Taking a
cooking class in San Miguel is a gamble, especially when you don't know anything
about the cooking schools. There are
so many places to take lessons and some of them maintain you will learn “real”
Mexican cooking in one easy lesson. That’s an astonishing claim since Mexican
cooking is one of the most complex cuisines on the planet.
Photo from Petit 4 Website
I lucked
out. I happen to be in Petit 4 Bakery when I noticed a sign for a market and
cooking class the following Monday. What followed was perhaps one of the best
kitchen experiences I’ve had…and I’ve had many.
As chance
would have it, I also met up with three of the most inspiring classmates who
taught me things I never knew about cooking. Isn’t it amazing how quickly
foodies bond? Minutes into the conversation we were already exchanging recipes.
Kathy had a prickly pear martini that I just had to try.
Chef
Cardenas met us at 11:00 AM and we headed to the market for a lesson in local
shopping. To me, this was the most important part of the class. After two hours
in the market, I knew exactly who to buy meat, carnitas, chickens, vegetables,
spices, cazuela’s and even fabrics from for the next 6 months. Money well spent
I thought, even at that point.
Chef also
showed us where to eat in the market and introduced us to an old friend who
made the exceptional mole. She insisted that I taste it and I could not believe
just how good it was.
Kathy and
I both mentioned that we really wanted to learn how to make carnitas. While we
were sampling them at the little shop across the street from the market, Paco
was buying a slab of ribs to take home. Much to our delight, he added them to
the cooking menu for the day.
So what
was on the menu at this class? Chayotes Salteados en Mantequilla (did someone
just mention butter?), Guacamole, Nopales a la Cazuela, Rajas Con Crema, Salsa
De Xoconostle, Salsa Verde con Aguacate, Salsa Ranchera en Molcajete, Sopa de
Flor de Calabaza, Puerco en Achiote Y Naranja Adria, Tortillas de Maiz,
Carnitas and Postre de Chocolate Y Tequila. In all 12 recipes which I thought
was a lot.
Chef
Cardenas is a friend of Diana Kennedy and uses some of her recipes in his mix.
Others are traditional coming from both his aunts – one of them is in Chicago -
and his grandmothers.
The
surprise of the day? I was finally converted from flour to corn tortillas.
About time don’t you think? The taste of corn tortillas when you grind the corn
and then make the dough from scratch is truly remarkable. I was also astonished
at how fast the process went.
I’ve had
Noplaes before – made on the grill – but I also liked the Nopales we cooked in
a Cazuela with a little onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro and Mexican oregano.
Of course
the guacamole and the salsa verde were delicious and I got a few tips on how to
improve my own recipes. It helped to have all the fresh produce that we just
picked up from the market. Much of it comes in fresh daily.
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How
beautiful and creamy the Squash Blossom Soup was after throwing all of those rough
cut ingredients into the cazuela. Kathy mentioned how expensive Squash Blossoms
are up in the mountains of Arizona ($1 each) so this was a treat for them as
well.
What
better way to close out a dinner than a chocolate and tequila dessert served
with a beautiful Valle de Guadalupe red. I am a white wine drinker but you
could certainly change my drinking habits with the quality of this 2007 Syrah.
It was one of the best I’ve had.
I intend
to take all of the cooking classes offered while I’m in San Miguel but Chef
Cardenas set the bar so high the first time around we’ll see if any of the
others can measure up.
They have
a tough act to follow.
Buen
Apetito!
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