This Awesome New Cooking Course In Valletta Can Teach Literally Anyone How To Cook
As someone who loves to cook, I’m always looking for new ways to cook up some tasty dishes for friends and family and expand my not-very-impressive repertoire. So hearing about the cool courses at the newly-opened Mediterranean Culinary Academy in Valletta was a godsend.
Young and extremely talented chefs teaching delicious dishes in a fun environment? Check.
Getting to learn professional techniques in the span of a couple of hours? Double check.
Getting to eat all the foods made on the day? Check and check.
The classroom
Kurt Mifsud, the founder of the MCA, wanted to set up a high-quality cooking academy that takes a modern approach to teaching, and set up some workshops to make their unique style known.
“The taster workshop we did with you all is from one of our regional cuisine courses which demonstrated how anyone can cook great food while sticking to our principals which promote local agriculture and environmental sustainability,” he said.
Their new Academy in Valletta is fully fitted for classes, and are taught by chefs who have worked in Michelin-starred restaurants around the world, as I, and a few other people, found out.
Time to cook
Operation salsa verde
I joined a small class of about 10 people who were ready to cook. We were split into teams, and who else should I be placed with other than Ben Camille and his wife Xtina.
Our goal? To cook three dishes: salsa verde, albondingas (pork meatballs), and gambas al ajillo (garlic prawns).
Getting started
We started with the salsa verde, using “the claw” to bunch up the parsley for easy chopping. This was all fun to do – but shit got serious when it was time to roast the almonds.
Turning sad blanched almonds into happy roasted almonds that tasted amazing was super easy, barely took any time and was a trick that Ben, Xtina, and myself will definitely be using in the future.
Getting those almonds ready for roasting
Meatball time
Ben Camille really stepped up his meatball rolling game at this point in the lesson. Chef Keith expertly showed us how to make the best meatballs a person can make, and with his direction we were off rolling.
Ben Camille, whipping up some tasty meatballs
And just like that, the meatballs were made.
Salting the prawns
Turkey and the internet might have Saltbae, but we have Xtinabae, truly in her element when throwing some rocksalt all over the freshly de-veined prawns.
She’s got her own technique as well
The prawns were flavoured with garlic, olive oil, fresh chili, parsley, lemon juice and spicy pimento, really giving it a nice kick.
On the other side of the kitchen, Tamara Webb was cooking up a fluffy Spanish tortilla. Nearby in the other corner, Jaime Iain Genovese and his team were working on an awesome rabbit and chorizo paella.
Basically, the whole room smelt really, really good, and soon after, it was time to dig in.
The fruits of our work
Somehow, the MCA had grabbed a batch of ingredients and some people who didn’t know each other, and ended up with a delicious feast.
Needless to say, the meatballs disappeared pretty quickly, and the mixed paella went down a treat as well. A spicy vegetable rice was the biggest surprise from the meal, turning out to be super tasty lowkey.
If you are looking to learn some new cooking skills, or want to give a really fun and useful gift to a loved one (who may or may not eventually cook you a meal), then the Mediterranean Culinary Academy awaits with the ovens turned on.
Tag a friend who needs to study at the Mediterranean Culinary Academy!
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