Learn to cook some classic Spanish dishes, tortilla, pulpo, paella, drink some Spanish wine, starting with a glass of Sangria! Learn, taste, smell, cook and enjoy the diversity of the flavours of Spain in this culinary journey. Each region of Spain has its own distinct regional specialities, so the culinary variety is mind-blowing. In Donostia-San Sebastián, up north in the Basque region, the ‘pintxos’ are the what is called ‘tapas’ in other places.

In the bars, some pintxos are available ‘on the bar’, that is ready made for self-service and other pintxos are ‘from the kitchen’ which are ordered from a blackboard menu, and cooked on request; these are usually a bit dearer. In San Sebastián, as part of the pintxos on the bar, I tasted my first sea urchin, served with a rich and creamy sauce and quite delicious. I am told, they are best eaten straight from the shell without any elaboration. Try it and add it to your next pintxos selection at home, with just a squeeze of lemon.

The pintxos dishes we cook in class are shared at the table, similar to ‘on the bar’! The variety of pintxos is endless and so our selection varies with the seasons. Scallop ceviche with cucumber jelly, red and green gazpachos, ajo blanco, a white garlic and almond soup, and Spanish octopus, pulpo, tortillas, such as the potato omelette, tuna stuffed peppers, stuffed mushrooms and mini bread rolls filled with countless variety of fillings.

For the main ‘event’, you learn how to make the best Paella, the famous Spanish rice dish hailing from Valencia, located on the east coast, the ‘home of Paella! There are countless versions of this dish; on the coast there is a seafood focus, whilst inland it is more meat focussed. Experiment at home with a variety of ingredients! The most common is the Paella Mixta with saffron, chicken, meat and shellfish. It is always an impressive, colourful, popular, low-key dish that’s perfect for casual entertaining and parties! We always serve it, at the table, in the paella pan, to enthusiastic sighs of appreciation.

One of the secrets to making a great paella is the perfecting of the socarrat which is one of the most important keys for fabulous flavour. The socarrat is the crusty, crispy bottom of the paella that becomes caramelized and toasted on the bottom of the pan when it is cooking.

To accompany the paella, you make a delicate saffron aïoli, a rich and creamy garlicky, saffron flavoured, egg mayonnaise.

And for the dessert dishes think of a Tarta de Santiago de Compostella, flourless, almond tart, or a crema catalana, an orange and cinnamon infused crème brûlée style custard.

Walking along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the ancient pilgrim path known as Camino Francés in northern Spain, as I have done, one experiences a special, meaningful, mystical and spiritual journey. Each person knows, or finds, their own purpose along the way. My purpose on this journey included a learning, culinary experience, as well as the mystical.

Note: Classes available any date of your choice for groups of 6+ – Please contact Tonya for availability

Classes $275 p/p

By the way, there is now a Partners and Friends Class Luncheon available, without the cooking class. This is available for guests of people attending the Cooking on the Bay cooking classes, and who do not want to cook!

Guest arrival time is around 12.30pm; we are usually finished then or nearly finished anyway. Your guest can relax with a glass of wine if we are still finishing off a dish or 2.

The cost for the lunch with wine is $145 per person. Email me to book and pay this Luncheon option.