I remember when a teacher, via Skype interview, here at school asked me if I might be interested in participating in a cooking class. I was ecstatic! He said that the electives were not confirmed at the moment but there were some suggestions from the group that kept coming up. I emphatically said yes, in hopes that I might convince him to make cooking a cemented elective.
To my happy surprise, upon arrival at the CLC in mid-September, cooking was offered every Tuesday for three hours. It sounded time consuming but totally worth it.
I attended the first class, where we made mahsiman with melted butter and honey. It was mouth-watering. That first class we watched our teacher, the CLC's beloved cook, expertly fold the dough. How could I not want to come back? I wanted to be able to cook like her in the future. Now, in class, we chop and grate along side our teacher. It's incredible how much we already know.
The class took up most of my evening, and in the beginning of the program, I didn't know if such a schedule was what I wanted. In fact, there was a day that I almost gave it up because it was time-consuming. I thought my time might be better spent studying.
In the end, I stuck with it. I feel like I understand the culture and lifestyle of Moroccans so much better, as a result. Seeing how the same ingredients transfer from one recipe to the next, how easy it actually it is to cook the food, my concept of cooking completely changed. Sometimes, the simplicity of the ingredients speaks the most. Moroccans uncannily create filling meals with three or four ingredients. I love that!
To give you an overview (and maybe to give you a future meal idea), here are the things we've cooked so far:
-mahsiman
-beef with prunes
-kefta tajine
-bghrir
-lentils
-flatbread
-harira soup
-white beans
-chocolate cake
-fruit-tarts
There are plenty of recipes online, check them out. I am so happy I know how to cook them now and I'm sure you would be, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment