Recipes for National Cooking Programme – Week One

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 16 June 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.

Ingredients list

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

1 large head of broccoli
2 chillies – if you like them – but NOT birds’ eye chillies as they are too hot for this dish
4 large potatoes – old or new potatoes are fine and both work well
4 chicken portions – thighs or legs are best with skin on
4 large Portobello mushrooms (vegetarian and vegan alternative to the chicken)
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
salt
any dried herb of choice eg oregano, thyme, rosemary, herbes de Provence
ground black pepper if you like it
olive oil – extra virgin if possible but otherwise any olive oil

Crispy Roast Chicken Portions

Ingredients

4 chicken portions
1 onion cut into small chunks
3 cloves of garlic pressed or finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
oregano or herbes de Provence or any other herb of choice

Method

1. Cut the onion into small chunks and place it in the middle of a roasting tray.
2. Pour about half of the oil over the onion chunks.
3. Place the chicken portions on top of the onions in the roasting tray.
4. Season generously with salt, pepper and oregano or any other herb that you have.
5. Scatter over the garlic.
6. Pour the rest of the olive oil over the chicken portions.
7. Bake in oven 190ºC/400ºF for about on hour or until brown and crispy
8. You may want to turn the pieces over half way through to allow top and bottom of the
pieces to both become well browned and crisp.

If you put potatoes in at the same time, your potatoes will be ready at the same time as your
chicken portions

Crispy Roast Potatoes

Ingredients

4 large potatoes well washed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Cut the potatoes in half or in quarters or even eights if they are large. Do not peel.
2. Place them in a baking tin so that they are only a single layer deep. That will help to
make sure that they become good and crisp when baked.
3. Pour over the olive oil.
4. Sprinkle the salt over them.
5. Using your hands turn the potatoes over making sure that they are coated in olive oil
and salt.
6. Bake them in oven 190ºC/400ºF for about on hour or until brown and crispy.
7. If you are roasting the potatoes to eat with chicken portions, place them around the
chicken in the roasting tin. They will take the same length of time to cook as the
chicken portions.

Broccoli Roasted

Ingredients

1 large head of broccoli
60ml/2oz/4 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt

Method

1. Break the broccoli into florets.
2. Place the florets in a very large baking dish.
3. Cut any stalks into thin slices as they are delicious baked and will not be wasted.
4. Pour the olive oil mixture over the broccoli. Mix all together well with your
hands.
5. Spread the broccoli out in the tin so that the florets are only one layer deep.That
will allow them to cook evenly and quickly.
6. Place at top of oven of temperature 250ºC/475ºF so that florets cook quickly and
brown. Make sure that edges are well browned but not burnt. This gives flavour
to the dish. Under no circumstances cook until mushy – a little crunch is
important.
7. Test to see if the broccoli is cooked by pushing a knife into stalk. If it goes in
easily then the broccoli is cooked.
8. Remove from the oven.
9. Sprinkle the salt over the florets that will be lovely golden colour and be a little
bit soft.

If you love chillies then you can add chillies to your broccoli before baking following the recipe below:

Broccoli Roasted with Chilli

2 long red chillies – not bird’s eye peppers as they are too hot.

Method

1. Cut off the end of the chilli where it would have been joined to the plant.
2. Split the chilli lengthways and remove the pips in the middle.
3. Cut the chilli lengthways into very fine strips.
4. Then cut the chilli across the length into very small squares.
5. Do this to the second chilli
6. Sprinkle the finely cut up chill over the broccoli before baking and proceed as in
the recipe above.

PLEASE REMEMBER NOT TO TOUCH YOUR FACE, EYES, CONTACT LENSES OR GLASSES WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN TOUCHING CHILLIS AS IT IS AGONISING IF CHILLIS GO INTO YOUR EYES.

ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS IN COLD WATER AFTER TOUCHING CHILLIS OF ANY SORT.

Roast Portobello Mushrooms

Portobello mushrooms are beautifully fleshy so are good as a main course for vegans or vegetarians and delicious when roasted.

Ingredients

4 large Portobello mushrooms
handful of herb of choice chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Pour one tablespoon of oil onto a baking tray and spread it about.
2. Place the Portobello mushrooms on the oiled tray.
3. Sprinkle the chopped herbs over the mushrooms.
4. Pour over a light sprinkling of salt and pepper.
5. Drizzle the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the mushroom.
6. Place the tray in oven 200oC/400oF for 25 minutes until the Portobellos are browned and
starting to crisp.

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Recipes