Interview Questions-Cassilda Alves

· How did you learn to cook?

I was a curious child and I loved helping, so I used to spend lots of time in the kitchen watching my mother and my grandmothers cooking and baking, therefore I learned to cook with them. I was very lucky that one side of the family was Spanish, so I was able to learn a lot about Spanish cuisine.

· What do you love the most about cooking?

Cooking can be relaxing and creative. You can play with the ingredients, try different combinations, explore and be creative or you can follow a recipe and must be more focused. But It is also a social experience because it can allow you to interact with friends and family while you are cooking. It is also a cultural experience because you can experience other countries cuisines and learn more about other countries. In my case it connects me to my Spanish heritage and brings back old memories.

· What is your favorite dish?

My favorite dish is a very simple one: fried eggs and potato chips! And my favorite dessert is chocolate mousse! I love chocolate!

· Are there any recipes you want to share for the newspaper article?

I am sharing a cake with an unusual ingredient… Nettles! Nettles are shrubs very common in gardens hated by almost everyone because the leaves have “hairs” that produce a stinging sensation upon contact. So, use a good pair of gloves when you pick it up! Besides this, once cooked they don’t have a very intense taste, so don’t worry it will be a lovely green sponge cake that tastes to orange and lemon! 😊

Ingredients:

180 g of nettles (boiled and crushed)

200 g of brown sugar

250 g of flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

100 g of butter

5 eggs

Zest of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 orange

Preparation:

1. Add the butter to the sugar. Add the egg yolks and mix well. Sift the flour with the yeast and mix.

2. Add the nettles to the previous preparation and finally the lemon and orange zest.

3. Beat the egg whites and fold them into the mixture.

4. Bake for 35-40 minutes in a previously heated oven 180ºC.

Suggestion: Cover the cake with melted dark chocolate (70%) and finish with lemon and orange zest.

Interview questions-Filipa Santos

· How did you learn to cook?

“I learned to cook with my mother, when I was about 15 years old because I had to do my lunch alone during high school and I also like to have snacks with my friends like cakes ect…”

· What do you love the most about cooking?

“I think the experience, the smells and the confusion.”

· What is your favorite dish?

“At this moment, it is lasagna.”

· Are there any recipes you want to share for the newspaper article?

“Yes.

Mango ice-cream:

· 1 Mango

· 1 banana

· 1 tbsp hemp seeds

· 1 Carrot(small)

· 5 tbsp rice or oat milk

Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour it to the small ice-cream molds and freeze.

Cacao energy balls:

1 cup of raw cashew

½ cup of hazelnuts

Pinch of salt

Pinch of cinnamon

2 tbsp of 100% cacao powder

150-300g of seedless dates

1-2 tbsp of water

Put the cashew, hazelnuts, cacao powder, salt and cinnamon onto the kitchen robot to grind. Join in the dates and grind again. When you found the right texture, put a pinch of water at a time until the dough is getting sticky and try to form a ball. With your hands take small amounts of dough and form little balls.

By Clementine Year 8