In the classroom this week we read Sankofa: A Culinary Story of Resilience and Belonging. The book is about a child named Kofi who learns pride in his Ghanaian American culture through sharing food with his school community.
In the kitchen we made a vegan version of jollof rice, a fragrant West African dish made with tomatoes, chiles, and spices. The first grade chefs made a puree of peppers and tomatoes, then sautéd spices in coconut oil before cooking the rice in the spicy red liquid. While the jollof rice simmered, we made a simple slaw with cabbage, carrots, lemon juice, and mayonnaise, which provides a crunchy, cooling counterpoint to the hot rice.
