Last week, guest chef Fairouz Abu-Ghazaleh led a fabulous hands-on Palestinian cooking class. Twelve students participated, and boy, did we cook up a storm. We started the cooking party with freshly brewed mint tea and a brief introduction. Then the action started with dessert first because we needed time to bake it in the oven. Our dessert that night was Namura, an eggless sweet cake that was soaked in sugar syrup enhanced with orange blossom water. Next, we made homemade hummus from scratch and paused to enjoy our snack. Then we cooked up a Middle Eastern frittata called Ejjeh, and finally we made a Palestinian pizza called Manaqeesh. All-in-all, a good time was had by all, and there were even plenty of leftovers to take home ( see full photo gallery ).  This class was part of our long-running PRINCIPLE OF ETHNIC COOKING class series at Urbana Park District's Phillips Recreation Center. This series is now in its third year, and our summer season...

Namura (aka Basbousa) is an eggless sweet cake that is found all over the Middle East, the Balkans, and North Africa under a variety of names. This Palestinian version from my friend Fairouz uses semolina flour and a sugar syrup enhanced with orange blossom water for a unique and irresistible dessert treat. This 2-minute video will show you the basic steps (turn on CC for helpful instructions), but the full recipe will take about 60 minutes to make. My goal is always to eat sooner rather than later, so these recipes have been streamlined and simplified without sacrificing flavor and quality. Here's the link to the full recipe: www.cooking-with-paul.com/recipes/palestinian-namoura.html Join us on April 24 when we will be making this dessert with guest chef Fairouz Abu-Ghazaleh in our hands-on Palestinian cooking class. As of this minute, there are still 3 seats left, so book soon . Full menu and details:  www.cooking-with-paul.com/classes My new Youtube Channel ...

  Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have moved the Palestinian cooking class from March 27 to April 24. This is the third class this spring in my long-running Flavor Principles of Ethnic Cooking series at Urbana Park District. This semester, we have already visited France; Vietnam is next (sorry, this one is already sold out), and soon we will be visiting Palestine. On April 24, Fairouz Abu-Ghazaleh  will be our guest chef for this evening. Fairouz has a passion for building community and strengthening civic engagement through dialogue and reflection. She has worked with immigrants in Champaign County and in rural Colorado and as a women’s rights advocate, a journalist in the Middle East, a freelance writer, and a translator. She grew up in Jordan and learned to cook with her Palestinian mother and grandmother. Fairouz believes that good food crosses all boundaries and brings communities together.  Tonight's all-vegetarian mezze menu is a variety of small ...

Residents of Champaign-Urbana (people living within the boundaries of the Urbana and Champaign Park Districts) receive discounted tuition for all Park District programs, including my FLAVOR PRINCIPLES OF ETHNIC COOKING series. The lowest tuition is the "early bird" tuition of $40 for all my cooking classes, but only if you register 2 weeks before the class. So today is the last day to register for the FRENCH CLASSICS class on February 20. Starting tomorrow, the tuition goes up to $50 for residents. So if you want to enjoy a three-course French dinner for $40 and also learn how to make it at home, register today! Full menu and details are here:  www.cooking-with-paul.com/classes For future reference, here is the tuition schedule and the registration deadline for our spring classes: French Classics (Feb 20) - $40 (before Feb 5) - $50 (after Feb 5) Vietnamese Cooking (Mar 3) - $40 (before Feb 27) - $50 (after Feb 27) A Taste of Palestine (Mar 27) - $40 (before Mar 13) - $5...

I often refer to my cooking classes as "cooking parties." That's because they're fun events where you get to cook and eat and learn all at the same time. I always remind students to come hungry and thirsty because there's always lots of food at my classes, and I never let you walk away hungry. So think of my cooking classes as an alternative to eating out at a restaurant, or maybe an interesting twist for "date night" ( see more pictures ). So what happens at a "cooking party"? Starting last year, we converted our classes from cooking show "demonstrations" to 100% hands-on classes where all students will participate in the preparation of the dishes on the menu for that evening. Starting at 6pm, we'll slice, dice, and chop our way to a multi-course dinner. I get to share how I cook at home, and you get to participate in a unique cooking party where we'll eat everything that was prepared that night.  This spring, my long-runni...

Welcome to the 10th season of my long-running Flavor Principles of Ethnic Cooking classes at Urbana Park District. Since spring 2022, we have traveled around the world and sampled cuisines from Greece to Inida to Jamaica. This spring we're going to France, Vietnam, and Palestine to taste what each country has to offer.  This spring, I will be joined by two guest chefs who will share their personal recipes. With these upcoming cooking classes, our goal is to show you that making great-tasting ethnic dishes is not hard at all. Here's the schedule: French Classics (February 20) : Arguably, French gastronomy is the most influential of European culinary traditions. The French invented haute cuisine, then turned everything upside-down and re-invented itself with nouvelle cuisine — a simpler, lighter approach with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and presentation. Tonight's menu features three French classics.  Vietnamese Cooking (March 3) : Influenced by the flavors of neigh...

It's going to be a busy fall season at both Common Ground Food Co-op and Urbana Park District's Phillips Recreation Center as we've scheduled a full season of six cooking classes starting in September.  The first class will be "A Taste of Palestine" on September 21 at the Phillips Recreation Center's James Room Kitchen . For the first time, I will step back and assist Fairouz AbuGhazaleh who be the chef du jour and cook up several of her family recipes. According to Fairouz, "Palestinian food begins at home with recipes that evoke feelings of homesickness, happiness and nostalgia that have been passed down by generations." This class is part of my continuing series called "Flavor Principles of Ethnic Cooking" where we travel around and sample the best tasting ethnic cuisines available ( see full menus and details ). If you want to attend this class or the other classes in this series, please register today . From past experience, we know...

As we wrap up the summer season of my "Flavor Principles of Ethnic Cooking" series, I'm starting to test recipes for the fall season which starts on September 21, 2023. But here's a more important date: August 2, 2023 . Mark your calendar as this is the first day registration opens for all fall events at Urbana Park District. From past experience, we know that this series sells out fast. Even though we've increased the seating to 12 people per class, we anticipate this series selling out within days.  The "Flavor Principles of Ethnic Cooking" is a very popular long-running series of classes at Urbana Park District's Phillips Recreation Center. The class meets on Thursdays from 6–8pm and the tuition is $40–$75 per person which includes a full two-course dinner along with wine and beer tastings.  The sixth season of these long-running "dinner party-style" cooking classes will continue in the fall when we visit Palestine, the Czech Republic...