Successful Adult School Class

I taught a fun cooking class at the Adult School in Montclair last night with sixteen enthusiastic students. Some of the students came in small groups and others came alone, but we all mixed and mingled and experienced cooking together while making mini Chicken Pot Pies and Root Vegetable Pot Pies. We were a diverse group of people, including young moms and a handful of cooking club members (and even a gentleman!). We had quite a few accomplished choppers, who got started right away using the knives and others who tended the stove, monitoring the seasonings. I’m pretty sure I taught my new friends how to make pot pies and the simple steps to do so (sautéing the veggies, making a roux and sauce and preparing the crust) but they taught me as well. One student shared a particularly useful trick she learned from her grandmother. It goes like this: If you’ve over spiced a food, parsley will absorb the excess spice. (who knew??) Another woman tilted the mini pies in the muffin tins a tad as they cooled. This tip kept the pies from sticking to the tins!

Just as it was in my class last evening, Cooking With Friends is about teaching and learning.

Here is the recipe for the Sweet and Savory pie we made last night. It was delicious!

Sweet & Savory Root Vegetable Pot Pie
Makes one large pot pie or five small ones

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup butternut squash, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup sweet potato, peeled and diced
½ cup potatoes, diced and pre-cooked
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
1 cup yellow corn
Pie dough for one or two crusts

In a large skillet, heat oil and sauté the onions and garlic. Add the butternut squash, carrots and sweet potatoes and sauté until tender. Season the vegetables with salt, garam masala and pepper. Gradually add the coconut milk and let the starch from the vegetables thicken the sauce. Stir in the corn.