Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Last night a friend and I went to the Spanish Tapas Cooking Class at Stone Creek Kitchen in Monterey . 'Eat. Drink. Cook.' are the words that repeat around the arched entrance to the kitchen and you see other such sentiments in several places around the kitchen and store. And that - eat, drink, and cook - is exactly what you do there with Kristina Scrivani and Linda Hanger, co-owners of the place to stock your pantry with exotic spices or just to pick up a fresh loaf of La Brea bread. Pia and I signed up for the class thinking that it would be a hands-on experience; we both showed up with hairties on our wrists, ready to whip our mops into messy ponytails and get to work. That was not this class. This class was more like being pampered: we watched Kristina cook, listened to her talk, had our wine glasses continually charged, and ate and ate and ate and ate some more. This was not an Oscar-party prep-friendly event. We both left wondering if our red carpet dresses for our fr...

prepared by Kristina Scrivani at Stone Creek Kitchen  during their Spanish Tapas cooking class on February 24, 2012 2 heads of butter lettuce 2 avocado 1 cucumber, cleaned, striped, and deseeded 1 shallot 1 C ripe grape tomatoes 1 C parsley 2 cloves garlic 1/2 C sherry vinegar 1/2 C olive oil salt and pepper To make the dressing, place cucumber, tomato, garlic, shallot, and parsley into a food processor. Add vinegar. Process until mostly combine, but still chunky. Start processor again and add oil, slowly, until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Layer butter lettuce and avocado slices on a plate. Spoon dressing over the top. Grind fresh pepper over the top before serving.

prepared by Kristina Scrivani at Stone Creek Kitchen  during their Spanish Tapas cooking class on February 24, 2012 8 Piquillo peppers 3 cans Bonito del Norte (tuna) 1/4 C shallot, sliced thin 1/2 chopped parsley Nunez del Prado olive oil for drizzling salt and pepper Piquillo peppers are closer to a pimento chili than a red bell pepper. They are common in northern Spain and their name, piquillo , means 'little beak.' When they were stuffed, they reminded me of tulips. Drain peppers and set aside. Remove tuna from oil and place in a medium-sized bowl. Add shallots, parsley, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stuff each pepper with the tuna mixture and drizzle with olive oil.

prepared by Kristina Scrivani at Stone Creek Kitchen  during their Spanish Tapas cooking class on February 24, 2012 1/2 lb prepared Bacalao 1/2 C shallot, peeled and minced 1/2 C whole milk ricotta cheese 12 pasta sheets 1 bunch chives, chopped fine egg white oil for frying Bacalao is a preserved, salted cod. To prepare it, soak in cold water for at least 8 hours. Drain, place in a large pot, covered with fresh water, bring to a boil and simmer for 3 hours. Drain and set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl place flaked bacalao, shallots, ricotta, and chives. Mix well. Spoon prepared filling onto pasta sheet, brushing the edges with egg white. Fold edges in and roll tightly to form a "cigar." All to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Fry at 350 degrees until golden brown.