On a trip to Mexico, we took a cooking class. I hadn’t been in a cooking class since high school. And, for teenaged me, it hadn’t been a good experience, so I had a bit of trepidation signing up as an adult. I know that many cities offer a variety of cooking classes for visitors and locals alike. My stepson lives in New York, and he and his partner have taken classes with emphasis on pairing different wines with meals.
Five of us showed up for our lesson in Mexican cuisine. My sister-in-law, Marlene, had seen an advertisement in the airline’s magazine and brought it to our attention the first night at our Airbnb. “This is a must-do!” she said.
Early the next morning, we were warmly greeted as we entered the restaurant and handed an apron and a cloth shopping bag. The first order of business was to walk through town, cross the river, and arrive at the market. At the riverbank, we stopped to pick up several large rocks that would be used in the cooking of stone soup. My husband, Helmuth, got to carry one around in his shopping bag. At the market, we listened to explanations of the various ingredients we would be buying for our cooking adventure: what to look for, where to look for them, and, in the case of fresh fruits and vegetables, how to tell their ripeness.
Handy points we picked up included:
- Test a pineapple’s ripeness by pulling out one of its sword-like leaves. If it is easy to pull, the pineapple is ready to eat.
- Chicken with yellow skin (including the fat just under the skin) is corn fed.
- Shrimp is plentiful in this area of Mexico because it is caught not too far from where we are in the Bay of Banderas.
- Red onions for raw dishes; white onions for cooking.
Our 15-member class took place on the rooftop patio of the restaurant, and we had a view of the Bay when we looked up from our preparations. Spectacular!
We set about cutting and squeezing limes, dicing onions, preparing avocados, and chopping chiles. Chef Julio showed us the correct way to do it, and then folks took over. There were two teenagers who learned a lot about cooking that day, but then so did we all!
We learned how to make Stone Soup – no stove required once the stones are heated to the right temperature in the fire (campfire or oven). We also watched the fine art of making dough for tortillas and participated in the process. These were yummy paired with chicken mole (pronounced moe-lay) that we also prepared. We learned to make chile rellenos and ceviche.
Each dish we made was followed by margaritas and eating. We met and chatted with other participants. I talked to a man that worked in Seattle with Google, where I find all my answers to life’s burning questions. He told me it wasn’t him that answered the questions. I was slightly disappointed.
I loved interacting with Chef Julio and hearing the excitement in his voice as he talked about the food, the culture, and his life. I liked hearing the local stories and getting to know something deeper about the area we visited. I enjoyed eating our creations, each time paired not with wine, as my stepson had learned, but with tequila.
Would I do it again? ¡Oh si!
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Laurie Mueller, M.Ed is retired and living in Victoria with her husband, Helmuth. She recently published The Ultimate Guide on What to Do When Someone You Love Dies, available on Amazon. More about Laurie can be found at www.lauriemconsulting.com or on Facebook.