Ask Our Chef: Taste sensation

Raisingkids' chef Heather Robinson has been cooking up a storm since she was just 11 years old and became a chef in her parents' hotel when she was 17. She has also worked for Graham White (brother of Marco Pierre White). To ask her a question click the link at the bottom of the page.

How can I flavour family meals without using too much salt?
I am just in the process of weaning my little one and am making my own purees. I would like to start pureeing our family food fairly soon, but tend to do quite a bit of food in the slow cooker using stock cubes. I have been advised that stock cubes are full of salt, but can't find out how to make or get hold of a no-salt stock. Can you give me any advice on how to flavour our food, so that I only have to make one batch each time rather than doing separate food for her?

Our chef's answer:
All a stock cube is really, is a very concentrated form of stock. It does contain salt, so I will first give you a simple way of making stock from fresh.

When you cook your meat, instead of adding butter or oil, for a change (especially with chicken) let it roast alone with an onion in the cavity. Slit through the skin and add water over the meat to 'get it started'. The juices will cook the bird, and leave the remaining juices in the roasting tray. Add the juices in the tray to a finely chopped onion with a little more water and cook on a low heat in a small pan. The 'reduction' of these juices is the stock. You can thicken this using a gravy thickener, but I find that if I reduce them enough, they are quite a substantial 'jus' in themselves.

On the issue of flavourings, I always recommend spices such as cumin, corriander, turmeric, paprika and ginger. In the restaurant, in every gravy, we used what is called a 'bouquet garni'. All this means is a bunch of rosemary, bay leaf, and thyme tied together which you put in the pan and then take out when you need to use the gravy/stock. You can use a great variety of herbs. I especially like fresh chives or garlic chives. Soy sauce is also a good flavour enhancer although this can be quite salty. You can also buy a range of low sodium table salts which would help when cooking.

For a change, why not try a tomato based sauce instead of gravy one night.

Tomato-based sauce

olive oil
garlic clove, chopped
red onion, chopped
half pint of water
500 ml passata

Slowly cook in a dash of olive oil, a chopped garlic clove and the red onion. Add half a pint of water and 500ml of passata (italian sieved tomatoes) and cook for about 10 minutes. Add a pinch of black pepper to taste and I am sure you will very much enjoy this and it's totally salt free!!

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