A how-to, where-to
Among the cooking classes offered throughout the area:
Jan Thornton of Wishful Kneads, a cooking and baking store in the Sunset Mall in Coeur d’Alene, laughs during a recent class in baking with quinoa and amaranth grains. (Photos by Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
•The Institute for Extended Learning through the community colleges is offering a new “Meals with Meaning” series starting Oct. 8, which will help cooks plan, shop and create delicious, well-balanced meals despite a busy schedule. In this series of three classes instructors will start with basic kitchen skills, teach tips for economical meals (including six ways to use a pound of hamburger) and conclude with a holiday meal preparation. The classes can be taken individually or as a series. Call the IEL at (509) 279-6000 to register.
•If you haven’t discovered The Kitchen Engine, take a trip to the Flour Mill and browse through Eric and Nicole Frickle’s store filled with spices, gadgets, cookbooks, equipment and cookware. Nicole Frickle teaches cooking classes every Tuesday, with free demonstrations at 1 p.m. and more in-depth classes in the evening at 5:30 ($5 charge). September’s theme is apples, and she will teach students how to make apple pies, paninis and burritos.
•If you aspire to be the next Food Network Star, or you’ve just always dreamed about going to cooking school, look into the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy, a two-year culinary arts degree program offered by Spokane Community College. You’ll be in good company, with many of the area’s top chefs having graduated from the Culinary Academy. Call (509) 533-8020 or visit www.scc.spokane.edu.
•Take a trip around the world without ever leaving home by learning more about cuisine from another country. Sweet, sour, salty and spicy – learn to balance the flavors of Thai cooking, or take the mystery out of Indian cuisine by enrolling in an ethnic cooking class through the Institute of Extended Learning. Classes are offered in October and November, and early registration is encouraged. Call (509) 279-6000.
•It’s back to basics at Apple Charlotte Cooking Co. Chef Char Zyskowski offers a five week Taste and Technique series that emphasizes important foundations of cooking such as meat cookery, bread making and menu planning. According to her Web site, Zyskowski’s motto is “We have to eat – why not make it fun and delicious?”
In addition to the Taste and Technique class, Apple Charlotte also offers two different international series. Classes include Tuscan Comfort, The Mexican Way, French Bistro, and Greek Dancing, in which Zyskowski promises you’ll have “so much fun you feel like dancing.” Call (509) 443-8252 or visit www.applecharlotte.com.
•The historic Greenbriar Inn in Coeur d’Alene offers an international series of cooking classes, where participants will prepare a four-course meal and can invite a guest to join the fruits of their labor for an extra $25. Greenbriar offers classes in the 100 year old inn, or can arrange off-site classes for groups of 10 or more. Call (208) 667-9660, or visit The 315, the Inn’s new tapas and martini bar at 315 E. Wallace Ave.
•If you can’t tell your cappelletti from your cannelloni, a visit to Tullia’s Sauce House is in order. Spokane’s matriarch of Italian cooking, Tullia Barbanti, opens her kitchen at 1407 W. Mansfield Ave. for lunch every Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Her enthusiasm for cooking and enjoying good food is contagious. The Saturday we visited she fed my family pasta, salad and homemade pork and fennel sausages. As we ate, she entertained us with stories of her childhood in Italy, and doted on my two young sons. She taught us a few words in Italian, and gave us a tour of her kitchen, where she makes her own sauce which she markets to local grocery stores.
We experienced a little bit of Italy and made a new friend. Later that day my son asked “Mommy, when can we go to Tullia’s house again?” Barbanti teaches Italian cooking and language through the Spokane Parks Department. Go to www.spokaneparks.org to see the schedule, or call (509) 625-6200.
•Paula Mannino realized a longtime dream last spring when she started teaching Italian cooking classes in her home. “Teaching the delicious and healthy benefits of Mediterranean Italian cooking is my passion,” she said. She will offer a series this fall, using her own recipes and relying on her southern Italian heritage. “This is real ethnic Italian cooking, not Americanized,” Mannino explained. Students will prepare and enjoy a five course meal in Mannino’s Venetian-inspired home. Call (509) 893-8969 to register.
•The smell of fresh baked bread is heavenly. It is even more satisfying when you realize how much money you can save by baking your own. Susie Snider started making bread with her children when they were young to sell in her neighborhood. Now she teaches her craft at the Corbin Arts Center, and offers classes in cinnamon rolls, dumplings, bread and more. Go to www.spokaneparks.org to see the schedule.
•It is worth the drive to Coeur d’Alene to visit the Wishful Kneads cooking school, inside the Bosch Kitchen Center. Owners Rick and Jan Thornton have a loyal following for their classes, with some students attending regularly since the store opened 4 1/2 years ago. Wishful Kneads offers a wide variety of classes showcasing equipment and tools to make cooking easy, including bread baking. The store carries whole grains, flour mills and all the baking supplies you need to do it yourself. Jan Thornton encourages students to share ideas and recipes with her and uses this input to plan future classes. Contact her at (208) 676-1500 or visit www.wishfulkneads.com for a schedule of classes.
•Get cooking with your kids. Several upcoming classes cater to kids, including Spokane’s Community Health and Education Resources’ class Kitchen Safety and Cooking Basics for 10- to 15-year-olds. The October class will cover meal planning, safety, nutrition and cooking basics, and includes a snack prepared in class. Call (509) 232-8138.
•The Corbin Arts Center offers youth cooking programs, including a Gingerbread Kids Camp in December, where children ages 6 to 11 can decorate festive cookies. Call (509) 625-6200 to register.
•Another way to get your kids involved in the kitchen is to visit Food Network star Rachael Ray’s Web site www.rachaelray.com. The site has a special kids’ section with recipes to make with your mini chef, as well as fun, creative ways to keep kids active and teach them about nutrition. The site has new recipes every week, featuring healthy, seasonal recipes, many of which can be prepared in 15 minutes.
•Looking for a cooking vacation or fun farm learning experience? Quillisascut Farm near Colville strives to help people make the farm-to-table connection by offering hands on opportunities to prepare food from their garden and make cheese from the farm’s goats. Quillisascut Farm School offers a parent/child weekend, as well as weeklong programs for culinary students and food service professionals. Call them at (509) 738-2011 or visit www.quillisascut.com.
•“Luscious, low-fat, lightning quick meals” is the name of an online cooking class offered by Spokane Community College. The course includes more than 50 recipes and tips to encourage reluctant family members to try new, healthier recipes. Call (509) 533-8010 to register.
•Providence Cancer Center is sponsoring a whole foods cooking class for cancer survivors. Taught by Holy Family dietician Anita Tudor, the four-class series emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables and other nonprocessed foods used in rebuilding the immune system. Classes start Sept. 11. Call (509) 474-5490 to register.
•Saunders Cheese Market is hosting an Autumn Harvest cooking class using entirely local produce to “inspire you with a cornucopia of fall meal options.” The $45 class will be held on Sept. 22 and must be prepaid. Call (509) 455-9400 to register.
It’s easy to get in a cooking rut and recycle the same 10 recipes. Take advantage of one of Spokane’s cooking classes to spice things up in your kitchen with some new recipes.
Tofu Enchiladas
Courtesy of Nicole Frickle, The Kitchen Engine. If you’ve never tried tofu before, this is a great place to start. The recipe is easy and delicious.
1 package (10 count) corn-flour blend tortillas
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 large package firm tofu, mashed with a fork
1 can black or green olives, sliced (use 1/2 cup or as desired)
1 (12 ounce) can enchilada sauce (green preferred but red is OK)
1 package Mexican blend shredded cheese (use 1/2 cup in filling, rest on top)
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Sour cream for garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix onion, mashed tofu, ½ cup sliced olives, 1/2 cup enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup shredded cheese in a bowl. Mixture should be moist but not runny.
Place a small amount of filling on each tortilla. Sprinkle a little cheese, roll up and place tortillas in oven safe casserole dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top, garnish with cheese and heat for about 20 minutes. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and rice and beans.
Yield: 10 enchiladas.
Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.
Chicken Piccata
Courtesy of Paula Mannino
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
Pound the chicken breasts to about 1/4 inch thick. Combine flour, salt, paprika and pepper and use to coat the chicken lightly on all sides, shaking off the excess.
Sauté chicken breasts in olive oil, a few at a time, until golden on each side (do not overcook). Remove chicken breasts to a platter. Add the water to the skillet, to loosen browned bits or “deglaze” the pan. Add the lemon juice and return the chicken to the skillet. Place a lemon slice between each breast and heat until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with parsley and capers. Serve with linguine and marinara sauce on the side.
Yield: 8 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving, without sides: 197 calories, 10 grams fat (2 grams saturated, 45 percent fat calories), 23 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrate, 63 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 425 milligrams sodium.
Vegetable and Pasta Kabobs with Sour Cream Pesto Dip
Courtesy of Jan Thornton, Wishful Kneads cooking school
For the dip:
1 cup sour cream - divided
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, firmly packed
For the kabobs:
4 ounces dried tortellini pasta, cooked and drained
Fresh vegetables – cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, peapods, pepper strips
Wooden toothpicks or kabob sticks
In a blender or food processor, combine 1/3 cup of sour cream, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add basil leaves and blend until creamy. Pour into medium bowl and stir in remaining 2/3 cup sour cream. Mix until smooth. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.
To make the kabobs: Skewer one tortellini and one vegetable piece on each stick. Serve with dip.
Yield: 16 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate due to recipe variables.