Nasturtium and Rice Wraps

The most magical urban acres is actually a former blacktop at 24th Street Elementary where The Garden School Foundation has created an edible outdoor learning center in the Adams Hill area of Los Angeles. It is here where fruit trees hang low enough so that young little hands can pick an apple and also where a mulberry tree has been pruned into a teepee for a sweet little area of respite. Walking around this space is sure to make your heart expand and to fill you up with wonder. With enthusiasm, I want to let you know that GSF is offering a Summer Camp for children aged 5-13. Science, cooking, arts, and crafts will all be conducted in this garden classroom. What a great experience!

During the regular school year, we like to visit GSF for some cooking lessons to teach a couple of simple recipes that the children can get excited about. Remember the knife skills class our Chef Matt conducted for teachers at GSF? We love to spend time here!

At this time, the garden is filled with nasturtium, strawberries and snap peas, so our Chef Matt thought it’d be fun to make some wraps with those things and some sticky rice.

STICKY BROWN SUSHI RICE

Makes 4 cups

Tools:

1 sauce pan with lid or aluminum foil

1 fan (+1 paper plate/light weight plate, or accordion fan to cool rice)

kitchen spoon

cookie sheet

parchment/aluminum foil

Ingredients:

2 cups brown rice (we like Koda Rice)

4 cups water

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

sea salt to taste

Procedure:

In a sauce pot, combine rice, water and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook 20-25 minutes or until tender and dry. Spread onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and immediately drizzle with honey and rice wine vinegar. Fan as fast as you can to cool until cool to the touch.

NASTURTIUM & SNAP PEA “HAND ROLLS” WITH MUDDLED STRAWBERRY DIPPING SAUCE

Makes 12 hand rolls

Tools:

1 mortar and pestle

cutting board

chefs knife

microplane

spoons

Ingredients:

12 LARGE Nasturtium Leaves

12 Nasturtium Flowers

2 Cups Cooked Brown Rice Sushi Style (recipe below)

2 Cups Snap Peas, sliced

2 Lemon, Zest’d and Juiced

1 cup Basil/Mint/Dill/Soft Herbs

2 Cups Strawberries

1 oz Honey

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Procedure:

To make the Strawberry Sauce, combine the zest and juice from 1 lemon, the strawberries, honey and herbs in the mortar and pestle, or just smash it all up in the grip of your hands. Macerate until smooth.

Marinate the snap peas with the lemon juice from the other lemon, salt and black pepper

Lay nasturtium leaves onto the cutting board, place 1 spoonful of cooked sticky rice, top with marinated snap peas and roll like a burrito so that the open edges are on the bottom. Use a small amount of Honey to glue of necessary.

Dip the Hand Rolls in the Strawberry Sauce and enjoy.

Look at these children go at it! Taking seconds even! To get children to eat healthy, a great place to start is engaging them in the cooking process. GSF is a public school in an underserved area and relies on volunteers and contributions to keep strong. To contribute, please click here.

Photos: Yolk & Flour

Yolk & Flour

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