Anyone who reads this blog regularly will be familiar with my love of offal. I love the idea of taking something underused, underappreciated and making it delicious. It’s something I cook a lot of at home, but when the opportunity came up for a nose-to-tail tapas master class under acclaimed chef Malcolm Emmanueil, former Senior Chef de Partie under Angela Hartnett, at the newly opened ‘food-space’ Jenius Social, I was sold.
| The class opened with a smorgasbord of moist, pink innardy goodies laid out for us to identify. Pigs’ ears were instantly recognisable, as was a hefty beef tongue the size of my forearm, but a pair of glistening white orbs took a bit of prodding before their origins became clear. Delicious testicles. |  |
You could feel the appetite in the room plummet, but Malcolm assured us that after a bit of TLC they’d become a whole lot yummier. After more than a few innuendos from the predominantly female group, we cracked on with getting some cooking on the go. Malcolm ran through 8 Latin American inspired offal recipes for us, expertly explaining each step by step and doling out frequent tasters that sat well with the ever flowing wine that accompanies the class.
| Following this tutorial it was over to us and, aproned up and let surprisingly loose with the kitchen knives, we began working through the menu (see below for the full list). I’ve been in cookery classes before where you don’t actually get to make the food yourself or if you do, it’s all a bit of a hideous rush in a cramped kitchen. None of this here – the kitchens are spacious and there was plenty of time left to fully get to grips with the recipes under the beady, often sceptical, eye of Chef Malcolm. From chopping ears, to removing the membranes from testes and simmering oxtails, an hour elbows deep in guts removed all stigma from handling this great food source from the group. One of the my highlights of the class was learning how to plate offal delicately – it’s always been my biggest challenge and, between truffle foams and beetroot gels, chef had some great tips that I’ll take to my next dinner parties. |   |
Famished and enlightened, we adjourned to the dining room next door where our creations were served up (alongside more wine). This was a nice touch, bringing a welcome social element to the evening – not only were we learning, but getting the chance to meet new people too. This seems to be a trend of Jenius Social – they also run cookery class dating events (with mixed, yet ever so gossip-worthy, results).
All in all, this was a great class. Offal is the underdog of the culinary world and it was brilliant to see it getting the attention it deserves, and with such success. On top of that I’m really quite impressed with this new Jenius Social venture. Their spread of classes is wide, their staff talented and premises equipped, making this very much a place I’ll be keeping my eye on over the coming period.
Menu:
· Corn Tortillas
· Potted Beef Tongue Madeira
· Spicy Pig’s Ears Tacos With Guacamole
· Breaded Lamb’s Testicles With White Wine Sauce
· Pig’s Trotter Pressed Terrine
· Braised Oxtail
Classes average around £60 for 3 hours and happen regularly. Check the site for the class timetable.
http://www.jeniussocial.co.uk/
6 Hornsey Street, Islington, London, N7 8GR
Menu:
· Corn Tortillas
· Potted Beef Tongue Madeira
· Spicy Pig’s Ears Tacos With Guacamole
· Breaded Lamb’s Testicles With White Wine Sauce
· Pig’s Trotter Pressed Terrine
· Braised Oxtail
Classes average around £60 for 3 hours and happen regularly. Check the site for the class timetable.
http://www.jeniussocial.co.uk/
6 Hornsey Street, Islington, London, N7 8GR
