Once in a while we have a ‘theme’ night at dinnertime when we try food from another country. It’s a fun way to be a little adventurous and learn about different cultures. I sometimes simplify or adapt the original version to make it more kid friendly and not too overwhelming, so there is no need to completely stick to tradition. Our latest theme dinner was a Scandinavian Smorgasbord consisting of smoked salmon and lemon wedges (the kids felt all fancy squeezing the lemon over the salmon!); potato salad made from boiled potatoes, capers and a little mayonnaise; and rye bread with butter (you can get rye bread from big supermarkets).
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If you wanted to be even more authentic you could add meatballs, boiled eggs, crayfish, crackers, beetroot salad or dill and mustard sauce. Or you could have a look in the Ikea food shop for easy inspiration (they even do vegetable balls as an alternative to meatballs).
There are endless possibilities for theme nights – we have had Italian pasta meals listening to opera and Mexican fajitas after watching the Pixar kids film Coco! Google will give you lots of ideas.
This is a gently spiced Salmon and Green Bean Curry recipe from the lovely Nadiya Hussain’s free kids cookbook for World Book Day. It is all made in one pan so nice and simple.
My youngest son Robin (5) helped me make the curry using his new proper grown up chopping knife (the knife brand is ‘kitchen devil’, so obviously he was sold). Luckily he is naturally cautious so I wasn’t scared for long! I just had to make sure there was no loud music on and he and his brother were in different rooms and not distracting each other. He helped me cut the green beans and salmon, holding one end with one hand (fingers curled in) and cutting slowly with the other.
He also helped me put the ingredients in the pan and stir. Great job Robin! Hopefully Freddy will cook with me soon too. Freddy and us adults loved the dish with some brown rice. Robin wasn’t keen on the green beans but enjoyed the rest of it and we agreed to try it with peas next time. Canned chickpeas would make a great alternative to the salmon. Allow about 30 minutes to make everything!
Salmon and green bean curry (serves 4 with brown rice)
Glug of oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Thumb of ginger, grated very small
1 small onion, chopped small
1 tsp tomato puree or 1 tomato, chopped small
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
Water
170g green beans, chopped
450g salmon, skin removed and chopped in to chunks
Handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Heat the oil, garlic, ginger and onion in a pan for 5 minutes, until the onions have softened. Add the tomato puree or tomatoes, turmeric and garam masala and cook for another minute. Add a 2 tbsp water and then the green beans. Cook for 5 minutes, adding a little more water if need be, to just cover them.
Add the salmon and cook for another 5-7 minutes, adding a little more water to help them cook if necessary. Take off the pan and stir in the coriander. Eat with brown rice!
This is a really hearty, beautifully flavoured fish stew that hails from Brazil (they call it Moqueca). The fish is simmered in a lovely tomato, coconut, pepper and garlic sauce and the whole dish is topped with fresh coriander, chilli and a squeeze of lime. I have simplified it slightly so it only takes 25 minutes to make. Next time I will eat the stew with a hunk of baguette to soak up the flavours! Wonderful.
Brazilian Fish Stew (Moqueca) – serves 2
Oil, for frying
1 onion, sliced thin
1 red pepper, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Tin chopped tomatoes
Carton of coconut cream (160ml)
Salt and pepper
2 fillets white fish, chopped in to large chunks (I chose pollack as it is good value!)
Handful coriander, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, chopped small
2 lime quarters, for serving
Heat the oil on a medium heat and fry the onion and pepper for about 7 minutes, stirring regularly, until softening. Add the garlic and 1/2 the chopped chilli and heat for a minute, then add the tin of chopped tomatoes, coconut cream, salt and pepper. Heat for 2 minutes then add the fish on top. Make sure it is mostly covered by the sauce. Simmer for around 12-15 minutes, until cooked through, turning over halfway. Spoon in to bowls then top with the remaining chilli, coriander, and a wedge of lime for squeezing. Enjoy with crusty bread and a cold drink!
You may have seen Buddha Bowls before – they are basically bowls filled with little mounds of different foods, usually vegan. I decided to mix it up and put together a quick, non-vegan, family-friendly Asian Buddha Bowl: sushi (shop-bought of course!); edamame beans in their pods (just defrost them and cut off the ends for easy popping); chocolate covered rice cake; fruit; prawn crackers and salted peanuts. Us adults also had kimchi (a sort of spicy, fermented Korean coleslaw – not sure what I make of this yet!)
The kids loved having all the different bits of food in their bowl and especially enjoyed the sushi (they stuck with the more familiar rice and salmon option rather than the more complex filling). They didn’t finish every single thing and I didn’t pressure them to, as I think the fun of experimental eating makes the little rascals more likely to be adventurous in the long-term anyway.
I’m going to try some other Non-Orthodox Buddha Bowls in the future – the options are endless. Suggestions are very welcome!
I recently had possibly the best pasta dish of my life at Vapiano restaurant in London – a big, silky, comforting bowl of spaghetti, prawns, cream, pesto, onion, garlic, chilli and spinach. The best thing about this experience was that the dish was cooked in front of me (you order your food then the chefs cook it behind a long counter). I therefore realised that this AMAZINGLY delicious dish is easy to cook and only takes 15 minutes!
Within days my boyfriend cooked the dish himself at home and it was every bit as good. The kids loved it too. It makes a great family meal but would also impress friends. Here is the recipe.
Cracking Creamy Prawn and Spinach Pasta (serves 2)
Approx 200g pasta
A little olive or vegetable oil
1 large clove of garlic, crushed/chopped small
1/2 onion or a shallot, finely chopped
Approx 150g large prawns
1/2 fresh chilli, chopped small (seeds included!)
1 tbsp double cream
1 tbsp basil pesto
Large handful of parmesan
Large handful of spinach, roughly chopped
Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. Meanwhile heat the oil separately in a pan, add the garlic, onion and prawns and fry on a medium heat for a few minutes, stirring regularly. Add the chilli, double cream, pesto and most of the parmesan. Heat for a few more minutes then add the spinach. Continue to heat for at least two more minutes, stirring regularly, until the spinach has wilted.
Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce mix. Mix well and divide between two bowls. Top with the remaining parmesan. Enjoy every second of eating it.
This is an unusual and grown up sharing platter of roast autumn vegetables, prawns and tortillas with Aji Green Dip – a Peruvian sauce which is full of flavour and kick. The dip is super easy and can be made in minutes in a food processor. If you use ‘lighter than light’ mayonnaise then the dip is also officially low fat!
The whole platter is lovely to share with someone else for dinner, or with several others as a starter. As an alternative you could use the dip as a sauce by spooning it over roast veg or meat or swirling it in to soups.
Autumn Platter with Aji Green Dip (serves 2 as a main or 4/5 as a starter)
For the things to dip
1 tortilla, cut in to triangles (or a small bag of plain tortilla crisps)
Small pack of king prawns, dry fried for a few minutes (you can use cooked prawns straight from the packet but they are nicer warm)
3 parsnips/2 potatoes/2 carrots – chopped in to thin wedges
Tbsp oil e.g. olive or vegetable oil
For the dip
Small pack fresh coriander
1 green chilli, chopped in to 3
2 spring onions, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
Juice of 1 lime
4 tbsp mayonnaise (if you use ‘lighter than light’ mayo the dip will be officially low fat!)
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees/gas mark 6.
First put the vegetables in an oven tray and drizzle over the oil, until everything is lightly coated. Roast the vegetables for half an hour or so, turning a few times, until browned and cooked through (the exact time will depend a bit on the oven). Ten minutes before the veg are done, arrange the cut tortilla in an oven tray and cook each side for about 4 minutes, or until lightly browned and crunchy.
For the dip, put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz for about 20 seconds, until smooth. Serve in a bowl with the vegetables, tortillas and prawns placed around it for dipping!
A fillet of fish in a packet bears no resemblance to the animal it used to be. So I feel really strongly that if children are going to eat fish or meat they should find out where it came from. I’d always assumed that cooking a whole fish would be technical and awkward, but actually if you buy it gutted and descaled then all you have to do is stuff it with lemon and herbs, shake over some salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and bake it until flaky . My kids love the spectacle of peeling the cooked skin off and using a fork to serve themselves. They really enjoy the texture and flavour of the fish and then seeing and touching the bones, head and eyes left at the end. They don’t hold back, so having wipes nearby is a must!
My kids are young so I just get them to do little tasks when I am cooking. In this case they chopped the olives in half with a blunt knife (next time it will be a proper knife!) and stuffed the fish (seabass) with the herbs and lemon slices. The fish is baked on top of sliced potatoes, onions, the olives and sundried tomatoes, which become sweet and chard, along with the subtle flavour of the lemon juice. Other vegetables such as sweet potato, broccoli, pepper, tomatoes and asparagus would also work well. Sainsbury’s do a pack of ‘British sea vegetables’ which you can fry in minutes, and make a great accompaniment (not according to the kids though, who stuck to their peas!)
The whole dish is fun to eat as you can put it in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves.
Baked Whole Fish With Tasty Roast Veg (serves 2-4 depending on appetite)
2 large potatoes sliced
1 onion, sliced
12 olives, chopped in half
6 sundried tomatoes, chopped small
2 whole sea bass or other similar sized whole fish, descaled and gutted
Handful of parsley
2 lemons, sliced
Olive oil (or any other cooking oil)
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees/gas mark 6.
Spread the sliced potatoes, onion, olives and sundried tomatoes out on a baking tray or large casserole dish to make a sort of bed for the fish, and pour over some oil. Lay on the descaled and gutted whole fish and stuff them with the parsley and lemon slices (don’t worry if they come out the side a bit). Finally drizzle the fish with a little oil and shake over some salt and pepper.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the fish is flaky and cooked, taking out the fish briefly to turn over the veg halfway through cooking. Let everyone serve themselves and the kids explore the fish as much as they like. Watch this video from 37 seconds in for how to eat your cooked fish – it is simpler than you think!
I love recipes that make life easier, but involve a few touches to make them your own. This colourful, delicious, summery pizza is just that – you buy a margarita pizza and then add sweetcorn, prawns and pesto (either homemade or shop-bought). If you’re making the pesto you will need a food processor.
If you like you could vary what ingredients you use to make this a summertime pizza – other seasonal summer ingredients are spring onions, tomatoes, asparagus, crab and rocket.
We ate the pizza in the garden with our hands, along with some chopped carrots and cucumber and a jug of squash. Yum!
Cheats Summertime Pizza (serves 4)
Large Margarita pizza
Small tin sweetcorn, drained
Small pack of king prawns
Shake of dried mixed herbs
For the pesto (alternatively use shop-bought pesto)
40g watercress or rocket
Juice of 1/4 of a lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
Small handful of pine nuts (or other nuts)
Dessert spoon of oil (ideally olive oil but any will do)
Optional – 1 tsp chilli flakes
Put the Margarita pizza on a baking tray. Scatter over the sweetcorn and prawns and a shake of the herbs. To make the pesto, blitz all the pesto ingredients in a food processor until well combined, adding a little more oil if it needs loosening up. Dollop the pesto all over the pizza. Scatter over the chilli flakes if using (or just use them on half if you want half of the pizza to be non-spicy). Cook the pizza as per the packet instructions. Eat with hands!
I recently ate this one-pot Tuna Pasta at my friend Jen’s, who is a genius at making tasty comfort food. It was by far the best tuna pasta I have ever had, so once again I consumed an unacceptably rude amount of it. In addition to the traditional tuna, sweetcorn and pasta, Jen adds feta cheese and olives, which give the dish a wonderful salty creaminess. She also adds peas for extra goodness.
There is no need to finish the dish off in the oven so it only takes about 20 minutes to make. It also happens to be a good introduction to feta cheese for kids – my kids only knowingly eat cheddar or halloumi cheese but they wolfed this down without question!
Tremendous Tuna Pasta (serves 4)
300g pasta ( any is fine but Jen uses penne)
4 handfuls frozen peas
Approx 20 olives, cut in half (any is fine)
Small tin of sweetcorn, drained
2 small tins tuna, flaked
80g low fat soft cheese
1/2 block feta cheese (about 100g), crumbled
Good shake of dried mixed herbs OR fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Shake of pepper
Cook the pasta, and a few minutes before it is ready add the peas. Drain. Add the olives, sweetcorn and tuna and mix well. Add the soft cheese and mix, adding a little water or olive oil if it needs loosening up. Add the feta cheese, herbs and pepper, heat and stir for a few more minutes and then eat hungrily in bowls!
This delicious Chicken (or Veggie) Chow Mein recipe comes courtesy of Judy and Andy Mus, a couple who run excellent ‘Saturday Cooking Club’ family cooking classes in Walthamstow, East London. Judy says this is the most popular dish at their cooking club, with many people commenting that it tastes better than a take away! Even many fussy eaters have enjoyed it. I have added fresh coriander to the recipe, as I can’t get enough of it and it is nice to sprinkle on some fresh herbs.
You can use chicken, prawns, tofu or quorn chunks along with the veg. Allow about 25 minutes to prepare and cook it all. The kids could help with all aspects of the dish – here is a guide to cooking with kids, in particular a video about knife skills: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/guide-cookery-skills-age. I had never let my kids cut with a sharp knife until I attended the cooking club! It was a little scary, but my 6 year old did really well and still has all his fingers.
If you are local to Walthamstow then check out E17 Pop Up Kitchens on Facebook for info about upcoming cooking sessions. It costs £15 per family, is fun and relaxed, and there is no minimum age.
Chicken (or Veggie) Chow Mein (serves approx 4)
3 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
Small thumb ginger, peeled and grated or chopped very small
1 clove garlic, crushed or chopped very small
Any oil, for cooking
2 chicken breasts, cut in to small chunks OR chopped smoked tofu OR quorn chicken chunks OR prawns
1 pepper, cut in to thin strips
5 spring onions, chopped
200g beansprouts
200g noodles (any is fine – I used medium egg noodles)
Optional – roughly chopped coriander
Mix the ketchup, oyster sauce, soy sauce, ginger and garlic together and set aside.
Heat some oil in a frying pan on a medium heat and add the chicken (or tofu, quorn chunks or prawns), stirring regularly for about 10 minutes, until it is white and cooked through.
Meanwhile cook the noodles as per the pack instructions and set aside. To the chicken add the pepper and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce and stir well until bubbling. Add the noodles, beansprouts and spring onions and mix well for another 2 minutes. Eat, sprinkled with coriander if you wish.
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