My culinary knowledge is mainly limited to eating, but recently I learned that cooking can be fun under two conditions: first, if I don’t have to worry about cleaning up and, second, when there‘s an experienced chef, who’s nicer than Gordon Ramsay, there to guide my every move.
The “A Taste of Spain” class was specially organized by Doña Elena Cusinera Club, a brand of cooking products, and held at New World Hotel Manila. (The hotel also independently offers monthly cooking classes called Cooking By The Bay, alternating between Spanish and Chinese.)
The objective was to learn how to whip up traditional Spanish paella, salad and sangria. Around 40 of us were herded to hotel’s Bayview Room and made to wear aprons. We were divided into groups of five, then sent to our tables, where the necessary tools and ingredients were already waiting for us.
“It’s more fun and and more hands-on than having students sit there in front of a demonstration for an hour and a half,” chef James explained. He emphasized, however, that his class was friendly “even for people who don’t want to cook.”
The only reason I mustered the courage to cook paella was because I didn’t have to do it by myself and there was a friendly chef who would give me a heads up if something was burning.
Chef James said that his students range from writers and moms to families interested in learning how to cook together.
My role in our group was easy. I was in charge of passing the ingredients to one of my groupmates who took charge of the stove, but it helped me to see how the ingredients smelled and looked like in all stages of preparation.
As chef James explained, “Some people want to take the lead, but others don’t want to get too involved.” (Guess where I fall under?)
The paella took a bit over an hour to make. With some of the seafood already pre-cooked AND the vegetables prepared, cooking was a breeze for us. My group mate, who said that their home kitchen was her husband’s territory, had fun as she stirred and mixed. First, we sautéed the chicken, then we slowly added the rest of the ingredients.
My takeaway? Don’t rush the process. The chef emphasized the importance of patience in cooking since it’s all the waiting which helps the flavor come out.
I had a bigger role in making the salad and sangria. TBH, all I did was mix the ingredients together, but there was deep satisfaction in seeing and tasting the final product!
The salad was a simple recipe using tomatoes, cucumber, croutons, red wine vinegar and lots of olive oil and spices. The most crucial part was adding the salt and pepper at the end, which can really make or break the salad’s flavor. Proud to report that I didn’t mess that up.
Making the sangria involved a process similar to making the salad, but with a more fun set of ingredients. We started by mixing the red wine with the apple and orange slices. My favorite part was having to determine how much brandy to put in, depending on how strong we wanted our drink to be.
For lunch, we got to eat what we cooked, plus we also had gazpacho (Spanish cold soup), navajas al ajillo (razor clams), rabo de toro (oxtail), and crema Catalana (a dessert similar to leche flan)
Will I cook paella again? Definitely, as long as I don’t have to clean up the kitchen afterwards.
The next class is happening on Sep 24, from 9:30am to 2pm, with a class fee of PHP2888, including lunch, a recipe book, an apron and special gifts.
In case you miss this weekend’s class, there will be another one in October. Check out New World Hotel Manila’s Facebook page for updates. You may call +63 2 2526888.
