On Oct. 28, the International Foods class at Santa Fe Community College hosts its fourth annual cooking competition, where anyone may indulge in a variety of mouth-watering dishes from around the world. Michelle Roetzer, the department chairwoman, said it will be the last competition before the program takes over its new site.

The culinary arts program has been so successful that the facility is being expanded and upgraded. The new labs at SFCC are to open in the summer.

"In an economic downturn, people tend to go to school," Roetzer said.

This is her sixth year teaching at the college and her third year at the helm of the program. When she came on board, there were only three instructors — now there are 10. The international-foods class has an enrollment of 18 students this year, many of whom are already working in some of Santa Fe's better-known restaurants. But Roetzer still has students who take classes because they simply love to cook or because they want to learn about other cultures.

Every Thursday, the class focuses on a different country. I was fortunate enough to be there for the Spanish class. Paella is one of my favorite dishes, so when a plate of the mouth-watering food was handed to me, I was delighted. It was cooked to perfection — chicken wasn't dry, shrimp were perfectly cooked, clams were tender and all were in bathed in a delicious combination of tomato, chicken stock, spices and herbs. No one flavor stood out, but all blended to create a rich, savory taste.

In a city with as many restaurants as Santa Fe, it isn't surprising that the culinary school at the college continues to grow. Once the new labs are built, Roetzer said enrollment could be double. There isn't enough room now to accommodate all interested students.

Gloria Montoya, who sometimes caters, said her love is fusion cuisine, which allows her to use plenty of spices. She will graduate from the program in the summer.

"I first came to classes because I wanted to learn to cut a salmon," Montoya said. "Michelle taught me. When I was 17 or 18, I got my first job in a white-tablecloth restaurant. I was the only woman in the kitchen. It was an intimidating environment, and I took a lot of flak. But I stuck with it." She was determined not to leave until she became a sous chef. Six years later, she had spent time at every station in the restaurant, working her way up the ranks.

That was in the days before celebrity chefs, when almost anybody who wanted to could be hired as a dishwasher and work up the ladder. But now, culinary school gives aspiring chefs am edge in an increasingly competitive industry.

For a sample of what those students are learning, don't miss the competition.

Pad Thai
1/2-pound dried thin gkuay dtiow or rice noodles (also known as ban pho)
3 tablespoons. fish sauce (nahm bplah), to taste
3 or more tablespoons tamarind juice the thickness of fruit concentrate, to taste
2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
4 tablespoons peanut oil
1/3-pound fresh shrimp, shelled, deveined and butterflied
3/4-cup firm pressed tofu, cut into thin strips about an inch long, half-inch wide and a quarter-inch thick
4 to 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute half a medium onion)
1/4-cup small dried shrimp
1/4-cup chopped kim chi
2 to 3 teaspoons ground, dried red chiles, more if desired
3 large eggs
3 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 cup garlic chives, cut into 1 and half-inch-long segments (optional)

Garnish
2/3-cup chopped unsalted, roasted peanuts
1 lime, cut into small wedges
A few short cilantro sprigs
4 green onions — trim off root tip and half of green leaves and place in a glass with white end in cold water to crisp (optional)

Preparation: Soak the dried rice noodles in cool or lukewarm tap water for 40 minutes to one hour, or until the noodles are limp but still firm to the touch. While the noodles are soaking, mix the fish sauce with the tamarind juice and palm sugar; stir well to melt the sugar. Taste and adjust flavors to the desired combination of salty, sour and sweet.

Prepare the remaining ingredients as instructed. When the noodles have softened, drain and set aside. Heat a wok over high heat until it is smoking hot. (Note: If your wok is small, do the stir-frying in two batches. The recipe may also be halved to serve two.) Add 2 teaspoons of oil and quickly stir-fry the shrimp until they turn pink and are almost cooked through. Salt lightly with a sprinkling of fish sauce and remove them from the wok. Swirl in the remaining oil, save for 1 teaspoon, to coat the wok surface and wait 20 to 30 seconds for it to heat. Add the tofu, frying 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pieces turn golden. Add garlic and stir-fry with the tofu for 15 to 20 seconds. Follow with the sliced shallots and cook another 15 seconds. Then add the dried shrimp, sweetened salted radish and ground dried chiles. Stir and heat through a few seconds. Add the noodles and toss well with the ingredients in the wok.

Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes and when most of the noodles has changed texture and softened, push the mass up along one side of the wok. Add the teaspoon of oil to the cleared area, crack the eggs onto it and scramble lightly. When the eggs have set, cut into small chunks with the spatula and toss them in with the noodles. Add the sweet-and-sour seasoning mixture. Stir well to evenly coat noodles. If the noodles are still too firm to your liking, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of water over them to help cook. Taste and adjust flavors as needed to your liking by adding more fish sauce or tamarind juice; if the noodles are not sweet enough, sprinkle in a small amount of granulated sugar. When the noodles are cooked to your liking, toss in 2 of the 3 cups of bean sprouts and the garlic chives (if using). Sprinkle with half the chopped peanuts and return the shrimp to the wok. Stir and when the vegetables are partially wilted, transfer to a serving platter, or dish onto individual serving-size plates, and garnish with the remaining bean sprouts and chopped peanuts, the lime wedges, cilantro and green onions. Serves 4 as a one-dish lunch. Squeeze lime juice over each portion before eating.


Paella Valenciana
4 fluid ounces extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces Spanish chorizo or spicy Cajun sausage
6 ounces chicken breast, cut in chunks
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 onion, julienned
1 green pepper, cut in strips
8 fluid ounces white wine
1 tomato peeled, seeded, and chopped
Pinch saffron
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 ounces uncooked Valencia or other short grain rice
20 fluid ounces chicken stock
6 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp
4 ounces scallops
4 ounces grouper fillet, cut into chunks
6 littleneck clams
6 mussels
6 ounces cooked green peas
6 pimento (roasted pepper) strips
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a paella pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the sausage and chicken until it is golden. Then, add garlic, bay leaf, onion, and green pepper. Sauté until onions are transparent. Add white wine, tomato, saffron, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Then, add rice and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Then add seafood and cover the paella and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Garnish with peas, pimentos, and lemon wedges.

IF YOU GO

What: Fourth Annual Tasting and Competition, and International Cooking class

When: 2 to 5 p.m. Oct. 28, with judging at 4:30 p.m.

Where: Santa Fe Community College's Culinary Arts lab, 6401 Richards Ave.

For more information: Call 428-1435