Spicing up your kitchen repetoire

Andrea Dickinson and Marion Ratzinger spice it up at the Crow Lake School House

Andrea Dickinson is nothing if not passionate when it comes to food. She admits that in the last 25 years her work history has always tended to land her in the kitchen, a place she fully enjoys and where she feels naturally comfortable.

For five years she ran the kitchen at Sunsets Restaurant in Sharbot Lake as both co-owner and chef, and prior to that she spent 20-odd years working in a variety of restaurants, as an events coordinator and also as a caterer.

She effuses a love and joy of preparing food and recently shared that passion with others in her third cooking session held at the Crow Lake School House on Feb. 27 called "Indian-Inspired Cooking".

For a $25 fee participants attended a hands-on class and learned how to prepare a number of East Indian dishes, which they later enjoyed. Each received a recipe booklet to take home. In Andrea’s words, “These winter sessions are very social and a lot of fun and are for people who want to learn more about cooking and who are looking to expand their kitchen repertoire.”

Saturday’s menu included marinated Tandoori Chicken with Cucumber Raita, a sweet potato and coconut milk soup, a fruit and nut quinoa made with apricots and pecans and for dessert, a chai-spiced rice pudding with raspberries and toasted almonds.

It was quite the undertaking for a four-hour class but Andrea is no amateur and with the help of her assistant Marion Ratzinger and with a long day of prep prior to the class, Andrea made everything seem simple, tasty and a whole lot of fun.

Upcoming for Andrea is a series of cooking workshops she will be offering to school age children that will be held at the community room at the Sharbot Lake Medical Centre from the end of March until the end of April.

She will be introducing participants to basic cooking techniques, food safety and healthy eating for a healthy lifestyle.

As Andrea explained, “Teaching young people the difference between real food and processed food, how to prepare it and its health benefits is an important set of life skills that isn’t being taught at school. I want kids to experience the joy of cooking, good food and to find out how much fun it can be.”

Classes will include hands on instruction, a full lunch and the preparation of a funky and fun dessert.

She is also planning a future session especially geared to teenagers. For more information about upcoming sessions contact Andrea at 613-375-8820.

Andrea is also available for custom cooking classes, personal chef services and event planning.

Below is Andrea’s recipe for Tandoori Chicken, a dish that looks as good as it tastes.

TANDOORI CHICKEN MARINADE

Mix up ingredients except melted butter. Makes enough marinade for approximately 4 kgs of meat. Divide into freezer containers (½ cup each approx) and freeze. Defrost and use when needed. Remove skin from chicken and score deeply. Massage marinade into chicken. Best if meat is marinated for 24 hours in fridge.

CONVENTIONAL OVEN: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place chicken in roasting pan. Cook to internal temp. of 165 F. Melt butter. Baste chicken with butter. Turn on broiler and place chicken under it until browned and glistening. Baste again before serving. Serve with cucumber raita.

BBQ: Turn one side of BBQ on med-high. Put chicken in foil pan. Place on upper level of side that is unlit. Cook to internal temp of 165 F. Remove from pan and place on direct heat of grill. Baste with butter, turning until nicely charred.

CUCUMBER RAITA