A ‘baon’ guide for your schoolchildren

MANILA, Philippines - Ever had a morning when you’re so hassled you just send your kids to school with a boring cheese sandwich as baon?

Mom and NBS director for purchasing Xandra Ramos-Padilla advises moms to sit down on the weekend and do a “five-day baon plan” for your little ones.

It doesn’t have to be elaborate meals — just tasty and varied. You can even bake muffins with them on the weekends as an extra treat for the school week.

Xandra shares some easy-to-do recipes from the book You Can Cook by Annabel Karmel, available at National Book Store.

Fish bites

Ingredients

300 g. skinless, boneless fish

2 tbsp. flour

salt and pepper

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. paprika

2 or 3 tbsp. canola oil

Procedure

Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces.

Put the other ingredients in separate bowls — flour, salt, and pepper in one, eggs in another, and bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and paprika in another.

Now dip each piece of fish in the flour, then the egg, and the breadcrumb mix.

For an extra crispy coating, dip the fish twice in the egg and the breadcrumbs.

Heat the oil over medium heat-it’s ready if it sizzles when you drop in a few breadcrumbs. Fry the fish bites for 5 minutes, or until they’re cooked through, turning them regularly. Drain on paper towels before serving.

Pasta with Pesto sauce

Ingredients

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/2  cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve

1 to 2 cloves garlic

1 3/4 packed cups fresh parsley

1 3/4 packed cups fresh basil

pinch of sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tbsp. water

salt and pepper

pasta, to serve

Adding parsley helps to give pesto its lovely green color. There is enough pesto here for four servings.

Procedure

First, toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until lightly golden. Stir them so they don’t burn. Then leave them to cool.

Put the Parmesan, garlic, parsley, basil, sugar, and cooled pine nuts into a food processor and whizz until finely chopped. Slowly add the olive oil while the motor is whizzing.  Add the water, salt, and pepper.

Cook pasta following the package instructions. Drain and put back into the pan. Add the pesto and toss together.  Sprinkle with extra Parmesan to serve.

Best muffin ever

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup superfine sugar

3/4 stick butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. plain yogurt

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 350’F (180C). Line a muffin pan with paper baking cups.

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Mix them together.

In another bowl put the butter, egg, milk, vanilla and yogurt and whisk them together

Pour the whisked butter mixture onto the flour mixture

Stir everything together. Be careful not to overmix – the butter should still be slightly lumpy

Spoon the mixture into the baking cups. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until risen and firm to the touch. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove and put on a wire rack to cool completely.