Before we start our recipe each week, I always ask if anyone cooked anything at home with their family. This week, Scarlett Godoy made a grilled cheese sandwich, which was one of our recipes, and Jizelle Santos made scrambled eggs. Success! Joy! The mission of the class is to not only teach the kids simple cooking skills, but to get them cooking healthy meals at home. Kudos for home cooking!
This week’s recipe for Baked Cornflake Chicken may inspire more home cooking, as this is a carnivorous group, very excited about chicken drumsticks. I described this meal as an alternative to fast food fried chicken, like KFC. And while there are many differences in the foods these Asian and Hispanic kids eat, every student had eaten KFC. This recipe is baked instead of fried, and uses crushed cornflakes as a crispy coating.
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Why do you think we are baking the chicken instead of deep frying it,” I asked.
“Because it is much healthier,” said Jizelle.
Second goal of the class accomplished! To get the kids thinking about the foods they eat and recognize healthy choices.
After everyone got a turn smashing the cornflakes in the zip lock bag, Miss Belinda got half the students chopping the kale and broccoli rabe for the accompaniment of Braised Greens. The rest of the students got to work mixing the ingredients for the topping.
There was no squeamishness about handling raw chicken among most of the group. “My grandma buys live chickens from a farm and brings them home and chops their heads off… right in the kitchen,” said Zuliany Delacruz.
“My dad don’t be buying no live chickens,” said Marielys Martinez, somewhat in awe. “He buys chicken nuggets.” “Mine too,” said Bella Nyugen,
All were happy to dunk the drumsticks in an egg and milk bath, before rolling it in the crumb mixture, and laying it on the baking sheet.
Scarlett took a turn coating a drumstick, but was eager to wash her hands of the whole messy business. “I am done,” she said, heading to the sink.
“What, you don’t like touching raw chicken,” Jizelle asked Scarlett. “I love it. It’s squishy and satisfying.”
Once all the chicken was coated and placed in the oven, we turned to the greens, which were blanched, drained, then sauteed with garlic, olive oil and lemon. After tasting, we added a little more lemon juice and garlic, to soften the bitterness of the greens, reminding the students that a recipe is only a guide, you always have to taste.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! That truly describes the reception to this week’s recipe. There were raves all around. “Juicy”, “Crispy”, “Yummy!” And everyone wanted to bring some home. No one was willing to go without. We had to cut one drumstick in half to make sure everyone had something.
Jizelle and Scarlett loved the Braised Greens. “It’s better than pizza!” exclaimed Jizelle. The others were less enthusiastic, but at least tried. Martin Castano struggled, but forced himself to bring a forkful of greens to barely touch his lips, before shuddering and dropping the fork on his plate.
“Don’t like it,” he said simply.
We had to wait a while for the chicken to finished cooking, so I asked the kids to write about what they had learned about cooking and healthy foods.
Scarlett: “It’s important to try something new, because you might like it.
Zuliany: “Before I started cooking, I thought vegetables were nasty. Now I think they’re tasty.”
Bella: ” I learned how to cut stuff, help with dishes, clean, and make a parfait. I have learned about new foods I never tried before.”
Jizelle: “I learned how to cut an onion. I learned that onions make some people cry a lot. I learned healthy foods are really yummy.”
Marielys: “I learned that trying something new isn’t always what you think. I
Iearned that cooking is very fun.”
Martin, the self-described carnivore and veggie-phobe in the group was painfully honest: “I learned to take out the healthy food from the food I like.”
