We were lucky. We were the only two people in the class, off-season traveling is the best. We were concerned they might cancel the class, but Patricio explained that they never cancel, even if only 1 person attends. He told us many people plan their trips around the cooking classes and Mimo will not let anyone down. Sound business philosophy.
This wasn’t just a cooking class, it was about the philosophy, passion, culture, and creativity of making something special. Basque cooking (even when doing a Spanish dish) is focused on simple ingredients (e.g., not using many spices, if any at all). It is about high quality, fresh ingredients.
Our class focused on authentic Spanish Paella. We made one rabbit and one squid paella and crème brûlée. Patricio had all the ingredients ready - the squid was delivered fresh while we were making our introductions.
We started by focusing on the stocks. The squid had a fish (Hake, leek and parsley) based stock, while the rabbit started with caramelized onion, carrot and rosemary. Patricio had those stocks already started when we arrived. We prepped everything else; squid, rabbit, onion, tomato, etc. We had never prepped either rabbit or squid. It was so enlightening learning how to prep each. We can now do this easily at home (we live in San Diego, so have access to fresh squid - not sure about the rabbit, but can substitute chicken). We even learned how to properly dice an onion and tomato. We cook together nearly every evening and didn’t know the best way to chop (we should have been slicing) an onion (as Patricio kept saying, “you’re not wrong, just doing it different”).
We learned a lot about Basque culture and history as well. Mostly because it centers around preparing, cooking and eating food. The Basque philosophy of eating is “small portions and eat often.”
We fell in love with this eating style as well as fresh, fresh, fresh ingredients. I think back on how Patricio dwelled on the freshness of the squid and how you can tell how fresh it is. My wife fully separated both the squid and the rabbit. She’s my hero. I took the pictures and video.
Our class was not about preparing the perfect meal, it was about us understanding and learning the nuances of cooking. Patricio went to great lengths to teach us the details, importance and reasoning of each step. For example, stocks are the foundation of the dish - they use simple ingredients and from there you can build.
I spent about 15 minutes with a mortar and pestal grinding garlic into a paste for the aioli. My wife made fresh mayonnaise (we were both blown away by how easy fresh mayo is to make). The aioli was unbelievable… again, fresh simple ingredients.
I cooked the rabbit paella and my wife the squid. We worked every step with Patricio guiding us. His passion for cooking is so strong and emanates so broadly we were energized (of course I had to immediately get on Amazon and order a paella pan and emulsifier).
After we cooked, we ate. It was such an enjoyable meal… it felt more like home than a class. Lara joined us and we chatted about many things, food a little bit - but mostly we talked about each of us. My wife and I feel blessed to have had that time and met two wonderful people in San Sebastián. We will be back, no doubt.
If you are considering any class with Mimo, don’t think too long - just do it. It is worth every cent and every moment your time.
Die Küche ist gut ausgestattet und organisiert. Der Lehrer/Koch war lustig, freundlich und informativ. Die Zutaten waren von guter Qualität und das Gefühl der Kameradschaft unter den Mitarbeitern und Teilnehmern fügte dem Teilen der köstlichen Mahlzeit, die wir als Team zubereiteten, zusätzlichen Geschmack und Freude hinzu.