I can’t believe that we’re back in the kitchen science lab again for another round of Les Petits Chefs, my after-school cooking club for 9-11 year old boys. I’m hosting two sessions of 6-8 weeks each this term between now and December so expect lots of great and kid-friendly (but not dumbed down) recipes!
This term we will once again be working with Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution cookbook and this week, I chose two pasta recipes to show them just how versatile a few ingredients can be and how you can whip up a great meal in about a half an hour. We made Classic Tomato Spaghetti and Broccoli and Pesto Tagliatelle.
The “old boys” showed the new boys how it’s done as they chopped, grated and peeled the ingredients for each recipe. There was also much excitement as the boys got to use the Magic Bullet to make arugula and walnut pesto.
Seriously, maybe I should incorporate a bit of Magic Bulleting into my classes. The boys were SO excited!!!
And then we got cooking!
The boys took home not one but TWO great meals to share with their families.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
2 cloves of garlic
1 fresh red chile (we used banana peppers)
A small bunch of fresh basil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound dried spaghetti
Olive oil
1 x 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes
4 ounces Parmesan cheese
Directions
To prepare your pasta:
Peel and finely slice the garlic. Finely slice your chile (halve and seed it first if you don’t want the sauce too hot). Pick the basil leaves off the stalks and put to one side. Finely chop the stalks.
To cook your pasta:
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, add the spaghetti and cook according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 2 good lugs of olive oil. Add the garlic, chile, and basil stalks and give them a stir. When the garlic begins to brown slightly, add most of the basil leaves and the canned tomatoes. Turn the heat up high and stir for a minute. Season with salt and pepper. Drain the spaghetti in a colander then transfer it to the pan of sauce and stir well. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
These can be added to your tomato sauce when it’s finished. Just stir in and warm through:
• Add a handful of baby spinach leaves to the sauce at the same time you add the pasta — when the leaves have wilted remove from the heat and serve with some crumbled goat’s cheese on top.
• A few handfuls of cooked shrimp and a handful of chopped arugula with the juice of ½ a lemon.
• A can of tuna drained and flaked into the sauce with ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, some black olives and the juice of ½ a lemon.
• A handful of fresh or frozen peas and fava beans.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 medium potato
1 head broccoli
A large bunch of fresh basil
Sea salt
1 pound dried tagliatelle
1/4 cup green pesto (we made our own arugula and walnut pesto – in the Magic Bullet!)
3 ounces Parmesan cheese
Directions
Wash and peel the potato and cut it into very thin shavings using a speed peeler. Slice the end off the broccoli stalk. Cut little broccoli florets off the head and put them to one side. Halve the thin stalk lengthwise, then slice thinly. Pick the basil leaves and discard the stalks. Grate the Parmesan.
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the tagliatelle and broccoli stalks and cook according to the tagliatelle package instructions. Two minutes before the the tagliatelle is cooked, add the broccoli and potato slices. Drain everything in a colander over a large bowl, reserving some of the cooking water, and return to the pan. Roughly chop half of your basil leaves and add to the pan with the pesto and half of the Parmesan. Give it all a good stir and if the sauce is too thick for you, add a splash of the cooking water to thin it out a bit.
Divide the pasta between your serving bowls. Sprinkle over the rest of the Parmesan and the remaining basil leaves. Serve it a lovely big bowl of salad.
Both pastas got a thumbs up from the boys, although Ritvik and Charles thought the “green one” was a bit “tasteless”. Ok then. Next time we’re going big or going home with the garlic – I went easy on it and perhaps I should not have underestimated my petits chefs’ tastebuds! I was pleased to show them that we could make two really solid dishes with just 60 minutes and limited equipment and I, personally, will be making the “green one” again – love the addition of the potato slices – makes it creamy without having to add cream.
We’ll be taking a break next week as the boys will be on Outdoor Education camp but we’ll be back in two weeks.
Did you check out my first entry for Project Food Blog yet?
Great job, guys! I’m super impressed!
I was too! Cheers!
Hoot! I love reading this. Yay to kids cooking.
Isn’t it fun?
I heart my Magic Bullet – I miss it so much! And it’s so kid-friendly. I can’t wait to read more about this newest set of Petit Chefs 😀
Oh we’re totally going to heart the Magic Bullet this term too!!
This cause makes me happy each time I see it. You are truly addressing the heart of the problem with teaching children how to cook. It not only informs them that much better food can be had at home than a cheap burger but also how much healthier it is. The individuals I am around, especially men, on a day to day basis have almost no knowledge of how to cook a wholesome meal. If they were shown as children the draw of instant food would diminish. Because, as you know a home cooked meal is so much more gratifying than one that is picked up or eaten out. Bravo to you and Jamie Oliver for being revolutionary foodies.
Yes I have to agree- the earlier kids are exposed to healthy home cooking, the more it is ingrained in them and becomes a habit. I think it’s so important.
Hey, I didn’t see any meals come home to share with “this” family?
– harumph –
I believe you had a big old Tupperware of it my friend!
Wonderful! Both the class and the recipes.
Cheers – I really enjoy it and it’s great to be able to share that with my students!
Both look fantastic! I have been in SUCH a mood for broccoli lately though! Thanks for sharing the recipes, they are both fabulous!
They were pretty good!
Well done boys! Both pastas sound fantastic, but the broccoli pesto looks especially yummy!
Yes I was a fan of the broccoli one – even though it was “tasteless” – loved the potato in there!
Hooray for the return of Les Petits Chefs!
You know what is missing from the Magic Bullet (and their ilk) ads? Super excited cooking children! I would be way more impressed with the FlavorWave if there was a 10 year old making all those piles of pork chops with it. Probably best to keep the kids out of the Ab King Pro and Nads Hair Removal ads though.
Totally – these guys could recite the whole of the ad (most of them) – they should make their own!!
These recipes look marvelous and I want to try them both. I almost bit and bought a Magic Bullet the other day, but it looked so tiny and I had flashbacks of trying to make pesto in a blender. Are you a convert if it wasn’t for the kids? And what is a speed peeler? I am always amazed that you can teach, supervise kids with sharp objects, cook good food AND document the whole process with great photos. I made Karen’s turkey burgers with Mooch the other day and I managed one bad photo. Good burgers, though. (I must tell her.)
I actually am going to leave it at school because as a gadget, it’s NOT that useful…. But the kids love it! The speed peeler is one of those y-shaped ones that peel stuff well and fast. Love them. As a teacher I get good at multi-tasking hence the ability to do all of the above and document it!
Both of those dishes look so yummy! Can I come join your class? Please? 😀
Oh, and I have to say a “Yay!” for the Magic Bullet. That thing is amazing!
Yes, we’re going to be all about the Magic Bullet this term!! LOL!
oh..this i have to show to my 14 year old son…can’t wait to get him in the kitchen but wasn’t sure how or when to give the reigns over…ie; it’s my kitchen and I have to get dinner done quickly blah blah blah!
i’m so glad I stumbled upon your blog. cheers Kari
Well if these 9 year olds can make them, your 14 year old can too!!!
Mardi (and those that celebrate her existence — wow, she’s not going to like that): the artwork inspired by your BlogHer voices of the year winning post is up for auction here:
http://www.blogher.com/good-food-takes-time-kate-inglis-inspired-graine-de-macarons-mardi-eat-live-travel-write
Thought you might want to see it.
Aw thanks Carrie – I already bid on it, love it!
Bravo, Students!
Great work and both look YUMMY!
Valerie
Yay! So glad to see Les Petits Chefs are back… Always enjoy these posts. Those pastas look lovely.
I’m so happy to be back in the kitchen with them too!
What a cool idea, & great job to you all. Jamie Olivers dishes are excellent for this sort of project, imagine the great cooks they’ll grow up to be.
Yes I love that they are not “dumbed down” – I don’t see why kids shouldn’t start with real recipes right away…
What a way to get them to eat broccoli! Well done 🙂