Members of Meadgate Church in Great Baddow have a reputation for our love of good food, so it was natural that we would one day offer cooking lessons to our community.

‘Two Fat Men’ is the place for cookery lessons in Great Baddow – our aim is to provide a fun and informal way of learning to cook simple food that tastes great whilst also being good value for money. Our cooking classes are suitable for beginners as well as more adventurous cooks and new comers are always welcome.

The next class will be 5pm on Saturday 21st April 2012 at Meadgate Church, Meadgate Avenue, Great Baddow and will cost only £2. Contact us online or call 01245 492741 to book your place now.

Recipes from Cookery Lessons on Saturday 21st April

Healthy Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

250g country vegetable mix
700ml chicken stock
700g chicken drumsticks / thighs
2 red onions
salt and pepper
olive oil
chilli flakes or spices (optional)
herbs (optional)

Instructions

Pre-soak the country vegetable mix in stock for at least 12 hours to soften it.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
Fry seasoned chicken pieces in olive oil until brown (optional spicing).
Add onion and continue to fry until soft.
Add pre-soaked country vegetable mix and stock (plus herbs and chilli flakes) to pan and simmer for 10 minutes.
Transfer to a casserole dish and cook for approximately 75 minutes.

Mezza Part One - Mediterranean Humos

Ingredients

2 cans chick peas
1 lemon
4tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp light tehini
3 cloves garlic

Instructions

Peel the garlic and place at the bottom of the food processor.
Drain the chick peas, keeping half the liquid from one of the cans - add to the garlic.
Blend until smooth, add the liquid you saved a little at time (be careful you don’t overdo it).
When smooth add the tahini and lemon juice.
Continue to blend the mix.
Add the olive oil slowly for a creamier taste.

Mezza Part Two - Galilean Salad

Ingredients

1 onion
4 vine ripe tomatoes
½ cucumber
1 green, red or yellow pepper
parsley
juice of half a lemon
2 table spoons of Olive oil
1 chilli (optional)

Instructions

Chop the onion, tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, (chilli), and mint.
Mix everything together and add the lemon, olive oil and salt to taste.

Mezza Part Three - White Cabbage Salad

Ingredients

½ white cabbage
2 tomatoes
½ cucumber
½ lemon
2tbsp olive oil
mint
salt

Instructions

Finely slice the cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber and mint.
Mix everything together.
Squeeze the lemon Juice and add with the olive oil.
Add salt to taste and mix well.

Recipes from Cookery Lessons on Saturday 10th March

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

125g unsalted butter
100g granulated sugar
75g light brown sugar
150g plain flour
1 egg
2tsp vanilla essence
½tsp baking powder
100g chocolate chips
1 pinch salt

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C.
Melt the butter and beat with the sugars.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla essence.
Sift the salt, flour and baking powder into the mixture and stir.
Add the chocolate chips.
Spoon onto a baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Beef Suniyeh Kafta

Ingredients - main

500g Low fat stewing beef (ask the butcher to mince for you)
1tbsp all spice
1tbsp cumin
1 medium onion
1 small onion
1 can chopped tomatoes
dried mixed herbs or fresh parsley
salt

Ingredients - stuffing

450g mushrooms
125g pine kernels
1tsp vegetable oil
2tsp olive oil
1 onion
optional dried chilli flakes to taste
salt

Instructions - stuffing

Pan roast the pine kernels with the vegetable oil until brown.
Remove the roasted pine kernels from the pan.
Chop the onion, stir fry with the olive oil.
Chop the mushrooms, add to the onions.
Cook until the mushrooms are soft and the liquid has evaporated.
Add the roasted pine kernels and stir fry for a further 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat - your stuffing is ready.

Instructions - main

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
Put the medium onion and the parsley or mixed herbs in a blender.
Blend to a fine paste.
Add your paste, the all spice, salt and cumin to the meat.
Mix well - like kneading dough.
Divide into two equal portions.
Line an oven tray with a fine coating of olive oil, removing excess oil.
Place your first portion of the meat mix onto your oven tray.
Cover this first layer with the stuffing you made earlier.
Top the stuffing with the second portion of the meat mix.
Place in your pre-heated oven for 25 minutes.
Put the chopped tomatoes and the small onion into a blender.
Blend to a fine liquid consistency.
Add this blended liquid to the dish and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Serve either with rice or new potatoes and salad, exquisite!

Recipes from Cookery Lessons on Saturday 21st January

Easy Peasy Pizza Base

Ingredients

1 cup self-raising flour
Up to half cup of cold water
Salt & pepper (to taste)
Olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 220°C
Mix flour, salt and pepper.
Add water gradually and mix until it starts to form a dough.
Part way through water addition, add a glug of olive oil.
Combine until a sticky dough is formed.
Turn onto a floured baking sheet and shape as desired.
Add preferred toppings and place in oven for approximately 10 minutes, until crispy.

Stuffed Chicken and Chilli Potatoes

Ingredients

For the chicken:
4 chicken legs
1 tsp all spice or nutmeg
Salt & pepper

For the sauce:
2 cloves garlic
Juice of half a lemon
1 chicken stock cube (dissolved in 1 cup of water)
1 tbsp cornflour (optional)
1 tsp olive oil

For the stuffing:
250g rice
150g good quality frying beef steak

For the potatoes:
1kg new potatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 whole lemon
4 fresh finger chillies
1 tsp smoked paprika

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan assisted)
Wash and boil potatoes.
Crush garlic and chillies.
Mix boiled potatoes with olive oil, lemon, crushed garlic, smoked paprika and chillies.
Finely chop the meat and stir fry until brown.
Add the rice, all spice, nutmeg, salt and pepper to the meat.
Add enough water to cover rice (make sure it doesn’t dry out)
Skin and debone the chicken legs and place each of them flat on a piece of kitchen foil brushed with olive oil.
Add three spoonfuls of the rice mixture to the centre of each chicken leg and roll them up.
Seal up the foil around each one to secure.
Place in the oven for 30 minutes.
Crush garlic cloves and stir fry in olive oil.
Add lemon juice and chicken stock.
Bring to the boil and thicken with cornflour if needed.
Pour sauce over the cooked chicken to serve.