"Cocinamos con Amor"

Week #1 is all about adjusting, and our students were rockstars at it!  As we head into week #2 everyone is settled in with their host families, engaging in incredible cultural experiences and settling into a routine.

This week's interactive activities planned including making ceramics, cajón drumming, flamenco dancing and everyone's favorite.... cooking class!

While we were at the cooking school, students got to not only try, but create from scratch three traditional Spanish dishes:  La paella, La torilla de patatas & La torta de Santiago.  

Paella is like a casserole, made with rice, seafood and chicken (different areas of Spain have different variations).  Students got to help prepare the "sofrito" (the veggie mix) that goes into paella, as well as all the meats.  Then, in a very particular order we added all the ingredients to the "paella" (the actually pan it's cooked in).  Once all the ingredients were added and carefully mixed, we let that cook while we prepared the tortilla.

Flipping the tortillas was one of the highlights of the day!  Before we got to flip, we they explained to us how the pre-prepared the potatoes in oil.  Then, students cracked and whisked the eggs.  We put everything into the skillet, let it cook for a couple of minutes.  Then it was time - flip, "con decisión" (with conviction).  Everyone did great!!

 We finished our meal with a delicious cake, "Torta de Santiago".  It's an almond flavored cake that is topped with powdered sugar in the shape of the cross of Santiago de Compostela (you can google him to learn more).

It was an incredible day, and delicious meal.  There were so many fun moments, it's difficult to highlight any particular one.  The most important piece that everyone learned about Spanish cooking - "The best dishes are always cooked with love."