The core of our homeschool curriculum this year is studying different countries and cultures from all over the world. We study a new nation every two weeks and this past two weeks were spent studying Kenya.
At the end of each two week study, we are assigned to choose a recipe native to the country we're studying (several are included in one of our books: A Trip Around the World) and cook it! This past week my daughter Sarah chose Irio.
The recipe was simple enough. We needed corn, mashed potatoes, and peas. Easy!
After reading about Irio here and here, I don't think we did it exactly like they serve it in Kenya, but it was delicious and fun for the kids... and projects like this keep them interested in learning. Win-Win!
Our book listed the ingredients in this proportion:
- 4 cups of corn (canned or frozen)
- 8 potatoes, mashed
- 1 cup peas
Since I hate green peas and I mean absolutely hate green peas, I never keep those in the house. But I always have dried black eyed peas (for recipes like Hot Black Eyed Pea Dip), so we used those.
For the mashed potatoes, Caleb and Sarah peeled and cubed the potatoes, then we boiled them. After they were done, I might have dressed them up a little - as opposed to just boiling and mashing them. And by "dressed up", I mean that I added some lots of butter, some heavy cream, and some salt & pepper.
I cooked the peas until done, and we used frozen corn which required just a few minutes of boiling. Then we mixed them all together and wha-la...
Irio (southern-style).
I served up a big scoop of Irio with some Chicken Tenders and honey mustard and we called it supper. And you know what? It was delicious!!
We ate the leftovers for lunch the next day and the kids actually asked if we could make it again soon!
This recipe is linked up at Savory Sunday and Church Supper!
Here's the printable recipe (although really you probably don't need it!):
PrintIrio {Potatoes, Corn & Peas}
Ingredients
- 8 potatoes, mashed and seasoned as you like them
- 4 cups of corn, frozen or canned
- 1 cup of peas (green peas are traditional, we used black eyed peas)
Instructions
- Bring corn and peas to a boil.
- Reduce and simmer until both are cooked. If you're using dried peas like me, cook them separately according to the package directions, then add them to the cooked corn.
- Drain and mix into the prepared mashed potatoes.
- Add salt to taste.
- Enjoy!
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This reminds me of my mom b/c she hates green peas too and the only way she will eat them is if she has mashed potatoes to hide them in. LOL Thanks for sharing at Church Supper. I love seeing kids getting in the kitchen. Have a blessed week and please come back soon.
Savannah
Thanks for liking up with my home school blog hop. I love this idea of cooking from different cultures.