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Cooking Clever - Fab food for tough times No. 41

Child's play

Children love the independence that cooking their own food brings, so letting them experiment with a few simple dishes is worth any mess in the kitchen. Here are three very easy meals that a ten-year-old should be capable of producing – and will want to eat – plus some delicious meringues that are smart enough for any occasion, writes Katy McGuinness

Cheese omelette

Spaghetti with oil and garlic

Pistachio and rosewater meringues

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Each dish: serves 1-6, costs between less than €1.50 per serving and takes less than half an hour to prepare

Cheese omelette Cost: €1.50

Knob of butter, walnut-sized
2 eggs, preferably free-range or organic
50g grated cheddar cheese, or goat's cheese broken up into small chunks
Salt and black peppers

Crack two eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork. Add a pinch of salt and a good twist of black pepper. In a small, non-stick frying pan, melt the knob of butter over medium heat until it starts to froth. Pour in the eggs.
With the tines of a fork, and taking care not to scrape the pan, gently pull back the edge of the omelette as it starts to harden, allowing the still-liquid eggs to run into the empty space and harden in turn. Do this several times.

Then add the cheese to the surface of the omelette while it is still slightly liquid, allow it to melt for a moment, then slide the omelette out onto a plate, flipping one half over on top of the other as you do so.

Serve with a green salad and crunchy bread.

Serves 1

Spaghetti with oil and garlic Cost: €3

200g spaghetti
100ml extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes (optional)
Parmesan cheese, to serve
Salt and black peppers

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the packet, until al dente. (This means that the pasta still has a bite to it, and has not gone soggy.)

Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a small pan over a low heat and add the crushed garlic. Cook until lightly golden. It is important that the garlic does not burn, as this will give it a bitter taste.

Add the chilli flakes, if using, and remove from the heat. Drain the pasta and combine with the oil and garlic.

Serve with grated parmesan and a good twist of black pepper.

Serves 2

Pistachio and rosewater meringues €7

(from Ottolenghi The Cookbook)

600g caster sugar
300g free-range egg whites (about 10)
2 tsp rosewater
60g unsalted pistachio nuts, finely chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/ gas 6. Spread the sugar evenly over a large oven tray lined with baking parchment. Place the tray in the oven for about eight minutes or until the sugar is hot. You should be able to see it beginning to dissolve around the edges. While the sugar is in the oven, place the egg whites in the bowl of a free-standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. (You can do this with a handheld electric mixer instead.)

When the sugar is almost ready start the machine on high speed and let it work for a minute or two until the egg whites just begin to froth up. Carefully pour the sugar onto the whisking whites. Once it has all been added, add the rosewater and continue whisking on high speed for 10 minutes or until the meringue is cold. At this point it should keep its shape when you lift a bit from the bowl and look homogenously silky. You can now taste the mixture and add more rosewater if you want a more pronounced flavour.

Turn down the oven temperature to 110°C/ Gas 1/4. To shape the meringues, line a baking tray (or 2, depending on size) with baking parchment, sticking it firmly to the tray with a bit of meringue. Spread the pistachios over a flat plate. Have ready two large kitchen spoons. Use one of them to scoop up a big dollop of meringue, the size of a medium apple, and then use the other spoon to scrape it off on to the plate of pistachios. Roll the meringue so that is covered with nuts on one side and then gently place it on the lined baking tray. Repeat to make more meringues, spacing them well apart on the tray. Remember the meringues will almost double in size in the oven.

Place in the pre-heated oven and leave there for about two hours. Check if they are done by lifting them from the tray and gently prodding to make sure the outside is completely firm, whilst the centre is still a little soft. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

The meringues will keep in a dry place, at room temperature, for quite a few days.

Makes: 12 large meringues (use the egg yolks for a carbonara sauce for pasta)

Next week: Three things to do with pork belly