Cooking with Athena

This week Olympia's mum Athena came in to cook and make...


Spanakopita

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 brown onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 600g baby spinach, washed, dried, trimmed
• 1/4 cup dill leaves, chopped
• 900g Greek feta cheese, grated
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 375g packet filo pastry
• 100g butter, melted

Method

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 6 minutes or until soft. Add spinach and dill. Remove from heat. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes or until spinach wilts. Transfer to a sieve. Using a wooden spoon, press as much liquid from spinach mixture as possible. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add feta, pepper and egg. Season with salt. Mix well to combine.

2. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 5cm deep, 30cm x 38cm (base) baking dish (see note).

3. Place 1 pastry sheet on workbench. Brush with melted butter. Top with 2 pastry sheets. Brush with butter. Continue to layer pastry, brushing every second layer with butter, to form 10 layers. Use pastry layers to line base of baking dish. Spoon spinach mixture over pastry.

4. Using remaining 10 pastry sheets and butter, repeat step 3. Use pastry layers to cover spinach filling. Using a sharp knife, score top of pastry into 24 squares. Brush top with butter. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely in pan. Refrigerate, covered, for 4 hours or overnight if time permits.

5. Cut spanakopita into squares. Serve warm or cold.
   

Making gnocchi and deep-fried plaintain

Thanks to Sophie (Harvey in 3/4Ks mum) for making gnocchi!


Thanks also to Tanya and Gus (Ariel in 3/4Ks parents) for making deep fried plaintain.

Lebanese Cooking

Last week, Josh's mum, Lisa (3/4T) came in to make Tabbouleh and Kafta on skewers. Here are the recipes:

Tabbouleh

1/4 cup (40g) fine burghul (wash, drain and leave to stand for 30 mins)

5 cups chopped flat-leaf parsley, rinsed and drained

5 tomatoes, finely chopped

8 spring onions, finely chopped

1/3 cup finely chopped mint

150ml lemon juice

150ml olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Mix all the ingredients together

Kafta

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 kg finely minced lean lamb

2 cups finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Mix ingredients together and then shape into sausage shapes. Cook on a hot barbeque or pan on all sides for about 4 - 5 minutes

The children then ate the kafta, tabbouleh in some flat bread with hummus. Very tasty!!

Making Pizzas

Debbie (Shamik's mum in 3/4T) came in on Wednesday to make pizzas.


We would also like to wish Shamik all the best as he is leaving our school on Friday. Keep in touch, Shamik!!

Italian Cooking

On Thursday Jasmine's mum, Donna, came in to make bruschetta and a fritatta with eight children. Here are the recipes:

Bruschetta

Ingredients: 4-5 tomatoes, oregano, garlic, salt, olive oil, pastadura bread and pepper.

Method:
1. Chop and core tomatoes
2. Add oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix
3. Rub toasted bread with garlic
4. Place tomato mix on the bread and enjoy!


Fritatta

Ingredients: 5 eggs, 5 boiled chopped potatoes, garlic, parsley, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Method:
1. Mix eggs, potatoes, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl
2. Fry mixture in a pan
3. Turn frittata by placing plate on the fry pan and flipping it onto the plate. Then slide back into fry pan to cook other side.
4. Slice and enjoy!

Wanted! Old atlases and maps

If you have any old atlases or maps could you please bring them in for our inquiry, "All Around the World"

Austrian Cooking

Today, Nic's mum Olivia (3/4K) and Nick's mum Alison (3/4T), came in to our neighbourhood to do some international cooking. Here is the recipe and information about this dish - thanks Olivia!

Austrian Desserts: Kaiserschmarrn

Recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of raisins

hot water

4 eggs (separated)

Pinch of salt

3 tablespoons caster sugar

400 mls of milk

1 cup plain flour

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter

Icing sugar

Applesauce, plum sauce or other fruit

Preparation

1. Pour hot water over the raisins to cover and leave to soak

2. Separate the eggs putting the whites into one bowl and yolk into another.

3. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and add the salt towards the end.

4. Beat egg yolks, sugar and vanilla until light yellow. Add milk and flour, a little at a time to avoid lumps.

5. Fold in egg whites. Let the batter rest for about ten minutes.

6. Drain the raisins on some paper towel.

7. Warm up a large frying pan (10 - 12 inches in diameter) and melt 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter in it.

8. Stir the batter again, gently, and pour into hot pan. Sprinkle the raisins evenly over the top. Cover the pan and let the pancake cook over low heat for about 8 minutes. Flip over (you may have to cut it into several portions to flip).

9. Cut or pull the pancake apart into bite size pieces while it continues to cook. When it is browned a bit, it is ready to serve.

Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with applesauce or preserves of your choice.

What is Kaiserschmarrn?

The most legendary of all Austrian desserts: Kaiserschmarrn is something like a torn omelette. Its origin, in fact, is somewhat legendary itself: Torn omelettes ("Schmarrn") already had a longstanding tradition when Austria's last "real" emperor, Franz Joseph I demanded one such thing for dessert. His cook quickly created this simple Schmarrn from few ingredients. Inspired by the milk, he named it "Käser Schmarrn" (Cheesemaker's Schmarrn), which the old emperor misunderstood as "Kaiserschmarrn" (Emperor's Schmarrn).

Since you don't disagree with an emperor, the dish became known as just that. "Schmarrn" is also used in colloquial German like "rubbish" or nonsense in English, describing inaccurate information or stories. The legend of the name Kaiserschmarrn may be just that but it makes a good story.

Source: http://www.tourmycountry.com/austria/kaiserschmarrn.htm

Photo of Nick’s Kaiserschmarrn 16/10/10

New Website List

Underneath the "Useful Website" list on the blog, I have created a new list called "Websites for Around the World". As the term progresses I will add more resources for the students. Thanks to Olivia (Nick in 3/4K's mum) for the Germany link. If you have any other links you think would be suitable, please email me:

hawkins.tim.r@edumail.vic.gov.au

International Cooking - Indonesia

A big thanks to Dianne (George in 3/4T's mum) for kicking off our international cooking sessions on Monday. A group of 8 students made Nasi Goreng (recipe below) and the smell through the neighbourhood was irresistible. Some students peeled raw prawns, cut up spring onions, made an omelette for garnish and learned about a range of cooking methods. They then sat down and enjoyed the food they had created.

Please see Tim or Kevin if you are available to cook on Mondays from 12.10 - 2.00pm or another time that suits.

Global Connections

The world is coming to Neighbourhood 2 and Neighbourhood 2 goes global! Check it out... see the cluster map on the right column or just click here!

Also, note the "subscribe" and "follow" options on the right. You can get emailed updates every time a new post is created.

Our Learning Environment

To create and maintain interest and curiosity in our studies into countries around the world we would like to create a 'Museum' in the neighbourhood. If you have any artifacts, posters, costumes, postcards, music etc. that reflect the Arts or culture of a country you have visited or come from we would love to 'borrow' them to make our student's learning come alive and stimulate learning.

Don't forget we would love to have any one come in and cook a dish from another country with a small group of children - thanks Dianne (George in 3/4T's mum) for coming in on Monday to cook Malaysian fried rice, save some for us!!!

Learning in Term 4

In Learning Neighbourhood 2 there will no longer be a "paper" newsletter and all information and news will be posted on the blog. If you are unable to access at home we invite you to come in and look at the blog with your child.

This term in literacy we will be focusing on the text features of non-fiction material. We will continue to develop the children's ability to write narratives, recounts and reports. At the end of the research stage of their inquiry, "Around the World", students will present a travelogue about that country. This could be presented in many different ways that negotiated as the term progresses. Please note the research grid (embedded below) will assist them in their information gathering. The reading groups run by parents have been highly successful and we would encourage anyone with some spare time to participate in this program. Nick Szigeter's mum, Olivia, has kindly offered to share her experience in doing this with anyone interested. We expect that at all times our students have at least two books in their lockers either borrowed from the school library, brought from home or selected from the class library. These are for both class and home reading and are expected to be recorded in their reading log.

This term in mathematics the students will undertake targeted teaching sessions based on current assessment that will support and extend student learning in this area. Students will also use mathematics in project work, such as webquests and activities relating to the inquiry. We would still encourage students to use the mathematical resources in the "useful website" list on the blog as part of their home learning. These include tutpup for strengthening basic number facts, smartkiddies to encourage children to work mathematically and participate in the range of games that support mathematical thinking.

We will continue to provide students with Learning Agreements which will also be embedded into the blog. This term there will be a section titled "Home Learning" which will be left blank. Students will be expected to fill in any learning or activities they do at home. These may include cultural experiences (cooking, sport, helping out at home, family events, etc).

As always, you are welcome to come in at anytime to share your child's learning, share their portfolios or chat to Kevin or Tim about any concerns or issues.

category sheet for mutlicultural facts_blank

Where we come from...

As an introduction to our multicultural inquiry we brainstormed where our families came from including our parents, grandparents and other family members. Here is the list (so far!):


List of countries