Yesterday, The First Lady announced a new component of her Let’s Move initiative, called  “Chefs Move to Schools.” I was privileged to be one of 400 chefs listening on the South lawn of the White house. Michelle Obama’s speech

Chefs Move to Schools will adopt chefs to public schools to teach kids about delicious foods that many of them have never seen or tasted.

The day kicked off with a breakfast at the JW Marriott. Speakers included Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, White House Assistant Chef Sam Kass, Share Our Strength Founder and Executive Director, Billy Shore. Inspiring talks on how planting, harvesting, cooking and eating delicious food and their impact on kids were given. I am so proud that Unquowa’s Farm to Fork program has been doing this for five years now. We are a successful model to schools that will be slowly changing to a healthier/delicious eating style.

When we arrived at the event we were led through the security in a sea of “whites”. A tour of the White House garden was wonderful. I was surprised at the number of people who knew of The Unquowa School; I won’t be in the future. The First Lady’s reach to the 1,000 chefs who have signed up for Chefs Move to Schools will inspire many more before school starts in September. Be ready, America; here come the chefs, here come the chefs, here come the chefs.

Chef Paul, our Chef for the Day, brought in his grandmother’s recipe for meatballs and sauce and prepared a spectacular lunch for us with the help of Chefs Peter and Dan. Delicious! He cracked dozens of eggs, crushed garlic, cut up pepperoni, formed meatballs, and made a delicious batch of spaghetti sauce that was enjoyed by all.

Chef for the Day is one of the many Auction items up for bid each year - here’s hoping Chef Paul wins it again! Thank you, Chef Paul and Grandma for such a wonderful lunch!

Last year it was Elk 101 - this year’s Steak 102 was a great end of the winter blues!
The Horse Tavern proudly presents a

TRADITIONAL NEW YORK DRY AGED STEAK DINNER

On Saturday, March 6th, 2010 Unquowa had its 2nd annual wine & beef dinner. Forty-two people attended this delicious event.

Starting with a classic lump crab-meat cocktail with horseradish sauce accompanied by 2008 Domaine du Salvard Chevenry.

Second course was Urban Oaks winter greens, pomegranate vinaigrette, local Hungarian sausage and  goat cheese, honey walnut whole wheat bread and cracker bread.

The entree - aged Porterhouse steak, wild mushroom ragu, baked Yukon potato, creamed spinach, roasted root vegetables accompanied by 2005 Top of Form Chateau Maris Syrah Minervois La Liviniere Old Vine.

Finally - cheese cake, roasted berries in Grand Marnier accompanied by 2004 Bodegas Dulce Monastrell.

Hone your kitchen knives and turn up the heat - it’s time for Unquowa’s first Iron Chef competition!

Iron Chef Unquowa came off with a blast o’heat and scurrying feet. Six teams of two students had one hour to prepare, cook and present an entrée with local ingredients and cook-able for Unquowa lunch. With a blast from the cymbal, presentation of the secret ingredient (micro-greens) 12 students put on chef hats & aprons and under the guidance of team coaches and Chefs Dan & Peter began their time sensitive cooking projects. Vegetables from the Fairfield winter farmers market were peeled, cut & cooked. Beef, chicken, pork, turkey, and many veggies were prepared at lightning speed as the clock ticked and only 10 minutes were left. The spectators wondered what was being prepared, as knives chopped and all six burners on the stove piped flames to cook sizzling meats and an oven full of olive-oiled vegetables and roasting potatoes.

Show-plates filled up with beautiful food as the clock ticked down, and the cymbal crashed as the last plate came up for judging. The cooking was over, but the pressure was still there as Judges Mary Faulkner, fifth grader Paul  & John Turenne smelled, tasted and pondered the six entrées. This was not an edited show and judges took careful measure of the carefully prepared foods. Erin and Jessica took best in show for their Turkey Cutlets, Rutabaga Rosemary Fries, Broccoli & Cauliflower. Erin and Jessica spent two full nights in their home kitchens to prepare their entrée.

Andres and Tristan made Pulled Pork with Roasted Apples, Mashed Potato w/ Celeriac Biscuits - delicious! Kai and Peta-Gay made Blue Chip & Nacho Cheese and  Chicken & Rice. We had this meal Tuesday at lunch and it was a big hit! Andrew and Paul made Chicken Française, Roast Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli & Cauliflower. Michael and Parker made Philly Steak on a roll, Provolone Cheese Peppers Mushrooms & Onion Sweet Potato Fries - a classic entrée. Aaliyah and Hannah made Baked Potatoes w/ Cheddar & Black Bean Chipotle Yogurt, Lime Zest Corn Salad and Cherry Tomatoes - the only vegetarian entrée.

All meals were prepared with care and it showed in the beautifully presented show plates. Congratulations to all contestants! Erin and Jessica will be joining Head of School, Sharon Lauer on Channel 8 in New Haven with their winning entrée for The Unquowa School. We will serve all entrées for lunch throughout the school year!
The next Iron Chef is to be announced!

Mrs. Gordon’s 3rd grade class recently read Born to Rope, a story about a Mexican-American family living in the southwest part of the United States. One family tradition in the story was going to Casa Reynoso, the grandparents’ restaurant. Here, all of the family members pitched in to help cook many Mexican meals. The students enjoyed reading and learning about Mexican culture and traditions. Chef Peter provided an extension to lessons in the classroom by inviting the 3rd graders to make pan de muertos, a traditional Mexican bread. Students enjoyed using their senses to smell ingredients like orange zest and cinnamon. After a demonstration by Chef Peter, the 3rd graders went to work kneading the dough and forming it into loaves. Thank you to Chef Peter and our 3rd grade chefs for providing a delicious Mexican bread for lunch!

The 1st graders joined Chef Peter in the dining room to make rosemary breadsticks. This was an extension of a lesson on herbs and colonial herb gardens from earlier in the year. Chef Peter demonstrated how to roll the dough and add flour to prevent sticking. The 1st graders also added fresh rosemary leaves for flavor. A big thank you to Chef Peter and our 1st grade chefs for providing delicious breadsticks for all to enjoy at lunch!

Yogurt Chicken

Serving Size : 8

• 1 cup Stonyfield plain yogurt
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cut chicken in 1 ” strips.  Place yogurt in bowl.  Mix chicken with yogurt.  Combine bread crumbs, oil, salt & pepper.  Drop yogurt chicken one at a time & lightly bread.  Place on sheet pan.  Cook in preheated oven 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.

Apples & Honeycomb

Slice apples in 1/8ths.  Cut Red Bee Honeycomb in 1/4 inch squares.  Insert toothpick through comb, then apple.

On Sunday September 13th, The Unquowa School participated in the ninth annual Ct Farmland Trust Celebration of CT at Graywall Farm in Lebanon, CT. This event was a benefit to help preserve Connecticut farmland. Present at the celebration were 500 of the cows who give us our milk & the Farmers Cow people who tend them. Over thirty chefs representing various businesses highlighted foods from CT.

Unquowa had a table and served clam chowder from a family recipe passed onto Chef Peter by Sharon Lauer, our Head of School. The chowder was served in the clam shell & was a big hit! Anne Cain & her daughter Shannon (Unquowa alum 2000) spent the day ladling out chowder & talking about the best CT grown school…Unquowa.

Our last day of farm camp & here is the most requested recipe.

Lavender Shortbread

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream butter & sugar. Beat until smooth. Stir salt into flour and mix well. Add flour and salt mixture to first mixture. Mix in Lavender flowers.

Press dough evenly into a pan.

Bake in 375-degree oven 25 minutes. Cut into bite size cookies.

Tuesday the Sweet Peas made pickles at Farm Camp. We cut cucumbers, measured spices & herbs. Tasted, smelled & had many different thoughts on the smell of vinegar. We will eat some pickles tomorrow.

Here is the recipe we followed.

Unquowa Pickles

• 1 1/2  cups  rice wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons  sugar
• 1 teaspoon  peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon  mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon  fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon  cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons  kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons  dill weed
• 4 whole cucumbers

Combine vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, salt & dill.

Pour combined ingredients over sliced cucumber & refrigerate 24 hours up to 4 days.