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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Have you ever watched chefs on Food Network chop a vegetable in the blink of an eye?
It may seem like a job that only a professional chef could achieve, but Westwood and Dover’s Councils on Aging (COA) were determined to prove that anybody could possess the knife skills of a professional chef.
Westwood COA director Lina Arena-DeRosa and Dover COA director Janet Claypoole frequently team up to bring their seniors to Powisset Farm in Dover for cooking classes. In the past, they have hosted Italian cooking lessons and classes on preparing three-course meals. On March 28, they joined personal chef and cookbook writer Didi Emmons for a class on knife skills and making salads.
“If we can teach somebody over the age of 70 how to change how they’ve held a knife their whole life, then it is huge,” said Emmons. “It’s so good for your brain to learn a new thing … you just have to stay with it.”
The participants learned how to sharpen a knife and practiced cutting green beans, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, peppers, and apples by pushing the knife away from the body and slightly lifting it up before pulling it back. Before beginning the class, they went to the herb garden at the farm and collected mint and parsley, which they also practiced cutting.
On the menu were two warm, entrée-sized salads. One was a farro salad with roasted Brussels sprouts and bell pepper, tossed with a Dijon lemon dressing, apples, and scallions. The other salad featured tri-colored quinoa, chickpeas, roasted green beans, carrots, parsnips, and mushrooms, which were mixed together with a tahini dressing, garden herbs, toasted almonds, and gold raisins.
While many of the participants mentioned there were some vegetables in the mix they weren’t in favor of, Didi proved that with the right ingredients and when they’re properly prepared, any vegetable can be delicious.
Both Lina and Janet encourage seniors to suggest themes and ideas for classes at Powisset Farm. In coming months, they will be returning for a Chinese cooking class and hope for many more in collaboration with Powisset Farm in the future.
