Well, 2021 has been a year! And we all deserve a little get together with good mates, good hugs and, most importantly, good food. So we roped in our friend Patti Andrews (the Genius Snack Wizard behind @pizza_night_) to give us recipes that your whole family can cook, and eat and share! So, put on a fun playlist and we’ll meet you in the kitchen...
Broasties
Picnic meet Broasties, Broasties meet picnic.
Makes: 8 sandwiches
You’ll need:
- 16 pieces of wholemeal bread
- 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 90g grated Colby cheese
- ¼ cup of mayonnaise
- chilli oil (optional)
How-to:
1. Bring a big pot of water to the boil.
2. Carefully drop florets into water and boil for 4 minutes.
3. Drain broccoli and cut into 5mm slices.
4. Add a thin layer of mayonnaise to both sides of the bread.
5. Layer grated cheese, broccoli, grated cheese and chilli oil (optional) onto one piece and then put the other piece on top.
6. Place into a toastie-making machine until oozey, gooey and delicious.
Overheard: “If it has vegetables, why does it taste so good?” - Gino, 4
Frosty Mango
It’s summer in a bowl.
You’ll need:
- 6 mangoes. That’s it!
How-to:
1. Slice off mango cheeks and slide along a tumbler to peel.
2. Get whatever flesh you can from around the seed.
3. Dice the flesh and pop into a container to freeze.
4. Freeze for four hours and blend until smooth. (If you leave it in the freezer overnight, take it out and leave to thaw for ten minutes before blending or add a few drops of hot water to get it going.)
5. Best served straight away but can be re-frozen for another time.
Overheard: “You are going to have to get me lots more, mama.” - Margot, 6
Red and Green Tarts
A star in their own right, but side by side? Better than Mariah and Christmas.
Red Tarts
You’ll need:
- 300g cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 100g buffalo mozzarella
- 2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg, whisked to create an egg wash
How-to:
1. Line a baking tray and add a good lug of olive oil.
2. Place tomatoes, sliced side up onto tray and bake for 10 minutes.
3. Switch your oven to grill and continue to cook for 8 minutes. (This will give you a gloriously caramelised finish. Please keep an eye on them during grill time so they don’t burn.)
4. Remove the tray and pop the oven back onto 200°C (fan forced), ready for your tart.
5. Roll pastry out into a lined pie tin or baking tray and smooth the edges down, leaving a 3cm border around the edge.
6. Prick pastry base with a fork.
7. Blind bake with baking paper and pie weights (or a smaller tin) for 15 minutes, remove weights and paper then brush with egg wash. Pop back in the oven for 5 minutes or until golden.
8. Tear the buffalo mozzarella to create an even layer along the base of your tart.
9. Top with a layer of roasted tomato.
10. Bake for 18 minutes.
11. Serve warm or bake ahead and pop in the fridge. Bring to room temperature to serve. (If you are not eating it straight away, leave it in a warm oven so the tomatoes don’t soak through to the base.)
Green Tarts
You’ll need:
- 200g of frozen peas, thawed
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 egg yolks
- rind and juice of one lemon
- 2 tbs kale pesto (optional)
- 15g parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg, whisked to create an egg wash
How-to:
1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C (fan forced).
2. Combine all filling ingredients.
3. Roll pastry out into a lined pie tin or baking tray and smooth the edges down, leaving a 3cm border around the edge.
4. Prick pastry base with a fork.
5. Blind bake with baking paper and pie weights (or a smaller tin) for 15 minutes, remove weights and paper then brush with egg wash. Pop back in the oven for 5 minutes or until golden.
6. Pour the filling into the tart shell and bake for 18 minutes.
7. Serve warm or bake ahead and pop in the fridge. Bring to room temperature to serve.
Overheard: “I ate tomato, mama! Can I have another piece?” - Louis, 7
Carrot Cake Cookies
Vegetables. Cake-like. Christmas spices. Giftable. What more can we say?
Makes: 18 cookies (or 16, if you eat some of the dough)
You’ll need:
- 1½ cups self-raising wholemeal flour
- 1 cup oats
- ½ tbsp cinnamon
- ½ cup milk
- ¾ cup bashed walnuts
- 1 tbs vanilla
- 4 medium carrots, grated
- 2 apples, grated
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbs coconut oil, melted
- ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
How-to:
1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C (fan forced).
2. Mix everything together.
3. Line a baking tray.
4. Place 1 tbs-sized scoops of dough onto a tray and press down to form a 1.5cm high circle. Leave a 5cm gap between cookies.
5. Bake for 15 minutes.
6. Best eaten slightly warm but stack up at room temperature.
Overheard: “This is beyond deliciousness.” - Louis, 7
Seasonings Greetings
‘Teacher gifts’, gah! Grab a jar or two and let’s do this.
Chilli Oil
Kids do not get all the fun.
You’ll need:
- 25g chilli flakes
- 250ml olive oil
How-to:
1. Pop a jar and lid into the hottest dishwasher setting to sterilise.
2. Combine chilli flake and oil. That’s it!
3. Store at room temperature.
4. Top up with olive oil when needed. It will last forever.
Overheard: “I could eat this on weet-bix.” - Adam, 37
Kale Pesto
Friend to a Christmas ham sandwich, carrot sticks, potato salad and forgot-to-give-my-kids-a-vegetable-today guilt.
You’ll need:
- 300g kale leaves (approximately one supermarket bunch, torn from stalks)
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup water
- 90g parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tsp of honey
- 2 cloves of garlic
- a handful of basil leaves (optional)
How-to:
1. Bring a pot of water to the boil and blanch the kale leaves for two minutes, this will help soften the fibres.
2. Blend leaves and all remaining ingredients together to form a paste. Add extra oil or water if it needs a help along.
3. Gifting? Pop a jar and lid into the hottest dishwasher setting to sterilise first.
Overheard: “Thank you for not buying me another candle.” - Mrs M, 32
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