Well, I didn't get organized enough to post any homework before our meeting today, but only 4 kids could attend this week (Sophie, Nina, Maya and Moni), so we all met at the Provenzanos for a cooking extravaganza!
Nina and Maya were the bakers today, and they worked together very well to mix up and bake us some fresh corn bread. Here is the recipe that they read and prepared (Japanese readers, remember that 1 Canadian cup = 250 ml):
CORN BREAD
* 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
* 2 1/2 cups milk
* 2 cups flour
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2/3 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, combine cornmeal and milk; let stand for 5 minutes. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and line it with baking paper. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix in the cornmeal mixture, eggs and oil until smooth (about 5-10 minutes). Pour batter into pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Poke a toothpick in the middle to check if it’s done.
Here are the two bakers:
Sophie and Monica were the soup chefs, and they whipped up a delicious batch of:
Sophie’s Favorite Minestrone Soup
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 3 cloves garlic, crushed
* 2 onions, chopped
* 2 cups chopped celery
* 2 carrots, diced
* 2 cups chicken broth
* 2 cups water
* 4 cups tomato sauce
* 1/2 cup red wine
* 1 cup canned beans (kidney, black or mixed beans), drained
* 1 cup frozen green beans
* About 1 ½ cups frozen spinach
* 1 teaspoon oregano
* 1 teaspoon basil
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 cup dry pasta, cooked (penne, macaroni, rotini, etc.)
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for topping
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large pot, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion and saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add celery and carrots, saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth, water and tomato sauce, bring to boil, stirring frequently. Add red wine. Reduce heat to low and add kidney beans, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.
3. When it’s almost ready to serve, add the frozen green beans and spinach to the soup. Simmer gently.
4. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender. Drain water and set aside.
4. Once pasta is cooked and soup is heated through place 2 tablespoons cooked pasta into bowls. Ladle soup on top of pasta and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
Here are the sauciers hard at work:
While the bread baked and the soup simmered, Maya and Nina took care of the washing up , and Sophie and Monica set the table for our hanami lunch.
And finally, we all gathered outside under the cherry tree to have a nice, hot, homemade lunch. It was great!! If you have a chance, please try the recipes yourself -- they were delicious.
