Cooking up a Storm
Check out this new 3-minute video on the Burlington School Food Project.
Denise Foote, one of two “lunch ladies” (she proudly owns the term) at the Sustainability Academy in Burlington, was puzzled about what to do about the handful of Bhutanese kids who came through the lunch line. They weren’t taking the food.
In this small school in the Old North End, Denise knows every child by name. So she asked them what they wanted to eat: “Rice,” they replied. So Denise started making a small pot of rice alongside the regular lunch offerings, and the kids gratefully took the rice. But it just wasn't that...exciting.
One of the kids finally spoke up: “At home, my mother puts THINGS in the rice,” she said. “What kinds of things?” asked Denise. “I don’t know…. THINGS” the student replied earnestly. That left Denise puzzling, until recently, when City Market and the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program collaborated for the first class in a series of multicultural cooking classes, called “A Mosaic of Flavors.” The topic was Bhutanese food.
Dhana Khadka, who moved to Burlington from Bhutan several years ago and now has her own stand at the Shelburne Farmer's Market, made a delicious rice pilaf with local carrots, peas, cardamom, raisins, and peanuts to serve alongside a vegetarian curry. At last Denise had the answer to “THINGS”!
Making rice pilaf...
and vegetable curry.
Dinner's served!
I used to be a little apprehensive about conducting cooking classes in school kitchens. Not any more. It's a dynamic place to be. Great conversations happen. Everybody is talking about "school lunch." Heck, the School Nutrition Association (SNA) is suddenly trendy! (They're the ones who made this video.)
If you want to learn more about school food in Vermont, the Vermont SNA conference is happening this Friday and Saturday (10/21-22) in Fairlee, VT, and it's going to be hip (if the allusion to folks learning Beyonce's moves for Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign is any indication).
Happy National Farm-to-School Month.
A Mosaic of Flavors: Bhutanese Rice Polu
5 cups rice
1 Tbs. whole cardamom seeds
1 tsp. whole cloves
6 cups water
1 ½ sticks butter
2 cups peas
2 carrots, grated
Raisins and toasted peanuts to garnish (opt.)
1. Wash and soak rce.
2. Boil 6 cups of water with cardamom and cloves in it.
3. In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine butter, peas, and rice and stir constantly for 5 minutes; then turn down the heat to medium-low and add the water through a strainer. Cover and simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until rice is done. Mix in grated carrot once it is done. Serves 6-8.
A Mosaic of Flavors: Mixed Vegetable Curry
¾ cup oil
3 Tbs. whole cumin seeds
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. ginger, finely grated
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 cups green beans, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 small cauliflower, chopped into flowerets
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbs. salt
1 tsp. curry powder
1 ½ cups water
Chili pepper, to taste
1. In a large pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add masala seeds, cumin, onion, ginger, and garlic and sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until onion is tender.
2. Stir in the potatoes, beans, and turmeric and cover for 5 minutes.
3. Add the cauliflower, tomatoes, salt, curry powder, water, and add any chili pepper as desired. Cover and simmer until vegetables are cooked, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice. Serves 6-8.