ARTICLE TOOLS

E-mail story

Comments

Printer friendly version

iPod friendly version

Share This

Text Size: A A A A

Chattanooga: Day campers cook up a new skill at Bright Bistro

By: Anne Braly
(Contact)

Included in this article

Kim Brown

Bright School day campers went around the world this summer with a menu of international cuisine.

For one week in early June, seven students ages 7 to 9 learned what it takes to prepare such dishes as chicken satay, baked ziti with meatballs, fajitas and pizza using made-from-scratch crusts.

This is the first year the camp has offered the Bright Bistro. Kim Brown, director of marketing, communications and community relations for the school, said the cooking session was well received. The weeklong camp was held in conjunction with McCallie School and led by Bill Kropff, McCallie’s executive director of operations.

“This has been an interesting group,” he said, taking a break from explaining how to make meatballs for baked ziti, the day’s entree. “It’s kind of tough to keep them interested for a long period of time.”

On this day, the children seemed to be holding onto every word he spoke and appeared to follow instructions effortlessly. All five who were present on the fourth day of class agreed that cooking was one of their favorite activities.

“I used to think cooking was boring,” said 8-year-old LaRyn Claridy. “But when I was 5, I finally got to know that it was kind of fun.”

Her cooking buddy, Tia Kemp, 9, is a kindred spirit in the kitchen.

“Sometimes when my mom comes home from her workout class, she says she’s hungry and asks me to make her something,” she said. “Now I know how to make her something really good.”

Although cooking was an important aspect of the class, Mr. Kropff said he placed equal importance on safety and learning to differentiate the scents that come from the kitchen.

“My hope is that they will learn to like new things,” he said. “It broadens their taste so much. Sometimes their initial reactions to foods they’ve never made or tried was ‘eww,’ but that usually changed once they tried the things.

“This class also gave them an appreciation of what goes into food preparation at restaurants. And by learning the different smells, they can also go into a restaurant and guess what might be cooking.”

No sooner said than Gwennie Davis, 7, Lydia Lindsey, 8, and Pierson Brown, 8, leaned over a bowl of freshly torn romaine lettuce.

“It smells like corn,” Lydia remarked.

Soon, the team of cooks began the task of making the day’s menu: baked ziti with meatballs, Caesar salad, sautéed broccolini with garlic and shallots, and grilled bruschetta with feta and tomatoes.

On certain days, Bright School headmaster O.J. Morgan visited the young kitchen wizards to partake of some of the culinary creations.

“I had the good fortune of sampling an international array, and the best part about it was seeing the children’s delight in preparing it and welcoming guests to the table,” Mr. Morgan said. “I loved every moment of it.”

Here are the recipes from Italian day.

Grilled Bruschetta With Feta and Tomato

1 narrow Italian or French loaf of bread

1 fresh tomato, diced

2 cups feta cheese

1 head garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise

1/4 cup fresh basil, cut in chiffonade (thinly sliced)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

Slice the loaf of bread, on the bias, into 3/4-inch slices. Place bread on grill and toast both sides (about 1 minute each side). Remove to a platter and rub each slice of bread with the garlic and then brush with olive oil. Garnish each slice with diced tomato and feta cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve immediately,

Parmesan Crisps

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400 F. Pour a generous tablespoon of Parmesan onto a silicone or parchment-lined baking sheet and lightly pat down. Repeat with the remaining cheese, spacing the spoonfuls about a 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden and crisp. Cool before serving.

Baked Meatballs

3/4 pound ground pork

3/4 pound ground round

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 whole egg

11/2 teaspoons dried basil

11/2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Heat the oven to 400 F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork, ground round, cheese, egg, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt and bread crumbs. Using your hands, mix all ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Note: Measure meatballs with ice-cream scooper then roll into uniform balls.

Caesar Salad

4 crowns of romaine lettuce

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup croutons

1/2 cup homemade or bottled Caesar dressing

Cut romaine into bite-size pieces. Combine in a bowl the chopped romaine, parmesan cheese, croutons and dressing. Toss in bowl to coat romaine. Place in bowl and garnish with a parmesan crisp.

Sautéed Broccolini With Garlic and Shallots

1 teaspoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, finely sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound broccolini

Salt and pepper

In a sauté pan combine butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots to pan and sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic to pan and sauté for 1 minute. Add broccolini to pan and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Baked Ziti With Meatballs

1 pound ziti pasta, cooked and cooled

1 quart marinara sauce

1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

1 pound ricotta cheese

16 (1-ounce) meatballs

1 teaspoon fresh basil

1 teaspoon fresh oregano

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and gently fold together until mixed well. Place mixture into greased baking dish. Top with shredded mozzarella. Cover with plastic wrap and then with foil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake on 350 for 10 minutes and serve.

Comments