Cooking with Kids

This is not the first post I have written about cooking with kids, but this is a topic I feel very strongly about, for many reasons. Firstly food and preparing food is an integral part of life, without food we can't live. Teaching children about food is one of the life skills that is often missed in our busy schedules. So many children, teenagers and even adults have a limited knowledge about the production, storage and preparation of food, because they have not been exposed to real food. They have only shopped in supermarkets where all of the food is presented pre-packaged, most meals are presented to them without them having any input or knowledge about the cooking.

I believe that to counteract the obesity epidemic and the junk food lifestyle we need to talk about food and cook with kids. Parents, teachers, aunts, uncles, sports coaches, grandparents and other carers can all help to raise this generation of children with an awareness of the basics of nutrition, healthy eating and teach them the basics of how to cook.

Let your children shop with you, let them help to make decisions on what they will have in their lunchboxes or on their dinner plates, but do this in a controlled manner. Offer 2 choices, for example; "You can have an apple or some strawberries for fruit break tomorrow, which would you prefer?" or "We're having roast chicken for dinner tonight, which vegetables would you like to help me prepare?" Talk about the healthy food pyramid, how we should eat more vegetables and fruits than meats and carbohydrates and less fats and sugars. Soon these children will be helping to make healthy choices for the whole family.

When I ask my children "Who wants pie for dinner?" I am always greeted with cheers & the question "Can I help?" Music to my ears!

This pie recipe has become a family favourite, and like so many of our family recipes it is adapted to suit what is in the fridge. My children love to cut up the mushrooms for this pie, they also enjoy turning on the oven and stirring the pie filling. My daughter, now 6 years old, likes the responsibility of weighing and measuring ingredients, so I let her weigh out the flour and use the measuring  cups and spoons to measure out the butter, herbs and liquids. I like to think the flavour of these pies has the kids asking for more, but I think the fact that they help to make them also has something to do with the success!

Chicken and Mushroom Pie - adapted from a recipe by The Stock Merchant

Ingredients

4 rashers bacon (we use Sellers Meats at Merewether), cut into 2.5cm strips
1 teaspoon oil or butter
1 brown onion peeled and diced
150g brown mushrooms, sliced into 5mm pieces
300g free range chicken thigh fillets with fat removed, cut into 2.5cm pieces
40g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme - Herbies brand of course!
1 x 20ml tablespoon butter
500ml hot The Stock Merchant Free Range Chicken Stock
1 x 15ml tablespoon Marsala or sherry
4-5 medium to large dutch cream or sebago potatoes, peeled and quartered
butter, salt and pepper to mash the potatoes to your liking

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2. Place peeled and chopped potatoes into a saucepan of water and bring to the boil.
3. Whilst potatoes are boiling fry bacon strips in oil or butter to make them crisp, add the diced onion and cook stirring until the onion is translucent, then add mushrooms.
4. Coat the chicken in the flour and thyme and add to pan with oil or butter – fry until chicken begins to colour.
5. While stirring the mixture, pour in hot stock and Marsala or sherry and create a sauce. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Whilst the chicken mixture is simmering, drain the cooked potatoes and mash using milk or cream or butter and a good grind of salt and pepper.
7. Take four 250ml pie-pots or ramekins and divide the chicken mixture between the four pots and cover with the mashed potato. Bake in the pre-heated oven for approximately 20 minutes.
8. Once the tops are lightly golden brown they are ready. Serve immediately. These can be served with steamed carrot and broccoli for a colourful, fun and nutritious dinner.

Seasonal Eating - Asparagus

Australian asparagus comes into the market throughout Spring and Summer. 

This easy, healthy recipe is perfect served either warm or chilled, as a side dish with grilled fish or chicken.

Roast Asparagus

Ingredients (Serves 4)

3 bunches asparagus

1 lemon – juiced and zested

3 cloves of garlic – peeled and sliced

3 tbs olive oil

100g shaved parmesan cheese

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
2. Trim woody ends from the asparagus then place spears in a single layer in a baking dish. Add the garlic slices and lemon zest, coat with the olive oil. Cover the dish (use foil if you don’t have a lid) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the asparagus is tender.
3. Dress the roast asparagus with 1tbs lemon juice and the shaved parmesan.

Enjoy!

BBQ Season - Potato Side Dish

We've been extremely busy at The Fresh Ingredient, so I must apologise for lack of blog posts. We have moved our little shop to a much bigger premises. This has meant more hours, more stock, more staff, a few more headaches and a lots less time to cook and blog. But, the teething problems seem to have eased, so here is one of my quick, standby recipes.

Spiced Potatoes

Ingredients (Serves 6-8)

1kg chat potatoes
2 -3 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
30g butter melted
1 tbs Herbie’s 32° Spice Mix. (This spice mix contains chilli, so if you want to up the heat, add ore spice mix, or if you want to bring the intensity down a notch decrease the amount of spice mix used.)

Method

1.       Pre-heat oven or covered BBQ to 180°.

2.       Wash & dry the potatoes, then cut into quarters.

3.       Put potatoes, butter, olive oil and spice mix into a baking dish and mix together with your hands until the potatoes are well coated.

4.       Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the potatoes look and feel crisp.

Enjoy with your favourite BBQ meats or vegetables.

Caramelised Onion & Roasted Sweet Potato All-In-One Quiche

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

¾ cup pastry mix
¾ cup grated Mainland Tasty cheese
4 Free Range eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup Udder Farm Pure Cream
½ cup Udder Farm Full Cream Milk
1 tsp softened unsalted butter
2 tbs Binnorie Marinated Fetta
1 medium brown onion
1 medium red onion
1 medium sweet potato
2 tbs continental parsley, chopped
3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs brown sugar
pinch salt
good grind of black pepper

Method

1.    Pre-heat oven to 180C.

2.    Peel sweet potato and chop into 2cm pieces. Using 2 tbs olive oil coat sweet potato & place in baking dish. Roast for 20 mins or until lightly golden. When cooked, set aside.

3.    Thinly slice red & brown onion.

4.    Heat 1 tbs olive oil & 1 tbs butter in a non-stick fry pan, when butter has melted reduce heat to minimum & add sliced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally for 15mins or until onion is soft. Add brown sugar, cook for 2mins, stirring, until onion caramelises. Set aside.

5.    In a large bowl combine pastry mix, grated cheese, cream, milk, 1 tsp softened butter, marinated fetta, eggs and salt and pepper. Mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Add caramelised onion, roasted sweet potato and chopped parsley. Stir to combine.

6.    Pour into a greased 6 cup oven-proof dish. Bake for 40 mins, or until golden & set.

Serve with a green salad.

Pastry Mix is available in flour section of supermarket. I use Lion Brand.

Beef Stroganoff

Mushrooms are on special at The Fresh Ingredient, it's a perfect time to make Stroganoff. Supreme comfort food for these cool evenings.

Source your mushrooms, paprika, tomato paste, eschalots (or baby onions), parsley & sour cream from The Fresh Ingredient. I use either Joslin Street Kotara Butcher or Sellers Meats at Merewether for my meat.

Ingredients (serves 4)

500g thinly sliced beef (if you have a good butcher, buy eye fillet & ask them to slice for you)
2 tbs Herbies Sweet Paprika
ground black pepper
1/3 cup plain flour
¼ cup olive oil
3 eschalots or 2 small brown onions finely diced
400 g button mushrooms thinly sliced
2 tbs tomato paste
1 cup beef stock
½ cup dry white wine
2 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
¾ cup sour cream
1 tbs finely chopped fresh continental parsley

Method

1. Combine paprika, flour and a good grind of black pepper in a bowl, add beef strips and toss to coat beef. 
2. Heat 2tbs oil in a large frying pan. Cook meat quickly in small batches over a med-high heat, remove & set aside.  
3. Add remaining oil to pan, when warm add onion & cook over med-high heat for 3 minutes or until soft.
4. Add mushrooms to pan, cook over med-high heat for 5 minutes.
5. Add tomato paste, wine, stock & Worcestershire sauce to pan, bring to the boil.
6. Reduce heat & simmer for 5 minutes uncovered, stir occasionally.
7. Return meat to pan, add sour cream, stir until combined and just heated through.
8. Sprinkle with parsley & serve with fettucine.

Christmas Turkey Stuffing

This year The Fresh Ingredient family will enjoy a 4kg turkey with pistachio & cranberry stuffing, served alongside beautiful roast vegies - or course!!

Ingredients (all available from The Fresh Ingredient)
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
2 small brown onions, halved, finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
1/3 cup unsalted pistachio kernels, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 1/2 cups fresh sourdough breadcrumbs (made from day-old bread)
2 Free-Range eggs, lightly whisked
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh continental parsley

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, Craisins, pistachio and garlic and cook, stirring, for 8-10 minutes or until onion softens. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
2. Place the pistachio mixture in a bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, egg and parsley and stir to combine.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Form into balls (about the size of golfballs) & stuff your turkey with these. Any remaining stuffing balls can be wrapped in foil & cooked alongside the turkey - however don't add them to the roasting dish until the last 45 minutes or so of cooking.

Enjoy!!!

St. Patrick's Day Recipes

St. Patrick's Day - 17 March.
There is a little bit of Irish in many of us, and a great way to celebrate the feast day of Ireland's Patron Saint is to create an Irish Feast.

The Fresh Ingredient at Kotara stocks Irish bacon, pork sausages and black and white pudding, as well as Kerrygold butter, cheeses, mustards, brown bread mix, soda bread mix, Taytos, Club Orange & Cadbury Snack.

To get you started on your Irish Feast I suggest a dinner menu of:
Brown Bread & Butter
Pork Sausages served with Colcannon
Apple Pie & Cream.

Here is my recipe for Colcannon (Potato & Cabbage), there are variations of this recipe, but this is my favourite.

Colcannon

Ingredients
900g sebago (brushed) potatoes, peeled, coarsely chopped
80g butter
300g cabbage, shredded
1 small onion finely diced
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup pure cream
Salt & pepper

Method
1. Add potatoes to saucepan of cold water, boil until tender, approx. 20mins.
2. While potatoes are cooking, lightly fry the onions in 20g butter, (do not burn), when translucent add cabbage with another 20g butter, mix together over low heat & then cover and steam cabbage for 2-3 minutes.
3. Drain potatoes and mash till smooth using remaining butter, milk & cream. When well mashed add in the cabbage & onion, mix together until smooth.
4. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
5. Serve with grilled Pork Sausages.

If available, Kale is traditionally used in this dish instead of cabbage & it definitely adds a lovely flavour to the potatoes.

Do you have a favourite traditional Irish meal?

Welcome

Welcome to The Fresh Ingredient Blog - here we will feature recipes, market updates, food news and more.

The Fresh Ingredient is a fruit & vegetable and gourmet food store owned by Peter & Mary. We love good food, good wine and are concerned about the corporatisation of food. We enjoy sharing food, talking about food and being around food - we hope that you will join us in our online food world.