To help encourage my daughter to try a range of new foods, we have been trying out some simple kid-friendly recipes together.
This week I have continued with my efforts to get six-year-old IJ excited about food and interested in cooking at home. After the success of our recent wholemeal pitta bread pizza recipe I have attempted to add some variety into her new cooking repertoire by trying out a pasta recipe.
We have also enjoyed looking at the entertaining cooking videos on Nick’s My Daddy Cooks blog where he expertly demonstrates a range of recipes with his son Archie. On encouraging children to start cooking, Nick says, “It’s not about the cooking; it’s about getting them in the kitchen and engaging them with what is going on.” So IJ has been encouraged to spend more time with me in the kitchen and has been given small jobs to help me when I’m cooking more complicated meals.
The information and tips on Annabel Karmel’s BBC article is also very helpful, particularly the advice on kitchen safety and handling heat. More helpful tips on cooking with children, including recipe suggestions as they get older and more competent in the kitchen, can also be found on Netmums.
All of this has had the desired effect of making IJ enthusiastic about spending time cooking in the kitchen with me and keen to try out some very simple kid-friendly recipes.
Pasta with pesto and pine nuts
Ingredients
250g Fresh penne pasta
4tsps Green pesto
40g Pine nuts
100g Frozen peas
60g Mild cheddar cheese
Method
Cook the pasta following the instructions on the packet
Cook the frozen peas in a separate saucepan
Drain the pasta leaving a little hot water in the bottle of the saucepan
Put the pasta to one side
Add the pesto to the saucepan and mix with the water to heat through
Return the cooked pasta to the saucepan
Stir in the pine nuts
Drain the cooked peas and add to the pasta
Serve with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese on top
Serves 2
It is a very simple recipe and the peas can be omitted if you prefer. I added them in because it gave IJ more ingredients to weigh out and stir into the cooked pasta. It also added in some essential vegetables; however, you may prefer to serve it with salad. I also opted from shop-bought pesto and I felt it would be too time-consuming to prepare it from scratch and IJ would have lost interest, but you may prefer to make it yourself. An easy recipe for fresh pesto can be found on the Reluctant Gourmet website.
Do you have any suggestions for encouraging children to cook? Do add your thoughts in the comments section.
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7 Comments
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mum
29 April, 2010
That's a good idea, Ellen. I hadn't thought if that. Plus anything that saves on the washing up has to be a good thing.
mum
29 April, 2010
That recipe looks great. I'll give it a go.
I'm very lazy and if I'm adding peas to something like this, though, I tend to throw frozen peas in as I'm going along rather than using another pan. It tends to work for me ;)
29 April, 2010
Thats a nice recipe Rosie and really quick to make! I do like making pesto from scratch though as I just love the bashing part - particularly good to make if you are in a bad mood!
p.s. I do let the children join in an have a bash :)
mum
29 April, 2010
Wendy, the bashing part sounds very appealing! That might be something we try next as we become more adventurous in the kitchen.
admin
29 April, 2010
Ooh I love pesto! I make it from scratch too when I have time but I do use the shop bought version sometimes too, so I'll try it with peas and cheese next time! Handy tip too from the 'Reluctant Gormet Website' link to freeze your home-made pesto - I'll make loads next time and freeze separate portions :)
Thanks Rosie
Sue
Ready For Ten team
editor
29 April, 2010
Lovely, but I hate pesto :)
mum
29 April, 2010
Thanks Sue, so pleased to hear you like pesto!! Looks as if homemade pesto is the next thing I'll have to try with IJ. If you can freeze it then that's even better. I love the Reluntant Gormet website. It has turned out to be quite a find.