Cookery School - Jenny + friends

Jenny and her intrepid followers (Trudi, Simon and Clint) had a day at my cookery school on Sunday. Lucky them! They'd thought long and hard about what they wanted to learn and decided to go for broke with some technical dishes. The day started with slow braising the pork for the main course, making pasta dough for the starter, filleting the fish (with the aid of my special examination gloves) and then a quick break with some Thai noodle soup (it's important to keep your strength up).

Here Jenny and Simon team up to roll out some perfect sheets of ravioli......there was very little marital squabbling which is very different from my house!

The first dish we worked towards was 'Open ravioli with poached trout, creamed peas + lettuce, topped with a dill foam'.......so nice and simple ;o) Everyone worked together to get the dish out. Trudi + Clint on pasta, trout and foam duties. Jenny + Simon doing the honours with the creamed peas and lettuce. As you can see from the picture it was a success. Layers of light pasta with delicate trout and vegetables in between. A lovely summer dish. Nice work team!

Next up.......Slow braised pork with pan-fried gurnard, plus a nice beany tomato-ey stew with a grain mustard sauce and lovely crispy crackling. Did the team keep it together and get another perfect dish out??? Course they did! This time Jenny + Simon were on fish duty whilst Trudi + Clint put the sauce together.

I think Clint was just checking that he had the biggest portion..........very sensible.

A good day for all involved :o)

Open ravioli with poached trout and dill foam

Okay so the last few dishes from the week. By the way we did way more than I have posted up. Jo is giving Rob a hand with his ravioli. My word, that's a long one.

Peta made this lovely layered sheet of ravioli. Looks wicked doesn't it!

And the finished dish. I think that warrants a ......Ta daaa! Layers of mussels, clams, peas, braised lettuce, cream, ravioli and trout. Topped with a dill foam. Yes a dill foam, check it out! I thought it was some high skill chef thing well out of my reach but it's not too hard to do. Of course you will have to bribe me to tell you the secret.

Simple supper - Pasta and garlic bread

Feeling fairly brain dead after work it was a night for an easy meal. Sweating together garlic/onion/peppers/tomatoes/parsley gave us the sauce (queue a 'discussion' about whether we should bother to peel the tomatoes - verdict peeled) chucked some mozzarella on top, combine softened butter/lots of garlic/parsley and add to toast for the super garlicky bread.

Leaving time to watch Masterchef......oh and get ready for cookery school and catering job at the weekend. It's 'Back to Basics' day at cookery school and here's what they'll be cooking:

1. Potato and Leek soup
2. Sticky ribs
3. Quesadillas
4. Thai style seabass
5. Chocolate fridge cake

So they will learn slow cooking, how to cook fish + tell when it's fresh, quick snack, the ABCs of soup making and a no-cook dessert