PANAMA CITY — Children were doing all the cooking Saturday afternoon, but they weren’t the only ones eating.
Under Hannelore Holland’s supervision, children turned out crowd-pleasing chips, tacos and fried cinnamon sugar tortilla strips at Somethin’s Cookin’, 93 E. 11th St. Though the class was Just For Kids, the young chefs in training didn’t mind sharing a few bites of their creations with parents and grandparents.
For the homemade chips and tacos, Holland started with handmade white corn tortillas from Agueda Sanchez at La Fuente Bakery, 2909 W. U.S. 98.
Holland’s husband, Bill, had picked up 2 pounds of tortillas for $3 before the class.
“He bought these yesterday, and I put them in the fridge,” Holland said. “Day-old ones are better if you make chips.”
She cut the tortillas into fourths, while an inch or two of canola oil heated up in the frying pan.
“When you see bubbles, it’s ready,” said Holland, who tested the oil by holding a wooden dowel in the center of the pan.
The children left their stools at the counter to wash their hands, then took turns putting the tortilla quarters into the pan.
“See how they puff,” Holland said. “Don’t drop them in too high; it will splatter.”
The children flipped the chips with tongs to let them fry about 1 minute on each side. After they turned golden brown, the homemade chips were drained on paper towels and sprinkled with Gulf Coast Saltworks’ Original Sea Salt. This gave the chips just enough flavor that I didn’t think they needed anything else.
Circe Hobbs, 9, gave her chips a thumbs up as she dipped them in Cherchies Vidalia Onion Peach Salsa.
“They’re good,” said her “Mimi,” Mary Joe Swift, who reached for another.
Ariane Cortés, 12, helped Holland slice and dice the lettuce and tomato for the tacos.
“I like olives, though I feel like I kind of am obligated to since my dad is from Spain,” she said with a laugh. “At least twice a week we have a Spanish dish, such as paella.”
Ariane is a regular at Somethin’s Cookin’, though this was Circe’s first class.
“I make scrambled eggs and brownies,” added Circe, who helps out in the kitchen at home.
Holland had prepared a couple of taco toppings beforehand — a bowl of cooked roasted chicken and Green Enchilada Sauce.
The sauce is a combination of 1 4-ounce can of salsa verde, 1 cup of chicken stock and 2 cups of whipping cream.
“Heat the sauce in a pan and let it simmer till it gets a little thicker. If you want to, add cilantro to it,” Holland said. “It is really good with chicken.”
Holland also has served the sauce over browned chicken breast topped with cheddar cheese and baked in the oven till the cheese melts.
“You can really buy the best salsa verde at Grocery Outlet next to the Mexican bakery in St. Andrews. Get your tortillas and go next door and pick up your salsa verde,” Holland said. “She always has the tortillas, but if she doesn’t have them warm, she has them in the fridge. Just pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds to heat them up. They taste very fresh, so much better than store bought.”
Though James chose soft tacos, the girls wanted to make their tacos “crunchy.”
“Cook the tortilla about 1 and a half minutes on each side,” Holland said. “Just like the chips, it will be bubbly.”
The girls drained the fried tortillas and folded them into taco shell holders for filling.
They all took turns browning a pound of low-fat ground beef seasoned with 1 teaspoon of Morton & Bassett Mexican Spice Blend, an all-natural blend of cumin, garlic, paprika, white pepper, thyme and onion.
“There is no salt or preservatives in this seasoning, but you can add salt at the end if you want it,” added Holland.
The tacos were a hit with the children — and adults.
“They are softer, not super crunchy,” Ariane said.
The ground beef had enough flavor with just the seasoning blend, and the chicken taco was wonderful with the mozzarella and green sauce, which I also spooned on chips.
“Children like the mozzarella better than the Mexican cheeses. You could do a sharper cheese for adults if you want to,” Holland added.
For dessert, Holland sliced corn tortillas into strips and the children fried them, drained them, and rolled them in a bowl of sugar and cinnamon (1 cup of sugar to 1 tablespoon of cinnamon).
A little hot, James used tongs to put the fried strips in the sugar mixture.
“If you wait till they cool off, the sugar won’t stick to them,” explained Holland, who served them with a raspberry dipping sauce. “I am using the tortillas for the next class too. We are doing breakfast burritos.”
During the Just for Kids classes March 14 and April 18, she will teach children how to make angel hair pasta with Alfredo sauce, as well as do-your-own breakfast wraps on a stick using corn tortillas from La Fuente. Filling choices will include banana, peanut butter, jam, nuts and fruit.
JUST FOR KIDS
- The next Just for Kids cooking classes are at 1:30 p.m. March 14 and 1:30 p.m. April 18 at Somethin’s Cookin’, 93 E. 11th St., Panama City. Cost: $25. Seating limited; reservations required: 769-8979