This cooking class will teach you how to cook from the bounty of today’s market. Spontaneous creativity in the kitchen!

The early September vegetables are perfect for creating an authentic paella on the spot!

Most sherry is dry and all of it is delicious! Let’s dispel the myths and see how lovable Sherry really is!

Late summer vegetables make the most wonderful savory tarts. Serve as appetizers, side dishes, or a main course.

Lobster bisque is a classic New England favorite. We’ll make it from start to finish, and we’ll bake some chive biscuits as well.

Baking pies has been one of my favorite New England past-times since I was about 8 years old. I love the endless possibilities and the decadence of a homemade, buttery crust.

With today’s dizzying array of choices, it is fortifying to revisit something so traditional and delicious as classic Rioja… (The photo depicts some favorites of mine, but they may not ultimately be on the tasting roster for 10/2. Inquire about a private tasting if interested).

I’m not usually one for shortcuts, but I figured out how to make a delicious choucroute in just two hours. I adore this dish in Alsace, and it’s fun to reproduce at home.

Once you’ve gathered the special ingredients for Szechuan cooking, you can make a wonderful mapo tofu in no time at all. Using Fuchsia Dunlop’s recipe, I’ve mastered this amazing dish with its complex spice aromas.

I learned to make chowder at home because I got tired of the overly thick and floury tourist versions around Boston. It’s not as difficult as you might think! Fresh clams in a fragrant, milky soup, with a fried fish sandwich on the side is my idea of New England’s perfect supper!

Spain’s oldest formalized wine-producing region, Rioja, is also one of her most dynamic right now! There is a new emphasis on specific vineyard sites, and young winemakers are crafting wines with singular character.

This cooking class will open your eyes to new paellas. There is so much more to it than the trite, touristy versions!

Garlic shrimp - gambas al ajillo - is one of Spain’s most iconic tapas. It is quite easy to make. Tortilla - a little more complicated, but we’ll do it together!

Navarra is ascendant! Young winemakers are marrying local pride with international experience to make world-class wines. Atlantic breezes are just the beginning of their coolness! (For a deeper look, read my blog on Navarra, written after a wine tasting journey to this impressive land last fall. Blog

When I lived in Portugal, I fell in love with Porco Alentejano, a hearty stew with pork, clams, and cilantro. This cooking class is dedicated to that fine dish that works exceptionally well in Boston.

My grandparents sold me on the idea of turnips, parsnips, celery root and all that nutritious rooty stuff. I’ve developed many recipes over the years, and guests are always shocked that they do, indeed, like rutabagas! Jazz up your Thanksgiving table this year with New England’s buried treasures.

In Madrid pisto manchego is as popular in tapas bars as it is in home kitchens. Humble vegetables become irresistible when braised with copious amounts of olive oil and topped with a barely fried egg. Boquerones are also wildly popular in Madrid, so we’ll make some fishy tapas to enjoy first. Madrid in Somerville!

With just 5 ingredients, you can make an incredibly succulent chicken dish. 6 if you count parsley. Pollo al ajillo, garlic chicken, is one of those dishes enjoyed all over Spain, at times as a tapa, at times as a full dish. We’ll also learn the art of perfectly roasted red peppers and what to do with them.

A pork loin roasted with fennel makes a show-stopping dinner, and the ways to enjoy the leftovers are as numerous as they are delicious.

Soupy rice, arroz caldoso, is a homey, satisfying dish in Spain during the colder months. The variations are endless, but we’ll cook one with monkfish and porcini mushrooms.

You may know mencia, but have you tasted caiño, souson, or espadeiro? Now that we are warming to the idea of cool-climate reds, these traditional, delicious grapes are showing up in American markets.

Cool climate wines of precision and balance, that’s what we’ll tasted from this rainy, mountainous region of Spain that sits atop Portugal.