The perfect recipe

The best way to learn the finer points of cooking is to begin with the right recipe.   Over the last few months a group of Raglan women have had the opportunity to do just that.

This is how it goes:

• Start with a fabulous kitchen.
• Add a dollop of laughter.
• Fold lightly with a gifted teacher who sprinkles in heaps of confidence.
• Mix in some good friends.
• Bake over a glass of wine.

When former owner of Blacksand Café Michelle Meenagh asked her friend Stan Grime how she could make her soup tastier it sparked an idea to ask him to run in-home cooking classes.   Michelle and good friend Fran Currie contacted some of their friends and the cooking group was born.

Stan, who is resident caterer at Woodlands Homestead near Gordonton, was initially cautious about teaching cooking.

“Right from the start I was a little concerned they thought I could make them into top chefs.  I’m a caterer who is entirely self-taught,” says Stan.

Fran offered her superb kitchen as the venue for the monthly classes and over the last five months Stan has shared his tips on preparing appetisers, mains, desserts, platters, soups, sauces and more.

It turns out he is a ‘natural’ at teaching.

“He explains things really well and encourages us to be confident in our cooking and to use different ingredients,” Emily Hunter says.  “My partner is vegetarian and I’m not so it’s been great that Stan has included vegetarian options every night.”

Stan’s love for cooking began when he was young, baking cakes for family occasions.

“I got lots of encouragement from my family and started to experiment with ingredients,” he says.

It wasn’t surprising, therefore, when tomato and tamarillo soup featured during one of the cooking classes.

The group, spanning several generations, met this month for the final time.  They sat down to a sumptuous five-course meal prepared by Stan with the help of Michelle.   During dinner he reminded the group they were all capable of cooking everything he had that night.

“Just be creative and trust your instincts.   You’ll have lots of fun and it’s the very best way to learn.”

Stan’s fish tips:

Learn to recognise what fresh fish looks like in a shop.  It should have a translucent quality.  Every hour that fish is in a bag and out of the fridge it ages a day.

1)      Don’t be afraid to ask for a particular piece of raw fish if you don’t think the top ones look fresh enough.

2)      Ideally prepare and eat fish the same day it is bought.

3)      When buying fish from a supermarket or vendor, if it is placed in a plastic bag, remove the fish from the bag once home and wash the fish under running water.  It is the fish juice that is inclined to go off and smell.

4)      Once washed, store fish flat in the fridge on a tray with a paper-towel on top.

5)      Don’t over-cook.  Fish will continue to cook a while even once removed from the heat.