summer 2007
the ultimate epicurean vacation, by janet mendel
the ultimate epicurean vacation, by janet mendel
|
|
Tired of the same old dinner time fare? Maybe what you need is, not a vacation from cooking, but a cooking vacation. Try new flavors and learn some kitchen tricks at a cooking class in Spain. Pack your apron and get cooking! Here are some cooking school destinations in Spain. In the Priorat region of Catalonia, you can book a three to six day holiday with Catacurian in the village of El Masroig. Host and cooking teacher Alicia Juanpere will pick you up at your Barcelona hotel or airport and bring you to the Catacurian guest house. Start the day with a typical breakfast of pa amb tomàquet at the big table in the open kitchen, then head out with Alicia, your personal guide, to visit one of the outstanding wineries in the Priorat region. Winemaker Carles Pastrana will introduce you to his superb Clos de L’Obac wines and lead you through a tasting. Then it´s on to lunch at the Restaurant El Cairat in Falset to sample some local dishes. Back at the guest house, you can enjoy either a siesta or a walk in the hills beyond the village. At 6 p.m., it´s in to the kitchen! Alicia introduces you to the basics of Catalan cooking—those famous sauces, sofregit, picada, allioli, samfaina and romesco. You´ll work alongside her to make Spanish potato tortilla, paella, suquet de peix, a savory fish stew, and crema catalana, custard with burntsugar topping. You´ll sip cava or wine while cooking and sit down to dine on the dishes prepared in class. Another day´s class leads off with a presentation and tasting of olive oil from the DO Siurana, which is produced in this region. Alicia, a former dancer who learned Catalan cooking from her mother and at professional chef schools, takes guests in tow when she goes off to shop at the fish market or bread shop, so you´re really getting an insider’s taste of the culinary scene. Alicia´s partner, Jonathan Perret, said that guests are captivated by the whole experience. “Whether it´s the landscapes, the quality of the food and wines, the friendliness and enthusiasm of all the people we work with, the guests all come away feeling this was beyond their expectations. Some have been on culinary vacations in Italy or France, but they´re surprised to find this in Priorat.” Jonathan said that most people who come are aficionados who want to learn new cooking skills. “But we´ve also had groups of professional chefs interested in Catalan cooking, as well as yacht chefs interested in expanding their culinary horizons.” In Madrid, experienced cooking instructor, Gabriela Llamas, tailors cooking classes to her clients’ wishes at her school, La Huerta del Emperador. She can give you a broad introduction to tradtional Spanish cuisine, including a visit to a market and recipes using seasonal produce; or take you on a tour of tapas; or walk you through a wine tasting. “We’re also doing more team building activities in the kitchen,” said Gabriela. Most classes are custom-tailored to suit the clients. “I like to work with produce from my own garden and with Spanish products such as pimentón, saffron, olive oil, olives, Sherry, cheeses. I’m always looking for carefully made, artisanal products to show my students.” Recently Gabriela gave a special class on tapas for the chefs of a tapas restaurant in Ireland. “I took them around to traditional tapas bars to give them a better idea. I also did a class for American students from Texas on a cultural trip to Spain. They chose the menu, very traditional: patatas a la importancia, chicken in pepitoria sauce, with Santiago almond torte.” A Taste of Spain is a small agency that can help you plan a cooking vacation almost anywhere in Spain, from a single class to a culinary tour of a region that includes visits to wineries, cheesemakers and olive oil mills. Private cooking lessons are selling particularly well, said Marta Angulo, one of the directors of A Taste of Spain. “And we are experiencing demand for culinary activities from incentive groups,” she adds. “Usually people prefer to adapt our itineraries to their special interests, so we set up private customized packages for them.“ In Barcelona the cooking classes take place in the penthouse apartment of Marta´s partner, Anne Marie Aznarez. The (English speaking) chef-instructor, Jaume Brich, meets you at your hotel and whisks you off to the famous Boquería market to purchase ingredients for the meal. The menu might consist of typical Catalan dishes such as esqueixada, a salad with cod; fideuà, pasta “paella”, plus, depending on what´s in season, additional typical dishes, such as peas with cuttlefish or artichokes with sausage. Classes are hands-on and you get a recipe folder to take away. When the meal is prepared, you and the chef sit down at an elegantly appointed table to enjoy the dishes you´ve prepared. With an emphasis in the Basque Country and Rioja, expert in culinary travel Tenedor specializes in tailored vacations: from exploring country farmhouses and family run vineyards, to visiting the kitchens of renowned chefs and sociedades gastronómicas. Their newly opened “The Tasting Room” is in the heart of San Sebastián’s Old Quarter. In Sevilla, chef-instructor Ruth Roberts offers similar cooking classes in her loft apartment with terrace overlooking the cathedral. Her menu might start with a Spanish tapenade, made with green olives and almonds, and include a typical Andalusian gazpacho, and finish with an orange flan, Sevilla´s signature flavor. She will show you her secrets for baking whole fish in a salt crust or how to cook with saffron. Janet Mendel is an American writer based in southern Spain. She is the author of My Kitchen in Spain (HarperCollins) and Cooking from the Heart of Spain (William Morrow). |
Cooking Schools and Culinary Vacations in Spain Catacurian-Gourmet Food & Wine Vacations La Huerta del Emperador C/ Encarnación, A Taste of Spain- Viajes Solymar Royal Food Journeys Coquus Escuela de Cocina Tenedor Tours |
