Harissa to Preserved Lemon: Soups & Stews of North Africa with April Dodd

NOTE: iphone and ipad users, CLICK HERE to register for class.

What’s on the Menu:
Lablabi (Tunisian Chickpea and Harissa Soup)
Moroccan Meatball Tagine with Olives & Preserved Lemon

Description:
When we started developing recipes at Milk Street, it took special effort to find tahini in big American grocery stores. And harissa and preserved lemons? Forget about it. Since 2016, that has changed—which is mainly for the better. What’s tricky now is separating the truly good quality stuff from the mediocre. In this livestream class created in collaboration with NY Shuk, you’ll learn how to stock a high-quality Middle Eastern pantry and make two dishes that use the Levantine ingredients we love most. You’ll learn to turn humble ingredients—we’re talking little more than chickpeas, aromatics and tomato paste—into lablabi, a Tunisian dish that many reviewers have reported is “the best soup in the world.” The star of this soup is harissa, the spicy-savory condiment that over-delivers wherever it’s used. Then, you’ll learn how to balance savory and sweet as we make a Moroccan stew, or tagine, that is an expert lesson in layering flavor. You’ll see why preserved lemons deserve a permanent place in your kitchen and get comfortable using ras el hanout, the prized North African spice blend. (Looking for a vegetarian version of this richly flavored meatball tagine? We’ll offer one.) As we cook, you’ll learn what to look for—and what to avoid—when sourcing spice blends, condiments and more from the Levant.

About NY Shuk: New York Shuk is a maker of handcrafted Middle Eastern pantry staples. Their products are an important part of their personal story — they represent a mission to keep our culinary heritage alive, while also giving home cooks the tools and inspiration to cook more deliciously for their family and friends. They are striving to change the way customers look at flavor and encourage them to take these Middle Eastern flavors out of the Middle East and into their everyday cooking. The word shuk means "market" in Hebrew, and for the NY Shuk team, the marketplace represents the center of a community - the meeting point where commerce and culture come together. They try to bring this communal energy, as well as the freshness of a bustling outdoor market to everything they do. In today's modern food culture, so many of our beloved traditional foods and culinary practices are being lost. That is why New York Shuk focuses not only on craftsmanship, but on keeping edible heritage alive and evolving. In addition to their products, they host various classes, pop up dinners, and events throughout the year that let participants experience authentic Middle Eastern cooking and culture first hand.

About April: April Dodd is Milk Street’s Associate Director of Education. She began her culinary career at Middlebury College, where she worked in bulk food production, catering, farming and pop-up restaurant management. Since then, her cooking pursuits have included managing the college's summer food preservation program; spending a year at an organic bakery in Bordeaux, France; developing recipes for a boutique cupcake shop and founding a culinary skills training program in Nairobi, Kenya; working as a consultant to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, Italy; and a stint as the chef at a women-only retirement community in her hometown of Lexington, KY. As the Associate Director of Education, she runs Milk Street's program of cooking classes, coordinates brand partnerships for the cooking school, supports the development of our international culinary tours and teaches both livestream and in-person events.

If you have any questions about this class, please don't hesitate to get in touch via cookingschool@177milkstreet.com.

This event has limited spots and you must register in advance via Eventbrite in order to attend. One sign-up covers one device. Payments for Milk Street livestream events are non-refundable. If you find yourself unable to attend, you may transfer the ticket to someone else, but we are unable to refund fees and all payments are final.

Closed Captioning is available for all Milk Street virtual events.

Immediately after registering, you will get a confirmation email that contains the Zoom meeting log-in information. One week prior to the class (or within 48 hours, if you register less than one week in advance), you will receive instructions on how to prepare ingredients and equipment in order to cook along, if you choose.

After class, you will receive a recording of the event, as links to any additional recipes and resources that may come up. NOTE:The recording link is only available online for one month following each event. If you’d like to have access to the recording for longer than that, you'll need to save the recording locally by clicking on “download” on the top right corner of the recording page.

Proceeds from livestream cooking classes and workshops support Milk Street's non-profit work with The Big Sisters Association of Great Boston, The Boys & Girls Club of Dorchester, FoodCorps and other partners.

Bonus: All attendees of this class will receive a one-time 20% off coupon to the Milk Street Store after class.