|
For several weeks each year Casa Azahar in the historic quarter of Granada, Spain opens its doors home for personalized
cooking classes to a small number of guests eager to share in the food, wine, and culture of one of Spain's most diverse and
vibrant regions. Participants also have the option of taking morning Spanish language classes from neighboring Escuela Carmen
de las Cuevas. Guests cook with wild Mediterranean herbs gathered from behind the house, salad greens and vegetables from
local markets, olives from the abudant groves, and prepare unique Mediterranean, Spehardic, and MozArabic dishes. Included
is a field trip to Europe's highest viticultural region, the up-and-coming D.O. Vinos de la tierra Norte de Granada. The two-week
English language program includes hands-on cooking sessions led by Vaughn Perret & Charles Leary, as well as guided visits
to markets, vineyards, shops, and local restaurants. All cooking programs take place in the afternoons, allowing for morning
Spanish classes if desired.
Each day’s program offers something different; the prepared menus shared while taking in views of the Alhambra Palace,
the insider’s guide to the regional production of olives and oil, and cheese, and tastings from the rich selection of
local and regional wines, including the famed Sherries from Jerez and Montilla. All instruction is in English. Recipes are
geared to the home cook. Guests are supplied with aprons as well as detailed recipe booklets that are theirs to keep.
The class is limited to 8 guests. The week begins with dinner on Sunday night and ends after lunch on Friday. The fee is
$5,000 and includes market visits, all tastings, transportation for local visits, lunches on Wednesdays & Saturdays, and
dinners Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. The fee does not include lodging or transportation. (A list of recommended hotels and
apartment rentals is sent to enrolled guests.) The Granada Cooking & Wine School operates from an
historic address in the Albaycin district of Granada, Spain, directly across the Dauro River from the Alhambra Palace. The
creation of Vaughn Perret, Charles Leary, and Daniel Abel, the Cooking School welcomes a limited number of guests to afternoon,
one-day, and multi-week culinary classes and/or food and wine tastings. The School's focus lies on Mediterranean cooking in
general including not only Spanish or Andalusian cookery, but also French, Italian, and Turkish. Hailing from south Louisiana,
the chef-proprietors also provide insight into the Creole style and the history and culture of Creole cookery from the Indian
Ocean to the Caribbean.
The school has a specially designed teaching kitchen with a traditional casa cueva (cave) pantry and pastry area, beautiful
Goa verde granite counters, multiple cooking stations, a rooftop terrace, and garden patio.
Mediterranean Cooking School, Granada, Spain
|
