Winter Warmers for your little ones
ith winter nights drawing in what better way to keep cosy than to get in the kitchen and prepare some winter warmers for all the family. To get away from the Christmas mayhem get your children to help you make their own festive gifts for family and friends.
TURKEY PILAFF
MAKES 6 PORTIONS
INGREDIENTS
• 150g basmati rice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 50g frozen peas
• 100g sweetcorn
• 175g cooked turkey,finely diced
• 2 1/2 tsp sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• A knob of butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp milk
METHOD
Cook the rice in boiling salted water. Drain and refresh under cold water, leave to drain and cool.
Heat the oil in a saucepan.
Add the onion and garlic and sauté over a low heat for 8 minutes until soft.
Add the peas and stir for 3 minutes. Add the turkey, sweetcorn and cooked rice.
Stir-fry over the heat to heat through. Add the sweet chilli sauce and soy sauce.
Heat a small frying pan. Mix the eggs with the milk and season with a little salt.
Melt the butter. Add the eggs and scramble until the eggs are cooked and dry. Break up into small pieces, then add to the rice. Season to serve.
TURKEY MEATBALLS AND SPAGHETTI
SERVES 6
A delicious main course for the whole family. This recipe for Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti is very versatile, perfect for Christmas if a roast is too much or a great quick meal you can put together to warm up your family while it’s wet and windy outside.
INGREDIENTS
TURKEY MEATBALLS
• 2 TBSP OLIVE OIL
• 2 MEDIUM ONIONS FINELY CHOPPED (APPROX. 200G UNPEELED WEIGHT)
• 40G WHITE BREADCRUMBS (APPROX. 2 SLICES)
• 50ML MILK
• 250G TURKEY MINCE
• 1 SMALL APPLE, PEELED AND GRATED
• 1 TSP FRESH THYME LEAVES
• 1/2 TSP SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
• 1 TBSP FLOUR TO DUST HANDS
• 3 TBSP SUNFLOWER OIL FOR FRYINGTOMATO SAUCE
• USE HALF THE ONION FROM ABOVE
• 1 CLOVE GARLIC, CRUSHED
• 1X 400G TIN AND 1X 200G TIN CHOPPED TOMATOES OR 1 1/2 TINS CHOPPED TOMATOES
• 100ML WATER / CHICKEN STOCK
• 1 TBSP TOMATO PUREE
• 2 TSP SUGAR
• 1/2 TSP OREGANO
• PINCH DRIED CHILLI FLAKES
• SALT AND BLACK PEPPER
• 200G SPAGHETTI
• A LITTLE CHOPPED PARSLEY OR BASILMETHOD
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions gently for about 10 minutes until softened. Use half the onions for the meatballs and half for the tomato sauce.
Meanwhile soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 10 minutes in a large bowl.
To make the sauce, transfer half the sautéed onion to a pan. Add the crushed garlic and sauté for 1 minute then add all the remaining ingredients and simmer covered for 7 minutes.
To make the meatballs, add the turkey mince, grated apple, thyme, sautéed onion, salt and black pepper to the soaked breadcrumbs and mix together.
Using floured hands, form teaspoons of the mixture into small balls. Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan and brown the meatballs. Transfer the meatballs to the pan of tomato sauce and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes uncovered.
Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and toss with the sauce. Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley or basil.
CRANBERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES
Instead of giving baked cookies as a gift for Christmas, why not give the recipe for one of your favourite cookies and then layer all the ingredients in a glass jar and tie a ribbon around it. All of the ingredients for these cookies are in the jar apart from the butter and they are very quick and easy to make.
INGREDIENTS
• 150G SELF RAISING FLOUR
• GENEROUS PINCH OF SALT
• 50G LIGHT BROWN SUGAR
• 100G BUTTER, SOFTENED
• 40G DRIED CRANBERRIES, ROUGHLY CHOPPED
• 50G WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS OR WHITE CHOCOLATE CUT INTO SMALL CHUNKS
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC Fan assisted.
Put all the ingredients into a bowl. Mix together, then bring the dough together using your hands and knead for a few seconds.
Make 20 little balls out of the mixture. Put 10 balls on one baking sheet lined with non stick paper. Push down to flatten them slightly.
Put the remaining 10 on another baking sheet.
Bake for about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
STAINED GLASS WINDOW COOKIES
MAKES ABOUT 25 BISCUITS
These novelty Christmas cookies shaped like Christmas Trees, Stars, Bells and Reindeer etc. are fun to make together with children. They particularly enjoy crushing the sweets and using cookie cutters to cut our shapes from the dough.
The melted sweets harden to make a window in the centre of the biscuits and these stained glass window cookies are edible decorations as they look wonderful hanging on a Christmas Tree.
INGREDIENTS
• 350G (12 OZ) PLAIN FLOUR
• 1 TSP BICARBONATE OF SODA
• 2 TSP GROUND GINGER
• 1/2 TSP SALT
• 100G (4 OZ) BUTTER
• 175G (6 OZ) SOFT BROWN SUGAR
• 1 EGG
• 4 TBSP GOLDEN SYRUP
• DIFFERENT COLOURED FRUIT FLAVOURED BOILED SWEETS
• NARROW RIBBON
METHOD
Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4.
Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and salt into a bowl.
Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, and then stir in the sugar.
Beat together the egg and golden syrup and mix into the flour mixture to make a smooth dough, kneading lightly with your hands.
Crush the sweets in their wrappers using a rolling pin.
Sprinkle flour on a clean work surface and roll out the dough until about 1/2cm (1/4in) thick, then cut into shapes using a selection of Christmas Cookie cutters. Transfer to lined baking sheets.
Cut out shapes in the centre of each biscuit, making sure you leave a good edge all around the biscuit. Completely fill the hole in each biscuit with crushed boiled sweets.
Make a hole at the top of each biscuit using a drinking straw so that you will be able to thread a ribbon through it later. Bake for 11-12 minutes until golden.
While the biscuits are still warm, check the holes are still there, otherwise push a straw through again. Do not remove the biscuits from the baking tray until they have cooled as the boiled sweets need to harden.
Once the sweets have hardened, gently lift the biscuits onto a wire rack with a palette knife to finish cooling.
You can decorate the biscuits with piped white icing.
Thread ribbons through the holes to make loops for hanging.
RUDOLPH CUPCAKES
MAKES 12 CUPCAKES
Delicious chocolate orange cupcakes decorated with Curly Wurlys for antlers… these are fun for children to make themselves.
INGREDIENTS
• 1 TBSP MILK
• 2 EGGS
• 150G BUTTER AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
• 150G CASTER SUGAR
• 150G SELF RAISING FLOUR
• 1/2 TSP BAKING POWDER
• ZEST OF HALF A SMALL ORANGE
• 45G DRIED CRANBERRIES, CHOPPED ICING
• 100G SOFTENED BUTTER
• 150G ICING SUGAR
• 2 TBSP COCOA POWDER DECORATION
• 4X CURLY WURLY CHOCOLATE BARS
• 12 GLACE CHERRIES
• SULTANAS
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC Fan assisted/Gas Mark 4.
Line a deep muffin tin with 12 paper cases.
Measure the eggs. Caster sugar, butter, flour, baking powder, milk and zest into a mixing bowl. Beat together using an electric hand whisk. Stir in the cranberries and spoon into the cases.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until well risen and lightly golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
To make the icing, sieve the icing sugar into the soft butter, beat together until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and mix until smooth. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up a little.
Pipe or spread the icing over the cold cupcakes. Slice each Curly Wurly into three widthways, then in half lengthways to make 6 antlers. Repeat with the remaining bars. Push the antlers into the cupcakes. Place a cherry on each cake to make a nose. Put 2 sultanas on each cake to make the eyes. Chill until firm.
CRANBERRY GRANOLA
This delicious granola is very versatile. You can have it for breakfast with milk. This Christmas recipe is also very good on its own as a snack or layered with yoghurt, honey and fruit.
INGREDIENTS
• 175G (6 OZ) ROLLED OATS
• 70G (2 1/2 OZ) COARSELY CHOPPED PECANS
• 20G (3/4 OZ) SHREDDED/DESICCATED COCONUT
• 1/4 TSP SALT
• 120G (4 1/2 OZ) SOFT BROWN SUGAR
• 2 TBSP CANOLA OR SUNFLOWER OIL
• 3 TBSP MAPLE SYRUP
• 25G (1 OZ) CRANBERRIES
• 25G (1 OZ) RAISINS
METHOD
Pre-heat the oven to 150ºC/300ºF/Gas Mark 2. Put the oats, nuts, coconut, salt and sugar in a large bowl and mix together with a wooden spoon.
Whisk the oil and syrup together in a jug or small bowl.
Pour over the oats and mix well.
Spread out on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake in the centre of the oven for 40–45 minutes, stirring every 10–15 minutes.
Transfer to a bowl, stir in the cranberries and raisins and leave to cool.
Top 100 Baby and Toddler Meals in Minutes
By Annabel Karmel Ebury Press £9.99
Readers can buy Top 100 Meals in Minutes by Annabel Karmel (RRP: £9.99) for the special price of £7.99 including free UK p&p. To order please call 01206 255 800 and quote the reference ‘Annabel Karmel/Baby’.
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