Chef's recipe for success: whatever works

[Times photo: Thomas M. Goethe] •Jay Minzer, the resident chef at Apron’s -- Publix’s cooking school -- prepares chicken stuffed with macadamia pesto over saffron orzo.

TAMPA -- Jay Minzer is a classically trained chef who is not ashamed to use a garlic press.

Or a manual food chopper. You know the kind. Onions or green peppers or nuts are jammed into a small holder and you bang furiously on a knob attached to plunging blades that chop the food. This is your mother's food chopper, except Minzer uses a blue Zyliss that looks like an iMac accessory.

"I hear what you're saying out there," Minzer says to the 20 people who've come to Apron's Cooking School on a recent Tuesday evening to learn about cooking with fresh herbs. He's pounding away on the chopper, mincing shallots for a tangy balsamic vinaigrette. "Yeah, I used to laugh, too. Then I got smart."

At the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, where Minzer trained, a chef's knife is the one and only utensil for chopping and mincing.

Whatever. After nearly 20 years of working in restaurants in Florida and New York, Minzer is confident enough to use what works best and fastest for him. For instance, don't want cilantro, parsley, tarragon or basil to stain your cutting board when you chop them? Get a green board, he says.

Minzer is the resident chef at Apron's, Publix's first and, so far, only cooking school. The tidy, well-appointed space overlooks sparkling aisles at the Citrus Park store, one of just two two-story outlets in the chain. Apron's opened in August and has offered about 20 classes a month since.

Classes range from celebrity sessions (Cajun master Paul Prudhomme stops by later this month) to basic skills series. Single topic classes, many taught by Minzer and area chefs, are offered on a variety of subjects including brunch, grilling, salads, entertaining, wine and ethnic foods. Among the most popular classes are those for children, Minzer says. The least popular? Low-fat, healthful cooking.

"People always ask for them on evaluation sheets and then we have to cancel classes because no one signs up," he says.

Celebrity classes are usually the most pricey, with someone like Prudhomme, at Apron's on June 28 and 29, commanding $75. Other classes are $25 to $40, depending on whether they are hands-on or demonstration. The six-week basic skills class is $300. Hands-on classes are limited to 12 students, demonstration classes, 32.

The beauty of Apron's, for both students and Publix, is that when culinary inspiration strikes, ingredients can be purchased downstairs. It's a yin-and-yang that makes perfect business sense in a time when cooking classes are being taught with more regularity at restaurants, catering businesses and even in people's home.

Food Network chefs have brought cooking and its myriad terms to the masses but that doesn't mean people know how to cook, Minzer says. He has pinpointed areas that could use a little attention after watching us in his kitchen in the past 10 months.

In general, we need to polish our knife skills (keep guiding fingers tucked under and use sharp knives), stop stirring pots so much (we're slowing the cooking) and quit worrying about measuring (start thinking about taste). Exact measurements are crucial only in baking, and for that Minzer recommends weighing ingredients. He hopes that students leave his classes with information they can use in their own kitchens.

Students in the fresh herb class certainly got a pocketful of advice to carry with them. For instance, they know now to choose flat-leaf, Italian parsley over curly leaf in nearly all applications.

"Curly leaf parsley has no flavor," Minzer says. "Use it to garnish dishes and that's it. Always buy flat-leaf."

Other tips about cooking with herbs:

-- Wash leafy herbs under running water and use a salad spinner to dry them.

-- Don't overprocess pesto or it will "turn an ugly green."

-- In general, use only the leaves of an herb. The stems can be bitter and sometimes, with rosemary, for instance, woody.

-- Dried herbs should be added at the beginning of cooking to draw out flavor. Fresh herbs should be added toward the end to maintain color and keep their flavor alive. Overcooking kills the potency of fresh herbs.

-- Lemongrass and rosemary stalks can be used as skewers in grilling. Soak them in water for a few minutes first so they don't catch on fire.

Minzer passes out tips and recipes with gusto. Maybe the most memorable is his description of rosemary.

"Rosemary is the Jerry Garcia of herbs," he says, referring to the Grateful Dead's legendary guitarist and frontman. "It can back everyone up, but can stand on its own."

You can bet they didn't teach that at the CIA. Whatever. It works for us.

-- Apron's is in the Publix at Shoppes of Citrus Park, 7835 Gunn Highway, Tampa. Call (813) 926-4465 to request a class schedule or for more information.

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