Cooking Classes

         There are many kinds of cooking class.  They can be one day classes, to multiple meetings, to professional courses.  It’s important to decide what you want to learn from the class.  Then find the class to take.  Decide if a one day class will cover you needs or do you need more than that.   Find the class to fit your needs.  At other times you may find a class that interests you, like a six week course on Chinese cooking.  These spontaneous classes can be a lot of fun. 

It is not enough to just attend the class.  Do a little research and reading before going to the class.  Then spend time after the class practicing and perfecting what you learned.  Remember you only get out what you put in.  Be prepared to put in a lot into the learning experience.  Most people are happy to receive your experiments and practice results.

I firmly believe the purpose of education is to prepare and fit a person to be able to learn on one’s own.  This is how I learned and expanded my knowledge about cooking.  The reason for this blog is to help other self-taught cooks to grow in knowledge and skill.  There is point when you may find that you are not succeeding and need a little help.  The solution at this point may be taking a class.

 

One day classes

           

            There are man one time classes around.  Some craft store offer classes.  Some may be on cake decorating or candy making.  Some gourmet or cooking stores offer classes.  There are also cooking schools, and adult education programs that offer a day class on a variety of topics.  Wine shops sometimes offer classes on wine, beers and food pairing.  Over the last two years, I complete three of these classes at Sur La Table, Mozzarella and Ricotta, knife skills, and fresh pasta making. Search around and you may be surprised at what you find.

 

Weekly classes

 

            These are classes that are extended over a few weeks. Usually they cover a broader topic like bread making or Chinese cooking.  They offer a more in depth look at the topic. I learned cake decorating by this method.  I took an eight week beginning cake decorating.  Then I went on to take the intermediate and the advance classes.

 

Professional courses

 

            These courses are more formal, like college classes, and can extend over years. Some programs are two years, others are four years and they are very expensive.  Some community colleges have a culinary program.   It has always been my dream to complete a professional course of some kind. 

 

This Week’s Challenge

 

            Check your area for cooking class opportunities -- adult education classes to craft stores to culinary schools.  Think about something you would like to learn about, from the basics of cake decoration, wine classes, or beer pairing to Moroccan cuisine, cheese making or food safety. Depending on what you want to learn, enroll in some class.  Take notes and review your class.  Practice what you learned for several months. 

 

Tip for this Week – Practice makes perfect

 

            It is an old saying, but all to true.  Practice does make perfect.  Practice is an important part of learning.  As you practice, pay close attention on what you are doing, or not doing.  Evaluate your results and if they are not up to your standards, look at how you proceeded through the recipe.  It can be a long period of trial and error before success is accomplished.  Don’t give up.  I took a class on making mozzarella and ricotta cheese.  The ricotta only took a few times to get under my belt.  It took fourteen times to get the mozzarella right.  I still practiced making it about every month for an entire year.  Now, I’m proud of my cheese making and friends look forward to it.  In the end all that work and expense paid off.

 

Leftover turkey ideas

 

            Turkey can be used in most chicken recipes.  Just substitute turkey for the chicken. Using leftovers are an exercise in creativity.  Think about what you need to use and what you have on hand.  Some ideas we have already covered are:

            Soft Tacos posted 8-22-2015

            Turkey Croquets posted 9-7-2015

            Rainbow Salad posted 9-120-2015

            Chilaquiles posted 10-6-2015

            Open-faced Salmon Sandwich posted 10-10-2015 (substitute sliced turkey for salmon). 

 

Below find some new recipes for leftover turkey sandwich salad and Heart Healthy Pasta.  Also if you do not stuff the cavity of the turkey, the carcass makes an excellent, rich broth.  Turkey soups or stews are also good suggestions.  And here are some ideas you may want to research.

Turkey enchiladas

Turkey pot pie

Turkey and dumplings

Turkey stir fry

Turkey and rice

Turkey tetrazzini

 

This Week in Punkin’s Kitchen

 

Thanksgiving is a big holiday in my family.  My dad liked to have a full table and he would go out and bring people in if the table was not full.  He would tell my mother to get the biggest turkey she could find.  Everything was from scratch and we cooked for a couple of days.  The recipes I shared this month are family favorites and many can be done ahead of time.  This bread recipe was a must.  We doubled and sometimes tripled this recipe to make sure we have enough rolls for Thanksgiving Dinner and enough for the leftovers we ate through the Thanksgiving weekend.  If we had dough left, we made cinnamon rolls.

 

Grandma’s Refrigerator Rolls

 

2 packages    Dry yeast (2 T)

2 C                  Lukewarm water (110 degrees)

½ C                 Sugar

2 t                    Salt

6 ½ to 7 C      Flour

1                      Egg, slightly beaten

¼ C                 Oil

 

The ingredients

1.    Soften the yeast in the water while you measure the sugar, salt and flour. 



 

Place the dry year in a bowl and add
the warm water

The temperature is extremely important.
Use a digital thermometer to make sure the
water is 86-90 degrees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.    Add the sugar and salt to the yeast mixture.
 

 

Add the water to the yeast
and allow to soften.

Add the sugar and salt and blend



3.    Add about half of the flour.  Beat thoroughly for two minutes. 

 

Add half the flour.

After beating for two minutes, the dough
should be smooth and thin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.    Add the egg and oil mixed together to make a soft dough.  And stir to blend into the dough.




 

Measure the oil.

Add the eggs and mix well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the oil and egg mixture to the
soft dough and blend thoroughly.

 

5.    Gradually beat in the remaining flour until smooth. 

 

 

 

6.    Cover with a damp cloth and wax paper and refrigerate at least two hours before using but may be kept 3-4 days in the refrigerator. 

7.    Punch down the dough occasionally as it rises in the refrigerator. 

8.    Two hours before baking, cut off the amount of dough you will be using.  Return the remaining dough to the refrigerator. 

Spray your baking pan liberally with Pam.

Measure abou4 2 1/2 to 3 oz. of d.ough per roll 











 

9.    Shape into rolls and place on greased baking sheet or muffin tins. 

10. Cover and let rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours. 

11. Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. 

12. We like to butter the tops as they come out of the oven

Left to right coverleaf, knot, flaky, and coil

 

 

Makes 2 dozen rolls.

 

This recipe comes from the Betty Crocker notebook cookbook c. 1950.  It was discontinued in later editions

 

Shaping rolls

            Most dinner rolls require about 2.5 ounces of dough.

Measure the dough and then shape
into the desired form.

To make the knot or coil rolls, roll the measured
dough into a long rope.  To make the coil wind the rope
in a coil and place in the muffin tine.

Tie the rope into a knot and placein a muffing tin tucking the ends under. 

To make the flaky roll, form the measured
dough into an oval and slice it.

 

 

Slice the dough and place it in a muffin
tin.  Drizzle melted butter over each
roll making sure butter gets in the slices.
 

For Parkerhouse rolls, roll the measured dough
into balls and place in a square or oblong baking dish.
There should be a little room between the balls.



Parkerhouse rolls before rising.

Parkerhouse rolls risen and ready
to bake



Left to right coverleaf, knot, flaky, and coil

Parkerhouse rolls with the tops buttered.

Meat Salad for Sandwiches



 

 

Turkey salad with cranberries and walnuts
on a homemade roll

            Leftover meat, fully cooked, turkey, ham and roast beef do very well

¼ C     Mayonnaises

¼ C     onion, shallot or red onion

¼ C     Bell pepper, but other vegetables can be used, cucumber, celery, tomatoes, olives, or pickles.

            Salt and pepper to taste

Other seasonings may be added, fresh herbs, mustard, nuts, fruit, or similar flavorings.
 

The ingredients

 

1.    Grind the meat with a meat grinder or food processor. 

Chop the meat and vegetables

Grind some of the meat.

 

2.    Add the vegetables and continue to grind or process.  It does not need to be smooth, lumps are okay. 

Grind all the vegetables

Finish grinding the meat.

 

3.    Transfer the meat mixture to a bowl and mix in the mayonnaise and seasonings until thoroughly blended. 

Add mayo and seasonings

Blend thoroughly

 

4.    If you need more moisture add some pickle juice or a squeeze of lemon. 




I added some chopped walnuts and about
a tablespoon of leftover cranberry relish.

Blend thoroughly and chill.

 

5.    Chill to allow the flavors to blend. 

 

Use and a sandwich spread of filling for canapes or puffs. 

 

Note:  Use the vegetables and seasonings to go with the meat you use.  Be creative.  With chicken and turkey grated orange peel or dried cranberries and chopped nuts can be added with the mayonnaise.  A tablespoon of mustard is good with ham or beef.  Pickles go well with ham.  I like to go through the pantry ore frig to see what can be added.

 

Heart Healthy Pasta

 

 

                        Pasta of choice, one cup per serving

                        Oven roasted turkey, cubed

                        Olive oil

                        Variety of fresh vegetables

½ C                 Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese, flaked or shaved

½ C                 Fresh basil

                        Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces

Other ingredients

 








 

 

1.    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.    Wash and prepare your vegetables.  Use a good selection of four to eight vegetable.  I like to use onion, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers and garlic.  Other choices may be olives, diced eggplant, broccoli, other kinds of squash, shallots, red onions, artichokes hearts, and a variety of color in the bell peppers or tomatoes.  Try to cut the veggies evenly for more even cooking.

3.    Line a baking sheet with foil, spray with PAM, and sprinkle with a little olive oil. 

Prepared baking sheet with a
little olive oil.



Arrange vegetables on the baking sheet
so that they don't overlap.  Sprinkle with
a little more olive oil and seasonings.

 













 

4.    Place the vegetables on the baking sheet so that they don’t overlap.

5.    Sprinkle the vegetables with a little more olive oil.  A little does the trick.  Season with salt and pepper.

6.    Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes.  There should be a little color and liquid from the vegetables.  Watch them closely.

7.    Put a pot of salted water on to boil to cook the pasta.  I like to make this with fresh fettuccine, but any kind of pasta will work. Cook the pasta according to the directions.

It takes more salt than you think, a tablespoon or two.

This time I used bucatini a thick hollow spaghetti,
but any pasta will work.  I usually make this with
homemade fresh pappardelle or fettuccine.

 

8.    While the water boils, dice the turkey and shave the cheese.  Wash the basil and chiffonade or leave whole.

9.    When the pasta is done, drain it, reserving about ½ C pasta water.  Place the pasta inn a large serving dish.

Cook the pasta as directed.

Drain, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.

 

10. Dump the roasted vegetables on the pasta and scrap all the juices into the pasta.

Place the pasta in a serving bowl, dump the oven roasted
veggies, juice and all and the turkey and gently
toss.  Add a little of the pasta water.

 

11. Gently toss to mix the pasta and veggies.  Add a little pasta water if you need more liquid.

12. Top with the basil and shaved cheese and toss once more and serve.

 

 

Happy Cooking!