Food news, with Amanda Killelea

AS A NATION, how many of us regularly sit down to a family dinner around the table?

It seems the combined effect of ready meals, microwaves and television means that family meal times simply do not exist for many people.

A recent survey revealed that four out of 10 families with teenagers now eat their main meal of the day in front of the television instead of around the dinner table.

The nationwide poll found that the traditional image of a family sitting down together for meal times was being eroded, with one in 20 families saying they only eat together on special occasions such as Christmas.

But 95% were also firmly in favour of a return to the past.

Now bestselling children's food writer Annabel Karmel has some help for those who think they don't have time to eat together.

She says: "The solution lies in finding the type of food that both adults and children will enjoy. We shouldn't pander to the whims of children who only seem to want chicken nuggets and chips. If children were able to experiment with food from all over the world, there would be many more things they would enjoy."

While Karmel concedes that weekday meals around the table aren't always possible because of busy work schedules and the fact that children tend to eat earlier than adults, she believes all families should make the effort at weekends.

She says: "Families should set aside a Friday evening meal or a Sunday lunch to sit around the table together, catching up on things and enjoying their food. I know it's a cliche, but it's true that families who eat together stay together." She advises parents to get the children involved in meal preparation, because then they are more likely to eat the finished product - from stirring the jelly to peeling vegetables and making cakes and desserts.

There are specific foods which are favourites with both children and adults, such as pasta, rice and chicken. Good standbys for all ages include lasagne, risottos, marinated chicken and Chinese fried rice, says Karmel.

Shortcuts can include the use of condensed soups rather than making up complicated sauces, and make sure you have a stock of core ingredients in case you don't have time to go to the shops.

These include rice, pasta, sugar, chopped tomatoes, sweetcorn, baked beans, sun-dried tomatoes, condensed cream of tomato and mushroom soups, a variety of cooking oils and vinegars, plus items like tomato puree, worcester sauce and stock cubes.

Annabel Karmel's Family Meal Planner is published by Ebury, priced 14.99.

Here are a few of her ideas for the weekend family meal that everyone can enjoy:

ORIENT EXPRESS (Serves 6)

INGREDIENTS:

2 chicken breasts cut into strips 225g (8oz) pasta twirls

45ml (3 tbsps) vegetable oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 onion, finely sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

100g (4oz) small broccoli florets

100g (4oz) baby corn, cut in half

50g (2oz) red pepper, cut into strips

100g (4oz) carrots, cut into stars or strips

75g (3oz) button mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsps finely sliced spring onion

22.5-30ml (1 and a half-2 tbsps) oyster sauce

1 chicken stock cube dissolved in 6 tbsps boiling water

Freshly ground black pepper

For the marinade:

15ml (1 tbsp) soy sauce

15ml (1 tbsp) sake or sherry 5ml (1 tsp) sesame oil

1 tsp cornflour

METHOD:

Mix together the ingredients for the marinade and marinate the chicken for about 30 minutes. Cook the pasta in a large pan of lightly salted water according to the packet instructions.

In a frying pan, heat half a tablespoon of the oil and fry the eggs until set. Cut into strips and set aside. Then heat 15ml (1 tbsp) of the oil in a wok or large frying pan and stir-fry half the onion and garlic for two to three minutes. Add the chicken and marinade, and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and onion and set aside. Heat the remaining oil in the wok and stir-fry the rest of the garlic and onion for two to three minutes. Add the broccoli, baby corn, red pepper and carrots and stir-fry for about five minutes. Sprinkle over a little water while stir-frying the vegetables. Add the mushrooms and spring onions and cook for two to three minutes. Return the chicken to the wok, add the oyster sauce and stock and continue to cook for two to three minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the chicken cooked through.

CHOCOLATE BANANA PANCAKES (makes 8)

INGREDIENTS:

100g (4oz) plain flour

Quarter tsp salt

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp caster sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

180ml (6 fl oz) milk 60ml (4 tbsps) water

30ml (2tbsps) melted butter

A little orange zest

4 small bananas, sliced

For the toffee sauce:

50g (2oz) butter

50g (2oz) light brown sugar

50ml (2 fl oz) double cream

30ml (2 tbsps) golden syrup

METHOD:

Sift the flour, salt, cocoa powder and sugar into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs and half the milk. Using a whisk, beat together the ingredients until smooth. Whisk in the rest of the milk and water to make a smooth batter then stir in the butter and orange zest. This can be set aside in the fridge for up to 30 minutes, if you like.

To make the pancakes, brush a heavy-based 18 or 20cm (7 or 8in) frying pan with melted butter and when hot ladle in some of the batter and swirl around the frying pan to form a thin layer. Cook for a minute or so on each side.

To make the toffee sauce, place the butter, sugar, cream and syrup in a pan.

Heat gently until melted then bring to the boil and bubble for one minute.

Spoon the fruit on to one side of the pancake, drizzle over some of the sauce, fold over in half and then in quarters and spoon over some of the toffee sauce.

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