On the International Day of Education, there is plenty to think about. Unsurprisingly, we turned our minds to some of the recipes we've learnt over the years.
We thought we would put these online in the hope that it might inspire people to make something different to share with family or friends, or go and seek out something else new to cook.
Kemi, Founder and CEO
This recipe has been amended but originally appeared in Red Magazine. It's great and you can also portion and freeze for a later date.
Jerk mac and vegan cheese
Ingredients
300g macaroni
Handful of cauliflower florets
Handful of leafy greens (chard, spinach, pak choi or other)
Olive oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 orange or red peppers, thinly sliced
1 tin calloni or butter beans
200ml of hot water
2 garlic cloves
Couple of cashew nuts
Jerk seasoning, powder or from a jar
Instructions
Cook the pasta, following the recipe on the packet
Pop the cauliflower into a pan of boiling water until firm to the bite. Add leafy greens until wilted. Drain and set aside
To make the sauce: fry onions and peppers, until they are soft but not brown
Pop the onions and peppers into the blender with the beans, garlic, nuts, water, and blend. Add jerk seasoning to taste
Combine the mac, greens and the sauce in a deep pan and bake in an oven until crispy brown on the top.
You can substitute the sauce for a white sauce, and/or add peppers and onions into the main dish
Georgia, Brixton People's Kitchen (our sister charity)
This is a great, healthy recipe for a vegan plantain and sweet potato curry. We have used it lots at BPK and it went down a storm at our last catering event!
Vegan sweet potato and plantain curry – Recipe serves 2 (to be adjusted for required numbers)
Ingredients
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 peppers (red / yellow)
Fresh ginger
A sprig of thyme
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
A bunch of coriander (if you like this)
1 sweet potato
1 plantain
1 red chilli
½ tin coconut milk
400ml water
Curry powder
Pimento powder
Black pepper
Jamaican curry powder
Oil (sunflower or vegetable)
Instructions
1. Saute the onion and garlic with a tablespoon of oil, until the onion is transparent
2. Add rough chopped peppers and grate in fresh ginger. Cook until the peppers are soft
3. Add thyme, the chopped tomatoes, rough chopped fresh coriander, the pimento powder, black pepper and curry powder, then stir
4. Add cubed sweet potato, sliced plantain, the red chilli chopped in half, coconut milk and water, then bring to the boil
5. Reduce the heat to medium / low and simmer for about 25 minutes.
6. Serve with rice, giant couscous, bulgar wheat, or on it's own
Trish, Community Canteen Volunteer
When asked about her favourite recipe, Trish was more than happy to share this one with everyone:
Trish’s Peri Peri Chicken
Ingredients
700g boneless chicken thighs
1 onion
3 peppers, any colour
3 cloves of garlic
4 tomatoes
200g basmati rice
500ml chicken stock
2 tablespoons of Peri-Peri seasoning
Instructions
Heat some olive oil in a large lidded pan. Cut chicken thighs into bite size pieces and brown in the pan with one tablespoon of Peri Peri seasoning. Once browned, remove chicken pieces from the pan
Dice the onion and saute in the same pan for 8-10 minutes, until soft
Chop the garlic and add to the pan. Cook for a minute
Slice the peppers and add to the pan. Add rice, remaining Peri-Peri seasoning and then stock. Put chicken thighs back in the pan, and bring to the boil, then reduce down to a simmer
Cover with the pan lid and cook for 15-20 minutes, until all the stock is absorbed and the rice cooked
While everything is cooking, chop the tomatoes into small pieces, remove seeds and add to the pan to heat through
That's it! Serve in bowls, and sprinkle with some fresh chopped parsley
Andy, Media and Communications Officer
I'm not a great cook, and when my wife said 'risotto' I had visions of foul mouthed chefs screaming at me for getting it wrong! Yet this is one of my favourites - it's just right for my basic skills level and you can throw most vegetables or meat in.
Leftover Risotto
Ingredients
60g of risotto rice per person
2 teaspoon of oil
1 pint of stock
1 onion (or more, if you like)
Any vegetables you have to use up (mushrooms and peppers are a favourite for me)
Any precooked meat you have leftover (it's particularly good for using up anything left from a Sunday roast)
One tin of chopped tomatoes
Instructions
Pour the oil into a large frying pan. Add the rice and ensure it is coated in the oil
Turn on the heat to medium
Pour in enough stock to cover the rice. Continually stir the rice and add the onion
As the stock evaporates, keep adding more. Carry on stirring
When you only have about a quarter of stock left, throw in your other vegetables, meat and the chopped tomatoes
Add the final stock and continue to stir until the excess liquid has evaporated or been absorbed
Serve