Cook
school
secrets
Essential tips from Dorset chefs and cookery schools
B
arbecues don’t have to mean
bangers and burgers – just in
time for the summer holidays, Barbara
Crick encourages more adventurous
outdoor cooking. Also, Dorset food
tutor Julia Cotton reveals the secret of
perfect rice, while Yayu Slocock tells us
how to make Indonesian spring rolls.
1
2
The secret of… a great barbecue
by Barbara Crick
1. Be brave and
66
cook larger cuts of
meat. You can even
cook a roast on a
barbecue - the key
is to put the lid down
and keep an eye on
the temperature of
the meat.
Invest
in
a
temperature
probe. It’s
2.
important to make sure your meat is
cooked by inserting the probe into the
thickest part. For example, chicken
needs to reach 75°C.
3. Try cooking chocolate brownies on
the barbecue – follow your usual recipe
and raise the grill as far away from the
heat as you can (use an upturned tin for
extra distance).
The Emsworth Cookery School is
running barbecue courses in July
and August. Visit www.emsworthcookeryschool.co.uk to book.
Quick Tips
1. Spices need to be
tempered in hot oil, but
you can add a drop of
water to the pan to
prevent burning.
2. Freeze pastry cases for 30
minutes before blind baking
to prevent shrinkage.
3. Pickle Nasturtium seed
pods and use them in
salads instead of
capers.
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1. Turn up the heat m a ke y o u r b a r b e c u e w or k h a r d e r t h i s s u m m e r 2. Light as a
cloud n o m or e s o g g y r ice 3. Spring rolls Indonesian style l i g ht a nd f r e s h
The secret of… perfectly cooked
plain Indian rice revealed by
Julia Cotton
1. Measure your basmati rice and soak
for 30 minutes.
2. Drain the rice and then put it in a
saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Add
one and a half times the volume of
boiling water to rice.
3. Bring it back up to boil as cold rice
reduces the water temperature. Once
boiling vigorously, put on the lid and
leave it for 20 minutes. Take off the lid
and fork through it.
Julia Indian Takeaway course is one
of many you can book at www.therealfoodcookeryschool.co.uk
The secret of…
how to make
Indonesian
Spring Rolls
by Yayu Slocock
1. Cut 4 carrots into
matchsticks, finely
slice a small tin of
www.menu-dorset.co.uk
bamboo shoots, 3 spring onions and 1
½ onions. Crush 3 cloves of garlic with
one thumb-sized piece of ginger. Mince
500g of chicken breast.
2. Sautee the onion for 2 minutes in ½
tbsp vegetable oil, then add the minced
chicken, stir-frying for 3 minutes, before
throwing in the ginger, garlic, 1 tsp
salt and ¼ tsp ground peppercorns.
Mix in carrots, bamboo, 3 tbsp sweet
soy sauce and cook for 10 minutes,
adding the spring onions and 6 sliced
and fried Asian shallots at the end.
3. Take 1 spring roll wrapper, with one
corner facing you. Place 2 tsp of filling
in the bottom corner then roll halfway.
Fold over the left and right hand
corners then continue rolling into a
sausage shape. Brush egg white onto
the final corner and fold over to seal.
Repeat with other spring roll wrappers.
Deep fry until they are light brown.
Find more recipes like this in
Yayu’s Simply Indonesian book, and
find out more about her courses at
www.atasteofrasasayang.co.uk