Fourteen Middlesex Middle School students have joined my Friday night supper club. To my great joy, the class filled up. We met for the first time last Friday night, where I had all the ingredients, recipes and equipment set up to create a taco bar.
When they arrived, they had to prepare the recipes, set the table and, set up the taco bar. They each prepared their own taco platter and we ate together around one big table. During the meal, we engaged in some very stimulating conversation. This group amazed me with their knowledge and interest in trying new and unusual foods. I can see that our discussions are going to be a roundtable meeting of some incredible culinary minds, although the table is actually square.
During our table talk, we planned the next week's meal. This group voted on going Japanese for next Friday. I explained that I had not had much success with making perfect sushi. Although my sushi tastes fine, it falls apart. One of the kids explained to me how to do it properly and promised to demonstrate, if given the opportunity. I can see that I will learn as much from this class as the participants. I can hardly wait to learn how to make good-looking sushi Friday!
The recipes we used for the taco bar are below.
Taco Seasoning for Chicken, Beef or Tofu
INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. paprika
½ tsp of salt
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all the above spices in a small bowl.
Stir fry meat, chicken or tofu until done.
Add the bowl of spices to the cooked chicken, beef or tofu along with a 1/4 cup of water.
Stir together until mixed well.
Serve with tortillas, cheese, greens, salsa, guacamole, sour cream.
Salsa and guacamole recipes below.
Fresh Farmers’ Market Salsa
Ingredients:
6 garden tomatoes, chopped.
1 yellow or red onion, peeled and chopped.
3 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed.
juice of 1 lemon or lime.
1 bunch of fresh cilantro leaves chopped.
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt.
Mix together in a bowl and serve.
Fresh Guacamole
Mash two soft avocados with a fork until it reaches a creamy constancy. Add a 1/4 cup of the salsa from the recipe above, the juice of a lime and salt to taste.