Recipes for National Cooking Programme – Week Fifteen

We’re very excited to launch our National Cooking Programme – an ‘oven-ready’ programme of x20 FREE online interactive classes for teenagers wanting to learn to cook. Here is what we’ll be cooking on Wednesday 22 September 2021 at 5.30pm which will be livestreamed on Instagram and YouTube.  Please get prepared with the ingredients and familiarise yourself with the recipe so you can cook along with us.

Shopping list

Firstly, here is a handy shopping list for all of the ingredients required:

500g whole grain brown rice or any rice of choice

Chicken Casserole

6 chicken portions – thighs and drumsticks
2 bay leaves
olive oil
2 large onions
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots
2 sprigs rosemary
parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable Casserole

2 large onions
2 sprigs rosemary
olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic
parsley
2 carrots
vegetable stock
1 large potato
2 parsnips
any other veg of choice eg courgettes, beans
good handful of spinach or kale
salt and pepper to taste

Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

6 chicken portions – thighs and drumsticks on bone
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 carrots peeled and cut into 5cm/2″ pieces
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary
1 cup chopped parsley
2 cups/500ml water or stock
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large casserole and add the chicken pieces to it. Do not allow the
oil to smoke but jut warn. Brown well. Remove to a bowl until ready to use.
2. Using the same saucepan, brown the onions too.
3. Then add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds but do not brown.
4. Return the chicken to the casserole along with the onions, garlic and chopped carrots.
5. Add the water and rosemary, parsley and bay leaves to the chicken mixture in the
saucepan.
6. Cover the casserole and bring up to the boil then turn down heat and cook very gently
for about 1 hour until the chicken is very tender and the juice well reduced. The
casserole can also be cooked in the oven 400ºF/200ºC for same length of time.
7. Season to taste with freshly ground salt and pepper.

Vegetable Casserole

Ingredients

2 large onions coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 carrots peeled and cut into 5cm/2″ pieces
2 parsnips peeled and cut into 5cm/2″ pieces
1 large potato peeled and cut into large chunks
any other veg of choice eg courgettes, beans
good handful of spinach or kale chopped coarsely
2 sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 cup chopped parsley
500ml/16ozs vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Place the onions and olive oil in a saucepan and cook until golden brown.
2. Then add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds but do not brown.
3. Add the carrots, parsnips and potato to the pan along with the onions and garlic
4. Add the stock and herbs to the saucepan too.
5. Cover the casserole and bring up to the boil then turn down heat and cook very gently
for about 20 minutes until the veg are just starting to soften.
6. Then add the green veg like courgettes or beans and cook for about five minutes.
7. Finally add a handful of spinach or kale and cook for another five minutes.
8. Season to taste.
9. The casserole can also be cooked in the oven 400ºF/200ºC for same length of time.

Boiled Rice

Ingredients

2 cups brown round grain rice
5 cups cold water

Method

1. Place the rice in a thick bottomed saucepan. Add the water to the rice.
2. Bring to the boil.
3. Lower the heat so that the rice bubbles away very gently. Do not cover with a lid –
IMPORTANT – do NOT stir the rice.
4. When the surface of the rice is pitted and all the water has evaporated, the rice should
be cooked. This typically takes about 25 minutes for whole grain brown rice.
5. If you taste the rice and the centre is still hard, add ½ cup boiling water to the saucepan
and allow the rice to cook on a low heat until this water too has evaporated. Taste
again. The chances are that you will not have to repeat this process. The water ought
all to have evaporated and a slight hissing sound can be heard if you hold your ear close
to the saucepan.
6. Lightly fluff the rice up with a fork and serve.

NOTE
We like using brown round grain rice as it has a lovely nutty taste and is a bit chewy but you
can use any rice and cook it in the same way. If you use other rices, look at the package to see
how much water is required.

Category
Classes