I am hosting a cooking workshop for children ages 10 to 13 at my home on January 28 from 1 until 5. Children will learn basic knife skills,such as sharpening and caring for knives and proper (safe) cutting techniques. We’ll delve into the chemistry of food–making roux,beating egg whites,understanding risen breads versus flat breads. Class will also follow the experience level of the collective group and their individual curiosities. It will be a fun afternoon of play in the kitchen. To learn more,email me at diana@goddessinthekitchen.com. There are still a few spots left.
I have been teaching cooking classes in schools for children and classes for adults since 2005. My middle child,Eden,had to make a traditional dish this week for her North Carolina Settler Project. She will be ten in February and it was really great to work side by side in the kitchen–her chopping mushrooms,me dicing the venison for her Traditional Scottish Venison Casserole. (Each student had to role play a North Carolina settler. Eden–because of our Scottish last name and the large migration of Scottish to the mountains of Western North Carolina–chose to be a Scottish girl.)
I have made many dishes with venison and this has to be the most delicious I’ve tried. This recipe came from, A Feast of Scotland by Janet Warren,a book I acquired while backpacking in Scotland in 1994. 
Casseroled Venison MacDuff To make the dish,Eden chopped one pound of mushrooms,while I diced four pounds of venison (any cut will do). We were making a large quantity,so you could of course reduce these quantities. Eden then sliced 1/2 a pound of bacon into small pieces and chopped one onion. In one large cast iron skillet I browned the venison in a half stick of butter. (We were reenacting traditional cooking methods here. If fat bothers you,make substitutions–but keep in mind,venison is LEAN and you need some fat in order to digest it.) In another large cast iron skillet,we sauteed the onions and bacon. When the fat had pulled from the bacon we stirred in about 1/3 of a cup of tapioca flour. We stirred in 2 cups of apple cider (you could use a dry red wine or port),a cup of stock,a handful of dried currants (you could use the more traditional cranberries (unsweetened),1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon and fresh ground nutmeg,and salt and pepper to taste. Then we stirred in the mushrooms and onions. If the sauce is too thick,add more stock. Cover and simmer in a slow oven,300 degrees,for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. You may want to put a baking sheet or foil in the bottom of your oven to catch spills as the sauce bubbles.
We served this for a family meal with buttery noodles. A visiting four year-old,and our own six year-old son,ate three helpings each.
