A lot of time spent together indoors, slow Sundays, endless mornings: what to do to use these hours that seem eternal? Easy, having fun in the kitchen preparing something good and, perhaps, taking advantage of it for tell about family recipes and memories that warm the heart.
Nicole Maria Pucci, author of the book "Children's Cooking Manual" (LSWR Editions) and graduate chef, has been teaching cooking to children for over 10 years, firmly believes in cooking as an "excuse" to find time to be together, to pass on ancient knowledge and a place of creativity and sharing. According to her, here are the best recipes for spending time with the family.
Read also: Recipes to do with children
Multi-handed recipes: the best are those with many steps
What are the best recipes to prepare and then enjoy together, with the whole family gathered in the kitchen and around a table?
«The ideal are all those recipes that require processing, where you help yourself and there are more steps: puffs, lasagna, meatballs, apple pie or strudel, tarts or tiramisu. The grown-ups can put the pot on the stove, while the little ones can stir. Then there are obviously all of those "family" recipes, of its own tradition »says Nicol Maria Pucci.
«In short, we need to work together and divide the tasks to complete and implement the chosen recipe».
So, among our recipe proposals there are:
- cream puffs
- lasagne
- Meatballs
- apple pie
- strudel
- tarts
- Tiramisu
- the typical recipes of your family
Family cookbook: let's write it together with the children, with lots of photos
Spending time together among pots, flour, spoons and bowls is an activity inextricably linked to memories and tradition, a moment that can be dedicated to telling children what adults did when they were little. How to ensure that these memories remain and that a heart-warming anecdote is linked to each recipe?
The author proposes a notebook or book to do together: «You can think of one thing like a photo album, from buy together and then build gradually, adding maybe even some photos creations or note all the different experiments and variants with comments on the outcome ".
Read also: Mom, shall we make a cupcake?The recipes
1. Meatballs, to manipulate together and give a touch of creativity
They fall under the c par excellence, they are relatively simple to prepare and are usually enjoyed by everyone, regardless of age. As Nicol Maria Pucci explains in his book: «It is an interesting dish to develop because it contains many ingredients, and it is fascinating for the child to discover how all the different elements are complicit in the success of an exquisite final result. It will be nice to break the eggs, dress with delicious Parmigiano Reggiano, feel and recognize the fragrant and unmistakable aroma of nutmeg and then carry out the manipulation work that will allow you to create the meatballs in joy. The cooking also includes several options, and you can naturally indulge yourself with recipes with sauce, more or less fried ... ». So many ingredients and so many things to do, so that every cook can give his contribution in short, to the recipe.
Ingredients
- 100 g of minced veal or beef
- 200 g of breadcrumbs
- a little flour for breading
- 1 beaten egg
- 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
- nutmeg
- salt and pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
Method
Have the children work the minced meat in a bowl with a spoon or with their hands. Break (or break, if the children are old enough) the egg in a separate bowl, to prevent pieces of shell from falling into the meat and then beat lightly, just long enough to mix the yolk and egg white. Add two teaspoons of egg and mix well, then continue with two tablespoons of breadcrumbs, parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Wet all your hands, take a small portion of the dough and form the meatballs all together.
Prepare a small bowl with the flour, one with the remaining beaten egg and another with the remaining breadcrumbs and pass the children the meatballs from one bowl to another in that order. At this point, cook them big in a little extra virgin olive oil or butter (ideally clarified) and let them dry on absorbent paper sheets before serving. If desired, they can become a delicious sauce for a plate of spaghetti, just like in Lady and the Vagabond!
2. Millefoglie: a simple dessert (and that does not dirty the kitchen)
«This recipe is very simple to perform, so I also recommend it when working with very young children or if you have little time available: it guarantees little dirt and lots of fun. I recommend it especially to people who want to entertain the children but then want to clean up the environment quickly »explains Nicol Maria Pucci in his book.
In addition to being a recipe to make to spend time together, it is also a great one ploy to propose fruit to those children who do not particularly appreciate it, who will be able to peel it while preparing the millefeuille. Alternatively, however, there are also the delicious chocolate chips with which to replace it.
Ingredients
- 2 sachets of instant cream preparation
- fresh whole milk (in the dosage indicated on the cream package)
- 2 ready-to-use yarrow sheets
- mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries)
- 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar for the finishing touch
Method
Pour the cream mixture into a bowl and add (or add) a little milk and mix the mixture gently, continuing to pour in milk until it reaches a consistency similar to béchamel.
At this point, proceed with the assembly: place a pastry on the bottom of the tray or tray, spread the cream and sprinkle with berries and then close with another layer of pastry. The chef recommends telling the children, while they assemble the millefeuille, the magic of the pastry: its long preparation, cooking in the oven and its versatility for sweet and savory dishes.
Finish by sprinkling the last layer with icing sugar with the help of a sieve.
Updated on 23.03.2022
TAG:- kitchen children
- recipes for children
- tradition
