Task 42 - Take a Cooking Class (Fast, Delicious on a Budget)

I have taken many cooking classes at Sur La Table with a variety of different chefs. Today I took Fast & Delicious on a Budget with Chef Betsy Proom. I picked this class because one of my largest expenses is food. It takes roughly 30-40% of my discretionary budget every month and anything I can learn to help trim that budget number down is a good thing.

This class touted itself as teaching how “with a bit of creativity and a little planning, you can make the most of a tight budget and prepare balanced and satisfying meals that you’ll be proud to serve year-round.” and promised that “Soon you’ll be creating dinners that save you time, money and peace of mind without sacrificing flavor.”

The menu consisted of a few things I thought sounded delicious and if they were easy to make I would certainly make them again. The menu was 4 different entrees; Citrus-Marinated Chicken Thighs with Spinach – Angel Hair Pesto Pasta with Tuna and Broccoli – Pork Chops with Cider Pan Sauce – Farro Risotto with Kale and Goat Cheese.

When we arrived Chef Proom gave us a quick introduction and went over the basics of knife skills before tasking us with the prep work of cutting dicing and chopping all the ingredients we would need for the four recipes. For those who don’t know how to use a knife properly this portion of the class is invaluable. Having proper knife skills keeps you safer in the kitchen but it also makes light work of all the prep that is required.

Next we began the process of making the marinade for out Citrus-Marinated Chicken Thighs with Spinach. Once the marinade was done we added it to the chicken thighs and let it marinade while we moved on to our next entrée to prepare.

The next item for us to prep is our Pesto sauce. We combined the garlic, pine nuts, basil, parmesan and extra virgin olive oil and using a immersion blender thoroughly mixed the ingredients to taste. In a sauté pan we sautéed our broccoli and tuna together while our pasta was cooking. Once cooked we added the pasta and pesto to the sauté pan and combined with the broccoli and tuna. Our first entrée of the night was ready for us to sample. It was perfectly cooked and very flavorful. While we enjoyed the product of our hard work the kitchen staff had begun the process of preparing for the next entrée. We took a quick break having reached the halfway point of class to browse the store’s many kitchen gadgets.

When we returned we took our chicken which had marinated for a good 30-45 minutes and pat dried it before using a stainless steel skillet to sear the flavors in. We learned how to tell when chicken was ready and learning that when it was the pan would release it for us to flip. Once the chicken was cooked we removed it from the pan and added the reserve marinade to the pan. This addition allowed us to get all the flavor in the pan released. We added the chopped spinach and mixed it with the marinate allowing it to wilt. Once wilted and properly mixed we plated it without chicken and enjoyed our second entrée of the night. The pan sauce we created was so flavorful and tasty I would have definitely enjoyed another round of that.

While we ate our second entrée the kitchen staff prepped our pork by marinating them with sparkling apple cider. Once completed we again pat dried our port chops and seasoned with salt and pepper. Using a non-stick skillet this time we added the pork searing in the flavors. The ideal temp for port is 137 degrees. After flipping our chops we continued to let them sear as we began the process of making out final entrée of the night a farro risotto with kale and goat cheese. The idea was to serve these to together. We had already rinsed our faro and allowed it to sit. Now in a large saucier we melted the butter and olive oil before adding the shallots. We cooked them until translucent and then added our fresh oregano. Then we added the drained farro to the pan and cooked it allowing it absorb all the oil and butter. The key to knowing when to add liquid is to drag your spoon down the center of the pan if the liquid doesn’t immediately cover the now exposed pan it’s time to add one ladle at a time. You continue to add one ladle at a time until roughly 4 cups has been reduced and absorbed into the faro. Once complete fold in the kale and lemon zest.

Now that the risotto is done we returned to the pan sauce for our pork chops. We took our pork from the skillets and put them on a baking sheet to put in the oven. Meanwhile we removed all but about 1 teaspoon of liquid from the skillet leaving the brown bits behind. We added the shallots and cooked until tender before adding the remainder of our apple cider, chicken broth, mustard and thyme. Once it was all perfectly mixed and cooked we platted our pork chops with our faro risotto and added the sauce over the top drizzling it on the pork.

We sat down to eat as the kitchen staff began the long process of cleaning up after us. Our chef Betsy allowed us time to enjoy our meals before checking in on us and talking about different things we could have done and answering all our questions. It was an excellent experience and now I have four more excellent meals to add to my repertoire.