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Old-school approach to cooking is back in classrooms at last
Clare Latimer welcomes the return of cookery lessons and suggests some dishes to get youngsters started
THE best bit of news I have heard in years is that Prue Leith and team have persuaded the government to bring back cookery classes in schools.
It beggars belief that it was ever stopped, as the one thing for sure after school is that we all have to eat, and, hopefully, eat well.
Not only should children be taught how to cook but also how to eat in a healthy way and that, of course, will stimulate their brains for other learning and also keep them off the sick list.
All right, schools will have to pay to put back a kitchen for the class, but for goodness sake it should never have gone and it will be money very well spent.
Hopefully teaching cookery will link up with Food for Life Partnership, the network of schools and colleges across England whose goal is to revolutionise school meals, reconnect young people with where their food comes from and inspire families to cook and grow food.
All this has to lead to a more understanding new generation.
I will now start by giving two recipes that are fun for children to cook, but obviously be careful of sharp knives and hot ovens.
Broccoli and red Leicester flan
This is perfect for children and they will learn how to make pastry, how to fry onions and also to make a white sauce all in all one recipe. Also you will end up with a complete supper or lunch dish.
Ingredients
Serves 6
75g butter
175g plain flour
1 small handful parsley, stalks removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Filling:
450g broccoli florets, cut into small chunks
25g butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
25g flour
200ml milk
125g red leicester cheese, grated
25g cheddar cheese, grated
Paprika
Little freshly grated nutmeg.
Preheat the oven 200C/ 400F/gas 6. Put the pastry butter, flour, parsley and salt into a electric mixer until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add a little cold water and continue mixing until it forms a dough ball.
Knead on a floured surface. Roll out to 6mm thick and then line a 22.5cm quiche dish. Bake for 10 minutes, remove and press down the pastry if it has risen, then return to the oven for 10 more minutes or until cooked but now brown.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the broccoli florets. Bring back to the boil and then simmer for three minutes. Drain and set aside.
Melt the rest of the butter in a saucepan and sauté the onions for five minutes or until soft but not brown and then stir in the flour. Add the milk, stirring continuously to make a smooth white sauce. Grind in some fresh black pepper. Add the grated red Leicester cheese and stir again. Place the broccoli florets in the cooked pastry case, stir the sauce and then pour over the broccoli. Sprinkle over the cheddar cheese, paprika and grated nutmeg and bake for about 30 minutes or until lightly brown.
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