Whats Cookin'?

Our group was small but intimate and we had a beautiful morning at the Grand Lake Farmer's Market to start off our cooking class. Virginia looked awesome at 5 1/2 months pregnant and Kathi was all dolled up (hey, anytime you go out without the kids, you dress up!) and I was in my comfy NF fleece outfit.
We picked up some fresh ingredients, a beautiful head of butter lettuce, some smallish yams, butternut squash, 2 firm persimmons, and some meat. We were hoping to obtain a nice chuck roast but they were frozen and we needed a small, marbled, fresh cut of beef. It was pretty cool knowing that Virginia was very well versed in cuts of meat and was pretty particular with her request. I think the guy knew cause after we walked away the butcher, he came and found us in the crowd to interest us in a nice cut of marbled sirloin. We took him up on his offer and found out we wouldnt be disappointed later!
On the menu was Lentil& Carrott Soup, Beef Stew, & Butternut Squash Soup.

We met back at my place and got started with a few things, roasting the root veggies, cutting up leeks and the sirloin.

Probably the biggest tip I took away from the day was learning that my non-stick cookware was not the best of choices for browning meat. Good to know (and a good excuse to buy a new skillet!)
After browning the meat we sauteed the leeks, added the red wine and broth, brought to a boil, added the herbs and meat and let simmer.

While that cooked we worked on the lentil and butternut squash soups. The squash has finished cooking and after letting the squash cool a bit, we scooped out the seeds, peeled, and chopped it into chunks.

We washed the lentils and added 6 C of water and let them simmer for bit. We also added a quartered onion, carrots, and some whole garlic cloves. The lentils we used were different that Virginia was used to using and to her surprise, soaked up quite a bit of the liquid - so we added a bit more to make it a little more brothy.

The butternut squash took a twist substituting coconut milk for the creme and adding ginger and coriander instead of thyme. We added the squash and broth and after some simmering, pureered the mixture with a hand held immersion blender. Served with a lime wedge, it gave the soup a delicious thai flavor that was subtle but a welcome alternative.


We sat down and enjoyed our soups. After the first course, we made the persimmon, toasted hazelnut and butter leaf salad to serve with the stew. Virginia gave the tip to make the dressing in the salad bowl, whisking with a fork, and then toss in the greens. Saves dirtying yet another dish!. We made a simple vingarette with basalmic vinegar, EVO, s & p. It was an excellent pairing with the sweet persimmons and slightly toasted hazelnuts. I had at least 2 helpings! The stew ended up being extremely tender and very hearty. The sweet potatoes paired with the beef and since we added them at the end werent all smushy. Mia and Steve both loved the stew!

I was so glad we finally were able to do the class; it was enjoyable, I learned quite a bit, and gained more confidence in the kitchen. And the company was great. (P.S. Mia requested the lentil soup in her lunch this week! That was an added bonus!)