Splat Cooking -
Hummus & Bread Swirls

Here are some great recipes to try with the kids from Beverley Glock of Splat Cooking.

Hummus
This is a Middle Eastern dip which is very healthy and great to dip in vegetable sticks and warm Bread Swirls. Ingredients for 4 people.

• 400g Can of Chickpeas, drained
• Juice of 2 large lemons or 3 limes
• 2 x Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Good Oil
• 1-2 Garlic Cloves, skinned and crushed
• 2-3 Tablespoons Plain Live Yoghurt (low fat if you wish)
• Salt and Pepper - a pinch of each
• You can vary the hummus by adding sun-dried tomatoes or roasted peppers.

To serve: Warm Bread Swirls, Breadsticks, Carrot Sticks, Red, orange and yellow pepper sticks, Cucumber Sticks, Celery Sticks.

You will need....... Sieve Small Bowl Chopping Board Garlic Crusher Tablespoon Sharp Knife Liquidiser or Blender An Adult

How to make Hummus... WASH YOUR HANDS

1. GET AN ADULT to open the can of chickpeas, drain them in the sieve and place into the bowl of the blender or liquidiser.
2. GET AN ADULT to slice the lemons or limes in half and give them to you so you can squeeze them into the small bowl, remove any pips and pour the juice into the bowl of the blender or liquidiser also.
3. GET AN ADULT to supervise whilst you put the lid on and blend until the mixture forms a smooth puree. Crush the Garlic and place this in the bowl too along with a tablespoon of oil and yoghurt, blend again and add the rest of the oil and yoghurt and a pinch of salt and pinch of pepper gradually until it is all blended.
4. Spoon into the small bowl and serve with the vegetable sticks and warm bread swirls.

Bread Swirls
Ingredients: for 12 Bread Swirls

• 650g Strong Plain White Flour
• 1 level teaspoon Salt
• 1 level teaspoon Sugar 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 sachet Easy Blend Dried Yeast
• 400 ml Warm Water (NOT HOT)
• Sundried Tomato Paste or Pesto*
• *(Pesto is not suitable for children under 36 months or people with nut allergies)

You will need....... Weighing Scales, 2 x Medium Mixing bowls, Small bowl, Wooden Spoon, Teaspoon, Measuring Jug, 2 x Baking Trays, Fork, Clean Damp Cloth or cling film, Wire Rack, Knife, An Adult.

How to make Bread Swirls... WASH YOUR HANDS

1. Weigh out the flour and place into the mixing bowl, add the salt, yeast and sugar. Add the olive oil.
2. Measure out 400 ml warm water, NOT HOT, make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the water. Stir together using your fingers.
3. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, you may to add a little more warm water if it is too dry, or a little more flour if too sticky. Bring it together to form a ball and transfer this to a clean floured surface.
4. NOW FOR THE HARD WORK - the dough needs to be smooth and stretchy, at the moment it will feel lumpy and tight and now you have to start ‘kneading’. Push your hands into the dough using the ‘heel’ of your hands (this is the smooth part between your thumbs and wrist) and then gather it back into a ball, turn it a little and keep repeating for around 5-10 minutes until it feels smooth and stretchy.
5. Split the dough into 12 pieces, stretch each roll into a sausage shape and flatten it, then spread the tomato paste or pesto along the flattened part and roll up into a swirl. Place each roll onto a baking tray, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes to rise. GET AN ADULT to turn the oven on to Gas Mark 7/220oc/Aga Roasting Oven.
6. Once the rolls have risen GET AN ADULT to place the baking trays in the top of the oven for 10-15 minutes. Leave them to cool and eat.

©SPLAT Cooking Parties Ltd 2005

About the Author:
Beverley Glock is the founder of Splat Cooking a Buckinghamshire based business running cooking parties for children as well as selling a range of funky cookie cutters, sprinkles, cooking kits and cake cases online. They also organise school cooking clubs and cooking workshops for children and adults. For more information visit www.splatcooking.net or phone 0870 766 8290.

How Splat Cooking Began
Flapjacks & Chocolate Banana Muffins
Cheat's Pizza & Sweet Potato Crisps