Monthly Meeting - 'Cooking at the Cutting Edge'
Tuesday 9 March 2021
As members and friends of Ruskie rural assembled for this months meeting there was a recognition that Zoom is great for not having to venture out on a dark wet night, for getting people together from near and far … and ‘asking Alexa’ over other peoples’ internet connection making calls that were not intended! Anne Artis kicked off the meeting with a brief reminder of the Federation Spring meeting on April 24th (via Zoom) and confirmation from Helen that the Treasurers report was ‘nothing to report’!
Anne then introduced Jenny Thomson who taught us the art of ninja knife skills! Using a large cooks knife for almost all chopping, lifting and squashing Jenny taught us how to grasp a knife between the thumb and forefinger of one hand, using the other hand as a ‘holding’ hand for what is being cut – either in a ‘claw’ grip or as a ‘bridge’. We learned how to make a stable flat surface of vegetable before cutting with a rocking/sliding motion using the whole length of the blade to get a good clean cut. Jenny slowly chopped carrots to illustrate the technique and then picked up the pace to chop all the ingredients for a healthy thai souper-soup which is great for boosting the immune system.
After sharing lots of tips, like 'chopping round things on the diagonal keeps them from rolling off your board', and 'letting garlic sit for ten minutes after pressing before use strengthens its flavour' Jenny then showed us how to joint a whole chicken which is an economical way to buy chicken and gives portions of breast and thighs and a carcass to roast or make stock from … it takes a little practice but if you can get three for a bargain price then by the time you have jointed the third you will be expert! Make sure you keep repositioning the bird to find the easiest way to work, and always cut through joints not bones! Cutting anything into smaller pieces (using the half/half method) makes it easier to handle, even turnip!
Zoom has lots of benefits for cooking courses especially for people with food allergies who can attend a class with no fear of encountering nuts or gluten as they cook at home! This session was recorded so you can follow along at home and pause to try the techniques or Jenny has online classes that can be downloaded. The winner of our prize draw (gift certificate for a Courses for Cooks Class) is Nessa Findlay – we’ll be in touch with the details.
The link and the soup recipe will be circulated by email, send us a message if you’d like them.
