Year 8 Recipes
Ragu 1 onion 1 clove garlic 1 tbsp oil 1 tin tomatoes Handful of fresh basil Black pepper Possible modifications: Use dried herbs if you do not have fresh. Add ½ red chilli, for a sauce with a kick. Add 75g mushrooms and 75g courgette, after stage 2, for a simple veggie sauce. Add and brown 200g minced beef after stage 2 for a simple meat sauce. Stir-in black olives and tuna for a fish alternative. Pour the basic ragu sauce over white fish, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 20 minutes until golden. 1. Peel and chop the onion and peel and crush the garlic. 2. Fry the onion for 3 mins until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. 3. Add the tomatoes and tear in the basil leaves. 4. Add a few twists of black pepper, then allow to simmer gently for 30 minutes (longer if possible). You may wish to serve the tomato ragu with pasta if so: After 15 minutes, put a large saucepan of water on to boil. When rapidly boiling, add the pasta and cook for around 10 minutes until al dente. Drain; Mix the cooked pasta and tomato sauce together.
Sweet potato and chickpea curry 1 onion 1 clove garlic 1 large sweet potato 1 x 5ml spoon oil 2 x tbsp. Curry Powder 300ml water 1 can chopped tomatoes (400g) 1 can chickpeas (410g), drained 3 handfuls of fresh spinach Possible modifications: Dice 1 chicken breast and add after stage 2 to seal the chicken. Add diced pepper, aubergine and courgette instead of the sweet potato and chickpeas. 1. Prepare the onion, garlic and potatoes: Slice the onion, peel and crush the garlic, peel and cut the potatoes into 1cm cubes. 2. Fry the onion and garlic for 2 minutes in the oil. 3. Stir in the curry powder, sweet potatoes and water. 4. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas, then allow to simmer for 20 minutes, until the potato is tender. 5. Stir in the fresh spinach, and allow to cook for a further 2 minutes
Bread based pizza 100g Strong Flour ½ tsp Salt ½ sachet dried yeast 1 tbsp spoon sunflower oil 2 tbsp Tomato Puree/pizza topping/ragu sauce 30g Cheese PLUS 2 extra topping of your own choice 1. Preheat the oven to 200 C or gas mark 6. 2. Grease the baking tray. 3. Sift the flour and salt into the mixing bowl. 4. Stir in the yeast and make a well in the middle. 5. Add the oil and enough warm water to mix into a soft dough with your hands. 6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes. 7. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with cling film and allow to prove in a warm place for 15 minutes. 8. Roll out and shape the dough into a rectangle. 9. Place the dough onto the baking tray. 10. Spread the Tomato Puree/ragu sauce on the base almost to the edge of the pizza with the palette knife. 11. Cover with toppings and grated cheese. 12. Bake for 10-15 minutes. 13. Remove from the oven and place the pizza on the cooling rack.
Fresh Pasta For the pasta: 200g strong plain flour or 00 flour 2 whole medium eggs 1. Put the flour and eggs into a food processor and whiz for 2 minutes until a dough ball forms. 2. If you don t have a food processor put the eggs and flour into a bowl and work together with a fork initially, then use your hands to form a dough. 3. The dough should leave the bowl clean, tip on to your work surface and knead well for at least 10 minutes, until a smooth dough forms. You should not need additional flour at this stage! 5. Then turn your pasta through the tagliatelle/spaghetti setting, dust with flour and place on a baking tray. 6. Make the sauce by chopping and crushing the garlic and add to the chopped tomatoes. Heat in a saucepan. 7. Bring a pan of water to the boil(very important) then add the fresh pasta. Cook for 2-3 minutes until no linger translucent. 8. Drain and serve with your sauce, top with grated parmesan and fresh basil. For the sauce: I can chopped tomatoes 1 clove garlic 50g Grated parmesan cheese Fresh basil 4. Once kneaded roll out to a long rectangle that fits the width of your pasta machine. Roll the pasta through the widest setting first through to the narrowest.
Pasta and Cheese Sauce Ingredients 100g pasta shapes 50g cheese 25g butter or margarine 25g plain flour 250ml semi-skimmed milk Modifications: 100g broccoli 100g canned tuna (in water) drained 1 x 5ml spoon dried oregano 50g sweetcorn (canned or frozen) Black pepper 1. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, and then add the pasta. Simmer for about 10 12 minutes, until al dente. 2. Grate the cheese and cut the broccoli into small pieces. 3. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce: place the butter or margarine, flour and milk into a small saucepan; bring the sauce to a simmer, whisking all the time until it has thickened; reduce the heat, stir in the oregano, and allow to simmer for 2 minutes; 4. During the last 2 minutes of the pasta boiling, add the sweetcorn and broccoli to the saucepan. 5. Drain the boiling hot water away from the pasta and vegetables into a colander in the sink. 6. Pour the drained pasta and vegetables into the sauce. 7. Stir in the canned tuna. 8. Sprinkle the cheese over the top, and add a few twists of black pepper. Place under a hot grill until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown.
1. Place the flour, salt, yeast, olive oil and most of the water in a bowl and mix, 2. Add the rest of the water until you have a smooth dough. This should take about five minutes. turn the oven on to 200 C/400G/Gas 6. 8. Bake the bread for 20 minutes, the baked focaccia should be golden-brown. Focaccia Ingredients 250g/9oz strong white flour, plus extra for dusting 2g/¼oz salt 5g/¼oz fast action dried yeast 30ml/1fl oz olive oil, plus extra for oiling 180ml/6fl oz water 2 tbsp. olive oil Fresh herbs/1 garlic cloves/ tomatoes/olives 3. Shape the dough to a rectangle shape 2.5 cm thick 4. Place on a tray or a large baking tray. 5. Chop the garlic and herbs. 6. Press dents all over surface of the dough, drizzle with oil and scatter herbs and garlic. 7. Place the tray in a COLD oven and
Mini bakewell tarts Pastry: 150g Plain flour 75g butter 4 tbsp cold water Filling: 2 tablespoons Jam/Lemon Curd 50g margarine 50g caster sugar 50g self raising flour 1 large egg 1 lemon, juice and zest 4 tbsp icing sugar/lemon zest/blueberries 1. Preheat oven 180 C/GM5 2. Sift flour into bowl. 3. Cut up fat into small pieces. Add to flour and rub in until it resembles breadcrumbs, remember COLD HANDS! 4. Add 1 tbsp COLD water at a time and mix with a knife to form a dough. 5. Roll out, cut into rounds and line a cupcake tin with 12 rounds. 6. Spread jam/curd over base. 7. Make cake mixture using the creaming method. Stir in half the lemon juice and zest of whole lemon. 8. Spread mixture over the curd 9. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown 10. Cool and dust with icing sugar OR top with glace icing (made with icing sugar and lemon juice).
Flaky Pastry Sausage rolls For the quick and easy flaky pastry: 110g plain flour 75g block butter YOU MUST WRAP THIS IN FOIL, LABEL AND PUT IN FREEZER THE NIGHT BEFORE! Pinch of salt For the filling: 225g good quality sausage meat 1 small onion, finely chopped Handful of fresh herbs ie sage finely chopped Salt and black pepper egg, to glaze Vegetarian Option 125g breadcrumbs 100g grated cheese 1 tbsp freshly chopped herbs 1tsp mustard powder 2 tbsp thick double cream Pinch cayenne pepper, salt and pepper Preheat the oven to 180 C/GM5 1. Make the pastry, the butter needs to be rock-hard from the freezer, so weigh out the required amount, wrap it in a piece of foil, then put it in the freezing compartment for 30-45 minutes. 2. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. When you take the butter out of the freezer, open it up and use some of the foil to hold the end with. 3. Dip the fat in the flour and grate it on a coarse grater placed in the bowl over the flour. Keep dipping the butter down into the flour to make it easier to grate. 4. At the end you will be left with a pile of grated butter in the middle of the flour, so take a palette knife and start to distribute it into the flour (don't use your hands), trying to coat all the pieces of butter with flour until the mixture is crumbly. 5. Add enough cold water to form a dough that leaves the bowl clean, using your hands to bring it all together into a ball. 6. Mix together the filling ingredients. Roll out the pastry to the size of a piece of A4 paper. Cut this rectangle into two strips 30 x 10cm 7. Divide the filling into two, making two long rolls the same length as the strips of pastry (if it s sticky sprinkle on some flour and flour your hands). 8. Place one roll of sausagemeat onto one strip of pastry. Brush the beaten egg along one edge, then fold the pastry over and seal it as carefully as possible. Roll the whole thing over so the sealed edge is underneath. 9. Roll lightly and repeat with the second piece of pastry and sausage meat. 10. Then use a small sharp knife to cut each roll into six sausage rolls, each about 5cm long. 11. Snip three V shapes in the top of each roll with the end of some scissors and brush with beaten egg. 12. Place the rolls on the baking sheet and bake high in the oven for 20-25 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool.
1. Set oven to 180 C. 2. Make fresh pasta as per last lesson. Cut into rectangles to fit your baking tray (foil take away cartons work great for this practical). 3. To make the meat sauce, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the beef for about 10 mins until browned all over. 4. Pour over our basic passata sauce, add the tomato puree, then season. Bring up to the boil, then simmer for 30 mins until the sauce looks rich. Classic Lasagna For the lasagne sheets Make 200g fresh pasta For the meat sauce 500g lean beef mince 1 onion - peeled + chopped 2 cloves - peeled + crushed 1 jar passata sauce 1tsp mixed herbs Grated mozzarella 5. Make the béchamel sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in an equal amount of flour and cook the mixture for just under a minute - known as a roux. 6. Stir in milk, a little at a time, making sure to stir well so that no lumps form. 7. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring constantly, so that the mixture thickens and becomes glossy. Boil for a couple of minutes. 8. To make a cheese sauce, add grated cheese off the heat. Season well. For the béchamel sauce 60g butter 60g plain flour 600ml milk Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 9. Heat oven to 180 C/fan/160C/gas 4. Lightly oil an ovenproof dish (about 30 x 20cm). Spoon one third of the meat sauce into the dish, then cover with lasagna sheets (made earlier). Drizzle over about one quarter of your béchamel sauce. 10. Repeat until you have 3 layers of pasta. Cover with the remaining white sauce, making sure you can t see any pasta poking through. 11. Scatter the mozzarella over the top. Bake for 45 mins until the top is bubbling and lightly browned.