ACE Cooking Class – Cooking Basics 101 Concludes; Mediterranean Meals

Post Date: 21 March 2018

 

When I wrote the first draft of this post it was a warm, spring like afternoon, but that has quickly changed to a winter morning.  The 2 Mediterranean dishes discussed below are perfect for this weather.

ACE Class- Cooking Basics 101 Concludes, Session 3 on March 23

 

 

 

Session 3 of Cooking Basics 101 meets this Friday evening. Last week we made a traditional French Vinaigrette with Mustard and Baby Spinach and Sautéed Asparagus with Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil and Seeds.  Our main course was Baked Salmon Filets (pictured above) with Mustard and for dessert we made Marscapone Strawberry Cups.

This week we will be using the oven for most of our dishes.  Our salad will be Orange Couscous.  But the vegetables will be Legumes en Papilotte, vegetables roasted in parchment paper, and the main course will be Salisbury Steaks.  We will sear them in a skillet, then finish them in the oven while we use the pan juices to make a pan sauce with onions.  Our dessert will be mini Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cakes.

 

 

 

 

 

Mediterranean Diet Dishes

 

 

I made two recipes last week from Prevention Magazine’s Mediterranean Table cookbook.  Pictured above is a Greek dish, Shrimp Saganaki.  It gets its name from the cooking vessel it is traditionally made in.  I had some frozen shrimp from an earlier recipe, so I decided to try this one.  It is all in one skillet, so it is easy to make.  First Shallots, then Tomatoes, Salt and Pepper, Ouzo, then the Shrimp, garnished with chopped Italian Parsley.  It tasted great and did not take long to make, but the best thing about the recipe is that now I have a bottle of Ouzo.

 

The second dish I made from the cookbook was Chicken and Olives with Couscous (pictured above).  This dish is a bit more time consuming than the Saganaki, but it is well worth it.  The recipe calls for chicken thighs, but instead I used boneless skinless chicken beasts cut into the approximate size of thighs.  To start you brown the chicken in an oven proof skillet, then remove the chicken pieces and add Garlic, Onion, Bell Peppers, Thyme, and Oregano, then Tomatoes and Chicken Broth to a boil.  Then the Chicken is put back into the skillet along with Olives.  You cover the skillet, then place it in the oven to finish while you make the Couscous.

\Reminder – Instagam

 

Follow me on Instagram at #senseichef.  I look forward to your comments on my posts, culinary and otherwise.

 

Upcoming Classes

 

Here is my schedule for the rest of the spring term.

 

April 13, 20, and 27 – Friday Evening – Easy Gourmet Meals – Plum Center

 

May 5, 12, and 19 – Saturday Morning – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

 

June 1 and 8 – Friday Evening – Off the Beaten Track in Provence – Plum Center

 

June 23 and 30 – Saturday Morning – Dolci Italiani II/Italian Desserts – Woodson High School

 

To register for these classes, or any ACE cooking classes, please go to:

 

http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/

 

While there, be sure to check out the other culinary courses offered by ACE’s excellent chef instructors.

 

Till next time, keep cooking.

Contact Chef Kevin at: KJBrady@fcps.edu                          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACE Cooking Class – Cooking Basics 101 Continues; Chef Robert Irvine’s Pumpkin Lasagne; Spice Crusted Salmon over White Beans

Post Date: 14 March 2018

Session 2 of Cooking Basics 101 meets this Friday evening March 16.  In the first session we made a Chickpea Salad (student dish pictured above), Blanched Broccoli, Pan Fried Chicken Italiano, and Blueberry Ricotta Parfaits.

This week we will be going to the classics for the salad, making a traditional French Vinaigrette and discussing how to jazz up your salads.  For our vegetable, we will be sautéing Asparagus, but with a Japanese twist, using Sesame Oil and Seeds, Cooking Rice Wine, and Soy Sauce.  For our main dish we will use the oven for Baked Salmon with Mustard.  Once again we will do a no bake dessert, this week with Strawberries and Marscapone Cheese.

We will also be discussing how long to keep spices and the most common kinds of salt and their uses.

 

Pumpkin Lasagne

 

Yes, Pumpkin Lasagne!  I made this recipe for my Sumi-e painting group meeting last week.  I had cut it out a while back from Food Network Magazine.  With the exception of the Pumpkin Puree (not pumpkin pie filling) the recipe pretty much follows the usual Lasagne pattern, with Red Sauce, Ricotta and Mozzarella Cheeses, and meat, in this case hot Italian sausage.  An addition to the usual layers is Zucchini, thinly sliced.  The pumpkin puree is mixed with an egg to make it more spreadable, and it adds a touch taste to the dish.

Here is the link to the recipe:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robert-irvine/pumpkin-lasagna-recipe-1917390

 

 

Spice Crusted Salmon over White Beans

 

 

Continuing my culinary journey into the Mediterranean Diet, pictured above is a dish I made last week, Spice Crusted Salmon over White Beans.  Recipe is from Prevention Magazine’s Cookbook entitled Mediterranean Table.  The recipe requires 2 skillets, but it is worth it – one to cook the salmon and one to cook the Cannellini Beans, Fennel, Onion, and Garlic, and some Red Pepper Flakes for a little heat.  The salmon has just salt, pepper, and fennel seeds on it.  It finishes up nice and crispy, and when served in a deep bowl on top of the bean mixture it makes a great visual presentation which its taste matches.

 

Reminder – Instagam

 

Follow me on Instagram at #senseichef.  I look forward to your comments on my posts, culinary and otherwise.

 

Upcoming Classes

 

Here is my schedule for the rest of the spring term.

 

April 13, 20, and 27 – Friday Evening – Easy Gourmet Meals – Plum Center

 

May 5, 12, and 19 – Saturday Morning – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

 

June 1 and 8 – Friday Evening – Off the Beaten Track in Provence – Plum Center

 

June 23 and 30 – Saturday Morning – Dolci Italiani II/Italian Desserts – Woodson High School

To register for these classes, or any ACE cooking classes, please go to:

 

http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/

 

While there, be sure to check out the other culinary courses offered by ACE’s excellent chef instructors.

 

Till next time, keep cooking.

 

Contact Chef Kevin at: KJBrady@fcps.edu                          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACE Cooking Class – Cooking Basics 101 Begins this Week; Tomato Braised Chicken and Capers

Post Date: 6 March 2018

ACE Class- Cooking Basics 101 Begins March 9

My next ACE class, Cooking Basics 101, begins on Friday evening March 9 at the Plum Center in Springfield and continues for the following 2 Fridays, March 16 and 23.  In our first session we will be making a Chickpea Salad, Pan Fried Chicken Italiano with Blanched Broccoli, and a blueberry Ricotta Parfait.  For each of the main dishes over the 3 sessions we will be practicing a different technique – cooking in a skillet, in the oven, and starting on the stovetop and finishing in the oven.  Knife skills will be incorporated in each session as well.  We will also be discussing essential kitchen equipment and spices.

 

Tomato Braised Chicken and Capers

 

 

Pictured above is my take on Tomato-Braised Chicken with Capers from Prevention Magazine’s cookbook Mediterranean Table (Rodale, 2017).  This is a great 1 pot meal and it is delicious.  Instead of using chicken thighs as the recipe called for, I bought boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut them into the size of thighs.  Other ingredients are Onion, Garlic, Chicken Broth or Red Wine, Capers, and 1 x 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes.  Spices are just salt, pepper, and oregano. 

 

Although there are not a lot of ingredients, it does take from 45-50 minutes from start to finish.  First the chicken is browned until almost done, then removed from the pan; onion, garlic, capers and broth/wine are added, deglazing until the liquid reduces almost completely.  Then the Tomatoes and Chicken are added to the pot and simmered until the chicken is done.  I served the dish in soup bowls over rice.

Reminder – Instagam

 

Follow me on Instagram at #senseichef.  I look forward to your comments on my posts, culinary and otherwise.

 

 

Upcoming Classes

 

Here is my schedule for the the spring term.

 

April 13, 20, and 27 – Friday Evening – Easy Gourmet Meals – Plum Center

 

May 5, 12, and 19 – Saturday Morning – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

 

June 1 and 8 – Friday Evening – Off the Beaten Track in Provence – Plum Center

June 23 and 30 – Saturday Morning – Dolci Italiani II/Italian Desserts – Woodson High School

 

To register for these classes, or any ACE cooking classes, please go to:

 

http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/

 

While there, be sure to check out the other culinary courses offered by ACE’s excellent chef instructors.

 

Till next time, keep cooking.

 

Contact Chef Kevin at: KJBrady@fcps.edu                          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACE Cooking Classes – Cooking Basics 101 and Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day Finishes. Example of Yoshoku.

Post Date: 1 March 2018

Yoshoku

 

In Japanese cuisine, Yoshoku refers to a Japanese take on Western dishes.  Pictured above is Wafu Hanbaga, a Japanese style hamburger based a recipe from Kimiko Barber’s Cook Japanese at Home (Kyle Books, 2017).  Minced Onion, freshly Grated Ginger, and Soy Sauce are included with the hamburger patties.  They are seared in a pan for 2-3 minutes per side, then water is added to the pan and it is covered to finish the burgers off by steaming.  You make a sauce by pureeing cooked carrots, chopped canned tomatoes, soy sauce, and mirin in a food processor.  The vegetables are Broccoli and Cauliflower.

ACE Class- Cooking Basics 101 Begins March 9

My next ACE class, Cooking Basics 101, begins on Friday evening March 9 at the Plum Center in Springfield and continues for the following 2 Fridays, March 16 and 23.  As usual, we will be making a salad, main course and vegetable, and a dessert in each session.  For each of the main dishes we will be practicing a different technique – cooking in a skillet, in the oven, and starting on the stovetop and finishing in the oven.

 

ACE Class - Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day Concludes

 

 

This class finished on Saturday, February 24.  We made a Creamy Artichoke Soup, a Strawberry Soup, and a Quick Ratatouille (shown above) featuring Eggplant, Tomato, Zucchini, Green Pepper, and Onion.

 

Reminder – Instagam

 

Follow me on Instagram at #senseichef.  I look forward to your comments on my posts, culinary and otherwise.

 

Upcoming Classes

 

Here is my schedule for the rest of the winter term.  The spring catalogue will be out soon.

 

March 9, 16, and 23 – Friday Evening – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

 

To register for these classes, or any ACE cooking classes, please go to:

 

http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/

 

While there, be sure to check out the other culinary courses offered by ACE’s excellent chef instructors.

 

Till next time, keep cooking.

 

Contact Chef Kevin at: KJBrady@fcps.edu