Kitchen Humanities: Fall Roasted Vegetables with Sauces

Summary

In this 8th grade humanities lesson, students roast fall vegetables and explore how roasting enhances flavor through caramelization. Students eat the roasted vegetables with a Middle Eastern Chermoula sauce and lavash.

Objectives

After this lesson, students will be able to:

• apply a cooking method without a recipe
• taste ingredients and adjust a recipe accordingly
• learn a simple and versatile sauce

Assessments

During this lesson, students will:

• wash, cut, season, and roast seasonal vegetables 
• demonstrate their tasting skills by adapting the Chermoula recipe to their taste
• brainstorm other uses for the Chermoula sauce

Materials

For the Chef Meeting

• Chermoula recipe
• Ingredients and tools for demonstration
• Visual aid

Ingredients

• Seasonal vegetables
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Lavash

For the Chermoula

• Ginger
• Serrano chili
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Lemon
• Garlic
• Cumin (optional)
• Coriander (optional)

Tools

• Chef knives
• Paring knives
• Crinkle cutter
• Cutting boards
• Sheet pans
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Parchment paper
• Zester
• Mortar and pestle

Equipment

• Oven
• Blender

Before You Begin

• Collect all the tools and ingredients, and then distribute them to the tables
• Gather the supplies for the Chef Meeting
• Create the visual aid
• Copy the Chermoula recipe to hand out

Procedures

At the Chef Meeting

1. Welcome the students and introduce the roasted vegetables with Chermoula as a chance to practice two essential kitchen skills: roasting and seasoning. Emphasize that these kitchen skills are also important life skills that can be taken beyond the Edible Schoolyard kitchen.
2. Break down the roasting method as four simple steps: 1. Wash the vegetables; 2. Cut the vegetables into equal sizes; 3. Season the vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper; and 4. Cook the vegetables in the oven at 425˚ F.
3. Explain how roasting enhances flavor by caramelizing the sugars in the vegetables. Have students suggest other foods that can be roasted.
4. Describe the Chermoula as a quick and versatile Middle Eastern green sauce with a lot of flavor. Identify the ingredients in the Chermoula and explain how a sauce, even when simple, can add an important layer of flavor to any recipe.
5. Introduce the lavash as a Middle Eastern flatbread. Have the students brainstorm other types of flatbreads found in other cultures.
6. Ask the students to wash their hands and join their table group.

At the Table

1. Meet with the table groups to introduce the ingredients, review the recipe, and assign jobs.
2. Prepare the vegetables.
3. While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the Chermoula recipe.
4. Set the table.
5. Eat.
6. Clean up.

At the Closing Circle

What was your favorite roasted vegetable?