International Family Day – we make with children: pizza recipes for the whole family

Family tradition and part of the culture

“Being able to cook with family members could become a great tradition that will be etched in a child’s memory as a fun way to pass the time. You can also easily implement skills to promote health. Cooking is also a means of introducing different cultures. After all, you can experiment in the kitchen not only preparing traditional Lithuanian dishes, but also introducing children to Spanish, Italian or Indian cuisine, ”says Vilma Juodkazienė, food expert at retail chain Iki.

According to V. Juodkazienė, cooking is not just about standing on hot steam, cutting hot oil or products with sharp knives. This activity is also suitable for children. You can assign them to the simplest tasks, such as washing fruits, vegetables, or salads. Even the little ones can help with food scales to weigh various ingredients, pluck lettuce leaves or various herbs by hand. However, when preparing a meal with a child, it is first necessary to teach him not only the subtleties of cooking, but also the safety rules. It is important to show how to safely store cookware, wear oven mitts to protect hands from heat, and safely turn appliances on and off, the press release says.

In addition, cooking with fresh products is a good example of how we should prioritize health over the habit of eating processed fast food.

“Spending time in the kitchen and preparing new recipes helps children make a positive connection to a variety of foods, including fruits and vegetables. It is very important to have a positive attitude towards fresh food from an early age, because healthy food is the foundation of good nutrition, ”says V. Juodkazienė.

Cooking with children also provides hands-on experience with many basic skills, such as reading, following directions, or measuring quantities of products. And while the little ones in the kitchen will only be able to help with the smallest or simple tasks, if you get used to cooking from the youngest to 12 years old, they can start making more complex recipes, even improvising with tastes or more. inventive ways of cooking.

To do?

Another important thing is to prepare the type of dishes that your children usually like to eat. For example, cupcakes, cookies, cottage cheese, hot sandwiches, pasta, or pizza. According to a food expert, making pizza with kids is extremely easy. Especially since the taste of homemade pizza and the cooking process are worth both the effort and the time it will take to clean the kitchen.

Homemade pizza begins with making the dough. And if this process may seem complicated at first glance, it really is not. The pizza dough you need requires only a few extremely simple ingredients: water, flour, salt, sugar, dry yeast, and olive oil.

“It will take about 10 minutes to make the pizza dough. It is true that the dough made in about half an hour or an hour will still have to rise. This is necessary to make the dough more fluffy. If you do not have time to wait, you can do the dough overnight and store it in the refrigerator overnight wrapped in cling film. Then when making pizza dough, all you have to do is roll out, form pizzas and bake them, “says V. Juodkazienė.

In addition, when preparing a pizza, children will be able to choose their favorite ingredients, as well as decorate them themselves.

“Let your kids pick their favorite toppings at the store or use pizza prep as an opportunity to introduce them to new flavors. Pizza is a dish that can be improvised, so look in the fridge before cooking – maybe you have a half-empty jar of roasted olives, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, or red peppers? This dish is perfect for eating cheese or ham, fried chicken or fresh vegetables and greens, ”says V. Juodkazienė.

V. Juodkazienė also shares several simple pizza recipes that will appeal not only to children, but also to adults.

Pizza dough

You will need: 250-300 g of all-purpose flour, 2 ½ teaspoons of dry yeast, 1 ½ teaspoon of sugar, ¾ a teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 175 ml of warm water.

Preparation: First, mix 125 g of flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Then add the olive oil and warm water and mix everything well with a wooden spoon. Then add another 125g of flour, stirring slowly. If you see a need, you can add a little more. Knead everything until the dough forms a solid and elastic ball. If the dough is still a bit sticky, sprinkle it with a little more flour (the dough shouldn’t stick to your hands). Sprinkle a large, clean bowl with plenty of olive oil and apply a pastry brush to the sides of the bowl.

Form a round ball with the pizza dough and place it in a bowl greased with olive oil. Roll the dough in a bowl until lightly greased with oil, then cover the plate with cling film and about 30 minutes. or put the dough for an hour in a warm place. When the dough rises, form small pizzas with it, place your favorite toppings on top, and bake for about half an hour in a preheated oven.

Pica „Margarita“

You will need: your favorite or homemade tomato sauce, a pinch of dried oregano, a pinch of dried basil, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, fresh basil.

Preparation: Spread prepared rolled pizza dough with tomato sauce. Then sprinkle everything with dried basil or oregano. Then grate the Parmesan cheese and cut the mozzarella. Then sprinkle the pizza with grated cheese, add the mozzarella and place in a preheated oven. After baking the pizza, garnish it with fresh basil.

Pizza with ham and mushrooms

You will need: your favorite or homemade tomato sauce, your favorite ham, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, a pinch of dried oregano, a pinch of dried basil, fresh mushrooms.

Preparation: Spread prepared rolled pizza dough with tomato sauce. Then sprinkle everything with dried basil or oregano. Then grate the Parmesan cheese and chop the mozzarella, ham and mushrooms. Then sprinkle the pizza with grated cheese, add the mozzarella, ham, mushrooms and place in a preheated oven. Delicious!