Cookery

Home Economics - Cooking

This year as part of the Transition Year programme we have a double class of cooking each week where we make and bake various recipes selected by our Home Ec teachers. So far I am really enjoying Home Ec and learning a lot of new recipes and skills. I have listed both the ingredients and the methods below so you can have a go at making them yourselves! Give it a go and try not to burn anything! :)

Chilli Con Carne

Ingredients:

• 400g minced beef
• 1 tablespoonoil
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 green and reed pepper
• 1 in chopped tomatoes
• 1 level teaspoon chilli powder 
• 2 teaspoons tomato pureé
• Half can red kidney beans
• Serve with: Plain rice
• Garnish with: 1 tomato, fresh parsley or coriander. 

Method:

1. Peel and dice onion  Peel and crush garlic. wash, deseed and slice pepper and fresh chilli if using.
2. Heat oil, fry onion until golden. Add garlic and pepper and stir for 2 minutes.
3. Add mince, fry onmedim heat until there is no raw pink colour. 
4. Add chopped tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, chilli, tomato pureé and kidney beans. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. 
5. Cook the rice.
6. The chilli sauce should be nice and thick. If not, boil rapidly while stirring for 3 minutes to reduce the liquid. 
7. Wash tomato and herb garnish. Cut tomato into 8 wedges. 
8. Chop parsley or coriander.
9. serve on a bed of rice and serve the chilli in the center.
10. Garnish with fresh herbs and tomato. 

Risotto

Ingredients:

• 2 streaky rashers
• 1 large chicken fillet
• 1 medium onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 200g rice
• 500ml stock
• 100g mushrooms
• 1 level teaspoon salt
• Black pepper
• Garnish with: 50g cheese and some parsley

Method:

1. Peel, slice and dice onion finely. Peel and crush garlic.
2. Cut pepper, dressed, wash, dry and dice finely. Put a little aside for garnish. Wash and slice the mushrooms.
3. Wash, dry, and dice chicken fillet into 2cm pieces.
4. Cut the rasher into small pieces. Make stock.
5. heat oil in a saucepan and fry rashers until beginning to brown.
6. Add onions, soften for 1 minute. Add chicken, fry for 3 minutes.
7. Add peppers, mushrooms, garlic, rice and stir over the heat until the rice is covered with oil. Add stock and bring o the boil, stirring all the time. 
8. Reduce heat, cover tightly and simmer gently for 25 minutes until the rice is soft and the stock has been absorbed. Stir he bottom of the pot often to prevent sticking. Add hot water if necessary, 50ml at a time. 
9. Wash, dry and chop parsley for garnish. Grate the cheese or use Parmesan shavings. Taste the risotto, correct the seasoning and add salt if required. 
10. Serve: Hot with rice
11. Garnish with: Cheese and parsley.

Profiteroles

Ingredients:

• 70g plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 250ml cream
• 50g butter
• 150ml water
• 3 drops vanilla essence

Method:

1. preheat oven to 200 degrees
2. Line tin with grease-proof paper.
3. Sieve flour into a bowl.
4. Melt butter and water in a saucepan, bring to the boil. Remove from heat as soon as it boils.
5. Add all flour and beat well with a wooden spoon. Mixture should come together in a ball and come away from the sides of the pan.
6. Return to a mixing bowl, allow to cool for 3-4 minutes.
7. Add 1 egg and mix until the mixture is thick and glossy.
8. Add the egg yolk of the second egg. Mix with wooden spoon, add some egg white if the mixture is too thick.
9. Spoon mixture onto lined in. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and crisp.
10. Remove from the oven, place on wire tray to cool. Make a slit in each to release steam. 
11. Whip cream and vanilla essence. Fill profiteroles using a pipping bag, decorate with melted chocolate sauce. 

Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Base

• 100g digestive biscuists 
• 50g butter or margarine

Filling

• 200g cream cheese
• 125g natural yogurt
• Half packet of lemon jelly
• 2 tablespoons water
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 lemon

Method:

1. Crush biscuits in food processor or in a plastic bag and use rolling pin.
2. Melt butter in saucepan, add crushed biscuits.
3. Mix well.
4. Dissolve jelly in 2 tablespoons of boiling water.
5. Add 50g sugar stir well, let cool slightly.
6. Zest lemon, half and juice both halves.
7. Whisk 200g cheese and 125g yogurt in bowl.
8. Add lemon juice, zest, liquid jelly.
9. Whisk until smooth.
10. Pour on top of base in dish.
11. Chill until set.

Apple Crumble

Ingredients:

Filing

• 2 large cooking apples
• 50g butter or margarine
• 25g caster sugar

Crumble Topping

• 50g white flour
• 25g wholemeal flour
• 75g brown sugar
• 50 ground almonds
• 50g butter
• 50g oatflakes

Method:

1. Pre heat oven to 190 degrees
2. Peel, core and chop the apples into chunks.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the apples and the sugar, cook on a high heat for 3-5 minutes.
4. Place in an oven proof dish.
5. Crumble: Place the flour into a bowl
6. Add the sugar, ground almonds, oatflakes.
7. Rub in the butter using your fingertips.
8. Sprikle over the pples.
9. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. 
10. Serve with custard, cream, ice-cream. 

Scones 

Ingredients:

• 450g self raising flour
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of baking powder
• 100g margarine or butter
• 50 caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 50 ml cream (optional)
• 200 ml milk

Method:

1. Grease tin and preheat ovan to 180 degrees.
2. Sieve flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl.
3. Add sugar.
4. Rub margarine into flour with fingertips.
5. Add fruit if using.
6. Add agg, cream enough milk to moisten.
7. Gather mix into a dough.
8. Flatten, cut out scones, glaze with milk or egg. 
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
10. When golden brown and 'hollow sounding' they should be ready.
11. Cool on a wire tray.