SAKG NEWS
We are rounding off our Term 1 kitchen program with tomatoes, cucumbers, and more zucchini! Using the ratatouille that our students made earlier in the term, and which has been waiting patiently in the freezer, we have made an absolutely gorgeous Summer Harvest Lasagna. We bulked out our ratatouille with some tinned tomatoes and pulverised it in the food processor to give it a lovely smooth texture. Then we layered it with freshly rolled lasagna sheets, again made by the kids, and a bechamel sauce. Naturally we topped it with some cheese and it came out of the oven beautifully layered and flavoured, the only problem was that there wasn't more!
To serve with our lasagna we made a simple salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, and freshly made croutons. The croutons really stood out in this dish, tossed with olive oil and salt and then pan fried until they were crunchy but not burnt. Many kids who have not enjoyed croutons before were impressed at how simple and delicious they were. Kate has since found that this style of salad is called "Panzanella", so she has written up a recipe for it. Please see below.
Our baking team whizzed up some Alphabet Grissini, topped with poppy seeds and herbs from the garden, mainly rosemary and saltbush.
Last but not least our dessert team made some Zucchini Chocolate Muffins, adapted from a cake recipe that we used but made muffins instead to reduce cooking time. The dark chocolate combined with grated zucchini resulted in a divinely decadent gooey chocolate texture and suffice to say there was very little left over.
https://www.recipetineats.com/chocolate-zucchini-bread/
Chocolate Zucchini Bread - zucchini? What zucchini? Can't taste it, can't see it. All I see is the fudgiest chocolate bread you will ever have. Full stop! |
Panzanella Salad with Croutons
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, Salt and pepper, Stale bread, Olive oil Method: Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and toss, and leave to sit for about 3 mins. This will bring out the flavours of the ingredients. Meanwhile, chop or tear the bread into bite sized chunks (about half of a thumb for most kids) and place in a bowl. Generously coat with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss until all the bread is covered. Pan fry in a hot fry pan in single layers (don’t put too much in or some will burn and others will still be uncooked) until the bread is crunchy but not burnt. Right before serving combine the croutons with the tomato mixture and serve straight away.
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Summer Harvest Lasagne
Ingredients: Olive oil 3 cups of ratatouille + seasonings such as salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder 1 can of tinned tomatoes 6 large lasagna sheets Cheese Method: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C Place the ratatouille and the tinned tomatoes in a food processor (or use a hand held one in a bowl) and blitz until smooth. Don’t forget to season with salt, pepper, onion and/or garlic powder to your liking. Layer the ratatouille, lasagna sheets and bechamel sauce, as many or as few layers as you like in a medium sized baking dish. Finish with bechamel sauce and the top with cheese. Bake for about 30 mins or until golden and melted on the top and then rest for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!!! |
This fortnight, in the garden, students have been busy looking after the animals during the unseasonal heat wave, cleaning out their water and making sure they have enough fresh food to keep them healthy. They have also welcomed two new guinea pigs to our school garden, although they are very shy. They are getting used to their new cage and not part of the lunchtime petting zoo yet. Students have been brainstorming names and next week they will vote to choose them.
Supporting the kitchen with harvesting students have been collecting produce such as basil, cucumbers, zucchinis, tomatoes and corn cobs. Lady birds have been breeding in the husks of the corn cobs, which has provided a lot of interest in the garden! Which leads onto our insect hotel which has been going well. We have been cutting up old plant sticks such as the sunflower stalks to fill the tins. Thanks to everyone that has been donating tin cans for this project.
Preparing more for autumn and winter students have started pulling out old crops and digging guinea pig litter to the garden beds to improve fertility in the garden. This builds fertility of the soil for crops such as Florence fennel, coriander, Asian greens and brassicas (cauliflower, kale and broccoli). Students have also been making newspaper pots and filling them with small seedlings, ready for planting out.
And last but not least with the holidays fast approaching we are calling out for families who could either care for the guinea pigs or come into school to feed the chickens and collect the eggs. If you are interested in either please contact Mrs O’Brien, Kate, Jodie or the ladies in the office. Both are very low maintenance but so rewarding!
Mrs O’Brien, Kate & Jodie
