number 29: the kitchen workshop

We've been making lots of use of gift certificates lately! Particularly those that people have given to us for hands-on experiences.

A few weeks ago we took a cooking class at the Kitchen Workshop in Paoli, PA, thanks to a Christmas gift from my brother and sister-in-law last year. (It allowed me to check number 29 off of my 101 in 1001 list... thanks, guys!) The class we took was called "Quick, Easy and Delicious Weeknight Meals" and was lead by Art, who runs the Kitchen Workshop. I didn't take any pictures as I was busy chopping and cooking up a storm, but we had a great time.

There were 8 students, including Nick and me, and we made 6 dishes in the 3 hour class. I learned some great tricks and basic skills (I was definitely the least experienced chef in the class), and ate some delicious food. It was great to get some guidance on a few meals that we can quickly whip together during the week, now that Nick is back to work and neither of us feels like spending too much time in the kitchen at the end of the day.

Our favorite recipe was the Garlic Shrimp. I've never loved shellfish, but I've been trying to branch out of my comfort zone and I thought this was super tasty. We've made it once since the class, and we tried it with chicken that we already had in the freezer instead of shrimp — equally yummy!

Garlic Shrimp over Pasta
(Serves 4)

8 ounces uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 small bay leaf
1 1-inch piece dried red chili pepper, seeded
Pasta of your choice
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Place shrimp in bowl; sprinkle with coarse salt and toss. Let stand 15 minutes.

Heat oil in medium skillet over high heat. Add garlic, bay leaf and dried pepper and stir 1 minute. Add shrimp; stir until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add already cooked pasta of your choice and combine with shrimp to distribute garlic sauce. Transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley.