A classic soufflé. The secret is to cook it so that it is ready when guests sit down as it sinks almost immediately. Serve as a casual lunch together with a simple mixed leaf salad. Alternatively serve as a starter in individual ramekins, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

1 cup milk
40g butter
1/4 cup flour
3 egg yolks
1T crème fraîche
Freshly ground pepper and salt
Freshly ground nutmeg
4 egg whites
Salt
100g Emmenthaler cheese, finely grated

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Grease a 16cm ovenproof soufflé dish.
2. Place the milk in a small saucepan and bring to the boil and set aside.
3. Make a white sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and stir in over low heat. Remove from the heat and slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously. Return to a low heat and simmer, stirring continuously, until it is the consistency of heavy cream.
4. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks one at a time. Add the crème fraîche, pepper, salt and nutmeg, and stir in. Transfer to a bowl.
5. Beat the egg whites, with a good pinch of salt until firm, taking care not to over beat.
6. Beat 1T of egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, and then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites, together with the grated cheese.
7. Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared soufflé dish (it should be approximately 3/4 full).
8. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the soufflé has risen and is golden on top.
9. Transfer immediately to the table and serve from the dish.

Serves 4

Wickedfood Cooking School

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

Wickedfood cooking school runs Johannesburg cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Cooking lessons 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 cookery 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.

This dish works well with a mixture of wild or fresh mushrooms and handmade pasta. This is an ideal vegetarian meal, served with a crunchy salad on the side.

250g Portobello mushrooms
250g other mushrooms (oyster or brown)
3T oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 small dried chillies, seeded and pounded
Salt and pepper to taste
±2t lemon juice
±1/2 cup (125ml) cream
500g pappardelle pasta (recipe follows)
±1/3 cup pecorino/parmesan cheese
±1/3 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped

1. Brush the dirt off the mushroom with a paper towel (do not wash as the mushrooms become water-logged), then slice thinly.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the mushrooms. Fry fast, tossing every now and again, for ±5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and chilli with a pinch of salt and continue to fry for ±5 minutes, or until most of the moisture has evaporated.
4. Add the lemon juice and mix well. Then reduce the heat and pour in the cream, heating through, but not allowing it to boil otherwise the cream could separate. Season to taste.
5. Cook the pasta until al dente and drain.

To Serve

1. Transfer the pasta to a warmed serving dish, toss in the mushrooms, cheese and parsley (reserving ±1T of parsley and cheese for garnish).
   Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining cheese and parsley, and a good twist of freshly ground black pepper.

Wickedfood Cooking School

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

Boksburg – (011) 823-5365 boksburg@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.

Q: I would like to know how to make my own pasta. How long can i keep the pasta dough in the fridge?

A: We make fresh pasta at least once a week at Wickedfood cooking school and once people taste the difference they often wonder why they haven’t learn’t to make it sooner. As far as keeping it in the fridge i wouldnt keep it in its raw form for longer than 2-3days, If filling or rolling it does freeze very well for ±3 months just make sure to use enough flour to prevent them from sticking to one another. I have added the following recipe which we do in our corporate team building class and its always a hit.
Factory made pasta is made with flour and water, whereas in homemade pasta, eggs generally take the place of water, giving a much richer product. Homemade pasta keeps well so long as it is properly dried. It also freezes well.

As a basic recipe, to make ±500g of pasta, enough for 4 standard servings, use:

300g flour
3 large eggs
1/2t salt (optional)

There are four steps to making egg dough:

1.    Combining eggs and flour – Make a well in the flour, pour the liquid into the well and slowly fold the flour into the liquid until a dough is formed (add 1-2T water if the dough seems too dry and does not want to bind together, but do not add too much!!)

2.    Kneading the dough – Empty the dough onto a clean work surface and knead with your hands until it is well blended. Allow the dough to rest in the fridge for ±20 minutes, wrapped in plastic.

Rolling the dough
Divide the dough into 4 equal balls. Work with one ball at a time and keep the others covered.
Sprinkle the work surface liberally with flour. Flatten the ball, and then begin to roll it out, working quickly so that it does not dry out. After each roll, give it a quarter turn and flip it, dusting with more flour if necessary (do not use too much flour, as is also tends to dry the dough).
Try and roll it into a rectangle to approximately 2mm thick.

4.    Shaping – Allow the pasta to rest, covered with a tea towel on a flour-dusted surface for a few minutes before cutting it into the desired shapes – for flat pasta there are 3 basic thicknesses:
Pappardelle ±4cm wide;
Tagliatelle ±2cm wide; and
Taglierini ±1cm wide;
To cut the pasta, flour it well, fold it along its length into ±7cm sections to create a square, then cut into the desired widths.

Click here to see a great mushroom sauce to go with this fresh pasta

South Africa’s national dish, traditionally made with beef or lamb mince and a baked custard topping. Other variants include a fish and vegetarian alternative. Interestingly this dish has its roots in Europe – think Greek moussaka. Turmeric was introduced to Europe in the middle ages by the crusaders. On the old Cape and Karoo farms, this dish was traditionally made with the leftover meats from the Sunday roast.

2 thick slices stale white bread, crusts removed
1 cup milk
Oil for frying
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 – 1T curry powder
1t turmeric
1kg lean beef or lamb mince
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup almond nibs or slivers
1T smooth apricot jam
1T fruit chutney
2T lemon juice
Salt to season

3 large eggs
4 bay or lemon leaves

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Place the bread in a bowl, sprinkle with milk. Allow to stand for 2 to 3 minutes, then gently squeeze dry, reserving both the milk and bread in two separate bowls.
3. Heat oil in a large pot. Add the onion and fry until soft. Add the curry powder and turmeric and mix in.
4. Add the mince, raisins and almonds, and fry until the meat is lightly coloured. Remove and transfer to a large bowl.
5. To the cooked meat mix in the bread, apricot jam, chutney and lemon juice. Season to taste.
6. Place the meat mixture in a large casserole or baking dish and pack down firmly.
7. Whisk together the reserved milk with the eggs and a pinch of salt. Pour over the meat mixture, then arrange the bay/lemon leaves on top.
8. Place in a preheated oven for ±35-45 minutes or until the egg is set – do not overcook!!. Traditionally served with yellow rice and chutney.

Wickedfood Cooking School

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

Boksburg – (011) 823-5365 boksburg@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.

Q: I find that a lot of pre-made and fast food joints make burgers stuffed with all sorts of rubbish how can I make the best beef burger that doesn’t shrink and loose flavour?

A: Beef burgers are very easy to make at home and can also be much healthier as you know exactly whats going into them. When buying the mince buy the best quality lean mince you can afford, but with a little fat to keep it moist. The  jungle oats or breadcrumbs in the mix helps to retain moisture and keep the patties nice and juicy.

Next month at Wickedfood Cooking School we will be teaching a 30 minute meals class where we will be making these burgers along with Thai vegetable curry, chicken breast with feta and pasta, chilli steak wraps, penne with a rich tomato vodka cream sauce,and  fried fish with oven chips. A great class to introduce anyone into the kitchen or just to get new and exciting meals to make after a a long day at the office.

Mince patties
250g beef mince
1 egg
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup Jungle oats or breadcrumbs
1T tomato sauce
1/2T chutney
1t Worcestershire sauce
1t salt

1T grapeseed oil
4 round bread rolls
Tomato sauce (optional)
1 onion (preferably red), thinly sliced (optional)
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
4 salad leaves, washed and dried

Making the meat patties

• Combine the meat patty ingredients together in a large bowl ensuring that they are well mixed.
• Divide the meat patties into 4, place each portion of mince onto a board and mould into flat round shapes, about the size of the rolls.

Making the burgers

• Slice the rolls open and spread the base with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Cover with a thin layer of onion and tomato.
  The patties can be either grilled or fried.
  • To fry – heat the oil in a pan, and then fry the patties, in two batches, on each side for about 4 minutes. Keep warm.
  • To grill – heat the grill, and once hot, place the patties on a grill pan, lined with foil, grilling each side for about 4 minutes, until done. Keep warm.
• Place a meat patty into each roll, topped with a lettuce leaf.

Serves 2

Wickedfood Cooking School

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

Wickedfood Cooking School Johannesburg 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 team building cooking classes these classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.