Cooking Classes

Did you know that there are restaurants that offer cooking classes with their chefs? Did you know that most independently owned restaurants are owned or co-owned by the Chef? It's true.
My favorite place to take cooking classes (locally of course) is a great little home grown store called "Someones in the Kitchen" here in Rapid City, SD. Here's a link to their store http://www.someonesinthekitchensd.com/ckshop.php
Follow their directions and you will see the Chef Bio's, pretty cook stuff! I took the Rustic Breads class because I wanted to see some hands on stuff being done. There are tips and tricks that a recipe book just does not covered...some things need to be seen in person. And just because you take a cooking class does not mean that you do not know how to cook, in fact it's just the opposite. To me it means that you want to master something and you want to get the tips and tricks of the trade from the Master Chefs themselves...or at least that's my perspective it.

Here is the recipe that is featured on the main page of Someones in the Kitchen I'm putting it here because it changes monthly and it's a great recipe that's worth sharing!

Beef Ragout Recipe from "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook"
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 lbs lean beef stew meat or beef cross rib roast, trimmed of fat, cut into 11/2-inch chunks, and blotted dry
2 medium-size onions, coarsely chopped
2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or one 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice
1 cup dry red wine (Chianti or Zinfandel)
1 cup baby carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 medium-size zucchini, ends trimmed, cut in half lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch thick half-moons
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil until very hot. Add half of the beef and brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and brown the remaining beef.
Add the onions to the skillet and brown slightly over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan; pour into the cooker. Add the carrots, garlic, tapioca, and Italian herbs to the cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours.
Add the salt, pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms, cover, turn the cooker to HIGH, and cook for about 45 minutes, until the meat, mushrooms, and zucchini are tender. We love this with spaetzle dumplings, steamed white rice, or buttered egg noodles. Serves 4 to 5.