By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Westwood and Dover Councils on Aging (COAs) joined forces on Thursday, October 5th, at Powisset Farm to partake in an absolutely delicious cooking class. The theme of this class was all things squash, which was perfectly timed for the upcoming fall season.
On the menu for this week's lesson were Butternut Squash and Kale Lasagna, Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing, and Acorn Squash Stuffed with Apples and Sausage. Chef Thi guided all those participating to create this mouth-watering three-course meal.
The first part of this cooking class involved cutting up a lot of squash, three full sheet pans' worth! COA members additionally chopped up red onion, kale, bacon, apples, celery, and carrots. Once everything was properly chopped, it was time to start roasting and cooking everything.
Each COA member had their own appointed jobs to do, ranging from cooking, seasoning, stirring, mixing, etc. Chef Thi made sure to keep an eye on everyone, offering help and guidance with each step of the process. She also offered some intriguing kitchen/cooking tips and tricks that everyone said they would definitely try out at home.
For example, Chef Thi explained that there are three rules to roasting: fat, salt, and pepper. It is extremely important to add a type of fat to the vegetables you are roasting, typically olive oil. Once the veggies are glistening with fat, all you have to do next is add some salt and pepper, leaving you with the perfect tasting roasted veggies.
Chef Thi additionally taught all the COA members how to make a typical Béchamel Sauce. The sauce consists of equal parts flour, milk, and butter. This thick and rich sauce is a common staple for cooking, and in the case of their meal that day, it would be used within the lasagna. Added into the sauce was some garlic pesto exclusively made at the farm. When combined, this white Béchamel made for the perfect sauce within their lasagna.
Just as one would assume we all do when cooking at home, it is important to taste the food as you go, making sure it is to your liking. This aspect was no different at the Powisset Farm kitchen, as attendees got to taste the roasted squash, the Béchamel Sauce, the bacon dressing, and more. It can be said with ease that each tasting made COA members hungrier and hungrier.
After about an hour of cooking, it was time for them to sit down and enjoy their masterpiece. Hard work truly pays off as everyone could be seen fully indulging in their meals, in awe of how good everything tasted. To ensure that everyone could easily make these dishes again, Chef Thi distributed each recipe to all COA members.
Cooking classes like these are happening year-round at Powisset Farm. For more information, please visit their website at www.thetrustees.org.
