Although I’ve spent the better part of the last 10 days at the school shadowing the current chef and planned the menu for last week it hasn’t all been me, I’ve had help from the departing chef. Her last day is Monday, which is traditionally Persian cuisine at the school but as it’s her last day I bumped Persian food to Tuesday for the week, and left her to do whatever she wants.
Tuesday forward, it’s all me. I’ll be cooking Persian food on my own for the first time and I’ve opted to ease my way into it with Lubia Polow and some saffron & herb veggies. Weds/Thurs are easy kid friendly menus (hopefully) and for Friday… Every month the kids study a different culture; February is Eastern Europe and on Fridays they get lunch from that culture. I’ve chosen Russian food. I’ve not made Russian food before with the exception of Shchi which I helped to make, once, at Three Stone Hearth. So Shchi (damn that’s hard to type) is on the menu along with Piroszki and Salad Olivier, nothing overly difficult but a bit time consuming.
I like Fridays the most. Really! I get to cook my way around the world. A culture a month and a country a week. Mondays I think, will be my second favorite; not only will I get to cook Persian food every week, I’ll be doing it for Persians (the adults get lunch too) which means I can get instant feedback. If I do something wrong, they will tell me. In some ways it will be like a ‘study from home’ type of education, but with faster, authentic grading (and judgment).
The rest of the week will be easier in some ways, but still a challenge to cook interesting, seasonal, kid friendly meals. It’s mostly going to be me playing with my food though, and that’s what I love the most.
C
