Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Warm Salad (Bacon, eggs and croutons).

This is a salad that most children will eat without complaining.
It contains cooked food so let these cool down before adding the rest of the salad stuffs.

Warm Salad (Bacon, Egg and Croutons)

Equipment
·      Chopping board
·      Sharp knife
·      Grater
·      Peeler
·      Large mixing bowl
·      Small fry pan and fish slice/tongs
·      Small pot

Ingredients
·      Mesclun salad, 1 cup
·      Carrots, 1
·      Spring onions, ½ stem
·      Tomato, ½ diced
·      Bacon, 3 slices
·      Bread, 1 slice, diced
·      Celery, 1 stem
·      Eggs, 2
·      Oil for frying

Method
1.    Slice up the bread into cubes.
2.    Slice up the bacon in small pieces.
3.    Fry both in oil until crisp. Place into mixing bowl.
4.    Add eggs to a pot of hot water. Bring to the boil for 8 minutes. Pour out the hot water and fill pot with cold water.
5.    Peel the eggs and chop up. Add to the mixing bowl.
6.    Grate the carrot, after peeling.
7.    Slice up celery and spring onion into thin slices.
8.    Dice up the tomato into small dice. Add all to the mixing bowl.
9.    Add the Mesclun salad to the other ingredients in the bowl.
10. Toss the salad together, mixing all the ingredients through.
11. Serve with tongs onto a plate and eat.



Sustainability discussion

Pork production- video on sow crates, farrowing crates and fattening pens.
(Sunday TV1 Pig Farming Expose/ SAFE love pigs campaign)
It is a fact that pigs are more intelligent than most dogs. They deserve to be treated as well as dogs.

Pet pigs can be trained to do simple tasks.



Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Food Academy- Laksa (Thai coconut curry)

Perfect for winter days.
Just be aware of how much curry paste you use to begin with. Too much and your laksa will turn into rocket fuel!
I have used chicken for the meat but you can use pork or seafood/fish.

Thai Red/Green Curry (Laksa)

Equipment
·      Large frying pan
·      Pot
·      Sieve
·      Chopping board and sharp knife
·      Measuring cups/spoons

Ingredients
·      Red or green curry paste, 1-3 tsp (mild, medium, hot)
·      Coconut milk, 1 cup (250ml)
·      Chicken (or pork or prawns), 1 breast, cut into chunks
·      Thai fish sauce, 1 tsp
·      Chicken stock, 1 cup (250ml), hot
·      Bean sprouts, half a handful
·      Palm sugar, ½ tablet, crushed or 2tsp brown sugar
·      Chinese cabbage/ spinach/ cabbage, ¼, shredded
·      Coriander leaves, chopped
·      Spring onion, 1 stalk sliced up
·      Chilli flakes, light sprinkling
·      Rice/ Udon noodles
·      2 Eggs, to boil
·      Oil for frying

Method
1.    Place the curry paste into a large oiled frying pan on medium heat.
2.    Stir fry for 2 minutes.
3.    Add the chicken stock and bring to boil.
4.    Add coconut milk and bring to boil. Turn heat down and simmer.
5.    Add fish sauce and palm/brown sugar.
6.    Add the chicken and Chinese cabbage to soup and simmer for 15 minutes. Season.
7.    Boil eggs for 8 minutes, cool and peel.
8.    Boil a pot of water for the noodles, cook until soft then drain.
9.    Add the noodles and bean sprouts to bowls.
10. Pour the soup over the noodles and garnish with fresh coriander, boiled eggs, spring onion and chilli flakes.


Sunday, July 27, 2014

Fresh Fruit Kebabs with a Ganache.

Oooh, I love you Ganache.
This is a fast and simple dessert with a ganache to die for.
I used dark chocolate chips and cream to make this ganache. And it tastes way better than any dairy milk chocolate. By the way, dairy milk chocolate does not melt like dark chocolate so don't use it.

Fresh Fruit kebabs with Ganache (Chocolate sauce)
Equipment
·      Wooden chopping board and sharp knife (large or small)
·      Peeler
·      2 mixing bowls
·      Measuring cup/ spoons
·      Wooden spoon
·      Kebab sticks (4 per pair)
·      Small pot

Ingredients
·      Selection of seasonal fresh fruit (4 total)
·      Cream, 2 Tbspn (30 ml)
·      Dark Chocolate, ramekin

Method
1.    Select the fruit then wash and peel and slice/dice into medium size chunks.
2.    Carefully skewer on the kebab sticks in a regular pattern and place on a clean plate.
3.    Melt the chocolate in the double boiler (mixing bowl sitting inside the pot ½ full of boiling water).
4.    Pour the cream into the measuring cup and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
5.    Whisk the hot cream into the melted chocolate until silky smooth.
6.    Pour over the fruit kebabs.



Chocolate (Theobroma cacao)

Food product made from the fermented, dried, roasted and ground beans of the tropical cocoa tree, native to Mexico and South America. The Mayans and Aztecs used it in religious ceremonies and the beans were used as currency. It is now grown mostly in central Africa.

Chocolate comes in several forms, including powder (cocoa/cacao), liquid and solid.
The type of chocolate depends on the amount of cocoa butter (oil from cocoa bean), milk powder, lecithin and vanilla that are added. The higher the cocoa butter content, the smoother and richer the chocolate.

Couverture has a high proportion of cocoa butter and is used for dipping, moulding and making professional quality chocolates. 


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Marinated Chicken and Potato salad.

Marinated chicken is a good BBQ dish. Make sure you have one acid and one flavour to marinate your meat in. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
Potato salad is everybodies favourite.
Remember when boiling your eggs, to time 8 minutes from the time the pot starts boiling.

 Marinated Chicken with Potato Salad
Equipment
·      Wooden chopping board
·      Sharp knife
·      Tongs
·      3 Pots (per table)
·      Enamel dish for chicken
·      Measuring cup/spoons
·      Peeler
·      Sieve
·      Mixing bowl
Ingredients
·      Chicken breast or a couple of tenderloins
·      Selection of marinades (vinegars, sauces, seasonings)
·      Potatoes, 1 large or 2 medium or 3 small per group
·      Spring onion, 1 stalk
·      Eggs, 2
·      Mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp
·      Salt, to taste
Method
Oven on to 1800C
1.    Mix up marinade (no more than ¼ cup) and pour into the enamel dish. Roll the chicken in the marinade and place in the fridge. Take note of where you leave it.
2.    Fill up a pot ½ full of hot water and bring to the boil (high heat). Add a pinch of salt.
3.    Wash, peel and wash the potatoes. Dice up (1-2cm2) and place in pot.
4.    Boil potatoes until just soft (10-15 minutes).
5.    Slice up spring onion while waiting.
6.    Drain through sieve and let cool down.
7.    Place the eggs in the clean pot, cover with warm water and bring to boil.
8.    Boil for 8 minutes and then run under cold water for 2 minutes.
9.     Peel the eggs and dice up.
10.  Add cooled potatoes, egg and spring onion together in a bowl with the mayonnaise and mix together.
11.  Remove chicken from the fridge and roast in oven for 20 minutes. Cook until no more blood can be seen and flesh is white. Use the tongs to turn the chicken over.

12. Remove the chicken from oven and slice. Make sure the chicken is cooked properly. Serve slices of chicken on a mound of potato salad.