Lessons in Cooking: What's for dinner? Margaret Ann tells us

With a little weekend planning, a cooking teacher says, weekday meals can be almost hassle-free.

By JANET K. KEELER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 3, 2002

An ongoing series about classes in the Tampa Bay area.

[Times photo: Jamie Francis] A tilted mirror at top helps Margaret Ann Burtchaell show students in her cooking class how to make a frozen toffee dessert.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Margaret Ann Burtchaell makes it look easy to cook dinner every night of the week.

In fact, she does just that during a two-hour cooking class in the tight quarters of Margaret Ann's Catering and Gourmet Cookies on Fourth Street N. Even though she has some help with prep work and dishwashing, Burtchaell makes her point. A little bit of planning on the weekend makes the weeknight dinner scene less frenetic.

The 25 people gathered for the demonstration class called "What's For Dinner?" were entertained by Burtchaell's charm and her mellow approach to cooking.

"Did someone say professional chef?" she asked after a minor slip-up. "We don't have one around here."

Her laid-back demeanor makes her classes fun and informative. The benefit of taking a class from a caterer is that you know she knows what she's talking about. She cooks for a living and must be a master at satisfying people's culinary desires.

Cooking classes at Margaret Ann's are about $35 per person, a little more for hands-on courses. She offers three or four evening classes a month on topics from easy desserts, soup and sandwiches, pantry organization and holiday entertaining. There are also classes for children and teenagers. More and more caterers are tapping into the cooking school market, opening their kitchens as classrooms.

Burtchaell's demonstration classes are conducted in the cookie-packing room, a reminder that she's been making and delivering cookies since 1987. (She's been a caterer since 1983.) Now her business includes classes and a small retail shop that stocks equipment and wine.

Positioned above her work station is a tilted mirror that allows students to get a good look at what she's doing. On this night, there is a lot to learn.

Burtchaell advises the audience to spend 30 minutes planning and making a shopping list before the weekend assault on the grocery store. Then, she says, set aside three hours of cooking time on Sunday. Truth be told, Burtchaell is teaching us something many of our mothers already know: Leftovers are a good thing.

Here's Burtchaell's battle plan:

On Sunday afternoon, make two Lemon Garlic Chickens with Caramelized Vegetables. One will be served that night, the other saved for Chicken Pot Pie on Wednesday. (Sighs of relief fill the room when we learn that the crust for the pot pie is frozen puff pastry.)

While the chickens roast, mix together ingredients for Ultimate Meat Loaf. Before adding the eggs, reserve about a quarter of the meat mixture for Thursday's Red Wine Bolognese Sauce. Shape the meat loaf, cover it and put it in the refrigerator. It will be baked on Monday night.

TIP NO. 1: Don't bake meatloaf in a loaf pan or it will stew in its own fat. "Do it free form in a larger pan with a lip (and a rack) and then it doesn't sit in the grease," she says.

It's only Sunday and four of the week's seven meals are done or halfway there.

Tuesday's dinner is Roast Loin of Pork and the leftovers from that meal will become Pulled-Pork Fajitas on Friday. Save the leftover pork tightly wrapped in the fridge.

TIP NO. 2: Get an instant-read meat thermometer. "With pork, there's no leg to jiggle (like chicken or turkey)." Pork is safe to eat when the internal temperatures reaches 145 degrees.

Now, we've got six meals under our expanding belts. Burtchaell throws in a bonus Saturday night special: Quick Chicken Supremes on Spinach with Tomato Basil Sauce. She allows that we'll probably go out to dinner at least one night. (Sly glances all around. Someone mumbles "at least.")

She also shows us how to make Frozen Toffee Dessert that starts with store-bought ladyfinger cookies and is filled with ice cream mixed with toffee bits. The only way it would be any easier is if she came to our houses and made it for us.

TIP NO. 3: When mixing ice cream with other ingredients, use a blender to mix the ice cream straight from the freezer, rather than letting it soften on the counter top. Ice cream that's softened that way and then mixed with liquid or candy pieces such as peppermint or toffee bits does not refreeze well.

After an agonizing two hours of tantalizing smells, we file into the kitchen where white table cloths cover work stations. It's time to eat and we eagerly devour a week's worth of dinners. The pot pie and pork fajitas got my vote for the best of the bunch.

Easy food that tastes good? What family -- and its primary cook -- wouldn't love that?

-- Margaret Ann's is at 5625 Fourth St. N in St. Petersburg. For information about classes or to get on the mailing list, call (727) 525-3983. The Web site is www.margaretanns.com.

Here's dinner

St. Petersburg caterer and cooking instructor Margaret Ann Burtchaell has a plan for seven days of meals.

The key is to make each main-course meat do double duty and use leftover meat for another entree. If you don't want to make the whole week's worth of meals, you can pick out just a couple. Here's the menu:

SUNDAY: Lemon Garlic Chicken with Caramelized Vegetables, salad and bread.

MONDAY: Ultimate Meat Loaf, roasted asparagus, green salad.

TUESDAY: Roast Loin of Pork, garlic mashed potatoes, cooked carrots.

WEDNESDAY: Chicken Pot Pie (using Sunday's chicken), asparagus with vinaigrette and sliced tomatoes.

THURSDAY: Linguine with Red Wine Bolognese Sauce (Monday's ground beef), salad and bread.

FRIDAY: Pulled-Pork Fajitas (Tuesday's pork) and Orange Rice.

SATURDAY: Quick Chicken Supremes on Spinach with Tomato Basil Sauce.

SPECIAL DESSERT FOR ANY NIGHT: Frozen Toffee.

Sunday Dinner:

Lemon-Garlic Chicken With Caramelized Vegetables

• 2 3-1/2- to 4-pound whole chickens
• 2 garlic heads, cut in half horizontally
• 2 small lemons, cut in half
• 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 small carrots, scrubbed (not peeled) and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 medium parsnips, scrubbed (not peeled) and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• (You should have about 6 cups of each type of vegetable)
• 20 small russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
• 6 medium onions, cut into eighths
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock or broth

Rinse the chickens and pat dry. If you choose to butterfly the chickens, do so at this point. Rub the chickens all over with the cut garlic. Insert the cut garlic under the skin. In each cavity, place 2 lemon halves and 2 sprigs of rosemary. If you have not butterflied the hens, tie the legs.

Place the hens breast-side-up in one large roaster or divide into two. Rub each chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.

Combine the cut vegetables in a large bowl with the remaining garlic, remaining rosemary (leaves only), remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well and place around chickens. Place in preheated 450-degree oven and roast for 45 minutes.

Remove and pour the stock over and stir the vegetables.

Continue to cook for 11/2 to 13/4 hours, basting and stirring every 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should read 180 degrees in the breast.

Transfer one of the chickens to a serving platter with about half of the vegetables. Serves 4.

Note: Allow the other chicken and vegetables to cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Save the chicken juices in the roasting pan in a separate container. Refrigerate chicken, vegetables and juices until Wednesday -- this will be your Chicken Pot Pie.

Monday Dinner: Ultimate Meat Loaf

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1-1/2 pounds ground pork
• 1 pound ground veal
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 3 small carrots, grated
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2/3 cup bread crumbs (fresh or Panko)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons ketchup

Mix all ingredients except eggs and ketchup. Mix well with hands. Reserve 1/4 of the mixture for Red Wine Bolognese Sauce. Refrigerate or freeze. Add eggs to the remaining mixture and mix well. Form into a loaf, cover with plastic and refrigerate until baking on Monday night.

On Monday, spread meatloaf with ketchup and bake 11/2 hours at 350 degrees. Serves 4.

Tuesday Dinner: Roast Loin of Pork

• 1 4-1/2- to 5-pound boneless pork loin roast
• Salt and pepper
• 1 10-ounce jar apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup bourbon or orange juice
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place pork in a roasting pan and salt and pepper. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over meat. Cover and roast for 30 minutes. Uncover and baste the meat every 20 minutes for about 1 more hour or until thermometer registers 155 degrees. Remove and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with pan drippings. Serves 4.

Note: You should have about half of this meat left over for your fajitas on Friday. Store in refrigerator.

Wednesday Dinner: Chicken Pot Pie

• 1 package store-bought puff pastry, defrosted
• 2 cups reserved chicken juices (if there is not enough, add chicken stock or broth)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups reserved chicken, shredded
• 5 cups reserved caramelized vegetables
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the puff pastry rounds 1/2-inch larger than the diameter of the baking dish you will be using. (Individual pot pies can be made in ramekins.) Cut a few slashes in the top of each and transfer to the refrigerator.

In a small saucepan, heat 11/2 cups chicken juices over medium heat. In a small bowl, combine the remaining chicken stock with the flour and whisk until smooth. Add to the pan and stir until mixture boils. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until it thickens, about 3 minutes.

Spoon mixture into the dishes and top each with puff pastry round; crimp edges. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Serves 4.

Thursday Dinner: Linguine with Red Wine Bolognese Sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups reserved meat loaf mixture
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
• 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 pound linguini
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

In a large skillet, heat oil and meat mixture. Cook, stirring to break the meat up, until the meat is browned and most of the moisture is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add the red wine and let it reduce until meat is almost dry. Add milk, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add nutmeg and parsley. Adjust seasonings.

Cook pasta as described on box. Drain well and toss well with the sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Serves 4.

Friday Dinner: Pulled Pork Fajitas

• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• About 2 pounds leftover pork from Tuesday
• 8 flour tortillas
• Cilantro leaves
• Avocado wedges
• Chopped tomatoes
• Chopped red onion

Combine vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, salt and cayenne in a medium saucepan. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes. Cut pork into 1-inch-thick slices, then shred by hand. Stir into sauce, cover and heat. In a large dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast the tortillas one at a time, 1/2 minutes per side. You can wrap the tortillas in paper towel and heat in microwave. To serve, fill tortillas with pork and condiments and roll up. Serves 4.

Orange Rice

• 1-1/2 cups short-grain brown rice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 oranges
• 1 small red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or basil
• 12 pitted black olives
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine the rice, salt and 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, grate 1 tablespoon zest from one orange and cut the remaining peel from both oranges and section oranges. Cut the onion into thin slivers. When the rice is tender, fold in the zest, oranges, onion, mint, olives and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.

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