Joanne Weir's Cooking Confidence

Joanne shares with us her emotional connection to Spain. She begins by preparing Salmorejo, a cold tomato and bread soup she first discovered in Southern Spain, and then works with her student Joan to overcome his fear of cooking lamb by preparing a hearty lamb, white bean, and chorizo stew with a spicy infused olive oil drizzled over the top.

Joanne welcomes her student Geoffto class with a quick and easy salmon and pickled onion pizza. Then together they explore the idea of contrasts of flavor, texture, and color, making lemon turkey cutlets and an arugula and orange salad.

Joanne greets her student Sarina with a bruschetta salad and it is quickly apparent Sarina is the perfect student for dishes that are simple enough for a weeknight, yet elegant enough for Saturday night. They recreate the vinaigrette from the salad, discover how easy it is to cook clams, and finish with a warm blueberry maple compote melting over vanilla ice cream.

It's a party when Joanne and her student Cheryl get together. Joanne adds a sweet crisp twist to classic guacamole, shows how to improve a store bought stock to elevate tortilla soup, and then the party really begins with muddled cherry margaritas.

Most people, including Joanne, absolutely adore salmon. She begins by nestling salmon rillete in endive, and then, with her student Jerry, bakes salmon in the ultimate symbol of love, a paper heart.

Inspired by dishes made in her classes in Italy, Joanne introduces her student Reggie to bagna cauda, rigatoni with chicken in a tomato cream sauce, and a vegetable ribbon salad.

Joanne welcomes her youngest student Stella to class and they nestle in to create a menu of some of Joanne's favorite chilly weather dishes: roasted game hens with prosciutto and mushrooms and quinoa pilaf with dried blueberries and apricots.

Joanne confesses to her student Kyle that her favorite food is potato chips, but gives him a healthier oven "fried" version. They are so good, it's hard to save a few to go with their bruschetta blue cheese burgers and blueberry nectarine sangria.

Joanne starts her class with a challenge, presenting her French student Pascal three variations on the classic French sauce aioli. Then they are both swept off their feet by Joanne's twist on the classic combination of chicken and salad.

Joanne and her student Sasha are transported to Provence using herbs, citrus, and garlic. Joanne begins with a bright fresh citrus salad and then working together they create a very classic country, yet refined, dish of braised cod with leeks and potato.

Joanne eases the anxiety that can sometimes set in when a vegetarian is coming to dinner. Working with her fitness specialist student Randy she prepares a satisfying bulgur and feta salad and fried potato and spiced red pepper frittata that would satisfy vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

Joanne shows us just how easily and quickly a deliciously spiced lentil soup can be made when you have the right spices in the pantry. She continues to spice it up with her student John, building a warm Moroccan chicken and sweet potato salad, cooling it off with a cardamom and ginger cocktail she has aptly named the Marrakech 75.

Joanne embraces teaching traditional recipes and then showing new ways to use them. She and her student Reggie make mayonnaise and create an Asian inspired meal of tuna burgers with wasabi mayonnaise and Thai cabbage and grapefruit slaw, leaving Reggie wondering if he will ever buy mayonnaise again.

Inspired by the roasted chickens in the markets of Italy Joanne teaches her student Joan her version of crispy chicken and potatoes with a side of hot pepper and white balsamic broccolini, topped off with a cherry Zinfandel zabaglione.

Joanne introduces her student Ron to the versatility of the often overlooked gingerroot greeting him with poached shrimp with a mango dipping sauce made with freshly grated ginger. Together it is then mussels steamed with mustard greens, lemon grass, and ginger with grilled bread with ginger aioli.

When it is tomato season it is sometimes difficult to keep up with the bounty. Joanne prepares a chilled tomato and Greek yogurt soup, and then teaches her student Jack the versatility of roasted cherry tomatoes, showcasing them in a lamb sirloin salad.

Joanne goes “nuts” and makes for us her five-spice, ginger, and cayenne packed Asian Toasted Nuts. Then she encourages her student Geoff to do the same making stir-fried chicken, pine-nut lettuce wraps and cardamom-scented rice with toasted almonds.

With her student Bonnie, Joanne makes us quicker versions of the comfort foods she grew up with in New England, oven-roasted sausages, and a sauerkraut that is so fast she couldn’t resist calling it lazy-girl sauerkraut.

The island of Sardinia is one of Joanne’s favorite places. She created a menu to take her student Di there, fregola with clams and tomatoes and a yellow and green bean salad with cherry tomatoes and basil.

Joanne shares her memories of Italy with her student Barbra recreating some of the dishes form her travels. Starting with a simple salad of fig and prosciutto, then slowly adding just enough red wine to farro for a farro risotto, and finally ending the meal with a dessert of strawberry, port, and black pepper.

Joanne makes us a classic Italian frico and then with her student Stephanie demonstrates how rustic and refined can work well together in the same meal, making a spiced lentil and herb salad and halibut wrapped in prosciutto.

Joanne is often asked where her inspirations come from and begins by composing an inspired salad with roasted beets, and then gives her student Charlie some pointers for making honey glazed pork chops and a roasted squash puree.

Joanne and her student Lauren give comfort food a kick preparing a 30 minute lamb and black bean chili and hiding a red pepper jelly surprise inside corn muffins.

Joanne’s day begins at the farmer’s market and she shows us a fresh sugar snap pea soup. Then she works with her student Kyle to perfect his pasta techniques making a fresh fettuccine with asparagus, prosciutto, and lemon crème fraiche. Recipes: Sugar Snap Pea Soup with Mint and Meyer Lemon Oil and Fresh Fettuccine with Asparagus Ribbons and Lemon Crème Fraiche Student: Kyle Khasigian, Financial Associate

Joanne remembers her trips to Italy and with her student Di shows us a classic pizza strata and a dessert inspired by limoncello.

Summer is definitely the time Joanne gets excited about fruits and vegetables, greeting her student Leah with a little jem salad perfectly dressed with a buttermilk blue cheese dressing. They make a spicy spaghetti together and then cool things down with a blueberry frozen yogurt.