Chicken Tagine - A reminder of the sunshine of Morroco!

To keep the summer vibes going and memories of our family holiday to Morocco alive - we have made this wonderful tagine in some of the School Cooking Enrichment classes we have held this Autumn term.

Its a dish full of Moroccan flavours; - the sweetness of apricots & honey with the tang of preserved lemons, the smoky paprika and cumin finished with the light zestiness of parsley and coriander.

We don't take nuts into schools but this dish is wonderful with toasted flaked almonds dotted on the top

Serve with a Raita salad - Greek, full fat yoghurt and grated cucumber, with salt and pepper and a sprinkling of paprika

Use chicken on the bone as it adds much more flavour to the tagine during the hour plus of simmering it. You can easily remove the bones before serving once its cooked!

Recipe for 4-5 people

2 chicken thighs

2 chicken breasts

1 tbsp olive oil

2 red onions (sliced)

4 garlic cloves (crushed)

2 peppers

100g dried apricots quartered

2 preserved lemons (deseeded and cut up into small pieces)

500ml chicken stock

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can chickpeas

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 ½ tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 ½ tbsp paprika

2 tablespoons of honey

Chopped parsley & mint & coriander to garnish

For a veggie option replace the chicken with the same weight of lentils and use vegetable stock instead of chicken

1.       Cut into strips the chicken breast and cut some of the chicken from the bone - heat half the oil in a pan and brown each side of ALL the chicken (including the bits on the bones) and set aside.

2.      Slice the onions and crush the garlic and use the rest of the oil and heat to a medium heat and add the onions and garlic and cook for 10-15 minutes until soft.

3.      Slice the peppers, chop the apricots and lemons

4.      Increase the heat and add the peppers, apricots and lemons.

5.      Add the spices.

6.      After a few minutes once you can smell the spices add the chicken, chicken stock, honey, tomatoes & chickpeas.

7.       Season and bring to the boil.

8.      Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours.

9.      Garnish with chopped parsley and mint.

10.  Serve with couscous/rice and a salad

Strawberry Mouse - A taste of Summer!

This super easy, delicious and fruity mouse was such a hit in our after-school cooking classes last week that they didnt survive the journey home. Many were eaten before parents were shown or a taste could be given!

The smell of the strawberries as you mash them in this recipe is divine - the little cooks loved smelling such a sweet, inviting smell.

You can use defrosted frozen strawberries or fresh ones!

A touch of sugar brings out the flavour of the strawberries as the sugar draws out the fruits liquid and sweet juice.

Strawberry Mouse

Enough for one person in 1 ramekin

2-3 large soft strawberries (washed)

1 tsp icing sugar

2 tbsp Greek yoghurt

1/2 tbsp whipped double cream

Meringue – half a nest

Pieces of mint

1.        Mash strawberries with the back of a fork

2.       Sieve and add the icing sugar to them

3.       Add the yoghurt and mix

4.      Break in the meringues and stir

5.      Fold in the whipped cream

6.      Add to the ramekin and put a piece of pieces of mint on top

7.    Put in the fridge for half an hour. Ready to eat!

You can use alternative fruits - raspberries, blueberries, mango, banana - frozen or fresh to create a refreshing and beautiful mouse!

Focaccia - A taste of Italy!

Making our Cinnamon and Nutella rolls over the Easter break at our 6-12yr cooking classes and seeing the cooks enjoyment at making dough from scratch, kneading it and seeing it rise has prompted us to do more bread based savoury and sweet treats...

So we wanted to share with you our focaccia recipe - which like all the recipes we share can be adapted easily to your tastes and flavour preferences!

Alternative flavours; caramelised onions, roasted veggies, cherry tomatoes, juicy olives, red onions, grapes, tomato puree, sundried tomatoes, grated parmesan or knobs of feta cheese.

Sprinkle fresh or dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme, basil or oregano to add a beautiful aromatic flavour.

Focaccia Bread – Rosemary

Makes 2 breads                                                 

250g strong white bread flour (sieved)

1 tsp sea salt

1 sachet dried easy blend yeast

1 tbsp olive oil

200ml warm water (not too hot)

Few sprigs of Rosemary

Olive oil, for drizzling

Fine sea salt

1.       Place the flour, salt, yeast, olive oil and 130ml of the water into a large bowl. Gently stir with your hand or a wooden spoon to form a dough then knead the dough in the bowl for five minutes, gradually adding the remaining water until its a sticky dough.

2.      Stretch the dough by hand in the bowl, tuck the sides into the centre, turn the bowl 80 degrees and repeat the process for about 8-10 minutes.

3.      Tip the dough onto an oiled work surface and continue kneading for five more minutes. Return the dough to the bowl, pour olive oil around the sides, cover and leave to rise until doubled in size (about 30 minutes-1 hour)

4.      Line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Tip the dough out of the bowl and divide into two portions. Flatten each portion onto a baking sheet, pushing to the corners, then leave to prove for 30mins - 1 hour (covered in a warm place)

5.      Preheat the oven to 220C or 200 degrees fan.

6. Drizzle the loaves with oil, put in the rosemary (using the tips of your fingers) and sprinkle with fine sea salt then bake in the oven for 20 minutes. When cooked, drizzle with a little more olive oil and serve hot or warm.

Focaccia goes with anything, from salads to soups, and it’s perfect for sharing, especially along with Italian appetizers.

Such as Italian cheese, Parma ham, spicy olives, sun dried tomato paste, marinated mozzarella, caprese skewers or pinzimonio for an authentic Italian dinner. Or use focaccia to make scrumptious sandwiches!