Hands-on Cooking

Our 11 year-old daughter was having a sleepover. In the morning they ambled out asking to make pancakes, which are a “morning after” sleepover tradition in our home. They were surprised, and her friend disappointed, when we said: “We can’t today, we are having a cooking class." Although there was a chorus of “we’ll clean up," and “we can make them ourselves," we convinced them that they could make the pancakes next time. That day, we needed to keep the kitchen clean because we were about to host one of our hands-on cooking courses. 
 

Interactive Cooking Class with Guiliano Hazan. Photo by Andrea Hillebrand.

We started hosting hands-on classes last winter. People had been asking for interactive classes and we designed our home kitchen with such courses in mind. At the start of the evening we welcome an intimate group of strangers to join us in cooking a full Italian meal. By the end, they have become friends and we often hear from them later.

Recently, two of the students were long-time personal friends. Exceptional Sarasota photographer, Andrea Hillebrand (www.andreahillebrand.com), took pictures and was generous enough to let us use some of them for this blog. The other was Carolyn Vioni, Giuliano fan extraordinaire. Not only has Carolyn taken countless classes from Giuliano in Sarasota, she and her husband Ron have also joined us at our cooking school in Italy twice. As he does for any student who has taken courses with him, Giuliano wanted to create a menu that Carolyn had not had previously.  In Carolyn’s case it was particularly challenging; however, she said that Giuliano had succeeded.
 

Hazan table setting. Photo by Andrea Hillebrand.

The class always consists of a full four-course menu complete with appropriate anti pasti and wine. Students are welcomed then told to put away their notebooks; recipes are given at the end of the course. Giuliano wants the students to experience preparing the meal with him. On this evening, the menu was:
 

Spaghetti alla Norma
Aromatic Salmon
Braised Baby Artichokes
Prosecco and Clementine Sorbet.

These were preceded by an aperitif of Prosecco and accompanied by Bruno Giacosa’s Dolcetto d’Alba. We were able to purchase the wine from Total Wine at University. We served amazing Italian cheeses that were purchased at Whole Foods. We are lucky that Sarasota’s growing food sophistication means that we can get some fabulous products.

Giuliano showed the students that preparing the meal is a recipe in itself. Rather than focus on one dish, he used the time while something was cooking to prep for another. He showed the students why peeling tomatoes was easy and important. The sweet flavor of the tomatoes is more apparent when they are freed of their constricting and tough skin. Scalding tomatoes takes time, burns ones fingers, and you have to wash a pot. Peeling, once you get the hang of it, is much easier and efficient. He also taught the students how to dice onions with the least amount of tears, how to get the tenderest parts from an artichoke, and how to sharpen their knives.
 

Getting ready to cook. Photo by Andrea Hillebrand.

 
The students prep the meal and refine their techniques. Some, like Carolyn, have been expert cooks for years; others were given the class as a wedding present because they had never cooked previously. All had fun. Giuliano makes certain that everyone participates in creating the entire meal. He also explains the ingredients used, why it’s so important to use good etra-virgin olive oil in cooking and the differences of various salts.

Everyone had a great experience. We received e-mails and notes afterwards from the students telling us how much they enjoyed themselves and looked forward to taking future courses. Our next course will be June 26th. I hope to see you there. Between now and the class, there will be another sleepover for the children. This time, there will be pancakes!
 

Aromatic Salmon. Photo by Andrea Hillebrand.

Serves four people as a single course meal or six people as part of a multi-course meal.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound fresh ripe tomato (about 1 cup diced without seeds)
3 tablespoons flat leaf Italian parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons fresh oregano
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds skinless salmon fillet
extra wide heavy duty aluminum foil
2 tablespoons dry white wine

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 400° on convection heat setting, or 425° on the regular bake setting.
2.  Peel the tomato, remove the seeds and cut into 1/2” dice.
3.  Finely chop the parsley and garlic. Coarsely chop the oregano and mix with the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and the olive oil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
4.  Butterfly the salmon fillet by slicing horizontally along its thicker side so that the fillet opens like a book. Spread the mixture from the previous step on the inside and outside of the salmon fillet.
5.  Tear a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around the fish completely. When you seal the foil later there should be enough room around the fish for the steam to circulate while it cooks. Place the fish in the center and add the white wine. Spread the diced tomato over the fish and sprinkle the remaining parsley on top. Season with salt and pepper and seal the foil making sure not to leave any openings. Place the pouch on a cookie sheet and put it in the preheated oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on how thick the fish is. If you are unsure whether the fish is cooked or not, it’s perfectly okay to partially open the pouch and check with a fork to see if it flakes. When it is done, gently open the foil taking care not to spill the juices. Lift it out of the baking pan and slide the contents into a serving dish. Serve at once.