In the classroom this week we read Sandra L. Richards’ and Megan Kayleigh Sullivan’s book Rice & Rocks about a child named Giovanni who feels unsure about including his friends in his family’s Sunday night tradition of eating Jamaican rice and beans. After a ride around the world with his magical parrot Jasper, Giovanni discovers that rice and beans are a beloved pairing in many food cultures in addition to his own.
In the kitchen, the first grade chefs made Jamaican rice and peas, a recipe Ms. Francis told us she learned how to cook from her Jamaican mother-in-law! Our recipe uses kidney beans, but Gungo or pigeon peas are also traditional. The rice and peas were seasoned with green onion, thyme, allspice, ginger, bay leaf, and coconut milk. We enjoyed the dish with a refreshing Jamaican drink, sorrel tea, made from hibiscus flowers.
