I have been missing cooking in a big kitchen so much. At home, I volunteer for several hours a week at Ceres Community Project and that kitchen is large. It's got all the fancy and cool kitchen gadgets and utensils. My kitchen is updated and well stocked supplies wise for an apartment kitchen. It's good but not the same as cooking in a professional kitchen.
Last night I got to cook in a big, professional kitchen for the first time in over a month! I signed up through my school to take a Barcelona cooking class. I was ecstatic to begin this class as I love to cook.
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| Mai preparing our Tortilla de Patatas |
There were 22 people in the cooking class. We were split up into 2 groups of 11. My friend Madi and I were in the same group. (YAY!) Our wonderful Spanish teacher, Mai Nazif, was also in our group. Each group cooked all their own dishes. The dishes we cooked were Salsa de Romesco (Romesco Sauce), Tortilla de Patatas (a Potato Omelette basically), Pan con Tomate (Bread with Tomato and Olive Oil), Paella (Rice, veggies, and chicken), and Crema Catalana (Catalan Crème Brûlée). All were delicious and fun to make.
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| Myself and Madi preparing the veggies! |
Unfortunately but understandable, I was not able to help cook every part of the meal. I cut and blanched (yes blanching!!!) the asparagus and zucchini. Blanching may be one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. Some may think that it is a trivial activity but I just love it. After I blanched the veggies, I helped put the bread dish,Pan con Tomate, into baskets to serve.
By that time it was time to begin eating! Our first course was the veggies with Salsa de Romesco. The sauce was delicious and added a great pop of flavor to the veggies. Then we had Tortilla de Patatas and Pan con Tomate. Tortilla in Spanish means omelette. By this time, the Paella was fully cooked and ready for us to eat. The chicken was cooked perfectly and seasoned well.
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Me having a lot of fun
with the handheld BlowTorch! |
After eating our Paella, we had to put the finishing touch on the Crema Catalana which was melting the sugar to create a hard top. We each got to try using the handheld Blowtorch. It was a fun tool to use! Melting the sugar till it was golden brown was easier than I expected. I thought I would turn the sugar black, which is not what you want. I did not turn the sugar black. Mine turned out quite perfect, if I do say so myself.
A few friends took the class before I did and recommended that I bring a Tupperware to take food home in. I am glad I did because I have Paella and Tortilla de Patatas sitting in my fridge at this very moment :)
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| Our Paella |
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| Romesco Sauce with veggies |
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