Mentor Spring Class Schedule
My Spring Schedule of classes starts in Mentor next week. Here is the list and registration info.
Mentor classes are held at Wildwood Center at 7645 Little Mountain Road. Unless otherwise noted all Mentor classes are held on Tuesdays. You can register online at CityofMentor.com/play or by phone at 440 974 5720 from Cleveland call 440 942 8796.
Classes in Mentor sell out quickly. Please be sure to ask to go on the waiting list if the class you want to attend is full. We do get openings and if there are enough people on the waiting list we can always schedule an additional session. Cost to residents is $14, non-resident fee is $17. That does not include the food fee paid to me the night of the class.
Spring 2013
All Mentor classes are on Tuesdays.
March 19: Comfort Soups: Soups are foods that bring back memories of childhood and warming up on a chilly day. In class you’ll learn how to make soups for everyday and soups for special occasions. Recipes will include Mesclun Soup, Lentil Soup, Potato and Leek Soup, Polish Mushroom Soup and Sweet and Sour Duck Soup among others. There will be plenty to sample in class so come hungry. Food Fee $8.00.
March 26: My Mother’s Polish Kitchen: You don’t have to be Polish to love Polish food! This class will be a sharing of recipes and cooking tips from the instructor’s Polish Mother. You’ll get recipes for all the traditional favorites from Kielbasa to Pierogis as well as recipes for soups, salads, main dishes and desserts. There will be several dishes for tasting so come hungry. Food Fee: $8.00
April 2: Pasta: This dinner time staple is more popular than ever. In class you’ll learn how to make fabulous pasta from scratch. Among the pastas we’ll try are carrot, broccoli, and sesame. whole wheat, sour cream and many more. There will be some hands-on pasta rolling and some recipes for using store bought pasta, too. There will also be recipes to take home. Food Fee $8.00
April 9: Pasta Sauces: If your family is like most American families you are probably eating more pasta than ever. There are also more types of pasta to choose from every day. Still, the most common pasta topping is still tomato sauce. In class you’ll get plenty of new recipes and ideas to make your pasta special every night. Recipes include Indonesian Peanut Sauce, Almost Alfredo (a reduced fat dish), Carrot sauce and more. There are plenty of samples in class and recipes to take home. Food Fee. $8.00
April 16: Cinco Di Mayo: Mexican and Tex-Mex foods are really hot! Popular and spicy these are foods that always make the party. If you don’t know your ancho from your poblano its time to take the toro by the horns. Class will include a glossary of ingredients as well as sources. There will be plenty of food for tasting in class and recipes for home. Ole! Food Fee $8.00.
April 23: Salad: Salads can be side dishes or main dishes and nothing quite matches a properly tossed salad. Still, salads can be so much more than lettuce. In class you’ll learn how to make salads of all types and you’ll learn how to make salad dressings, too. There will be plenty to taste in class and recipes to take home. Food Fee $8.00.
April 30: Cool Summer Dining: Summer is a time of year when we like to entertain family and friends at picnics, parties and cookouts, but still want time to relax. You can do both. In class you’ll get plenty of recipes and tips for preparing meals requiring little or no cooking that still taste great. You might even have time for the beach. Food Fee $8.00.
May 7: Cheesecakes: America’s favorite dessert. At least by some accounts. In class you’ll learn how to make perfect cheesecake every time. There will sample to enjoy in class and plenty of recipes to take home including cheesecake from the Russian Tearoom, Frozen Mocha Cheesecake and even a reduced fat recipe. Food Fee$8.00
May 14: Easy Desserts: We all love to eat them but we don’t always have the time to make them. In this class you’ll get recipes for simple and tasty desserts. Bring your sweet tooth to class! There will goodies to sample in class and plenty of recipes to take home. Food Fee $8.00.
May 21:For Chocolate Lover’s Only: For many people consuming chocolate is one of life’s great joys. Cooking with chocolate can be enjoyable, too. From the basics of handling and working with chocolate to baked treats this class will give you plenty of ways to indulge. You will get a chance to taste plenty of chocolate treats and will have recipes to take home. Food Fee: $8.00
Cabbage and Noodles- Meatless Friday Meal
Cabbage and Noodles
Maybe its from childhood memories but cabbage and noodles always makes me think of Lent. I eat it year round but more this time of year. It’s normally a side dish to fish or pierogi but you can easily make it a vegetarian main dish, too. I added some kidney beans to boost the protein and make the dish more filling. My friend Sue and I enjoyed it for lunch. She thought she would not like the kidney beans- I’ll mention that she is a bit of a cabbage and noodles purist- but she was converted. She thought they added a nice flavor to the dish.
Cabbage and Noodles
1 onion, sliced
oil
6-8 cups sliced cabbage
1/2 c. cider vinegar
1/3 c. honey
water
1 T. caraway seeds
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained- or whatever beans you have on hand
8 oz. wide egg noodles, cooked and drained
hot pepper sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in skillet and cook onion until wilted. Add cabbage and cook until cabbage starts to wilt. Add vinegar, honey and a little water to help cook down the cabbage- about 1/2 cup of water. Once cabbage starts to pick up some color add the caraway seeds and the kidney beans. Season to taste. Stir in the noodles and cook over medium heat, stirring often until heated through. Adjust seasonings and serve.
Saute cabbage until wilted
Add caraway seeds
..and kidney beans
…and then add the noodles.
Jack-a-Doodles- Gluten-Free Dog Treats
Jack-a-Doodles warm from the oven
Had a special request from my friend Judy. Seems her dear dog, Jack, has problems with gluten. They found kibble for him but dog treats are something Judy wanted to make for him herself. I wanted to give Judy a recipe for dog treats that Jack could eat, but most important of all, treats he would like. Judy sent me a list of some ingredients she had around that Jack could eat and I used that as inspiration.
Jack-a- Doodle Dog Treats
1 1/2 c. rolled oats- powdered ( 1 1/4 c. oat flour)*
1/2 c. mashed banana
1/4 c. peanut butter
2 T. nutritional yeast**
1/4 t. salt
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place oatmeal, uncooked, in blender or food processor and blend until oats are pretty powdered up. You should end up with about 1 1/4 cups after you are done. Place the oats in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. If mixture is too sticky add a little more oats if too dry just a little more peanut butter. Dough should easily form into a ball. roll dough out into a log , about 15 inches long. Cut into slices and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the bottoms of the biscuits are just turning brown. Turn over and reduce oven temperature to 250. Bake 20 minutes longer or until both sides of the Jack-a-Doodles are golden brown. Cool on baking sheet. They will firm up as they cool but remain just a little soft in the center. Store in fridge for up to 2 weeks- longer than that store in the freezer.
* Some stores sell oat flour. This is what is left after the bran has been removed and is no better than white flour. Just make your own oat flour by placing rolled oats in a processor and running until they are powdered up.
** Nutritional yeast is available in health food stores and some specialty markets. You can use Brewer’s yeast instead or even just yeast used for baking bread.
Making oat flour
Slice the dough to make the biscuits.
Ready for the oven
Meringues
Classic Meringues
I love meringues. That first crunch followed by a melt in your mouth sweetness. I’ve made meringues in a lot of different flavors, colors and shapes over the years but I seem to gravitate back to basics. egg whites, powdered sugar and cream of tartar. Pretty simple for something that tastes and looks so amazing. I think in the past, people who made meringues must have been pretty strong. Think of having to beat egg whites to stiff peaks before the days of electric mixers. Today with a stand mixer the process is easy.
Classic Meringue
5 egg whites
1 t. cream oftartar
3 c. powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets. Place eggs in mixing bowl or bowl from stand mixer and start to beat. When whites become foamy add the cream of tartar and beat a couple minutes longer. Add the powdered sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time until it is all mixed in. Continue beating the egg white mixture until it appears glossy and holds a stiff peak. This will take anywhere from 7-12 minutes, depending on your mixer. Place egg white mixture in a piping bag fitted with a star tip and start to form meringues on baking sheet by squeezing some out into desired size and shape. They do not grow at all while baking so you can place them close together on baking sheet. Continue with remaining meringue batter. Place baking sheets in oven. Prop door open a little with a wooden spoon and bake for 90 minutes. Remove wooden spoon so oven door is now closed and bake for 90 minutes longer. Cool a few minutes then remove from the trays. Store cooled meringues in an air-tight container.
Note: You can add flavorings like vanilla, mint or almond with a few drops of extract near the end of the whipping process. You can also add a few drops of food coloring for tinted meringues.
Beat until stiff peaks form
Pipe onto baking sheet
Fresh-baked Meringues
Caponata- Fun Appetizer- and More
Caponata on crusty bread
For an Italian cooking class the other night I made Caponata. Someone once asked me what it was and I said kind of like salsa- only with Italian ingredients. Not sure if that sums it up but Caponata is a mix of several vegetables with some seasonings. It can be served cold, at room temperature or hot. I enjoy it as an appetizer with crusty bread but I also add it to marinara sauce, top pizza with it or add it to vegetable stock with some cannelini beans for a great vegetarian soup. While my version does not contain capers- I sometimes add them, They marry well with the other flavors in this dish. This is one of those vegetarian dishes that everyone seems to love. The version here is vegan- but I like it with a few curls of Parmesan on the top. I used canned tomatoes for this recipe since its winter now and good tomatoes are pretty hard to find but when in season I always prefer fresh.
Caponata
2 small eggplants, unpeeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, about 5-6 cups
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 c. olive oil, or a little more
4 celery ribs, sliced
2 sweet peppers, seeded and chopped
1 heaping tablespoon chopped garlic
3 tomatoes, chopped- or 1 (14.5) can diced tomatoes- undrained
1 c. sliced black olives
3-4 T. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste*
Soak eggplant in salted water for at least 15 minutes. Rinse, drain and pat dry. Set aside. Meanwhile in skillet cook onion in 2 tablespoons of the oil until tender. Add the celery and cook until the celery is tender-crisp. Place mixture in a mixing bowl and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons more of the oil and cook the peppers until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the tomatoes and cook 1 minute longer. Add this mixture to onion mixture and return skillet to the heat. Add remaining oil to skillet and cook eggplant until golden brown and tender. You may have to do this in 2 batches. Add remaining ingredients to bowl while eggplant is cooking. When eggplant is done add it to the bowl and mix well., Season to taste. Serve with crusty breads cold, hot or at room temperature. Serves 10-12.
* While I don’t have any herbs listed in the ingredients I often add oregano and basil or an Italian or Tuscan seasoning blend. I also like to add capers.
Fresh made Caponata
Saute eggplant until it starts to brown.
Dog Biscuits- Bob’s Bacon Biscuits
Bob’s Bacon Dog Biscuits
I have a couple of dogs that have been pestering me for homemade dog biscuits. They pointed out, and rightly so, that I always seem to be baking goodies for my human friends. Both Bob and Parker are bacon fiends so I thought I’d incorporate real bacon into the recipes – as opposed to whatever they put in some dog treats. Since I made them with fresh bacon I would not suggest leaving them at room temperature for extended periods. Keep a few in the fridge and place the rest in the freezer- like some premium dog foods. Remember there are no preservatives in these. Also – they are meant to be a treat and not a substitute for your dog’s normal pet food. Woof Woof!!
Bob’s Bacon Biscuits (dog biscuits)
4-5 thick slices of bacon, cut up
3 1/2 c. flour- I use whole wheat
1 c. rye flour
2 c. cracked wheat or wheat germ
2 T. brewer’s yeast or nutritional yeast
2 c. chicken or beef broth- be sure broth was made without onions- they are bad for dogs
Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Remove from pan and cool. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the fat. Place bacon in small food processor and process until pretty ground up. You should end up with 1/3 cup of finely chopped bacon. Combine dry ingredients then add bacon, reserved bacon fat and broth stirring until well blended. If the dough is too wet add a little more flour or a little more stock if too dry. Dough should feel like very heavy cookie dough. Harder to roll out- but that is normal. Roll out on lightly floured surface and cut into canine-friendly shapes. I use bones, cats, squirrels, hearts and rabbits. Since I was making bacon biscuits I even made some piggy-shaped. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake in a preheated 300-degree oven until hard, about 40-45 minutes depending on thickness. Store in fridge for treats being eaten within a few days- store the rest in the freezer. Woof!
Dog biscuit dough
Ready to be baked
Irish Soda Bread
Irish Soda Bread
This is one of my favorite recipes. I’ll be making it for St. Patrick’s day, but truth is, I make it often throughout the year. It is studded with raisins and goes great with butter and jam. It is also very easy to make. Like any other biscuit or quick bread be careful to handle the dough just enough to hold it together. Over working the dough will cause it to be tough. The soda bread should be crusty on the outside and tender and crumbly inside.
Irish Soda Bread
2 c. flour
½ t. each baking powder and baking soda
¼ t. salt
2 T. butter or margarine
¾ c. raisins
1 egg. Beaten
1 c. buttermilk*
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dust a baking sheet with a little flour. Combine dry ingredients in bowl and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Add raisins. Combine egg and milk and set 2 tablespoons of this mixture aside. Add remaining milk mixture to flour mixture and combine just until dough forms into a ball. Place on baking sheet, brush with reserved egg mixture and cut a crisscross on top of loaf. Bake about 25 minutes or until bread sounds hollow. Makes 1.
* If you don’t have buttermilk just combine 7 oz. of milk with 1 oz. of lemon juice to equal 1 cup of buttermilk.
Combine dry ingredients with butter and raisins
Stir in buttermilk and egg
Form into round loaf
Brush with reserved egg mixture
- Cut an “x” on the top.
Easy Vegetable Soup Stock
Homemade Vegetable Soup Base
I make a lot of soup and soup stock. I confess I sometimes use paste-type soup bases to stretch home made stock or to boost flavor. Some are better than others. They are also fast and very convenient. Still, I have made a lot of stuff from scratch- could I make my own soup base? I could- and I did. I made a vegetable soup base that is a mixture of vegetables, both fresh and dried, herbs, mushrooms, nutritional yeast, spices and salt. Now there is pretty good amount of salt but I wanted to be able to keep it in the fridge and be safe. Figured out that every teaspoonful of the mix has about 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Not great,but a lot less than bullion cubes. If you want to make yours with less salt- you’ll have to freeze the mixture in ice cube trays and take it out of the freezer as needed. The nice part is I can now make a vegetable soup easily and I know exactly what is in it. It can also be added to chicken or other meat based stocks in place of the salt to add extra flavor.
Homemade Vegetable Soup Base
4 carrots, peeled and cubed
3 celery ribs, washed and cubed
1 large sweet onion, peeled and cubed
3 green onions, washed and cut up
1 c. sun- dried tomatoes
1 c. dried mushrooms, I use shitakes. Soaked in water 10 minutes and drained
1 c. chopped cabbage
1 c. parsley, chopped
1/2 c. chopped sweet pepper
1/4 c. nutritional yeast, optional
2 T. turmeric
8 oz. salt- I used sea salt and used a scale to weigh it. Its around a cup but will differ if you are using a coarse salt
Combine all ingredients, except the salt, in a food processor and blend until smooth. I have a decent size Cuisinart and still had to do this in batches. Combine in a bowl with the salt and stir well to blend. Store in a clean jar in the fridge until ready to use. I ended up with about 4 cups of soup base. To use add about 1 teaspoonful to a cup of hot water for vegetable broth. Use lessor more according to your taste. Use in place of salt in other soups, stews and sauces.
Some of the ingredients I used
Vegetable broth made from my mix.
Freshly made soup base
Basque Soup
Basque Soup
We had this soup in the Vegetarian Cooking class held in Beachwood a couple of nights ago. This is a super easy soup to make and pretty, too. I have made it with butter and milk but have also swapped out the butter for oil and the milk for either soy, rice or almond milk to make it a vegan soup. The version pictured here was made with olive oil and organic soy milk. A lot of the ingredients are things you can have on hand. This is a dish you can throw together in about 30 minutes.
Basque Soup
1 c. chopped onions
1 1/2 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. oil or butter
1/4 c. flour
3 c. milk, almond milk, rice milk or soy milk
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can whole kernel corn, undrained- or use 2 cups frozen corn
3-4 cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
3-4 cups water and 1T. paste-type vegetable soup base
or 3-4 cups vegetable broth
pepper to taste
hot pepper sauce to taste
shredded mild cheese, optional
Sauté onions and celery in oil or butter until tender. Stir in flour until smooth and add milk, stirring to keep lumps from forming. Stir over medium heat until milk has thickened and begins to boil. Stir constantly as mixture simmers for an additional minute or two. Add remaining ingredients, except cheese and bring up to a simmer. Adjust seasonings. Ladle into bowls and top with cheese, if desired. Serves 8-10.
Easy Hot Crab Dip
Easy Hot Crab Dip
We had a wonderful dinner at Amy’s on Saturday. Scott Bartko brought along a hot crab dip that he made. Simple and very tasty. Thanks Liz Cooper for getting the recipe to me.
Combine all ingredients in ovenproof bowl and mix until smooth. Bake in a 300-degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. You can also heat mixture in microwave for 90 seconds or until hot. You can mix the ingredients ahead of time and chill until ready to heat and serve. Serve with crackers, crusty breads or veggies. You can also spoon mixture into hollowed out tomatoes and broil until crab dip is hot and bubbly.
