Junior Chef’s Recipe Book

Week 2: Purple Soup

This simple borscht style soup is comforting, beautiful, and just plain fun! Dress it up or down with seasonings of your choice. From The Adventurous Eaters Club by Misha and Vicki Collins, with the help of their children.

INGREDIENTS
2 TBSP butter
1 small or medium yellow onion, cut into ½ inch chunks
1 large raw beets, cut into ½ inch chunks
2 medium yellow potatoes, cut into ½ inch chunks
1 large carrot, cut into ½ inch chunks
4 C of water
Juice of ½ a fresh lemon
3 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
Sour cream for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat.
2. Toss in the onion and saute until softened and clear, about 5-6 minutes.
3. Add your chopped veggies and water then bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 20 minutes or until the beets are very soft.
5. Allow the soup cool slightly before pouring it from the pot into a blender. 
6. Blend until ultra smooth and purple.
7. Return the blended soup to the pot and add the lemon juice, salt, and garlic powder.
8. Serve and garnish with sour cream. Enjoy!

Serves 2-4


Week 4: Sweet Potato Gnocchi

https://noplatelikehome.com/authentic-homemade-italian-potato-gnocchi-easy-recipe/ 

Ingredients

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes or sweet potatoes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (2 cups flour if using sweet potatoes), plus extra for dusting

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 1/2 tsp salt, Separated 1 tsp,  ½ tsp, 1 tsp

Pasta sauce of your choice

Instructions

 Prepare the Potatoes

  1. Wash the potatoes. Leave the skin on as it will help prevent the potatoes from absorbing too much water.

  2. Place potatoes in a pot of COLD water with 1/2 tsp of salt. Bring water to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork, usually around 30-40 minutes.

  3. Once cooked, drain the potatoes and let them cool for a few minutes until they are cool enough to handle. Run under cool water if necessary.

  4. Peel the skin off of the potatoes and discard the skin.

Prepare the Dough

  1. Next, cut the potatoes in half and add them back into your pot. Mash with the potato masher til they are smooth. Do NOT stir the potatoes, just gently mash with an up and down motion. Stirring will make the potatoes gummy. 

  2. Then, add 1 1/4 cups of the flour, one slightly beaten large egg and 1 tsp salt.

  3. Then, using your hands, gently mix the dough ingredients to form a soft, sticky dough. You will need to add enough flour to make it hold together without adding too much flour. Therefore, add some more flour (up to 1/4 cup more) until the dough doesn't stick to your hands. Be careful not to overwork the dough, as it can become dense.

Shape the Gnocchi Dough

  1. Lightly flour a clean surface and transfer the dough onto it. (This is a good time to wash your pot. YOU WILL NEED IT AGAIN!)

  2. Next, divide the dough into small portions and roll each portion into a long rope, about ½ inch thick. 

  3. Cut the ropes into small pillows, around 1 inch long. 

  4. Next, to mimic the gnocchi’s signature ridges, use a fork to gently press into the top of the pillows. The ridges will aid the sauce in adhering to the gnocchi. 

Cook the Gnocchi

  1. Bring a large pot of water with 1 tsp of salt to a boil but not a roaring boil. When the bubbles appear in the water, it's hot enough to cook the gnocchi. 

  2. Next, gently drop the gnocchi into the boiling water.  Don't overcrowd the pot, gnocchi can be made in small batches. Stir gently to prevent sticking. Once the gnocchi rise to the surface and float, they are cooked and ready to be removed. This process usually takes about 2-3 minutes. 

  3. Remove the floating gnocchi with a slotted spoon and place into a colander over a bowl or in the sink to drain excess water while you cook your next batch.


Serve the Gnocchi

  1. Once drained, you can plate your gnocchi into a bowl and add a delicious homemade tomato sauce, pesto, or butter and sage. 

  2. To finish it off, top with grated Parmesan cheese and optionally a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve immediately.

Week 5: Dal and Chapati

Chapati/Roti

2 cups flour

¼ cup flour for dusting

¾  cup water


Instructions

  1. Put 2 cups of flour in a large bowl. Start adding water, little by little. As you add water, mix with your hands and bring the dough together. 

  2. Once the dough comes together, start kneading the dough. Knead with the knuckles of your finger, applying pressure. Fold the dough using your palms and knead again applying pressure with your knuckles. Keep kneading until the dough feels soft and pliable. If it feels hard/tight, add little water and knead again. If it feels too sticky/soft, add some dry flour and mix.

  3. Once done, the dough should be smooth. Gently press the dough with your fingers, it should leave an impression. Cover the dough with a damp cloth or paper towel for 20 to 30 minutes.

THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO COOK YOUR DAL

  1. After the dough has rested, give it a quick knead again.

  2. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts. Start working with one ball, while keeping the remaining dough balls covered with a damp cloth so that they don't dry out. Take one of the balls and press it between your fingers into a round dough ball and flatten it slightly.

  3. Now take around 1/4 cup flour on a plate for dusting the roti while rolling it. Dip the prepared dough ball into the dry flour and dust it from all sides.

  4. Roll the ball into a larger flat disc.

  5. Roll it thin until you have a 5 to 6 inch diameter circular roti.

  6. You will have to dip the roti in dry flour several time while rolling. Anytime the dough starts sticking to the rolling pin, dip the roti into the atta from both sides and then continue rolling.

  7. Place the roti on a dry, hot skillet. Let it cook for 30 seconds until you see some bubbles on top. At this point flip the roti. 

  8. Now, let the other side cook until it has nice brown spots (so it should cook more than the first side). 

Dal

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils

3 cups water

1 medium onion

1 carrot

2-3 cloves garlic

Cooking oil

1 Tbs butter

1 tsp Salt (probably more – to taste)

Spices (Can vary; I usually use a combo of ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, or

paprika, perhaps with ground cayenne for some heat.)


Instructions

  1. Dice the onion and carrot into small pieces. Separately, dice the garlic.

  2. Over medium heat, cook the onion and carrot in oil till soft in a pot – 5-10 minutes. 

  3. Reduce heat a little; add the garlic and ground spices (about a half teaspoon each or to taste), stir all together, and let cook for a couple more minutes.

  4. Add the lentils and stir the mixture up, letting it cook for another minute or two. 

  5. Add water, cover, and, stirring occasionally, bring to a light boil. Immediately reduce heat to a bare simmer. Stir occasionally, replacing the cover when not stirring. After 15-20 minutes, the lentils will be mostly dissolved. 

  6. Add the butter and put the lid back on the pot. Once the butter is melted, stir to mix it throughout the dal.

  7. Cook on the lowest setting, stirring occasionally, for another 5-10 minutes. Add more salt if needed. 

  8. Enjoy!


Alternatives: add grated ginger to sauté a little before the garlic; add cooked chickpeas

to simmer with the lentils; add frozen peas in the last few minutes before serving; so

many different spices you might try; etc…

Week 6: Spring Rolls