Back in May, the International Culinary Center — né the French Culinary Institute — announced a new Spanish cooking curriculum, of which José Andrés would be the dean. Well, classes start up in February, and the full promotional push is on, so the Times has some more details.
Colman Andrews helped develop the program, which will last ten weeks and cost $26,500 in tuition. (Andrés envisions the course expanding so that, eventually, it lasts six months and includes a month in Spain.) What will the initial 22 students get in return for their money?
Students will be immersed in everything from allioli (the paste made from garlic, olive oil and salt, without the eggs used in the Provençal aioli) to sofritto (long-cooked onions) and romesco (tarragon-nut sauce). They will also be schooled in cooking with traditional hot coals and wood fires, as well as techniques ranging from salt-curing and air-drying to sausage-making.
There will also be in-depth looks at traditional Spanish ingredients such as pimentón and jamón Ibérico. “Students must learn our products from the inside out,” Andrés tells the Times. “They must be able to read a tomato.”
Putting Spain Back in Spanish Food [NYT]
Earlier: José Andrés Named Dean of Spanish Studies at International Culinary Center
