By Lauren Schiavone
Hometown Weekly
Photos by Lauren Schiavone
Needham seniors recently shared an afternoon cooking class at the Center for the Heights (CATH) on Tuesday, October 11. The afternoon provided the opportunity for those in attendance to learn a simple vegetarian meal that contains multiple servings — perfect for beginners.
Taught by Jessica Weiss, the class allowed participants to follow along with a recipe in the Center’s spacious granite kitchen. Seniors grabbed a pencil and notated their recipes of a spinach and feta casserole. Weiss’s entree was easily adaptable, with easy modifications for dietary restrictions.
Sharing tricks and tips, Weiss shared that garlic burns quickly and shouldn’t be sautéed. Other hacks were presented, and questions were answered, throughout the demo.
Fragrant brown jasmine rice mixed with onion and garlic to bulk up the dish into a robust meal. Using frozen spinach mixed in with fresh, she showed that availability of ingredients need not spoil a recipe. “It’s perfectly okay,” she explained.
Weiss crumbled blocks of feta and let class members know this casserole makes massive portions. With plenty to go around, she joked: “It’s like the indestructible meal. You can put it in the freezer, reheat it. It’s all good.” She added pepper to taste, a teaspoon of oregano, and reminded the class to be careful with the salt — as it may overpower the dish, given the saltiness of the feta.
The instructor fielded questions and went over substitutions for the casserole while the class waited for the dish to bake. Once finished, seniors ceased their chatter and portioned the dish into bowls.
Finally, everyone got to taste the delicious and fresh casserole — and some went back for seconds.
CATH often hosts cooking classes. For further information, visit www.tinyurl.com/needhamcathevents
