You may well remember Clarissa Dickson Wright from the TV series Two Fat Ladies. In one of her more recent publications,  A Greener Life, Clarissa and Johnny Scott look at how to live a more natural and self-sufficient life. They explore  issues from growing your own vegetables to using alternative energies, from keeping livestock to mending your own socks, so that you have the knowledge to start living the good life.

A fascinating overview on how to take more control of what you use and eat. Especially fun for armchair farmers.

Interested in buying this book? visit - Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, they will be able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for.

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Wickedfood Cooking School, SUNNINGHILL

Information & bookings (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Hi all,

In this cold weather, what better way to warm up, than with a tasty stew or hearty soup  – see our feature below for some great soup ideas, or search through our recipe section on the blog (We have 29 pages of delicious recipes).

The August  programme of Johannesburg cooking classes for individuals is now up on our website.  We have a mouthwatering selection of classes on offer, including a French cooking class, and a baking class, specializing in chocolate – see our recipe of the week to whet your appetite.

Find us on Facebook and Twitter – just search for Wickedfood and you will find us. We update the blog on a daily basis and publish it through Facebook and Twitter.

Wickedfood Cooking School news

Cooking class programmes are up on the internet, click the relevant month for the July and August programme .

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes with a minimum of 8 participants and a maximum of 12 as this gives everyone hands-on experience and keeps the cooking class small enough for maximum learning. These cooking classes are conducted by our senior instructors who have extensive experience in the food industry and share a variety of additional cooking tips throughout the  class.

• Monday 05 July at 6pm – Cooked in Africa (R380pp). Justin Bonello has become a cult hero in the South African culinary world. Through his quirky television series, and accompanying book, Cooked In Africa, he has taken a bunch of friends on a culinary road trip through southern Africa. In this Justin Bonello cooking class, we’ve taken a few of the recipes from the series and re-interpreted them to create a delicious South African cooking class.

• Monday 12 July at 6pm – Jamie’s Ministry of Food – quick meals and pastas (R350pp). This Jamie Oliver cooking class is inspired by Jamie’s book Ministry of Food, at Wickedfood Cooking School we regard it as his best. It is a perfect book for any beginner. We take six recipes from the book and re-interpret them, with plenty of tips along the way. Learning the secrets to successful  easy cooking, including spicy Moroccan stewed fish with couscous, chicken and leek stroganoff, broccoli and pesto tagliatelle, classic tomato spaghetti, macaroni cauliflower cheese bake and banana tarte tatin, with a wicked twist.
• Sunday 18 July at 4pm – Entertaining Italian style (R350pp). Great Italian cooking class, with dishes for entertaining with Italian flair including rice croquettes, Siena bread soup, semolina gnocchi, poached chicken with a caper/egg sauce and baked pears.

Please contact the school should you wish to make a booking:

Looking for info on food?

If you have any food-related questions, or a dish that you just can’t get right or even a certain recipe that you are looking for, but just can’t seem to find, then contact us and we will do our best to answer it as soon as possible. Click Here for more information. Hope to hear from you soon.

On food

Soup

It’s so easy to make delicious, homemade soups, which are especially hearty in this cold winter weather.  But what is a soup?

Wikipedia defines soup as “...a food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavour is extracted, forming a broth. Traditionally, soups are classified into two main groups: clear soups and thick soups. The established French classifications of clear soups are bouillon and consommé. Thick soups are classified depending upon the type of thickening agent used: purées are vegetable soups thickened with starch; bisques are made from puréed shellfish or vegetables thickened with cream;the  cream soups may be thickened with béchamel sauce; and veloutés are thickened with eggs, butter and cream. Other ingredients commonly used to thicken soups and broths include rice, flour and grains.“

Basic soups are very easy to make, as we constantly remind our cooking class students at Wickedfood Cooking School.  Chop equal quantities of onion, celery and carrots, and fry in a little butter or oil until the flavour is released.  Add a few chicken thighs and wings, slices of lamb neck, or some beef bones, cover with water or homemade stock and boil until the meat falls off the bone.  Add a handful of pulses such as lentils, barley or chickpeas, at the beginning of the cooking process, for more body.  Season to taste and serve.  See links to other websites in this article for some delicious soup recipes.

Soup as a figure of speech:

• Alphabet soup – a term often used to describe a large amount of acronyms used by an administration.
• Pea soup describes a thick or dense fog.
• Word soup refers to any collection of words that is ostensibly incomprehensible.
• Tag soup further refers to poorly coded HTML.

Click Here for some delicious soups from Jamie Oliver.

Book of the week

A Greener Life - Clarissa Dickson Wright and Johnny Scott

You may well remember Clarissa from the TV series Two Fat Ladies. In her more recent publications, A Greener Life, Clarissa and Johnny Scott look at how to live a more natural and self-sufficient life. They explore  issues from growing your own vegetables to using alternative energies, so that you have the knowledge to start living  greener.

In … Click Here for more.

Click Here to see Wickedfood Cooking School’s top 10 food-related books for 2009.

Recipe of the week:

Chocolate brownies

This recipe is based on one that we use at Wickedfood Cooking School in our baking class, specializing in chocolate .  Chewy chocolate squares, one of the best brownie recipes around, and quick and easy to make. They use cocoa powder instead of chocolate.

The Wickedfood Team

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studio. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

This recipe is based on one that we use at Wickedfood Cooking School in our baking  classes,  specializing in chocolate.  These chewy chocolate squares are one of the best brownie recipes around, as well as quick and easy to make. They use cocoa powder instead of chocolate, use a good quality cocoa powder. Once you have mastered it, try the variations below.

125g butter

45g cocoa powder

2 eggs

250g castor sugar

60g self-raising flour

90g walnuts or pecan nuts, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base and two sides of a 20cm square cake tin with baking parchment.
2. In a heavy-based saucepan melt the butter over a low heat, then stir in the cocoa, mix well and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar, then stir in the butter/cocoa mixture.
4. Sift the flour over the top and fold it into the mixture. Then fold in the nuts.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until just cooked through and springy to the touch. Brownies are at their best when moist, so be careful not to over bake them.
6. Allow the brownies to cool in the tin. Once completely cold, turn out onto the board and cut into squares.
7. Leave plain.
8. Or for an even more delicious finish, spread with a chocolate glaze on the cooled brownies, before cutting them into squares.

For more chocolate brownie recipes Click here.

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Monday 28 June at 6pm – Classic French cooking (R370pp). French cooking class, an introduction to French cuisine including cheese soufflé, potato and leek soup, coq au vin, potato gratin, and tarte tatin.

•    Cheese soufflé- a classic soufflé.
•    Milk soup – with a potato, leek and onion base.
•    Coq au vin - chicken braised in red wine with baby onions and mushrooms.
•    Potato gratin – sliced potatoes baked with cream.
•    Green peas – with braised baby onions.
•    Salade Lyonnaise – a simple green salad with croutons and egg.
•    Tarte Tatin - upside down apple tart.

Monday 05 July at 6pm – Cooked in Africa (R380pp). Justin Bonello has become a cult hero in the South African culinary world. Through his quirky television series, and accompanying book, Cooked In Africa, he has taken a bunch of friends on a culinary road trip through southern Africa.  We’ve taken a few of the recipes from the series and re-interpreted them to create a delicious South African inspired menu.

•    Spicy chicken livers – a delicious quick starter, inspired from Mozambique.
•    Three bean soup – a hearty soup with a vegetable and tomato base.
•    Venison stew – usually made in a potjie over a fire, with dumplings.
•    Green salad – the basics of a salad, with some different dressings.
•    Beer bread – a quick and easy bread, perfect for outdoor cooking and,
•    Malva Pudding – a South African golden oldie, hearty baked pudding with cream brandy glaze.

Monday 12 July at 6pm – Jamie’s Ministry of Food – quick meals and pastas (R350pp). We consider Jamie Oliver’s latest book his best. It is a perfect book for any beginner. Each month we take six recipes from the book and re-interpret them, with plenty of tips along the way. Learning the secrets to successful  easy cooking, including spicy Moroccan stewed fish with couscous, chicken and leek stroganoff, broccoli and pesto tagliatelle, classic tomato spaghetti, macaroni cauliflower cheese bake and banana tarte tatin, with a wicked twist.

•    Spicy Moroccan stewed fish with couscous – quick and easy to cook and great tasting.
•    Chicken and leek stroganoff – a mix up of the classic.
•    Broccoli and pesto tagliatelle – with fresh herbs and tips on making different pestos.
•    Classic tomato spaghetti - easy to prepare tomato sauce with many alternative uses.
•    Macaroni cauliflower cheese bake – great for making in advance and freezing.
•    Banana tarte tatin - quick and easy, ideal with any fruit.

Sunday 18 July at 4pm – Entertaining Italian style (R350pp). Great dishes for entertaining with Italian flair including rice croquettes, Siena bread soup, semolina gnocchi, poached chicken with a caper/egg sauce and baked pears.

•    Rice croquettes - filled with Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
•    Siena bread soup – A classic Tuscan soup, robust, with bread and tomato.
•    Semolina gnocchi - famous Roman dish, baked with cream and Parmesan, great to make ahead.
•    Poached whole chicken – with a delicious caper and egg sauce.
•    Fennel salad – simple yet satisfying.
•    Baked pears - with marsala and cinnamon.

Serve It Green
1.    If you must use disposable dishes and serving ware, use paper which can go into your compost, or look for post-consumer recycled materials.
2.    Using fewer dishes means washing fewer dishes – less energy needed for cleanup. There’s no need to dump vegetables from the cooking pot into a serving dish.
3.    Garnish food with edible fresh flowers and herbs from your own garden. Gardening is one way to reduce your carbon footprint by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
4.    Serve food when it’s ready to avoid having to keep food warm.

Awesome website of the week: Being in the middle of the Fifa world cup I decided to bring peoples’ attention to a great website that focuses on the competition and everything there is to do regarding a world cup. Enjoy, I did. http://www.inspiredm.com/2010/06/06/2010-world-cup/

The Wickedfood Team

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studio. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Every day during the Football World Cup Delia Smith will add a recipe that reflects the cuisine of one of the teams playing. This is her take on the braai. The sauce is suitable for all meats – lamb cutlets, pork ribs or chicken drumsticks. The quantity is enough to glaze six of each, which makes a nice mixture of meats to serve to six people. One important point is that drumsticks need pre-baking in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 180°C, for 15 minutes just before braaiing. This recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Summer Collection.

6 chicken drumsticks

6  lamb cutlets

6 pork ribs

For the apricot barbecue glaze:

6 dried apricots

2 T dark brown sugar

Few drops Tabasco sauce

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup light soy sauce

1T grated fresh ginger

1T ground ginger

2T tomato purée

1 clove garlic, minced

For the apricot barbecue glaze:

1. Begin by placing the apricots in a small saucepan with just enough water to cover them, then bring them up to simmering point and simmer for 5 minutes. Place them, with the leftover liquid,  in a blender or food processor together with all the other glaze ingredients. Whiz everything to a purée and the sauce is ready.
2. All you need to do now is arrange the meat in a shallow dish, pour the glaze over them – turning the pieces of meat so that each one gets a good coating – then cover and leave in a cool place until you’re ready to cook, preferably overnight. When you light the fire, pre-cook the chicken drumsticks as above, then cook with the other meat.
3. Scrape any sauce that’s left in the dish into a small saucepan, add a glass of white wine to it and bring it all up to simmering point to give some extra sauce.
4. Serve with oven-roasted potatoes, a crisp salad and some very robust red wine!

Serves 6

For more Fifa World Cup recipes from Delia Smith, … click here

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.