I’ve been blessed to have great friends. Friends who have a sense of adventure, love to travel, go out, try new things…and have a bit of disposable income. When it comes to cooking, most of my friends are true foodnistas who are addicted to the Food Network and can whip up a meal for 10, last minute, no problem, so what better way for me and two of my good friends to spend our Saturday, than by getting in touch with our domestic side cooking up a Caribbean Feast at NYC’s Institute of Culinary Education (ICE).
The class started at 10am and was headed by Chef Denisse Oller, a spicy Latina who after more than 20 years in Spanish television as a news anchor, decided it was time for a new passion and pursued a career as a chef. She began the class by going over some of the ingredients we would be using that day and talking a little bit about our menu which consisted of Yuca Fritters with Ajili Mojili, Cod Cakes with Garlic-Jerk Mayonnaise, Dominican Shrimp and Pigeon Pea Asopao, Fried Spicy Red Snapper Fillets in Malanga-Cilantro Sauce, Mofongo con Chicharron, Jamaican Coq Au Rhum, Congris, Ropa Vieja, Avocado, Tomato and Orange Salad with Lime Vinaigrette and Coconut Flan with Pineapple Sauce. After meeting the other three chefs that would be assisting for the day and a brief “meet the class” introduction session, we all broke into three teams with each team being assigned different dishes on the menu. Of course my girls and I had the best dishes, we were charged with preparing the Snapper, Jamaican Coq Au Rhum, Mofongo con Chicharron (which our assistant chef SuSu had us spice up with some BANGING shrimp stewed in tomato sauce with peppers) and flan.
From the start the class turned into a madhouse with people buzzing all over the kitchen looking for ingredients and cooking supplies. It was like a bootleg Hell’s Kitchen minus Chef Ramsey, but we managed to have fun regardless. Our assistant chef SuSu was a nervous wreck the whole time, paranoid that between my taking pictures and us being slightly confused by the menu (some things needed to be double, tripled…it was a mess) that we wouldn’t finish our dishes on time, but what she didn’t know was that in addition to being multi-taskers, we were domestic divas. The three of us chopped vegetables, peeled potatoes, cut up whole chickens, cleaned shrimp and then fried, sautéed and stewed our meals to perfection. We broke all the rules, adding extra spices and peppers where we saw fit to give the otherwise bland seasoning some soul. As we cooked we enjoyed a few laughs, girl talk, watching SuSu run around like a psycho and yummy mojitos. Before we knew it, it was a little after one in the afternoon and we were finished cooking just in time because we were STARVING!!
Everyone set their dishes up buffet style and after a few class shots we all grabbed plates and dug in! The hard work was worth it because the food was excellent. There was so much left over that afterwards we all got to take home doggie bags and whatever we didn’t take was donated by the school to a local shelter. It was the perfect end to a beautiful Saturday, great food, great friends and great fun…what more could a girl ask for! Can’t wait to do it all over again in November…Cuban cuisine here we come!