Taste the Tradition

Spain is a country that is traditionally known for its Tapas, or small plates, which brings groups of people to gather around a table to enjoy these small meals. Today our students had the opportunity to not only learn about the history of the tradition, but also show off their culinary skills! They all participated in a cooking class where the instructors led them through different stations to make a variety of tapas options. Students worked to make the following traditional Spanish dishes: Tortilla Espanola, Crab Tostadas, Empanadas, and modernized Tuna and Pepper Tostadas. 

As students went through each station they got to learn the new recipes along with some culinary techniques. One of their favorite things to learn and try was flipping a tortilla (or omelet) in the pan. I am happy to report that we had a perfect tortilla flipping record for the over 20 dishes that were made! Students also enjoyed learning how chefs are putting a modern twist on traditional dishes, like a tuna and pepper tostada, through the use of molecular gastronomy. To demonstrate this method students were able to use a whipped cream siphon to create a red pepper foam to top their tosadas. The art of crafting the perfect empanada was also explored as students collaborated to create the fillings before they got to work folding and pinching the empanadas. 

For the last portion of the class students had the opportunity to participate in the communal aspect of tapas where they shared their tapas meal together around the table.