I have been looking for something new and different to do during lockdown, and so I was excited to discover this Jamie Oliver Cookery School class, hosted by professional chefs via Zoom!
This Jamie Oliver Cookery School class was hosted by chefs Coral and Francesco via Zoom and provided a fun, interactive, and sociable afternoon. The class was set up 30 minutes prior to the session so you could see how the hosts set up their kitchen while they played some music.
I could see all the other participants dancing along in their kitchens and drinking wine; it was nice to see a variety of different faces - instead of just my household in this lockdown!
Before the cookery class, I was sent a list of ingredients, equipment, and a step-by-step guide on how to make all the dishes (this is great to refer to in the future in case I forget!) I am not much of a cook myself, but the hosts talked us through it and made it really easy to follow along.
Top tip: if you don’t want your chopping board to slide around the worktop, place a damp tea towel underneath and all your problems will be solved.
Throughout the session the hosts kept referring to everyone as ‘chef’ whenever someone asked a question, or they would say ‘are you all okay, chefs?’ This was a really nice touch and got everyone involved. This session taught me how to make mini wheat tortillas, chipotle chicken, guacamole, tomato salsa and roasted corn salsa; I surprised myself at how incredible it all tasted!
Firstly, we coated the chicken in ground cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. When placing the chicken in the pan it should be skin-side down and in a cold pan so that all the spices don’t burn. Next, we put it on a medium heat. Once the chicken was golden brown we poured the chipotle sauce in, put the lid on and let it cook for roughly 1 hour 30 minutes, allowing the chicken to come off the bone perfectly!
Once the chicken and chipotle sauce was bubbling away, we prepped the vegetables to be able to put the salsas together. The roasted corn salsa was my favourite as the corn added a little crunch.
Lastly we made the tortillas which were very simple to make, however they do say the first tortilla is always like the first pancake. I put the flour, baking powder, butter, salt, and water into the bowl, mixed it together and then started to knead the mix. I divided them into four balls, rolled each one out into a tortilla roughly the size of my hand, and put it into a dry frying pan for 30 seconds each side… and there I had it, 4 perfect tortilla wraps.
I also learned some new skills, from different knife techniques to making my own garlic purée. I couldn’t believe it when Coral told us that the way you cut a spring onion can add to the cost of a dish - even though the spring onion itself costs the same, the way you cut it can make a dish more expensive.
I will definitely be making this dish again as it was the tastiest dish I have ever made; however, I won’t be adding as much chilli next time.
