I never miss an opportunity to take part in cooking classes at The Maya Kitchen, if my schedule permits. Last weekend proved to be a most delightful experience as participants enthusiastically cut and diced meat and vegetables, skewered, mixed, flipped and concocted drinks. Whew! That’s a mouthful, figuratively and truthfully.
The four-hour course was taught by New York-based Chef Noel dela Rama and he made everything so easy to prepare and cook. Noel has been a private chef, caterer and culinary instructor for almost two decades. With his wealth of experience, he is considered as a go-to private chef for creating intimate dining experiences and multi-course meals locally and internationally.
New York-based Chef Noel dela Rama picks perfect pairings of cocktails and tapas for a delightful Spanish-themed cooking class at The Maya Kitchen.
Cocktails and Tapas Party
First on the list, Red Sangria. This drink basically needs advance preparation of ingredients (Garnacha wine, orange fruit, diced apples, grapes, strawberries, a slice of lemon, cinnamon stick, half cup of brandy, ice cubes and soda). Then it’s just a matter of combining everything, letting it chill for two hours, before adding ice and club soda for a lighter sangria taste.
My group was composed of four eager ladies who drank our sangrias as we chatted, divided the work and produced delicious Spanish fare. We made Fideua which is paella but using noodles. It’s my most favorite dish out of everything we cooked. I was surprised that it took just about 30 minutes to prepare! The tricky Tortilla De Espagnola was the most challenging. Think of making an omelet cake, flipping it straight from the pan straight to the plate and then sliding it back onto the pan so the underside can cook. I did the flipping, and YEY! it was a perfect egg cake flip if I may say so myself.
Lastly, we made Grilled Chorizo and Chicken Skewers. This is best made with small dices of both meat as thick slices tend to be tough. Use chicken breast, chorizos cut into 1inch pieces, lemon juice, lemon zest, smoked paprika, parsley, dried red pepper, bell pepper, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Let the meat marinate for at least an hour before threading onto skewers, alternately with bell pepper. cook for about 5 minutes.
In the end, we had big smiles and big appetites. Vamos a comer!
For complete recipes, head on to www.themayakitchen.com . If you are interested to up your cooking and baking skills, enroll at The Maya Culinary Center, 8th floor, Liberty Building, 835 A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road), Makati or call 8921185.
With a pocketful of glitter,
New York-based Chef Noel dela Rama picks perfect pairings of cocktails and tapas for a delightful Spanish-themed cooking class at The Maya Kitchen
