of vanilla ice cream

4 tbsp of chocolate sauce (see below)

2 tbsp of flaked almonds or chopped

pistachios

glacé cherries to decorate

Sticky Toffee Sauce

4oz unsalted butter

8oz soft brown sugar

10 fl oz double cream (or whipping cream)

Heat together the butter and sugar. When dissolved add the cream.

Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring.

When cooled decant into two squeezy bottles – 1 per 2 cheflets.

Squeeze a blob of sticky toffee sauce into the base of your Smoothie Cup or other picnic plastic of choice.

You have options with regard to your chocolate sauce. You can cheat and buy it but if you'd like the cheflets to have a go, make some ganache. You can make ganache to suit your recipe, see below. I would opt for the option underlined to create a more sundae effect in the cup but it is purely a matter of taste.

On that basis heat 250ml of double cream on a medium heat, bring just to the boil and then pour over 250g of dark chocolate chips – minimum 50% cocoa solids - whisk until smooth. Allow to cool. If you are not using chocolate chips, then chop your chocolate as finely as possible.

Ganache

There are 3 options :

Equal parts chocolate and cream. While still warm this ganache is pourable and can be used to drizzle chocolate ribbons or glaze cookies or cakes. It can also be used as a cake filling. As it starts to cool it thickens and takes on a more spreadable consistency.

Two parts chocolate to one part cream.

Increasing the percentage of chocolate makes for a thicker ganache. This ratio is used for truffles. Can also be used as a glaze or piped frosting.

Two parts cream to one part chocolate.

A ganache with more cream than chocolate is runny – warm and mousse like at room temp. When warm it can be poured over a cake to give a glaze.

The ganache and the sticky toffee sauce are easy elements with some supervision and could be done at the hob together i.e. 2 cheflets making the ganache and 2 the sticky toffee sauce.

You can use a shop bought vanilla ice cream or get the cheflets to make a batch ahead of the game from the recipe on the blog.

The cheflets can now build their vertical split, sticky toffee sauce, layer of bananas, blob of ice cream, large blob of ganache, repeat and finish off with a theatrical drizzle of sticky toffee sauce and chopped nuts.

I hope the idea of a vertical banana split might amuse - you can add anything you like, the cheflets are making a ganache and a sticky toffee sauce, not to mention the vanilla ice cream if so inclined!

The split should be decorated with a glacé cherry – do not forget the cherry!

Hooked on cooking – need a pudding?

This is another recipe that is suitable for everyone to do their bit – it should appeal to your cheflets since it requires assembly and looks the biz when it's turned out.

This version I know I've mentioned before on the blog but it's worth repeating - it uses fresh fruits in season and, more to the point in my view, it uses Madeira cake and not the traditional bread for the pudding. For those out there who have been kind enough to follow the blog since the beginning, you'll know already of my aversion to dishes like rice pudding, sago and semolina – wet bread joins that list! In my defence I think assembling a pudding with cake is a lot more attractive than bread, plus the fact cake is less inclined to break.

Summer Pudding

Use fruits that are in season or alternatively frozen fruits work well too.

Ingredients

Frozen fruits/berries – 400g bag (14oz) or similar quantity of fresh fruit

1 tbsp sugar

1 tin or carton of fruit pie filling – blackcurrant or fruits of the forest

Madeira cake – I use an inexpensive shop bought cake (265g) – sliced lengthways into quarter inch slices and neatened. Here's where it's difficult to predict whether you'd need one cake or two – cake size varies depending which supermarket you use. I'd err on the side of caution and opt for two. For the size of basin stated, it takes approximately 10 slices of cake.

1 litre (1&¾pt) basin.

A plain sided cutter slightly larger than the base of the basin.

Cling film

Method

If using fresh fruit, bring it to the boil with the sugar in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes until the fruit releases its juices. Cool.

If using frozen fruit, defrost it and then add the sugar.

Line the basin with cling film ensuring that it overlaps the basin.

Cut out a circle of cake for the base and place it in the basin. Line the rest of the basin – I overlap each piece of cake – but it's whatever you'd prefer.

Add half the can of fruit pie filling to the cooled/defrosted fruit and then pour the mixture into the cake-lined bowl. Top with slices of cake to cover completely. Fold the cling film over the pudding to seal.

Place a slightly smaller plate or saucer on top of the basin and weigh down with a tin (the heaviest in your pantry/cupboard). Refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

To serve, remove the tin and plate, unseal the cling film, cover the bowl with a large plate. Invert the pudding onto the plate and remove the cling film.

With the remaining pie filling, warm it through, gently in a microwave. Pour over the top of the pudding to serve, adding cream, ice cream or custard.

Here's a photo of the finished pud :

This is great fun for the cheflets – weighing down the pudding with a tin of beans should bring a smile and the pleasure of turning out the pudding and surveying their efforts well worth it. Note to self – if you have cheflets who aren't that keen on fresh fruit they might even forget it's in the pudding, especially if they've helped make it and it's served with a scoop of home-made vanilla ice cream!

Hooked on cooking – need a cake?

… to feed 15?

I really must pay attention to recipes and try not to get carried away – it wasn't until I'd made this cake I realised – erm – it serves 15 – yikes, how much cake can two people eat! Thank goodness for a friend's birthday – 2 slices – two test slices and a spare slice for good luck - only 10 more slices to go. It's a good job another friend has family close-by and visiting family too during the holidays so it's a rapid cake delivery – panic over!

Whilst this cake may not be suitable for the cheflets to bake without help it's a definite candidate for all to pitch in and create together.

I don't normally make cakes – this one is here because of my passion for Hummingbirds. I thought the ingredients worked – a mixture of pineapple, banana and nuts.

So, continuing for a while with the potential summer gatherings, here it is :

Hummingbird Cake

375g plain flour

375g caster sugar

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp salt

350ml rapeseed oil

3 eggs

1 220g tin of pineapple, drained and puréed

450g mashed bananas

120g chopped walnuts

Icing

1 x 200g cream cheese, softened

110g butter, softened

450g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4

Grease and line 2 x 23cms cake tins.

Sieve together the flour, sugar, bicarb and salt (the dry ingredients).

Using a large bowl mix together the oil, eggs, pineapple, bananas and nuts.

Add the dry ingredients, by hand – i.e. not a food processor.

Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and bake for 1 hour – test by inserting a skewer which should be clean when removed. Allow the cakes to cool on racks.

Prepare the icing by blending together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract and then gradually add the icing sugar. Spread between the cakes and then cover the top and sides too if you wish.

Have a look at the finished cake.

Icing tips that weren't in the original recipe and that you may find helpful.

Philadelphia full fat cream cheese works well.

Use unsalted butter.

Sieve your icing sugar into a separate bowl to remove any lumps, add it gradually to the cheese and butter and you'll be glad you did.

I used vanilla paste instead of extract – you can see the flecks in the icing in the photograph, it gives a great flavour.

The verdict ...”have just eaten delicious and yummy cake – 10 out of 10 – well actually 11.

Hooked on cooking – Dessert design… a blank canvas

The model shown measures 50x38 cms. The cake boards mentioned measure 25x25 cms for the square and 25cms in diameter for the circular.

What to do with the blank canvas – that's up to the cheflets. Here's a photo with a few bits and pieces :

The additions speak for themselves – the pile of logs are wafer rolls - the muddy puddle in the centre of the logs is the caramel glue. You could if you wished melt chocolate as an alternative. The flowers – I use the term loosely – are meringue kisses with a hole in the bottom – punched through gently with a cocktail stick and a chocolate mint stick cut in half inserted for the stalk/stem. The pink versions are mini raspberry macaroons.

In other words, fill all the remaining space on the boards and in between, directly on to your table cloth.

The list of what can be added is huge but here's a few ideas :

Fresh fruit – strawberries, cubes of fresh pineapple,

ditto of mango – convenient to dip into muddy puddles

any other fresh fruit of your choice

cubes of Madeira cake or lemon drizzle

meringue nests filled with blueberries and raspberries

Remember the squeezy bottles mentioned – you could make up one each of lemon drizzle syrup, orange syrup, sticky toffee sauce and strawberry coulis.

I mentioned in the original shopping list that you might like to include the ingredients for Rocky Road and Malteser cake. Have a look at the photos of each below and I hope you'll agree that either or both of these scattered creatively of course, would make a great addition.

The recipes for all of the above are on the blog.

Note:

If you decide you'd like to give the cheflets either or both of these then they'll need to be made ahead but neither are difficult or time consuming.

Now for the good news – when your party is over any leftovers can be boxed, fold up the table cloth and bin – Marigolds (aka washing up gloves) not required!

Ta Dah!

Just before I go, a big thank you to my mate Susie Q who helped me translate the idea in my head to the model – mwah.

Hooked on cooking – Dessert design… follow the yellow brick road!

Your road needs to be neat and to show definition so we need to create an edge of stones. Enter the mini marshmallow and the best glue ever – I give you “Carnation cook with caramel” (in other words condensed milk with added caramel) I've not seen it in smaller cans than 397g but it's not as expensive as buying a jar of posh caramel sauce – it makes great glue.

Now you know what the paintbrushes are for – one for each of your cheflets and in order to prevent any dispute it might be more practical to give each of them a small dish of caramel. You'll be able to pick up the brushes in your preferred “£1” shop.

Using the “glue” paint a line either side of the road. The marshmallows can then be glued into place. It matters not if the glue strays further on to the board - so not a problem for small hands – it will be covered soon enough with grass and soil!

You can buy bags of pink and white mini marshmallows so you could add more colour by alternating pink and white edging.

The story so far, a board each with a piece of road with edging stones and a bag of desiccated coconut grass.

The next step is for the cheflets to create the soil. Each should have a chocolate muffin and a plastic food bag. Place the muffin in the bag, secure the top and crumble into soil.

Back to the paintbrush - paint either side of the road with the glue – again it doesn't matter if they stray onto the cloth with the glue or grass or soil but they do need to bear in mind that their board should stay in its place.

Your cheflets can now scatter their coconut grass and muffin soil where they may on their respective boards.

Hooked on cooking – Dessert design… choose a theme

It can be anything the cheflets like – they may need inspiration – a word of warning though, it shouldn't be too ambitious – it needs to succeed.

To explain myself the example I've chosen is The Yellow Brick Road from The Wizard of Oz.

The road shown is made from marzipan, rolled quite thinly. The beauty of using marzipan is that if you do make a mess of it you just roll it into a ball and begin again. A small tip – a dusting of icing sugar on your surface will help. Give each cheflet a cake board together with a quarter of the block of marzipan and a rolling pin – their road should be rolled directly onto the cake board. They could reproduce the road shown or they could make a crazy paving, using circles made with cutters of different sizes. The road doesn't have to be straight, there are no rules.

When each portion of road is completed the boards should be placed on the paper table cloth, wherever they like. My only suggestion is that each board has roughly the same amount of space surrounding it.

The cheflets next job is to weigh 25g of desiccated coconut into a ziplok bag – squeeze a large blob of green food colouring into the coconut, carefully expel the air and seal the bag. Work the colouring into the coconut – this will take a minute or two, rubbing the bag between your hands – the coconut absorbs the colouring and the more you work it the more even a colour will result.

  

The table cloth on your shopping list IS the base for the dessert – no bowls, no plates – fingers only but, you might want to make sure you've plenty of serviettes/napkins or, if you must, then spoons or forks – it defeats the object of sticky fingers and I can testify that when I did do this, the grown-ups loved it too.

Hooked on cooking – having a party?

We're now three weeks in to “hooked on cooking” and I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that you've had a surprise or two and you now having budding “cheflets” eager and raring to attack the next challenge.

Will you be having a summer get together/party/BBQ – any or all of the above?

I know that lots of people bring desserts on such occasions, but I have an idea that your cheflets might like.

This might take a little organisation ahead of the game but nothing that will be difficult to get hold of, nor cost a lot of dosh!

Do you have a table going spare – it can be as big as you like – you'll see what I mean shortly.

First up, here's your shopping list :

Next time you're in the supermarket/cheap shop pick up a paper table cloth – the stronger the better, you don't want the sort you can see through, it'll just fall apart and won't be suitable for the purpose I have in mind.

Pick up three or four squeezy bottles – like the ones illustrated below.

As illustrated these are really handy for a drizzle of whatever takes your fancy.

To continue with your shopping list :

Cake boards - £1 each – square or circular, depending on the shape of your table. If you have four cheflets creating, then one each.

Marzipan – one 500g block should be sufficient, preferably the golden kind – to be divided between 4.

Desiccated coconut, green food colouring and 4 ziplok bags.

Pack of 4 large chocolate muffins and 4 food bags.

1 bag of white mini marshmallows.

1 can of Carnation cook with caramel.

4 small (cheap and cheerful) paintbrushes suitable for children.

Whilst not compulsory you might want to make sure you've the ingredients to make Rocky Road and Malteser Cake.

Okey dokey, lets get on with the masterpiece!

Hooked on cooking – Dessert design …

… make a mess!

Lemon Eton Mess

(per 2 students)

2 small lemon yogurts (120-160g per pot)

2 meringue nests

Jar of good quality lemon curd **

2 tsps lemon juice

200g strawberries

(a large punnet weighs 400g, perfect to

divide between 4 students)

Sharing one large mixing bowl tip in the yogurts.

In a separate bowl spoon 1 generous tbsp of the lemon curd and stir in the lemon juice.

Put half the lemon mixture into the yogurt, you want a rippled effect so go slowly! Repeat, but leave the bowl with a little mixture left – all will be revealed!

One meringue nest per student plus a ziplok bag or a food bag large enough to be secured – you won't get bits of meringue flying around this way – crush the meringue into chunks – you don't want sugar dust! Fold into your mixture. Hull*** the strawberries and cut into four, fold into the yogurt and lemon curd mixture. Spoon into picnic plastic of your choice.

The remaining mixture in the bowl is then drizzled over the top.

Bits and pieces

You could have a mixture of strawberries and raspberries, or any other fresh fruit in season.

**You could get your students to make their own lemon curd – see Microwave Lemon Curd in Luscious Lemons but the process will need supervision so may not be suitable for younger students.

***Hull means to remove the green top and the small stem in the centre of the strawberry – you can buy a strawberry huller but it's just as easy to do, carefully, with a paring knife. See the photos below to illustrate.

Optional extra - decorate with chopped nuts – pistachios would be a good choice - texture and colour too.

There are lots of yogurt options – lemon flavoured and lemon curd versions to choose from - low fat or not – bear in mind that low fat usually means high sugar. A “small” yogurt weighs 120g but you can get slightly larger versions at 160g.

A pack of 8 meringue nests has a long shelf life, so any leftover won't be wasted.

Let the mess begin!

Hooked on cooking – Burgers with a difference

This is not for the Rendang curry purists out there – its my variation. If your students and family like a burger that's outside the box then this could be it!

Rendang style burgers

Per 2 students

500g (1.1lb) turkey mince

50g(2oz) tomato paste

2 popped garlic cloves or 2 crushed garlic cloves

1 tsp star anise powder

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp Worcester sauce

50g shredded (or dessicated) coconut

1 tsp mild curry powder

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

2 tsp brown sugar

plain flour for shaping and dusting the burgers

You may need an egg to bind

Rapeseed or vegetable oil for shallow frying

Place the mince in a large mixing bowl then add the remaining ingredients (excluding the egg) and mix well. The omission of salt and pepper is deliberate – there's enough of both in the ingredients. At this point your mixture may be too wet. If it is, sprinkle a little plain flour over the mixture and fold in gently – if the mixture is too dry then use your egg. I made these burgers recently to the recipe given above and I didn't use the egg. A lot depends on where you get your turkey mince from, there will be differences. You don't have to use turkey mince but it is a healthier option.

Heat the oil gently in a frying pan. With damp hands weigh the mixture into 50g or 100g portions. Roll the mixture into a ball and then flatten into rounds and shape gently into a burger. Heat the oil in a frying pan, seal the burgers on a gentle heat, turn and repeat. At this point you have a choice, you can continue to cook the burgers in the pan on the hob, if you have an oven-proof pan, pop it straight in the oven or you can transfer, when sealed, to one of my famous foil dishes – 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 15/20 minutes.

Rendang style Sauce

100 ml coconut cream

50ml water

3 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp curry powder

(I used mild)

1 tbsp kecap manis

(also known as sweet soy sauce)

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat and

serve. Can be made ahead and re-heated.

The sauce is optional but if you're creating a monster burger for hungry hordes serve on toasted burger buns or the brioche version - then you can add any of the usual extras – cheese slices, crispy bacon, top with a fried egg and then drizzle with the sauce to complete – clearly not for the health conscious!

Make sure there are plenty of napkins/serviettes around.

“Outside the box” in more ways than one and hopefully the fact that it's a burger may distract those who need a little encouragement to try something new – here's hoping!

Hooked on cooking …salsa for the burgers

Something to serve as a side or as a topping on your burgers :

Pineapple and Sweetcorn Salsa

1 x 432g tin pineapple pieces,

drained

*2 red chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped

3(ish) spring onions, finely chopped

small bunch of coriander, leaves only, chopped

finely

(if fresh not available, ½ tsp of ground coriander)

salt and black pepper

50g sweetcorn (defrosted if frozen)

Put the pineapple pieces into a bowl. Add the spring onions, coriander leaves and chillies, season with salt and black pepper, mix well.

Whiz a quarter of the mixture in a food processor until smooth. Add back to the remaining mixture and add the sweetcorn.

*If you know that chillies are too hot for your students, substitute with Romano peppers, chopped finely.

This salsa is quick, easy and colourful – a great way to practice knife skills for your budding chefs and it's also a great introduction of different flavour combinations.

Enjoy!

Hooked on cooking – burgers it shall be!

So far we've covered the pizza and the sandwich. I know I mentioned the burger too so I think, in the interests of holding the students interest lets do the burger.

It's the same recipe as for the meatballs :

Burgers

Per 2 students

500g minced beef, pork or turkey

*salt and black pepper

*garlic – either 2 tsps of paste or 2 cloves, crushed

*mixed herbs or garlic italian seasoning – a generous sprinkle

*half a tsp of chilli

*heaped tbsp of tomato paste

*1 egg

sprinkle of plain flour

Rapeseed or vegetable oil for shallow frying

Place the mince in a large mixing bowl then add the remaining ingredients marked *, mix well. At this point your mixture may be too wet. If it is, sprinkle a little plain flour over the mixture and fold in gently.

The easiest way of making uniform burgers is to weigh whatever amount you wish – 50g or 100g depending on size of appetites - with damp hands. Using a large frying pan, heat the oil gently and seal the burgers on both sides.

At this point you have a choice, you can continue to cook the burgers in the pan or you can transfer to an oven-proof dish and pop into a pre-heated oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 20 minutes.

Serve on burger buns or a brioche version, toasted – add a cheese slice for a cheeseburger.

Wrap in a square of greaseproof paper and a serviette – your very own fast food!