One of the most fun things we like to do when traveling is to learn to prepare the local foods. Taking a class with a local chef is the perfect way to learn the history of the foods, the differences between the different seasonings and methods of preparation, and of course, then you get to eat all that delicious food also!
Our class was at Cook & Taste - Tallers de Cuina. We had a class of 14 this evening. The venue was a large kitchen area with counter seating all along one side and a wonderful prep area and range on the other. So here is our chef Carla in the kitchen.
The group consisted of a honeymoon couple from the US, a single lady from Tunisia (I think English was her third language), a family of 6 from Texas, and another couple from Philadelphia that was about our age. The group was very friendly and after just a few minutes we were laughing and cooking together like old friends. Everyone shared in the work and had a great time.
Our Menu
Crema De Calabaza Con Crujiente De Puerro y Brocheta de Langostino (Butternut Squash cream with crispy leek and prawn brochette)
Tortilla de Patatas con Pan con Tomate (Potato omelette with tomato bread)
Paella Valencian Style
Crema Catalana (Catalan cream)
Red wine
White wine
I will give the recipes here a long with some photos of our class.
The first thing we prepared was the dessert, Crema Catalana since it needs to chill before being eaten.
Ingredients to serve 8
6 egg yolks
200 gr. sugar (7 oz)
1 liter milk (4 cups)
40 gr. corn starch (1.75 oz/ .11 pounds)
peel of one lemon
1 stick of cinnamon
(the option many use is orange peel and vanilla instead of lemon and cinnamon)
Method
Blend the egg yolks and the sugar until it becomes a fine cream. Add 750 ml. of milk and stir to get a good mixture. Add the lemon peel and the cinnamon.
Heat it over medium high heat in a saucepan.
Meanwhile, dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining cold milk and stir the mixture into the saucepan.
Bring to the boil, stirring all the time and set aside at first bubble. (about 5 - 7 min)
Let it cool for a while, still stirring and distribute it in the little earthenware dishes before it cools down completely. Put into the refrigerator while you prepare the other dishes.
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| The custard should coat the back of a spoon when ready |
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| The small brown ramekins are most popular here both for tapas and desserts |
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| Final touch |
Crema de Calabaza
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 kg of butternut squash
1 medium potato
1 medium onion
1 leek
4 prawns
salt
black pepper
olive oil
Method
Peel and chop the butternut squash, the onion and potato.
Fry above ingredients slightly in the pan with some olive oil. Cover with water and cook for 25 - 30 min.
Blend it and season to taste with salt and pepper.
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| Blending the squash, potato and onion |
Clean and peel and chop the leek finely (in match stick size pieces, the length of about half the leek). Peel and cut horizontally to remove the intestines, using the tip of the paring knife.
Dredge in corn starch and fry in a pan of hot olive oil. Drain on a paper towel.
Serve the butternut squash cream in individual bowls.
Put the cleaned prawns on a wooden skewer and sauté quickly over high heat turning once. Garnish the soup with a prawn and a handful of fried leek.
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| Finished Crema de Calabaza |
Handy tip: Olive oil can be reused after frying vegetables. Strain off the bits that are in the oil while still warm and before storing.
Tortilla De Patatas
The Spanish omelette came along as a way to stretch the budget when you only have two or three eggs to feed a family, so add potato and other ingredients to it to make it go further.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
300 gr potatoes, peeled, chopped (10 oz)
1 onion, peeled, in half rings
3 eggs
olive oil
salt
Method
Peel and rinse the potatoes, slice them thinly
Peel the onion and cut it in half rings
Fry the potatoes in plenty of hot olive oil. Add the onion into the frying pan when the potatoes are half done.
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| Fry the potatoes gently -- don't break them |
Leave over medium heat until both the potatoes and the onion are well done. Drain the oil off the potatoes. Let cool a bit.
Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a separate bowl and season with salt.
Pour the drained potatoes and onion in the bowl and mix with eggs gently.
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| Drain the oil off the potatoes and onions (notice toasted bread in photo for the Pane con tomate) |
Remove excess oil from the pan. Pour the egg and potato mixture into the heated pan and cook until the bottom starts to brown, gently lift the sides so the uncooked egg runs underneath. Using a plate a little larger than the size of the skillet, flip it over, and gently slide the tortilla into the pan again so the uncooked part is face down and finish cooking.
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| Carla demonstrates using a special plate with a handle on it to flip the tortilla |
Slide cooked tortilla onto a plate. Divide into wedges for serving.
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| Finished Spanish omelette |
Pane con Tomate
This simple but delicious starter came into use as a way to help use bread that was getting a bit stale, and for tomatoes that were also a bit past ripe. So many simple recipes born from a practical necessity have evolved into the traditional Catalan/Spanish cooking!
4 large slices of farmhouse bread (not sliced American sandwich bread -- you want a chewier crust bread like a sourdough rough or baguette type bread)
2 red ripe tomatoes (the Spanish use a particular type of tomato called a hanging tomato)
1 garlic clove (Spanish garlic is very strong)
olive oil
flaked salt
Toast the bread (or not if it is already getting dried)
Peel a clove of garlic and cut it in half
Cut the tomatoes also in halves cross-wise
First rub the bread with the garlic with the cut side, and then with the tomato, squeezing gently on to the bread. Sprinkle it with olive oil and then with the flake salt. Let the bread sit until you are ready to serve. Will actually keep a couple of days.
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| Carla showing us the Tomate de Colgar - the Hanging Tomatoes. This particular type will keep all winter when hung this way. |
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| Preparing the Tomato bread - rub with garlic, then gently rub in the meat of the cut tomato, discard the skin |
Paella Valencian Style (with chicken)
Ingredients (serves 4)
500 gr chicken, in serving size pieces
150 gr asparagus
1 red bell pepper
2 or 3 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed
1 tomato, peeled, minced or grated
6 tablespoons of olive oil
400 gr rice (1 lb/14 oz) sushi-style rice works well
1.1 liter of chicken or vegetable stock (4.4 cups)
8 - 10 saffron threads for colouring
(any vegetables can be used -- green beans, zucchini, cut in small pieces; the seafood paella doesn't usually have vegetables in it, only garlic and onion)
Method
Paella is the classic Spanish dish and there are special pans that are used to prepare it. Carla has a free standing gas powered ring that she attaches to a gas canister under the sink. The ring sits on the counter top and the large pan sits on top of the ring.
Heat the oil in the pan and brown the meat slightly. Arrange around the edge of the pan.
Add the tomato in and cook gently. After some minutes, add chopped garlic and fry over medium heat.
When the tomato is half-way cooked, stir in the rest of the vegetables (clean and chopped).
When the tomato starts to burn, stir in the rice and fry for some short minutes.
Finally add the stock (previously heated) and saffron. Distribute everything evenly.
Rice can't be touched beyond this point!
Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for +/- 8 minutes, rotating the swirling the pan to distribute the heat evenly. Reduce the heat to minimum and cook +/- 10 min. more.
Let stand for about 5 min. before serving.
The Wine
No Spanish meal is complete without wine. We had both a red and a white wine for this meal. Actually, the cooks had a glass while preparation was going on as well!
Ingredients (serves 4)
500 gr chicken, in serving size pieces
150 gr asparagus
1 red bell pepper
2 or 3 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed
1 tomato, peeled, minced or grated
6 tablespoons of olive oil
400 gr rice (1 lb/14 oz) sushi-style rice works well
1.1 liter of chicken or vegetable stock (4.4 cups)
8 - 10 saffron threads for colouring
(any vegetables can be used -- green beans, zucchini, cut in small pieces; the seafood paella doesn't usually have vegetables in it, only garlic and onion)
Method
Paella is the classic Spanish dish and there are special pans that are used to prepare it. Carla has a free standing gas powered ring that she attaches to a gas canister under the sink. The ring sits on the counter top and the large pan sits on top of the ring.
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| Gas for the paella pan |
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| Pans come in many sizes; this one will serve 14 but there are larger ones as well |
Add the tomato in and cook gently. After some minutes, add chopped garlic and fry over medium heat.
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| Johnnie on left: Lots of chopping onion, garlic, green beans, peppers |
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| Sauteeing the veggies |
When the tomato starts to burn, stir in the rice and fry for some short minutes.
Finally add the stock (previously heated) and saffron. Distribute everything evenly.
Rice can't be touched beyond this point!
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| Stock added, distribute meat and now let it simmer |
Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for +/- 8 minutes, rotating the swirling the pan to distribute the heat evenly. Reduce the heat to minimum and cook +/- 10 min. more.
Let stand for about 5 min. before serving.
The Wine
No Spanish meal is complete without wine. We had both a red and a white wine for this meal. Actually, the cooks had a glass while preparation was going on as well!
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| The White Wine |
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| The Red Wine |
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