In Good Taste: Kids in the kitchen
Five Minute Chocolate Cake
Ahhhh, school holidays. As long as the kids are busy and happy they go so quickly. The moment boredom sets in there is the inevitable echo of “Mum…. there’s nothing to doooo!”? This is delivered as both a statement and a question all at once. And you know that it’s up to you to once again come up with another amazing idea that will keep the little angels out of your hair, at least until you’ve finished peeling the potatoes…
Now here’s an idea. With a bit of imagination you could have the kids doing all the dinner preparations while you assist, direct and make helpful suggestions, ie who can peel three carrots the fastest (kids fall for the competitive nature of this every time), or give them a list of herbs and leaves to collect from the garden. Each correct item gathered is worth one point. Or trying to list all the fruit and vegetables that start with the letter “L” (they can do this while washing the leaves they have just collected).
Hamburgers are great for kids to make, as each one can be different to suit the likes and dislikes of each child. Make a platter of assorted additions including sliced raw tomato, avocado, pickled beetroot, lettuce, finely sliced red onion, thin slices of cheese, etc. Add to this some dishes of spicy salsa, good ol’ Watties’ tomato sauce, and mayonnaise. I like to add at least a cup full of grated vegetables to the mincemeat mixture. It’s a good way to incorporate more greens into the diet, the kids never notice and it makes economical sense. The best way to combine burger ingredients is with the hands and kids also love this bit. It even comes with an amusing (to some) squelchy noise. Once your burger is on the BBQ, all that remains to be done is to warm some burger buns or whatever you desire, to hold this tasty patty. Pita bread, panini, split focaccia, French bread – the choice is yours.
Holiday burgers
500g lean minced beef
1 cup of grated vegetables (carrot, zucchini, celery,
onion)
1 teaspoon of yoghurt (this keeps the meat moist)
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
1 egg
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl with your hands. Season well with salt and pepper and shape into burger-sized patties. Place on a plate in one layer and cover with clingfilm. Keep refrigerated until ready to cook.
A friend recently sent my daughter this lovely little recipe, which is just perfect to whip up when in need of a treat. We have also used the idea as a great Christmas present for other kids. An appropriate-looking mug to suit the individual is purchased (new or second hand is fine as long as it is suitable to microwave) and a copy of the recipe is hand-written and attached to the handle with some string.
Five Minute Chocolate Cake
1 large coffee mug (300ml or more)
4 tablespoons of self-raising flour
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of cocoa
3 tablespoons of chocolate chips
1 egg
Vanilla essence
3 tablespoons of milk
3 tablespoons of oil
Put the dry ingredients into the mug and stir to combine. Add the egg, milk, oil and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Put the mug into the microwave and cook for two minutes and forty-five seconds at 1000 watts. The mixture may run over but don’t be alarmed. Cool and enjoy.
Remember the old cheese log? No dinner party in the 70s seemed to be without one. Easy to make beforehand, easy to serve and loved by all. Funny how these things disappear. Is it because we are more discerning now and think it’s sacrilege to combine different cheeses to make some kind of new cheese altogether? Who knows? Just when you think you’ll never see something again it appears on the front page of the latest food magazine, in a new guise, with a new name, even though to those in the know it’s still a perfect replica of the old cheese roll. Another good job for the kids…they enjoy the grating, shaping and the rolling in the walnuts. So whip up a taste of yesteryear and see if anyone recognises your cheese log. The original would have of course used the old condensed milk mayonnaise, which added an unnecessary sweetness. Any quality mayo, homemade or brought (Kato is good) would be suitable.
Retro Cheese Log
About 2 cups of grated tasty cheese
About 2 tablespoons of good mayonnaise
1 heaped tablespoon of finely chopped shallot
(or use any mild onion)
Salt and pepper
½ teaspoon of dried chilli flakes, crumbled finely
½ cup of finely chopped parsley
½ cup of lightly toasted and chopped walnuts
Crisp crackers to serve
Put the cheese, mayonnaise and onion into the food processor and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until the mixture just starts coming together to form a ball. Spread a sheet of baking paper out onto the benchtop and place the herbs, chilli and nuts onto this. Mix these together thoroughly and scatter 30cm along the length of the paper. Remove the cheese mixture from the processor and place on top of the nut mixture. Use the paper to gather and roll the cheese into a cylinder, which has a light coating of the herb and nut mixture all over. Twist the ends of the baking paper to seal and chill in the fridge for two hours. To serve, unwrap and place the roll on a board with a small knife for cutting and a selection of crisp crackers to spread onto. A bunch of radishes on the side would be perfect.
Fiona Feasey
