Cooking for Your Kids
Cooking For Your Kids: At Home with World’s Greatest Chefs by Joshua David Stein is published by Phaidon, £29.95 (phaidon.com)
Phaidon have published a wonderful new book full of recipes from around the world and from a huge variety of chefs. We have put together a fantastic menu of recipes for you to try at home, whether for you or for your kids!
Breakfast
030 Jocelyn Guest and Erika Nakamura, Sourdough Pancakes
Serves 4
2 cups (260 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate
of soda)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher (flaked) salt
1 cup (240 g) ripe sourdough starter
1½ cups (12 fl oz/350 ml)
unsweetened almond milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
Butter, for cooking the pancakes
By the time we were pregnant with our daughter, Nina, we had moved to the woods in upstate New York from the city. It was winter. As butchers, we weren’t natural bakers, but something about being stuck in the woods in winter made me [Erika] want to start making bread. By the time Nina was a few months old I needed to satiate who I was as a chef. Butchering a chicken wasn’t really a good option, so I became a zealous starter keeper and sourdough maker. These pancakes are easy to prepare, versatile, and good on the go. Nina loves them. And, unlike many sourdough recipes, the starter here is a flavoring agent, not a fermentation agent, and so there is no waiting involved. With a little more salt, they become a savory snack. With a sprinkle of sugar, they’re great for breakfast. Often, I’ll cook them all up, load them all up in containers, and take it with me on the road to feed her on the go.
In a big bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda (bicarb), sugar, and salt.
In another bowl, mix together the sourdough starter, almond milk, egg, and olive oil. Stir until the ingredients are combined.
Add small amounts of the flour mixture to the wet mixture while stirring well. Continue to whisk slowly until all dry and wet ingredients are incorporated.
Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat and grease with a generous amount of butter. Using a large spoon or a ¼-cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) measure, pour the batter into the pan and cook until the surface is dotted with bubbles. Flip the pancakes and continue to cook for a couple of minutes until they are golden brown and delicious. Continue making pancakes until you can’t make pancakes anymore, adding more butter as needed.
Lunch
078 Karena Armstrong, Lunch Box Noodle Bowl
Makes 8 lunch boxes
For the noodles:
5 oz (150 g) baby spinach
17½ oz (500 g) noodles, such as
sweet potato noodles/soba/udon
1 oz (30 g) fresh ginger
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
For the tofu:
3½ tablespoons rice bran oil or similar neutral oil
17½ oz (500 g) firm tofu, cut into 8 even slices
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons oyster sauce or hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
For the garnishes:
3 bunches Chinese broccoli or similar greens
3 sheets nori
1⁄3 cup (50 g) toasted sesame seeds
7 oz (200 g) frozen shelled edamame, thawed
2 avocados
4 free-range eggs, hard-boiled (for 6 minutes)
We have three boys, five years apart in total, so it’s safe to say our house is hectic. The boys are a hurricane of energy and, especially as they get ready for school, the mornings pass in a blur. But they still need to eat. Each of the kids plays sports after school, so they need a healthy and filling lunch. For these, I prepare all the ingredients the night before, sometimes at the beginning of the week, and simply assemble in that morning rush.
Cook the noodles: Put the spinach in a colander and set in the sink. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain the hot noodles into the colander over the spinach and mix well. Finely grate the ginger into a large container and add to the noodles. Add the soy sauce, olive oil, and sesame oil and mix really well. Refrigerate until required.
Make the tofu: Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil to the pan and when hot, add the tofu and cook both sides until golden brown. Remove to a plate. In a bowl or cup, whisk together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, lemon juice, and sesame oil. Pour over the hot tofu. Cool until needed.
Prepare the garnishes: Set up an ice bath. Steam the Chinese broccoli very quickly and plunge into the ice bath to chill. Drain well and chop into small bits. Toast the nori in a low oven until crisp. Store in a sealed container.
Have all the ingredients ready to assemble the lunch boxes, but don’t slice the avocados or peel the eggs until the day of. Use the extra dressing from the tofu and noodles to add moisture.
Dinner
108 Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava and Dylan Jones, Spring Rolls
Makes 20 spring rolls
For the filling:
5 cilantro (coriander) roots, trimmed and cleaned
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
½ tablespoon ground white pepper
5 tablespoons rice bran oil
¼ cup (20 g) dried shrimp (prawns), rinsed in water
½ cup (20 g) dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and then cut into thin strips
1 cup (70 g) julienned cabbage
1 cup (110 g) julienned carrot or daikon radish
3 tablespoons light soy sauce,* or to taste
3.5 g oz (100 g) ground (minced) pork
½ cup (60 g) cooked bamboo or jicama (optional)
½ cup (175 g) rice vermicelli noodles, soaked in water until soft
4 tablespoons light chicken stock
1 teaspoon raw sugar (optional)
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
For assembly:
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 package (12 oz/340 g) spring roll skins
Neutral oil, for deep-frying
This snack, which both our kids love, is definitely Bo’s inspiration. She loves origami and folding things and she loves that you can fit a ton of vegetables into the spring roll. Our kids, meanwhile, think they’re fun to eat and, because they’re fried, unhealthy. So it’s a good trick.
Make the filling:
Pound the cilantro (coriander) roots, garlic, and white pepper together to make a coarse paste.
In a wok, heat the rice bran oil over high heat. Add the dried shrimp (prawns) and shiitake mushrooms. Fry until the shiitakes become golden brown. Add the cilantro/garlic paste and once the garlic is cooked, add the julienned cabbage and carrot with the soy sauce. Fry until the vegetables are cooked.
Add the pork and stir-fry constantly so the meat does not form lumps. Add the bamboo or jicama (if using) and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the soaked vermicelli to the wok along with 2 tablespoons of the stock. Stir well. Check the seasoning, adding the sugar and more soy sauce if desired.
In a small bowl, stir the remaining 2 tablespoons stock with the tapioca flour. Gently pour this mixture into the wok and cook to thicken the sauce.
Remove from the wok and refrigerate for 1 hour to chill.
To assemble:
When ready to assemble the rolls, make a light paste of water and flour to serve as a
glue to seal the rolls. Place a spring roll skin on a work surface with a point facing you. Place about 3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of the wrapper. First fold the east-west corners to meet in the center. Then fold up the south corner. Continue to fold the package over toward the north corner until a neat wrapper is formed. Use the water-flour paste to seal the edge. (Unfried rolls can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. They should be fried from frozen.)
Pour 3 inches (75 cm) neutral oil into a deep heavy pot and heat over medium-high heat to 350°F (180°C/Gas Mark 4).
Working in batches, fry until golden, 4–5 minutes. Serve hot.
* This is not lower-sodium soy sauce; the “light” is a reference to its lighter color. It is also called thin soy sauce.
Snack
166 Anne-Sophie Pic, Potato Dauphinois
Serves 6
1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) milk
3 cups (24 fl oz/750 ml) heavy (whipping) cream
1½ cloves garlic, crushed, plus ½ clove
3½ tablespooons (50 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed, plus butter for greasing
1 cup (30 g) lovage
Sarawak pepper
2 lbs (1 kg) starchy potato, peeled and cut into 1/10-inch (3 mm) thick slices
This is a recipe that comes from the Drôme region, in South-Eastern France, where my family is from. It has been passed down from my great-grandmother to my grandfather to my parents to me and now to my son. It’s a delicious and, more importantly, easy-to-make dinner. I don’t want my home to become my second workplace—the cooking is fun, spontaneous, and relaxed.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC/Gas Mark 4).
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the milk and cream with the crushed garlic, lovage, and a little Sarawak pepper. Bring to a boil and season with a pinch of salt.
Meanwhile, rub a casserole dish with the half clove of garlic, then grease with butter and set aside.
Once the milk-and-cream mixture is simmering, add slices of potato and allow to cook for 8 minutes over low heat. Then remove and place in the buttered casserole dish. Continue to reduce the milk and cream for another 5 minutes. Then pour that into the dish atop the potatoes as well.
If you have time, let the mixture rest for 1 hour. If you’re in a hurry, top with the small cubes of cold butter and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove, let cool slightly, then serve.
Treat
202 Sandra and Filip Claeys, Daddy’s Crêpes Normandy
Serves 4
3 eggs
2 cups (16 fl oz/475 ml) milk
¼ cup (50 g) sugar, plus 8 teaspoons
11⁄3 cups (180 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
4 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
4 teaspoons corn oil
2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Every September there is a big gastronomic festival in the city center of Bruges called Kookeet. Lots of chefs in Bruges participate in the event and each year they prepare different things. Five years ago, I [Filip] was crazy enough to make these sweet pancakes for thousands of people over the course of three days. This was also the first year Fleur and Jules were old enough to help out at our booth. They loved it! They helped put the ice cream on top, added the Calvados (which we omit at home), and explained the dish to the guests. Even today, if you ask them what their favorite dessert is, they’ll say, “Daddy’s Crêpe Normandy . . . without Calvados!”
In a large bowl, mix the together the eggs, milk, ¼ cup (50 g) sugar, and flour.
Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the melted butter and 1 teaspoon of the corn oil. Place one-quarter of the apples in the pan, heating until each side is golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Pour one-quarter of the batter over the apples, letting it bake until it becomes golden brown on each side, about 1½ minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar to the pan and flip again, allowing the crêpe to caramelize.
Repeat, adding more butter and oil each time to make 3 more pancakes.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.
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