April Top Tips

Written by James
Published on 27th March 2014 at 14:05 • No comments yet, be the first!

Kid Friendly Cooking!!

With the Easter holidays just around the corner most people will have a few days off so there’s a bit of extra time to be in the kitchen either cooking with your kids or doing a bit of experimenting yourself! We at the Spicery think that spicing should start as early as possible but maybe mild is a good place to begin rather than straight in with the birdseye chillies! So, this month’s free sample is BAHARAT, a seasoning used throughout the Arab world that’s a delicious yet gentle blend of (amongst other things) paprika, cassia, cloves and nutmeg - perfect for kids and adults alike. It’s great sprinkled onto tomato soup, baked beans or cheese on toast or can be used as a rub for chicken or fish. Alternatively try one of these kid friendly recipes that use lots of basic cooking skills like mixing, mashing, greasing and generally getting hands dirty! Spicy Meatballs and Spaghetti - use this month’s free sample of BAHARAT to create a lovely spicy (but mild heat) meatball dish. Using your hands mix together 500g of beef or lamb mince, the free sample of BAHARAT and 1 tsp of salt. Take heaped teaspoons full of the mixture and form into balls. Fry a finely chopped onion with 2 cloves of garlic for 10 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the meatballs and cook for another 10 minutes then add a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes and simmer for 40 minutes until the meat is cooked through and the sauce is rich and thick. Cook your spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Drain and serve with the meatballs and heaps of grated cheese! Easy Peasy Baharat Banana Bread - a quick version of banana bread that can be whipped up at any time. Pre heat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4 and grease a bread tin. Mash up 3 very ripe bananas then combine them with 120g of melted butter, 120g demerara sugar and the free sample of BAHARAT. Fold in 220g of self-raising flour and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda. Pour into the bread tin and then bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of demerara sugar all over the loaf and bake for a further 20 minutes or until the loaf is risen and when you insert a knife into the centre itcomes out clean. Serve warm from the oven in thick slices. Happy Spicing!