Colelaw and green salad

mhoc

My son is doing GCSE catering and for next weeks cooking session (they do one week theory, one week cooking) they have 2 hours to do lasgne, coleslaw and a green salad.

(Actually less than 2 hours because the teacher does a demo first)

I've done a search and found all the useful threads for lasgne, so thank you everyone. I've only made it once and Jack has done it once at saturday college so we are going to have to do a practice run.

Does anyone put anything on the top of lasgne to make it crunchy?

His main problem at the moment is quantity, he keeps making enough for 6 so he eats some at school and has to ditch the rest or bring his cooking home, not always feasible.

There does not seem a way of scaling lasgne down from enough for a family to so there is enough for two or three.

I have never made coleslaw so this will be a first for us. Does anyone have a receipe that is very simple. I want to include apple, lots of windfalls in the garden but nothing weird like sultanas or walnuts.

Also what exactly is a green salad?

Thanks in advance

Mary

PS This is only their second cooking session, makes you wonder what they will be tackling nearer exam time!

recovering_spendaholic

There is a way to scale down lasagne I think. You just use 4oz mince, a small tin of tomatoes, an oxo, a small onion, a few mushrooms and a small pepper. Fry the veg and mince, add tomatoes and oxo and enough boiling water to make sauce, simmer for about half an hour with mixed herbs and salt and pepper. Make white sauce with half a pint of milk, two tbs of flour, pinch of dried mustard, salt and pepper. I just whisk flour mustard and salt and pepper into cold milk, add a knob of butter and bring to the boil, whisking until thickened. I add a tbs of parmesan and about an ounce of cheddar to sauce. Then layer up the mince and cheese sauce with lasagne sheets in an oblong pyrex dish, finishing with sauce and top with 2oz grated cheddar mixed with one slice of bread grated into crumbs. This makes two portions. I often put apple in coleslaw and its lovely. I use half a small white cabbage, a carrot, a small red onion and a large apple. I shred the cabbage and onion and grate the apple and carrot and mix with a pinch of salt and pepper and some Hellmann's light mixed with a little salad cream. Green salad is just lettuce leaves with spring onions, green pepper slices, cucumber and cress. Hope your DS does well and continues to enjoy cooking.

thriftlady_2

A classic green salad should be leaves only dressed with a vinaigrette dressing. A mixture of leaves is nicest.

mhoc

thriftlady wrote:

A classic green salad should be leaves only dressed with a vinaigrette dressing. A mixture of leaves is nicest.

heck, have not thought of the dressing. We dont have dressing on our salad leaves. Do you really need it?

Mary

Eels100

Coleslaw's a cinch, just grate some carrot, finely chop some cabbage, finely slice an onion and toss the whole lot with mayonnaise, vinegar, black pepper and a dash of lemon juice.

Lasagne can be made in smaller quantities by using a smaller dish ...!

I'd agree with thriftlady's sentiments on green salad - it's about the leaves, man! I don't think it would be necessary (put it this way, if I was making your son's meal for my dinner, I'd find dressing unnecessary as long as there was coleslaw) but if he wants to make some I'm sure it's easy to do. In a truly non-OS fashion I buy mine from Tesco ...

Bambam

mhoc wrote:

heck, have not thought of the dressing. We dont have dressing on our salad leaves. Do you really need it?

Mary

Easy peasy to make vinaigrette dressing. Take one jam jar, add olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt & pepper, put lid on and shake. If someone is going to taste the end product best not to dress the leaves until then as the leaves will go soggy if sitting around too long in the dressing, only don't present the dressing in the jam jar - doesn't look good. If you haven't got a drizzler thingy how about a ramekin dish and a teaspoon and teacher can help herself?