Winter Week Four

The past week featured our three guest teachers from very different backgrounds sharing dozens of insider secrets and tips from their cultures:

• Youmna taught us how to make her mother-in-law's Morrocan Hrira. Youmna's trick with saffron, to get the most aromatics out of these pricey golden-orange threads? Rub them between your palms to release maximum perfume before putting into the recipe. Do as the Moroccans and serve something sweet like dates with this soup.

• Celeste learned how to make Party Pickles from the best teachers of all, her six grandparents. Celeste's healthy tip? Replace chips with crisp pickled cucumbers.

• Victoria says that in Spain, if something is cooked in a paella pan then it is paella. Paella is usually served for Sunday lunch. Fish stock cooks for 20 minutes; to make it golden, leave the onion skins in broth and add saffron.

Yet more accolades from the Academy's fabulous students:

• It was a pleasure seeing you again today! I just love your classes and the fact that I have two new recipes to serve. I look forward to taking more classes with you.

• Thanks Suzanne! Celeste was a great teacher. The pickles are delicious. It was a lot of fun.

• Paella is easy if you prep. and have Victoria de la Maza and the Charleston Academy as your teachers!

• Such fun to do this on a cold wintery day with a fire going in the kitchen too!

• That was so much fun! Always good to see new and familiar faces.

(It might be time to start an Alumni Association…)

Don’t skip class during the last two weeks of school! We still have plenty of lessons to learn. Have you ever wondered about the art of napkin folding, how to make the best New England chowder or a magical tagine? Satisfy those three wonderings next week — find more details & registration links HERE.

Start a Project: PICKLES

Why not spend an afternoon making pickles? A pickling is not a big time commitment but still delivers huge rewards in the coming weeks. A refrigerator door lined with jars of homemade pickles is always worth opening — if only to admire, get a blast of cool air, and for the good feeling of being on top of your domestic game (at least for the moment.)

Here at the Academy, we choose refrigerator pickles because no canning or boiling is involved, and they are the definition of simplicity and tastiness. You will have brightly colored jars of tangy morsels to enhance any plate of food, adding a touch of something handmade to your meal.  Smart parents know that the pickle is one way to introduce stronger flavors to the pickiest eaters on earth, most under the age of fifteen.

Pickled Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 1 pound white, cremini, bella or shiitake mushrooms (cleaned with paper towels to remove dirt)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 3 teaspoons coarse salt

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 4 garlic cloves

• a few branches fresh thyme, marjoram and parsley, leaves removed from stems

• 1 tablespoon honey

• freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine mushrooms with oil and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt. Roast in a roasting pan for about 10 minutes. The mushrooms will give off a liquid. Drain in a colander. 

2. Combine the vinegar, garlic, thyme, marjoram, parsley, honey, pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix well. Add the warm mushrooms and stir. Chill the mushrooms in the refrigerator until cold, about an hour. Transfer to mason jars. Seal tightly and refrigerate. 

3. Storage: The pickles will keep for at least a month in the refrigerator.