Getting My Hands Dirty in Chicago

Things have been SO busy with life and work, so I haven't had a chance to fully describe how wonderful my trip was to Chicago.  I got to the only a third of my food adventures there, so now on to Part 2... my cooking class!!

As it turns out,  the platonic love of my life and soul-mate, Danielle, also happens to be a lover of food and cooking.  Go figure, right?

So when my plans to visit were solidified, she surprised me by booking a cooking class!  I couldn't have been more excited, seriously I think I had to run to the bathroom and pee immediately.  I have the bladder of a cocker spaniel.

She originally wanted to book a class at the Wooden Spoon, where her and Mark took a class and loved every minute of it.  Unfortunately it was too last minute and nothing was available.

We ended up taking the "Totally Hands On: Vegetarian Thai" Class at The Chopping Block.

I never took a hands on cooking class before and couldn't wait.  So far my cooking classes have been mostly demonstrative only, except for the Knife Skills Class at Brooklyn Kitchen, which I highly recommend since I was apparently holding my knife incorrectly until I took this class.  

We arrived just in time, so we got a little lost and GPS on my phone has to rescue us, and were delighted at the idea of ordering a bottle of wine.  That's right, you can order a bottle of wine off a menu and drink while you're cooking.  I don't even really do that at home - but I like the idea!!

Of course I went straight for the Riesling, which turned out to be a bad choice.  Danielle is too nice of a lady to object when I'm like "Oh a sweet wine, yes!"  It was kind of gross, and have officially forfeited my right to order wine and giving Danielle full rights to pick.  She knows wine far better than I do.  Sorry Danielle!!

Because we got there a little late, we were stuck at a table with 3 other women.  The set-up was a little strange as it was a large kitchen with stoves along the left and right side of the room.  Then there were islands that people stood around in the middle of the room.  The instructor was stuck in the middle, so from where we were, we couldn't see all that much.  There was one main instructor, Ethan Pikas, and two assistants.  It was a little chaotic when it came to cooking and we had to figure out who did what at our table.

We cooked the following items:

• Tofu Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce
• Tom Kha Gai, or mushroom and coconut milk soup
• Vegetarian Pad Thai
• Sweet Potato and Eggplant Curry with Steamed Jasmine Rice

Ethan introduced himself and started by preparing the Spicy Peanut Sauce and the Roasted Chili Paste from scratch.  He did all of it at once to save time so we didn't have to do it ourselves.  Danielle and I squeezed up front to get the best view and watch him carefully.  Everything seemed easy enough.  The only issue I had was the lack of ventilation when he roasted the hot chili peppers in a saute pan.  Everyone kept coughing, it was like pepper spray.  The more you inhaled, the more it got stuck in your throat and caused you to cough.  I felt uncomfortable for about 15 or 20 minutes, but eventually everything aired out when the opened a window.  Note to self: be careful when roasting hot peppers!

I did enjoy the whole experience, but found it strange to be sharing my time with the three women at our table.  One was middle aged and the two other women were younger, perhaps her teenage daughters.  They were drinking wine and looked very unamused by the whole situation.  The mother was friendly and easy to work with but the girls clearly didn't want to be there.  I took charge and cooked most of the food at the stove.  We all chopped the veggies according to Ethan's instruction.  Danielle, being the hotness at the table, chopped the jalapenos and ginger for the dishes.  I did a giant eggplant and the lemongrass.  It was fun working with ingredients I don't normally cook with.

Danielle is ready to rock out in the kitchen!

The equipment was so nice.  They were only using Le Creuset cookware, which was a real delight.  I want the whole set!!  Maybe one day when I get married, that will be the only thing on my gift registry.  Yes, this is the plan!

Here I am cooking up a storm!!

At any point while we were cooking, Ethan would yell "now add the eggplant," so we were constantly figuring out what was going on. We wanted to make sure we were preparing things properly and adding them in at the right time and keeping pace with everyone else.

Everything went well.  The only issue we really had was with the Pad Thai.  I know Pad Thai, although I've never had the chance to make it at home.  All the ingredients for the sauce were measured out for us, so we just added it all together in the pan.  It was TOO sweet.  I understand that this is vegetarian thai, but I knew things weren't going to come out well when I started tasting this sauce before we added the noodles in.  It was a mess!  I actually relieved myself of cooking duties and let the other ladies take over.  I wanted no part in a dish that was going to be a disaster.  Perhaps that's selfish of me, but whatever!

After everything was ready, we all sat down to eat at communal tables.

It's hard to look this good while cooking...

Here we are, sitting down ready to enjoy our meal.  There was definitely a lot of food and we were eager to eat after sipping crappy white wine (my fault!) and cooking for over an hour. 



This is the Tom Kha Gai, which actually was a really nice dish.  It was easy to make and might try this at home.

It was a light and tasty with a tangy flavor from the lime and a bit of spice from red pepper flakes.

I never ordered this in a restaurant so I have no idea how it compares to the "real" thing.





At the top left, you have the Tofu Skewers with Spicy Peanut Sauce.  This was actually really good.  Although tofu has no taste on its own, the sauce was yummy.  I never had a peanut sauce that looked like this.  Perhaps its just the "homemade" variation that makes it look so whitish.

Next to that on the right is the Vegetarian Pad Thai.  We didn't take all that much of this for a reason.  Not only did it look gross, but I knew the sauce was too sweet for good Pad Thai.

On the bottom, covering most of the plate, is the Sweet Potato and Eggplant Curry (with Jasmine Rice hiding underneath).  This was actually the best part of the meal.  I would definitely add more spice if and when I make this at home, but it was a tasty vegetarian dish.

 

Here's a better view of everything...

This is the Vegetarian Pad Thai up close and personal.  It was GROSS!

Everyone was eating theirs up at the tables, but Danielle and I have been spoiled with really good Pad Thai.

What we realize now is that there is NO fish sauce in this dish.  It's vegetarian, so I'm assuming they have to alter the dish in a way that it comes close, but it really is no cigar.

We agree that a cooking school shouldn't teach anyone a dish if in the end its gross.  Sure its healthy and great that they're offering vegetarian options, but my vegetarian and vegan friends would have been seriously disappointed if they ordered this in a restaurant.  If you wouldn't serve it at home, don't teach me how to cook it!

Overall it was a really fun experience.  I definitely want to take more cooking classes.  Danielle explained that the setup at the Wooden Spoon was far better.  It's setup in a large U shape with the instructor in the middle and everyone has their own cooking section.  It was also more intimate with only 12 people per class.  Our class had 20 and it was a bit of a zoo at some points.  They're making a lot of money at The Chopping Block, since it cost us $65 per person and everyone bought wine (ranged in price, $12 and up).

Chicago is full of cooking schools, so take advantage when you're visiting or if you're lucky enough to live there.  NYC doesn't have much like this.  Brooklyn Kitchen is great, but a lot are demos.  I'm going to try some of their more hands on type cooking classes to see how it compares.  I LOVE Brooklyn Kitchen, so I have a feeling it would be far better than The Chopping Block.

And to get you excited for Part 3 of my Chicago Adventures... I'll be telling you about the FamilyFarmed Expo I went to at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  FUN!