GARLIC SOUP

This is a very traditional Spanish soup from the Castillian region. It does not look great, but the taste is wonderful. A quick starter for a winter day - and for no money at all.

You need:

2 cloves of garlic (chopped very thinly)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

500 ml of hot water

2 table spoons olive oil

some stale bread

1 egg

25 gr o Spanish or Parma ham cut into little cubes (this is optional)

salt

Put the olive oil on a pan with the garlic and heat it over medium heat. If you are using the Serrano ham add the ham now and let it fry for a couple of minutes. When the garlic is about to become golden (2 minutes maximum) add the paprika. Let is fry for 10 seconds and add the water and the salt. As soon as the soup starts to boil, let it simmer for 3-5 minutes and then take it off the heat. Beat the egg and pour it slowly over the soup while stirring constantly. Then add the stale bread. We do not like the bread too soft, but if you prefer it this way you can let the soup and bread simmer for another 5 minutes.

The children can help with all of it. Mine dislike the smell of garlic on their hands. If they touch the garlic put their hands under the cold water tap and let the water run while asking them not to rub their hands. The smell should go within seconds.

BUTTER

This is really interesting for children to see. You just need to get double cream into a glass jar with a lid (fill it only to three quarters of the jar or so). Keep shaking it for 10 minutes: first you will see that the cream thickens and becomes like a really heavy paste; after a little bit longer the texture changes completely and you get a solid ball of butter floating in clear liquid.  Get rid of the liquid (it is bitter) and put the butter under tap water to get rid of any remaining bitterness. You can eat this immediately afterwards. The kids thought this was a 'science experiment' rather than cooking...

SNOWMEN CUPCAKES

We got the idea for these cupcakes from an Annabel Karmel recipe (slightly adapted). These are for a school cake sale. You need:

For the cupcakes:

125 grs of butter,

125 grs of sugar

125 gr self-raising flour

2 eggs

2 table spoons milk

optional: half a teaspoon of vanilla or lemon extract

For the decoration:

one tub of royal icing

a marshmallow per cupcake

a sugary snake cut into a long strip per cupcake

silver buttons

an orange piece of candy, sugar or chocolate button per cupcake

liquorish or similar for the hats and little bits of black sugar icing for the eyes 

Mix all the cupcake ingredients in a food processor and mix well. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees. Put the mixture into the cupcake cases and bake for 20 minutes. This should make 12 cupcakes.

You can do the decoration just by looking at the picture...

TUNA 'IN ESCABECHE'

This is a great way to preserve tuna. You can use it in salads, omelets, empanadas or just eat it on its own with crusty bread or toast. You can use a similar technique with partridge or even with chicken breasts.

You  need

700 gr tuna (preferably in one or two thick steaks)

a bit of flour

one onion

4 garlic cloves

4 bay leaves

16 black pepper corns

a couple of springs of thyme

a pinch of paprika

250 cl olive oil

100 cl white wine

100 cl red wine vinegar

salt

Salt the tuna. Dust it with a little bit of flour and fry it in olive oil over very high heat. As soon as it is golden on both sides take it away and reserve it in a deep pan. In the same oil fry the onion (cut in small slices) the four cloves of garlic (whole), the thyme, bay leaves and pepper corns. When the garlics are golden add the paprika and then the white wine and the vinegar. Pour it all over the tuna. Bring the pan with the tuna back to the heat. Cook on very low heat for 30 minutes.

You can keep this cold in the fridge for 5-6 days. You can also put it in sterilised jars once it is completely cold - this will last for 3-4 months.

Tuna is a bit off-putting for children as it is intensely red when it is raw. I could not even get the kids to approach it - they helped filling the jars though once the tuna was cooked.

OLIVE OIL CAKE

We have bought some delicious olive oil from a friend farmer in Spain and have since tried a few recipes with it. This is a very moist and light cake.
You need:
4 eggs
175 gr sugar
150 ml olive oil
145 gr plain flour
a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
grated rim of one and a half lemons
3 tablespoon of pine nuts

Preheat the over at 175 degrees.
Mix the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer or by hand until the mixture looks pale. Add the olive oil while you continue mixing (it is better to add the oil in little bits as otherwise the mixture could curdle) Add the grated lemon rim. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder and sift it on the mixture. Fold it in carefully so that you do not lose the air in the cake mixture. Put it all in a greased mould (we used a rectangular one but a round one is good too) Sprinkle the pine nuts on top and let it all bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes.

Children can help with all the steps. Mine love pine nuts and they munched most of them before we could scatter them over the cake.

GRILLED HALLOUMI

This could not be more simple.
You need:
- halloumi cheese (2-3 slices per person)
- pomegranate seeds (2 table spooons)
- chopped mint (1 teaspoon)
- olive oil

Heat a non-stick frying pan until it is hot (do not add any oil) Add the halloumi, wait for two minutes more or less and turn the halloumi slices around, wait for another two minutes and take it out. Scater the pomegranate seeds and mint on top and pour some (good) olive oil. That is all.

The children liked the colour of the halloumi but found it way too salty. They liked the pomegranate seeds though.

  

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS

This is our second try with mushrooms - still unsuccessful. The children helped to prepare the dish but refused to eat it. They eventually tried some of the stuffing, but even that was not praised.

You need:
- one portobello per person
- salt
- olive oil
- breadcrumbs ( 2 table spoons per mushroom)
- 1 clove of garlic ( grated)
- parsley (lots)

Salt the mushrooms on both sides. Fry them for three minutes on each side in a non stick pan with a couple of table spoons of olive oil. Put them on a roasting tin. Separately, mix the breadcrumbs, olive oil, garlic andparsley ( the mixture shoudl be wet, so keep adding olive oil until you have the consistency of mud). Put a bit of teh mixture on top of each mushroom and grill it under the hotest temperature of your grill for three to four minutes. You can also add some cheese on top if you wish (either the melting sort of just parmesan)