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                          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACE Cooking Classes Japanese Cooing in Your American Kitchen and Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day Finish This week.

ACE Class Japanese Cooking in Your American Kitchen Concludes

 

The second and last session of this class meets tomorrow night, February 21.  This week we will be making four dishes, 3 of which are shown above.  We will start off with Pan Fried Asparagus with Soy and Sesame; followed by Hibachi Rice and Chicken Teriyaki.  The last dish, not pictured, will be a Vegetable Tempura.

 

 

ACE Class - Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day Concludes

 

 

Pictured above is a Ribollita, an Italian Vegetable Stew made by one of the student teams in last Saturday’s session.  In the second and final session this Saturday morning we will make a Creamy Artichoke Soup and a Ratatouille.  We will also be making a dessert item- Strawberry Soup.  It does not really fit the title or scope of the course, but it came up in conversation and the class was unanimous in wanting to make it.

 

 

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 winter term.

 

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                          

 

 

Chocolate Yokan; ACE Classes Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day and Japanese Cooking in Your American Kitchen

Post Date: 15 February 2018

Chocolate Yokan – Japanese Sweet

 

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I made the Chocolate Yokan pictured above for my class on Wednesday evening.  I took a short cut from the traditional recipe, however.  I had made chocolate icing with Heavy Cream, Instant Espresso, and 1 pound of bittersweet chocolate.  After it hardened in the fridge, I rolled it out in small increments with a rolling pin, then cut out the heart shapes with a mold.

 

Just a quick cultural note – in Japan women give chocolate to men on Valentine’s Day.  Men then reciprocate by giving women chocolate on March 14^th.  There are several categories of gift chocolate according to NHK, the Japanese public broadcasting network (www3.nhk.or.jp):

 

Honmei Choco – given to husbands and boyfriends

 

Giri Choco – ‘obligation chocolate,” given to classmates and casual acquaintances, work colleagues.

 

Tomo Choco – given to female friends

 

Jibun Choco – probably the best – it means “self chocolate,” the kind you buy for yourself.

 

Japanese Cooking in Your American Kitchen

 

This first session of this session class met last Wednesday evenings February 7.  In this class we made a Baked Salmon with a Miso Glaze, a Japanese Beef Curry with Peas and Grape Tomatoes (pictured above), and Kushi-Yaki, mixed vegetables and tofu on a skewer (see below).  The second session meets next Wednesday evening, February 21.  We will be making Chicken Teriyaki, among other dishes.

ACE Class - Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day

 

This 2 session class begins this coming Saturday morning, February 17, at the Plum Center in Springfield.  We will be making 3 dishes in the first session.  The first is a Chili with an Italian twist, using Mild Italian Sausage combined with chopped beef (pictured above).  The second will be Ribollita, a type of Italian Vegetable Soup with day old bread as croutons.  We will finish off with a quick and easy Tomato and Clam Soup, no chopping involved, just put everything into the pot and heat it up, great for an improvised meal.

 

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.

 

March 3, 9, 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                          

 

 

Upcoming ACE Classes

Post Date: 1 February 2018

ACE Class – Classic Italian Sauces Concludes

 

This 2 session class concluded last Saturday.  In this class we made a Pesto Sauce with Spinach, Amatriciana Sauce made with Pancetta, and Bolognese Sauce (student dishes pictured above).  I hope to offer this class again in the future with 6 different sauces.   

 

Next ACE Class - Japanese Cooking in Your American Kitchen

 

 

This 2 session class meets on Wednesday evenings February 7 and 14 at the Plum Center in Springfield.  This week I ran through the recipes I am planning for the first session next Wednesday.  Pictured above is Baked Salmon with a Red Miso Glaze.  I added a little more miso paste to the mixture to thicken the glaze.  Blow is a picture of a Beef Curry.  Instead of adding water to the pan I used Low Sodium Beef Broth and peas instead of grape tomatoes.  The third dish I did was a chicken Teriyaki with the sauce made right in the pan.

 

 

 

Future ACE Class - Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day

 

This class will met later in February, on Saturdays the 17^th and 24^th.  Last time I did the class we made a Sweet Chili.  This time I am playing with the idea of doing a chili with an Italian accent.  More to come on that in a later post.  We will also be making a Ribollita , a type of Italian vegetable soup (pictured above).

 

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 winter term.

 

February 7 and 14 – Wednesday Evening – Japanese Cooking in an American Kitchen – Plum Center

 

February 17 and 24 – Saturday Morning - Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day – Plum Center.

 

March 3, 9, 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                          

 

 

 

Classic Italian Sauces Class Concludes; Pepping for Japanese Cooking in Your Americab Kitchen Class; Another Mediterranean DIet Dish

Post Date: 24 January 2018

ACE Class – Classic Italian Sauces Concludes This Weekend

This 2 session class concludes this Saturday, January 27.  In this class we will be making a Pesto Sauce with Spinach, Amatriciana Sauce made with Pancetta, and my take on Bolognese Sauce (pictured above).

ACE Class - Japanese Cooking in Your American Kitchen

 

This 2 session class meets on Wednesday evenings February 7 and 14 at the Plum Center in Springfield.  I have started going through the recipes for this class.  Last night I made the Japanese Beef Curry with Tomatoes pictured above.  I think I will make a few revisions to deepen the flavor, then do another test run next week.  Tonight I will be making Yakitori for my Sumi-e painting group meeting.  Next week I’ll also be doing Hibachi Fried Rice.

Grilled Turkey Cutlets

This is another recipe from Prevention Magazine’s cookbook Mediterranean Table.  Since it is part of a cookbook individual recipes are not available for download, but I have included below a link to the book on Amazon in case you are interested.

 

The Turkey Cutlets were first marinated in Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, and fresh Rosemary; I then cooked them on a counter top griddle.  It was served with a salad of Tomato, Baby Spinach, and Diced Red Onion on top – very tasty and easy to prepare.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Prevention-Mediterranean-Table-Vibrant-Lifelong/dp/1635650224

 

 

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 winter term:

 

February 7 and 14 – Wednesday Evening – Japanese Cooking in an American Kitchen – Plum Center

 

February 17 and 24 – Saturday Morning - Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day – Plum Center.

 

March 3, 9, and 23 – Friday Evening – Cooing 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                          

  

Happy New Year 2018; Some Holiday Menus; Next A.C.E. Classes - Classic Italian Sauces and Japanese Cooing in your American Kitchen; Pollo alla Calabrrese;ibollita

Post Date: 17 January 2018

Happy New Year 2018

 

Welcome to the first edition of my blog for 2018.  I hope everyone had a great holiday season.  I have included here the menus I prepared for Christmas Dinner and for a party I hosted on New Year’s Day.  I have also been busy running through the recipes for my Classic Italian Sauces class which stats this Saturday, January 20.

Holiday Menus

 

For Christmas, the main dish was Roast Beef with Stout Mustard Jus along with 5 Spice Shrimp and Broccoli with Rigatoni.  Starters were Potato Vegetable Soup and Orange Couscous Salad.  Sides were Onion Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans with Mustard Sauce.  Desserts were various Christmas cookies brought by my sisters-in-law, a batch of Pizzelles (pictured below) I had made, and Meringues which my wife Teresa had made with the liquid you drain from a can of chickpeas.

 

 

For my traditional New Year’s Day open house I featured a sweet Chili, Chicken Spezzatino (an Italian Chicken Stew), Tilapia Italiana, Chicken Teriyaki, and Angel Hair Pasta with a no cook Checca Sauce.  There were accompanied by Roasted Carrots with Lemon and thyme and Asparagus with Mustard Sauce.  Starters were a Provençale Salad and a Chickpea Salad.  For sweets, we had Tiramisu, Brutti Ma Buoni (Ugly but Good) cookies, and Pizzelles, and a ton of cookies left from Christmas.

 

 

My Next ACE Class – Classic Italian Sauces

 

 

My next class, Classic Italian Sauces, class meets on Saturday mornings January 20 and 27 at the Plum Center in Springfield. 

 

In this class we will be making no cook sauces, meatless sauces, and those with meat, some familiar and some maybe not so much.  In our first session we will be making Checca, a no cook sauce (pictured above); Puttanesca Sauce, and an Alfredo Sauce which we will enjoy with some fettuccine I made for the class.

 

 

ACE Class - Japanese Cooking in Your American Kitchen

 

 

This 2 session class meets on Wednesday evenings February 7 and 14 at the Plum Center in Springfield.  Final menus are still being put together, but will most likely include a Teriyaki (pictured above) with sauce we will make in class, a Japanese Beef Curry, Hibachi Rice, and Yakitori.

 

ACE Class – Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day - Ribollita

 

 

 

This class is an updated version of a class I gave a while ago.  It meets on Saturdays February 17 and 24 at the Plum Center in Springfield.  One of the dishes to be featured is Ribollita (pictured above), a Tuscan Bean, Bread, and Vegetable Stew, akin to Minestrone.  For the broth you can use chicken or, to make it vegetarian, vegetable broth.  We will also be making Zuppa di Vedure, a creamy potato based soup (despite the verdure in the title). 

 Pollo alla Calabrese (Calabrian Chicken with Potatoes and Vegetables)

 

This recipe is from Prevention Magazine’s cookbook Mediterranean Table.  Since it is part of a cookbook individual recipes are not available for download, but I have included below a link to the book on Amazon in case you are interested.  

Although the recipe involves a bit of chopping up front, there are so many vegetables there is no need to prepare a side dish, and it all goes on one tray in the oven.  Although the recipe specifies which vegetables to use, you can substitute whatever you have in your fridge.  The chicken is prepped with a dry rub of salt, oregano, paprika (I used smoked paprika), and red pepper flakes, which you can adjust according to your taste for heat.  It was a great dinner for a cold winter night. 

https://www.amazon.com/Prevention-Mediterranean-Table-Vibrant-Lifelong/dp/1635650224

 

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 winter term.

 

January 20 and 27 – Saturday Morning – Classic Italian Sauces – Plum Center

 

February 7 and 14 – Wednesday Evening – Japanese Cooking in an American Kitchen – Plum Center

 

February 17 and 24 – Saturday Morning - Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day – Plum Center.

 

March 3, 9, and 23 – Friday Evening – Cooing 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