Category: Skills & Spills Cookery School

Junior Chef – 29/30 Sept 2018

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This week our Junior Chefs will be creating a fabulous vegetarian curry packed with flavour using the ever so popular vegetable spinach.

Used all round the world, the leaves are bright green when young, deepening to a darker colour when older. It has a distinct flavour that complements many dishes.

Baby spinach can be eaten raw in salads, where as older spinach should be cooked but not for long, and will reduce in volume considerably.

Although spinach is now available throughout the year it is best from April through to September.

When buying select spinach with bright green leaves, that are tender and crisp and smell fresh. Avoid leaves that are yellow or wilted.
Loose spinach will need a good rinsing to remove dirt and grit, but drain well.

It can be prepared in a few ways raw in salads. Warmed in a sauce (8-10 minutes). Slice and stir fry (1-2 minutes) or steam whole (3-4 minutes).
In this week’s dish we will be using the following skills:

Washing, weighing, measuring, peeling, chopping, slicing, grating, sautéing, boiling squeezing and frying.

Junior Chef – 22 Sept 2018

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This week our Junior Chefs will be working hard and having fun cooking the wonderfully versatile Romesco sauce from sunny Spain.

Our Junior Chefs will be roasting tomatoes, garlic and red pepper before blending with toasted almonds and croutons. We will be serving this over grilled chicken, and serving alongside courgetti infused with garlic and rosemary.

Keeping in line with seasonality this is one of our last chances to use courgettes at their best between June and September. This vegetable is a variety of cucurtbit, which means it’s from the same family as cucumber, squash and melon.

Courgette also known as Zucchini to some, is the most popular of the squash family, its culinary uses are many and it is an easy ingredient to cook providing you don’t boil them turning them mushy and flavourless, instead pan fry or steam, or eat raw.

When buying choose small courgettes that are firm to touch with a glossy, unblemished skin. Avoid soft, and oversized courgettes.

Courgettes do not need peeling. Slice off each end and prepare as per recipe.

In this weeks dish we will be using the following skills:
Weighing, measuring, roasting, combining, blending, pureeing, frying and grilling, spiralizing, sauteing.

Junior Chef – 15 Sept 2018

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So this week for our Junior Chefs, it is all about leeks!

Cooking in Season

Nothing says autumn quite like a hearty, pasta bake and making use of vegetables when they are in season is normally cheaper due to an abundance of the crop, but also they will have better flavours!

This week we will be looking at leeks, it is one of the few vegetables that are at their best during the autumn months. It is packed with nutrients and crucial anti-oxidants, to keep you healthy.

Available (September to November) the British leek is a fantastically versatile vegetable that adds flavour and bite to many dishes.

Leeks are from the same family as onion and garlic they are an allium vegetable.

In this weeks dish we will be using the following skills:

Weighing, measuring, chopping, mixing/combining, blending, boiling/simmering, frying and grilling.