Italian Cooking Secrets and Other Kitchen Stories
Being the food-centric community we are, creating programs that feature local chefs, farmers, and businesses for YOU, the Green Lake community, is important to Town Square. Nothing brings people together like food. Cooking and eating with family, friends, neighbors, and even coworkers can unite us bringing us comfort, connection, and a sense of community. This is exactly how you may have felt after our hour-long virtual demonstration wrapped up last Tuesday night. The first of our monthly cooking classes was a much-needed reminder of how important interacting with other humans is, especially right now.
And did we mention the laughter? You couldn’t have asked for a better group of individuals to spend your evening with. You may have started the class with strangers, but you left feeling like you had shared a meal with friends by the end of the hour. That is the power of coming together over food.
From peppy discussions about seasoning to thoughtful life lessons, the conversation during this fantastic live demonstration straight from the Green Lake Kitchens was super tasty! Not only did Chef Hazelberg walk through the ins and outs of making a comforting and healthy Italian vegetable and bean soup, but also what his time in the kitchen has taught him. “The importance of challenging yourself, appreciating, and learning from the process and inspiring others to do the same.”
As Chef Hazelberg enthusiastically prepared the ingredients for the soup, he shared experiences working with chefs who created Italian dishes and his approach to cooking Italian cuisine.
“It’s all about simplicity when you cook in an Italian kitchen. It’s taking four basic ingredients and using those four ingredients to make the most delicious dish you can”
He also talked about the importance of experimenting with new ingredients, trying new recipes, taking advantage of what local farmers have to offer, and, most importantly, TASTE, TASTE, and TASTE while you are cooking to make sure the seasoning and the other ingredients are coming together.
Each took away their own little morsels of information to nibble on and shared personal stories. Gretchen Zook revealed her Italian relative’s secret of preparing their tomato sauce with spare ribs that would stew on the stove for hours. Deborah Ramsey’s question about the best way to prepare dried beans. Darlene Holik was kind enough to remind everyone that an excellent resource for beans was Boerson Farm. Thanks Darlene!
We can’t wait to do this again next month on Tuesday, February 2, 7-8 p.m as Chef Hazelberg’s virtual live demonstration will celebrate Community Love Month at Town Square. He will be demonstrating how to make Homemade Potato Gnocchi with Italian Sausage and Tomato Cream.
“With February’s theme focusing on love, I can’t think of a dish that embodies the theme so well. Not just in the enjoyment of eating it but, the effort and time that goes into making this dish will have a huge payoff”
Potato gnocchi is essentially a dumpling. During this demonstration, you will learn the basics of making gnocchi step-by-step and how to pull the recipe together. This dish will surely impress your loved ones, so be sure to register for this virtual live event today!