The kitchen is said to be the heart of a home, offering up lovingly prepared meals for all the family to enjoy. But with the Easter holidays in full swing, there’s no better time to bond with the kids doing something fun while learning new skills.
A fantastic activity for children, cooking not only allows them to learn and practice new life skills, but also educates them in understanding what they are putting in their mouths and where their food comes from.
JK Fine Foods, an exclusive fine dining website which gives customers the chance to directly buy the same superior Scottish produce previously only supplied to top hotels and restaurants, is encouraging families to don their whites and get creative in the kitchen.
Creating three child-friendly dishes which are guaranteed to get the whole family excited about cooking, JK Fine Foods can deliver fine food and quality meat straight to the customer’s door within 24 hours, ensuring the whole family can enjoy a five star meal in the comfort of their own home.
Here are some of their recipe suggestions:
Meatballs and pasta
For the meatballs
300g JK breakfast sausages (about 3-4 large)
500g JK steak mince
1 small onion
1 carrot
1tbsp dried oregano
50g parmesan cheese, finely grated and extra to serve
1 medium egg
1tbsp olive oil
For the tomato sauce
1tbsp olive oil
1 courgette
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
1tbsp tomato purée
A pinch of caster sugar
A splash red wine vinegar
2 x 400g tinned chopped tomato
Pasta to serve
For the kids: Squeeze all the sausage meat out of the sausage skins into a large bowl and add the JK steak mince.
Tip the rest of the meatball ingredients into the bowl, except the olive oil, and season with a sprinkle of salt and black better.
Squish everything together with your hands until completely mixed. Adults, keep an eye on younger children to ensure they don’t put raw mixture into their mouth.
Roll the meatball mix into small balls and place them on a plate.
For the adults: While the kids are rolling the meatballs, make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the courgette and garlic, cook for 5 minutes until soft and mushy. Stir in tomato purée, sugar and vinegar and leave for 1 minute, then tip in the tomatoes and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Leave the sauce to simmer sauce gently while you cook the meatballs. If your child is confident enough, allow them to help cook the sauce with adult supervision.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and brown the meatballs on all sides – only a few at a time. Once browned, add them into the sauce. Continue to simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes, stirring gently until the meatballs are cooked. Serve with cooked pasta and extra grated Parmesan with some salad on the side.
Spare ribs
3 racks of JK meaty spare ribs (about 1.5kg)
1 small onion, chopped
1tbsp olive oil
2tbsp smoked paprika
1 garlic clove, crushed
1tsp mild chilli powder
300ml tomato passata
2tbsp tomato purée
150ml balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
125g dark muscovado sugar
For the potatoes
1.5kg new potatoes
2tbsp olive oil
1-2 rosemary sprigs
A pinch of mixed dried herbs
2tbsp balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
For adults: Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Put the ribs in a roasting tin in a single layer and cover with water. Cover with foil and cook for 1.5 hours. Once cooked, drain well.
Meanwhile, fry the chopped onion in olive oil in a pan until soft. Add the garlic, smoked paprika and chilli powder and fry for a further minute. Add the passata, tomato purée, vinegar and sugar, and bring everything to a simmer. Cook for a further 10 minutes.
Heat oven to 220C /200C fan/gas 7.
For the kids: Place the ribs on a baking sheet and brush the sauce all over them. Mix the potatoes with the oil, rosemary and seasoning in a large roasting tin.
For the adults: Roast the ribs for 40 minutes on the top shelf and the potatoes on the middle shelf at the same time. Turn the potatoes and ribs halfway until both are nicely browned all over. Tip the potatoes into a large bowl.
For the kids: Sprinkle the potatoes with the vinegar and serve.
For the adults: Slice the ribs to serve.
For the kids: Put any extra sauce into bowls for dipping.
Homemade burgers
400g JK steak mince
1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped
1 shallot, diced
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1tsp Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground pepper
4 ciabatta rolls (you could also use seeded brown)
2 tomatoes, sliced
Quarter iceberg lettuce, shredded
For the kids: In a large bowl, add the JK steak mince, garlic, shallot, parsley, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Make sure your hands are clean and mix all of the ingredients together so that they stick together and are thoroughly combined.
Shape the mixture into eight small burgers.
For the adults: barbecue the burgers for four minutes on each side, or grill them for 15 minutes at 180C. Slice the rolls in half and toast on the barbecue.
Assemble the burgers with the tomatoes and lettuce and serve with a selection of sauces including ketchup, mayonnaise and mild mustard. Add additional toppings like cheese, gherkins or more salad if you like.
All you need now is the ingredients to fit the recipes. Visit www.jkfinefoods.co.uk to get quality Scottish produce delivered straight to your door.
