Information & bookings (076) 236-2345  sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Hi all,

We are  already in the second month of 2012, and pleased to report that cooking seems to be as popular as ever. Both our Corporate teambuilding cooking classes as well as our individual cooking classes are filling up fast with most of those in January and February running to capacity.

This Saturday we have our regular Valentines cooking classes, with limited space is still available.  Tuesday’s Valentines cooking class is fully subscribed.

The following Tuesday we have our Sushi cooking class, and once again the class is filling up fast.

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.

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.

Wickedfood Cooking School news

The Cooking class programme for February and March are up on the internet. Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes with a minimum of 8 participants and a maximum of 12 giving everyone hands-on experience and keeping 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 cooking class.

• Saturday 11 February at 6pm   – Romantic Valentine’s dinner, easy summer entertaining (R770 per couple). Join the staff at the Cooking School with the love of your life for a Valentine’s dinner with a difference – Valentine cooking Class. Not only will you get to enjoy a delicious 4-course dinner, but you will learn the secrets of how to cook it. Included in the price is a welcome glass of sparkling wine, house wine while preparing the food, and some specialist wines, complementing the food, with the meal. Space is limited to 30 students per class, so book early.
• Tuesday 21 February at 6pm – Sushi 1 – The basics of sushi making (R395pp – only 6 places left). The increasing popularity of sushi around the world has resulted in many more people wanting to learn the basics of sushi making, this Sushi cooking class shows you how to do the following – cutting fish, making rice, California and maki rolls, nigirizushi (finger), and hand rolls.
• Sunday 26 February at 4pm – Easy Entertaining Indian style (R380pp). Indian food is a diverse and extraordinary one, reflecting a complex layering of cultures through history and based on religious beliefs, geography, climate and availability of ingredients. India’s range of cuisine can amaze even a connoisseur. Different regions in India offer their own specialties with their very own taste, subtlety and aroma. The exotic tastes, hues and textures of Indian food have ensured a steady growth in popularity in the West. Join us in discovering these incredible dishes in our Indian cooking class. Authentic Indian dishes including bhel puri, lamb korma, potato and cauliflower curry, chicken pulao and cheese balls in syrup.
• Monday 27 February at 6pm  - 30 minute meals (R380 per class). Trying to juggle work and home commitments can be tough in this day and age, and the statement of ‘who has time to cook these days’ is on the increase. In this ‘30 Minute meals’ cooking class we show participants how to produce quick and easy 30-minute meals that are delicious and well balanced. Dishes include, Thai vegetable curry, Chicken breast with feta and pasta, chilli steak wraps, penne with a rich tomato vodka cream sauce, Fried fish with oven chips and homemade burgers.

Great food websites

At this time of year there is a scarcity of new cookbooks.  We therefore decided to look at some great food websites this week instead.   … Click here to read more

Click Here for reviews of all our cookbook reviews.

Food quote of the week

“All you see, I owe to spaghetti.” – Sophia Loren

Recipes of the week:

Mocha kisses

Surprise your loved ones with these chocolaty kiss cookies. The perfect easy gift for Valentine’s Day. ….Click Here for all our recipes.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery 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 cooking lessons 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.

Information & bookings (076) 236-2345  sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Hi all,

As the routine of our busy lives becomes more of a reality and the holiday more of a distant memory, we look back on those care free days of relaxation with family and friends with a longing to go back in time. But we can’t and therefore we buckle down and head towards late nights and early mornings, traffic, stress and the usual Monday night dinners. The monotony of cooking the same dish over and over can lead towards a non-satisfactory outlook towards food. So you either eat-to-live or live-to-eat and if its the latter, something needs to change for the better.

We have scheduled all our popular classes in the first quarter of this year. Our aim is to teach you new skills and cuisines so you have the confidence in replicating these dishes at home. Remember we teach you everything you would need to know regarding the dishes taught, so whether you are a beginner or accomplished cook wanting to learn a new skill or cuisine, come along and join us for a fun, informative class filled with like-minded people!

In February we have our regular and ever  popular Valentines classes.  Bookings are already open for these and we have quite a few bookings, so if you’re interested don’t delay, contact the school for more information or to reserve a place.

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.

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.

Wickedfood Cooking School news

The new year sees an exciting selection of interesting and different cooking classes aimed at individuals.  The Cooking class programme for January and February are up on the internet. 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 cooking class.

• Sunday 29 January at 4pm – Thai class (R370pp). Thai cuisine places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components. Thai cuisine is also known for being quite spicy as well as balancing the four fundamental taste senses in each dish or the overall meal: sour, sweet, salty, and (optional) bitter. Learn how to balance these tastes in this Thai cooking class entitled ‘Easy dishes for a casual Thai dinner parties’ which includes dishes, fresh springrolls, sour and spicy fish soup, stir-fried beef curry, chicken salad with peanut sauce, stir-fried noodles and bananas in a sweet/salty coconut sauce.

• Monday 30 January at 6pm – Making filled pasta and accompanying sauces (R370pp). Making pasta is really easy, and fresh pasta tastes better too. Learn the secrets to making pasta from scratch in this pasta cooking class. We also include fillings and sauces for these unique pasta shapes. Dishes covered in the class include cheese and ham ravioli with a tomato sauce, meat filled Agnolotti, spinach and ricotta tortellini, cappelletti filled with sweet potatoe,s and ravioli with apple and pecan nut stuffing.

• Monday 06 February at 6pm – South African – A Taste of the Cape (R380pp). This South African cooking class has a strong Cape Malay flavour, showcasing the unique flavours that have become synonymous with South African cuisine including savoury pies, smoorsnoek, denningsvleis, tomato bredie, sousboontjies, yellow rice and milk tart.

• Saturday 11 February at 6pm  and Tuesday 14 February at 6pm – Romantic Valentine’s dinner, easy summer entertaining (R770 per couple). Join the staff at the Cooking School with the love of your life for a Valentine’s dinner with a difference. Not only will you get to enjoy a delicious 4-course dinner, but you will learn the secrets of how to cook it. Included in the price is a welcome glass of sparkling wine, house wine while preparing the food, and some specialist wines, complementing the food, with the meal. Space is limited to 30 students per class, so book early.
  

Cookbook of the week

South African cuisine is a reflection of the immigrants who make up the population.  It is a melting pot of Afrikaner, Cape Malay, British, Indian, Jewish, Greek, Italian, Asian, Portuguese  and more recently, immigrants from across Africa. Each wave of immigrants, in their own particular way contributed towards the makeup of the mod and South African table.  It is the young yet vibrant culinary culture that started in the mid sixteen hundreds with the colonization of the Cape by the Dutch, who introduced the savoury spices of the east and the exotic fruits and vegetables from the Americas to the African continent… Click here to read more

Food quote of the week

“My kitchen is a mystical place, a kind of temple for me.  It is a place where the surfaces seem to have significance, where the sounds and odors carry meaning that transfers from the past and bridges to the future.” – Pearl Bailey

Recipes of the week:

Chraime – Fish cooked in a spicy tomato sauce

Chraime is considered to be the kings of Libyan food, and the dish that really characterizes the Libyan Jewish kitchen. There are many ways to prepare it and many versions. The fish must be firm and it must ‘float’ in the sauce – that is there must be plenty of sauce. It’s served with white bread and lemon is squeezed over it as you eat. This recipe is from our cookbook of the week – South Africa Eats. ….Click Here for all our recipes.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery 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 cooking lessons 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.

Information & bookings (076) 236-2345  sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Hi all,

Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas break and that this will be an exciting food year for you.  The School closed from 16 December to Monday 9 January 2012, and we’re now back and raring to go. It seems as though many of you have made it to your new year’s resolution to learn more about food, as of January classes are filling up quickly.  We have some very exciting cooking classes lined up for January and February, including Quick 30 minute meals; Easy curries, salads and soups; Easy Italian; Mexican Salsas, dips and filling; and Casual Thai dinner parties dishes - see below for more details.

In February we have our regular and ever  popular Valentines classes.  Bookings are already open for these and we have quite a few bookings, so if you’re interested don’t delay, contact the school for more information or to reserve a place.

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.

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.

Wickedfood Cooking School news

The new year sees an exciting selection of interesting and different cooking classes aimed at individuals.  The Cooking class programme for January and February are up on the internet. 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 cooking class.

• Sunday 15 January at 4pm – Quick 30 minute meals (R370pp). Trying to juggle work and home commitments can be tough, and the statement of ‘who has time to cook these days’ is on the increase. In this ‘30 Minute meals’ cooking class we show participants how to produce quick and easy 30-minute meals that are delicious and well balanced. Dishes include, chickpea and pumpkin curry, grilled beef, grilled tuna and a rich chocolate self-saucing pudding with only 5g of fat!!
• Monday 16 January at 6pm – Jamie’s Ministry of Food – Easy curries, salads and soups (R380pp). We consider Jamie Oliver’s ‘Ministry of Food’ his best book yet. It’s the perfect book for any beginner. In this Jamie Oliver cooking class 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 which includes, pea and mint soup, vegetable bhajis, chicken korma, lamb rogan josh, evolution potato salad and a vanilla cheesecake.
• Sunday 22 January at 4pm – Easy Italian (R380pp). Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity, abundance of difference in taste, and is known to be one of the most popular in the world. The main characteristics of Italian cuisine is its extreme simplicity. Dishes and recipes are often the creation of grandmothers rather than of chefs, and this makes many recipes ideally suited for home cooking. This is one of the main reasons behind the ever increasing popularity of this cuisine. Join us in this Italian cooking class for a more in-depth look at Italian cuisine which includes cauliflower frittata, risotto with dried mushrooms, lamb chops fried in Parmesan cheese batter and cassata.
• Monday 23 January at 6pm – Mexican Salsas, dips and fillings (R370pp). The history of traditional Mexican food is a long and complex one, and every bit of the complexity is reflected in the sheer variety of flavours in Mexican cuisine. Present day Mexican cuisine has evolved into something truly extraordinary. Join us in this Mexican cooking class as we blend the exotic flavours with that of the new world flavours which includes salsas, dips and fillings, for nachos, tostadas and tortillas, which are all perfect for al fresco dining.
• Sunday 29 January at 4pm -  Easy dishes for casual Thai dinner parties (R370pp). Thai cuisine places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components. Thai cuisine is also known for being quite spicy as well as balancing the four fundamental taste senses in each dish or the overall meal: sour, sweet, salty, and (optional) bitter. Learn how to balance these tastes in this Thai cooking class, which includes, fresh springrolls, sour and spicy fish soup, stir-fried beef curry, chicken salad with peanut sauce, stir-fried noodles and bananas in a sweet/salty coconut sauce.

Book of the week

Food quote of the week

“Garlic is as good as ten mothers.” – Les Blank

Recipes of the week:

Empire roast chicken

This recipe  is an adaptation from Jamie’s Great Britain, our recipe book for this week.  Jamie says of this roast chicken recipe in the introduction -  “Ask any British person what their two favourite meals are and I reckon most people would say their mum’s roast chicken, and a curry. Well, welcome to Empire roast chicken, a combination of both of those things. Your friends and family are going to love it. I love it. You will love it.” Certainly a delicious dish for a casual Sunday roast with friends. ….Click Here for all our recipes.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery 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 cooking lessons 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.

Information & bookings (076) 236-2345  sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Hi all,

The end of the year is always a busy time at Wickedfood Cooking School with Christmas and end-of-year functions.  If for some reason you have been unable to organize your end of your function in time, why not consider January, when all your colleagues are freshly back from a deserved Christmas break.  Contact Cilla on (076) 236-2345 or sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za for more information.

We have one individual cooking class left for this year,  Alternative to a traditional Christmas dinner.  See the overview below.

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.

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.

Wickedfood Cooking School news

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 cooking class.

We have one more individual class for this year, our annual Alternative to a traditional Christmas dinner cooking class.

• Sunday 20 November at 4pm – Alternative to a traditional Christmas dinner (R390pp). Easy stylish festive entertaining in this cooking class, an alternative to the traditional Winter Christmas food, including chicken liver pâté, sun-dried tomato soup, roasted medallions of sirloin, Waldorf salad and a Christmas pudding.

The School will be closed from 16 December 2011 and re-open in mid January 2012. January And February cooking classes for individuals will go live within the next week, with some exciting new ideas.

Book of the week

The Food of Spain

Food quote of the week

“My tongue is smiling.” – Abigail Trillin

Recipes of the week:

Almond Cake

There are almond cakes from all parts of Spain, but this one is special. Pilgrims and tourists who visit the great Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, where the relics of the apostle Saint James are believed to be buried, see the cake in the windows of every pastry shop and restaurant. It is usually marked with the shape of the cross of the Order of Santiago. This deliciously moist and fragrant homey version is without a base. ….Click Here for all our recipes.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery 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 cooking lessons 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.

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

Hi all,

Halloween is an annual holiday observed on October 31, which commonly includes activities such as trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving jack-o’-lanterns, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films. Part of many festivities is carving weird faces in pumpkins, what to do with the pumpkin when the festivities are over?  We have a few great ideas in this week’s recipes, see below.

According to this week’s book author, life is too short to grow unremarkable food.  Our book of the week, is an extremely absorbing book dedicated to more unusual yet delicious fruits, nuts and vegetables that can easily be grown in the average garden.

Our November class schedule is now up on our website.  included in the programme are two great classes with the festive season theme. Cooking classes for individuals for the next two weeks include  Spicy Thai, French cooking, and Jamie’s quick meals and pastas.  See the overview below for all the cooking classes for the next month. 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.

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.

Wickedfood Cooking School news

Cooking class programme for this month is up on the internet, click the November 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 cooking class.

• Sunday 06 November at 4pm – Spicy Thai (R380pp). Thai cuisine places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components. Thai cuisine is also known for being quite spicy as well as balancing the four fundamental taste senses in each dish or the overall meal: sour, sweet, salty, and (optional) bitter. Learn how to balance these tastes in our Thai cooking class. Dishes include minced pork northern style, spicy chicken soup, deep-fried fish in a garlic sauce, sweet and sour vegetables, stir-fried noodles and sweet rice pudding
• Monday 07 November at 6pm – Classic French cooking (R370pp). This French cookery class is a perfect introduction to French cuisine, which includes cheese soufflé, potato and leek soup, coq au vin, potato gratin, and tarte tatin.
• Monday 14 November at 6pm – Jamie’s Ministry of Food – quick meals and pastas (R370pp). We consider Jamie Oliver’s latest book his best. It is a perfect book for any beginner. Learn the secrets to effortless meals in this Jamie Oliver cooking class, 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 20 November at 6pm – Alternative to a traditional Christmas dinner (R390pp). Easy stylish festive entertaining in this cooking class, an alternative to the traditional Winter Christmas food, including chicken liver pâté, sun-dried tomato soup, roasted medallions of sirloin, waldorf salad and a Christmas pudding.
• Monday 21 November at 6pm – Entertaining with Asian undertones (R380pp). A cooking class aimed at hosting an elegant dinner party for six with an Asian taste, including duck and bean sprout springrolls, lemongrass vichysoisse, Crispy skinned fish and crème caramels.

Book of the week

A Taste of the Unexpected

Every once in awhile a really absorbing book crosses our desk.  One such book is Mark Diacono’s A Taste of the Unexpected. He reveals that it is no harder to grow the unusual and utterly delicious than it is the entirely ordinary. Each chapter gives fundamental advice on conditions each plant thrives on, varieties available, growing methods and process of harvesting. In addition he includes a number of mouthwatering recipes for all of the crops featured. It is a book that we will definitely be using as a constant source of reference at Wickedfood Earth. ….Click Here for reviews of all our cookbook reviews.

Food quote of the week

“Life is too short to grow unremarkable food. It’s simply not worth the time or effort and – happily- it’s no more tricky to grow the utterly delicious than it is the entirely ordinary.” – Mark Diacono, A Taste of the Unexpected

Recipes of the week:

Pumpkin Butterscotch Pie

Halloween is becoming big around the world.  One of the dilemmas is what to do with the leftover pumpkin after the party.  Flesh freezes very well as is, just cube and pop into the freezer. A wide variety of delicious dishes can be made from it. In this fun take on pumpkin pie, a little whiskey really puts the “Scotch” in butterscotch. ….Click Here for all our recipes.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery 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 cooking lessons 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.

Wickedfood Cooking School, SUNNINGHILL

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

Hi all

In this weeks newsletter we look at 3 different food events happening in Joburg right now. The Soweto Mushroom Festival, the Oktober Bierfest in Montecasino and the ever popular RMB WineX Wine Festival where you Drink wine and be fabulous. We also look into ways of creating a greener kitchen. A green kitchen will have a positive impact on both your family and the environment. Something to keep in mind: this is not an all-or-nothing proposition. If you can even integrate one or two of these ideas into a remodel or kitchen upgrade, you’re having a positive impact. We also highlight ‘Bacteria in the home’  in this weeks Food Tip.

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

Our  individual cooking class programmes are up on the internet. Click the link for the appropriate month – October or November

Week 1 – 31 October to 06 November

Tuesday 01 November at 6pm – Informal festive entertaining (R390pp). Entertaining during Christmas time does not have to be laborious, our informal festive cooking class takes the stress out of Christmas. Dishes include seafood salad, orange glazed poussins, roast pork, and mini mixed fruit strudels.

Sunday 06 November at 4pm – Spicy Thai (R380pp). Thai cuisine places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components. Thai cuisine is also known for being quite spicy as well as balancing the four fundamental taste senses in each dish or the overall meal: sour, sweet, salty, and (optional) bitter. Learn how to balance these tastes in our Thai cooking class. Dishes include Minced pork northern style, Spicy chicken soup, Deep-fried fish in a garlic sauce, Sweet and sour vegetables, Stir-fried noodles and Sweet rice pudding

Week 2 – 07 to 13 November

Monday 07 November at 6pm – Classic French cooking (R370pp). This French cookery Class is a perfect introduction to French cuisine, which includes cheese soufflé, potato and leek soup, coq au vin, potato gratin, and tarte tatin.

Green ideas for your Home:

The Green Home: Kitchen Ideas

Benefits of a Green Kitchen
A green kitchen will have a positive impact on both your family and the environment. The materials that go into a green kitchen are more ecoloically friendly than traditional materials. Special attention is paid to creating less waste in a green kitchen renovation. Green design typically integrates other Earth-friendly features, such as spaces for recycling, collecting compost, and maybe even growing a few fresh herbs. Finally, a green renovation pays special attention to the health of your family. Issues like indoor air quality, reduction of allergens and other chemicals, and increasing your exposure to natural dayliight are all part of the plan. It’s about a healthier Earth, and a healthier you.
Please keep in mind: this is not an all-or-nothing proposition. If you can even integrate one or two of these ideas into a remodel or kitchen upgrade, you’re having a positive impact.

Features of a Green Kitchen
Here are some of the aspects of a green kitchen:
1. Real wood cabinets, or cabinets made from natural materials such as wheatboard or strawboard.
Cabinets made with materials such as particle board or plywood are made using binders and adhesives that offgas harmful chemicals in your home. These chemicals, including formaldehyde, have been shown by the EPA to cause and worsen conditions such as asthma and allergies. In addition, formaldehyde is a known carcinogen. Real wood doesn’t offgas, and, if it’s finished with natural waxes or no VOC paints or stains, you won’t have to worry about chemicals from the finish either. Ideally, the wood for your kitchen cabinets should be from an eco-friendly source—either certified as having been sustainably grown and harvested, or reclaimed from other sources.

2. Natural flooring.
Look for natural materials such as bamboo, cork, natural linoleum, or reclaimed or sustainable wood, and finish them with natural oils or sealers. Again, traditional materials such as vinyl offgas in our homes, negatively affecting our health and indoor air quality. Other materials, such as granite and marble, are fine for air quality but are not sustainable options.

3. Natural countertops.
Many of the same issues found in flooring are issues with countertops as well.

4. Energy Efficient Appliances and Lighting
Try to buy the most efficient appliances you can afford. If you can only choose one item to splurge on, purchase an energy efficient refrigerator. Look for the Energy Star label. You can also visit the Energy Star website to compare several different brands and models of refrigerators. According to Energy Star, refrigeration accounts for up to 10% of our total home energy use. If we can make this area more efficient, it will go a long way toward reducing our environmental impact. Of course, be sure to use compact fluorescent or LED lights throughout your kitchen as well.

5. Pay attention to your windows.
A large part of the green home movement is about improving our health through improving our homes. One way to do that is to make wise window choices. Make sure that your kitchen windows are operable, so that you can get fresh air into your home. Also make sure that your windows let in plenty of natural sunlight. Sunlight not only reduces our need for electric lights during the day, but it has been shown to have a positive impact on our health as well, reducing afflictions such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

6. Reduce waste.
From the start of your renovation through to the day-to-day use of your green kitchen, try to reduce waste as much as possible. During renovation, look for places to donate or recycle your old appliances, cabinets, and building materials. The less we send to the landfills, the better. Along the same line of thinking, green kitchens focus on making recycling and composting easy. A dedicated area for recycling, as well as being sure you have an area for collecting compostable kitchen scraps, are both great ideas for a green kitchen. It can be as complex or simple as you’d like. Simple solutions include an area set aside for a recycling bin system and a crock or pail stored on your countertop for collecting kitchen scraps.

Food tip of the week:

BACTERIA IN THE HOME

The most dangerous sources of virulent bacteria, including E. coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus and others, is the typical kitchen sponge and ‘dish cloths’ in American homes. They provide a source of moisture,  a ready food supply in the form of food particles, and an easy surface to which the bacteria may cling. They can easily be disinfected however, by placing in a microwave oven for 60 seconds. The odor is improved too!

Interesting places in Joburg:

Soweto Mushroom Festival

When: Friday, 28 October 2011 to Sunday, 30 October 2011
Where: Soweto
Categories: Annual Festivals / Food & Wine

Oktober Bierfest Sandton

When: Thursday, 27 October 2011 to Saturday, 29 October 2011
Where: Fourways
Categories: Annual Festivals / Entertainment

RMB WineX Wine Festival

When: Wednesday, 26 October 2011 to Friday, 28 October 2011
Where: Sandton
Categories: Annual Festivals / Food & Wine

The Wickedfood Team

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Wickedfood Cooking School runs classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking school. 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 cooking courses 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. Great Team building ideas.

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

Hi all,

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, proprietor of  River Cottage, writer, broadcaster and food campaigner, believes that we eat too much meat in the west – too much for our own health and far too much for the welfare of the many millions of animals we raise for food. He believes that factory farming is plain wrong – environmentally and ethically. Over the last 18 months he has undergone a dramatic change in the way he cooks. Now most of the meals he eats contain no meat or fish. And he believes that he eats better than ever.

At Wickedfood Cooking School we also believe strongly in this philosophy.  To this end, for the rest of the year we’ll be looking at vegetables and fruits, both looking at how to grow them as well as how to cook them.  To kick off, we review Hugh’s latest in the River Cottage – River Cottage – Veg.

Our November class schedule is now up on our website.  included in the programme are two great classes with the festive season theme. Cooking classes for individuals for the next two weeks include Outdoor cooking, this one concentrating on beef; Indian cooking class; Informal festive entertaining; and Spicy Thai.  See the overview below for all the cooking classes for the next two months. 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.

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.

Wickedfood Cooking School news

Cooking class programmes for the next two months are up on the internet, click the relevant month for the October and November programmes. 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 cooking class.

• Sunday 23 October at 4pm – Outdoor Cooking – beef class (R395pp). A braai is essentially a traditional way of preparing a meal on the open fire. It has evolved to take on many forms since early pioneering days – from a wood fire to the use of charcoal and gas. Today a variety of BBQ shapes and cooking surfaces allows for exciting and innovative methods of meal preparation. It is unquestionably the most enticing, easy and informal way to entertain. Join us in learning the delicious secrets of cooking beef on kettlebraais and gas barbecues in our Outdoor cooking class. Dishes covered in this class include spicy beef burgers, secrets of cooking the ultimate steak, prime rib roast, and Béarnaise sauce.
• Monday 24 October at 6pm – Indian class (R370pp ). Indian food is a diverse and extraordinary one, reflecting a complex layering of cultures through history and based on religious beliefs, geography, climate and availability of ingredients. India’s range of cuisine can amaze even a connoisseur. Different regions in India offer their own specialities with their very own taste, subtlety and aroma. The exotic tastes, hues and textures of Indian food have ensured a steady growth in popularity in the West. Join us in discovering these incredible dishes in our Indian cooking class. Dishes including samoosas, vindaloo, spinach kofta, mushroom pulao and gulab jamons.
• Tuesday 01 November at 6pm – Informal festive entertaining (R390pp). Entertaining during Christmas time does not have to be laborious. Our informal festive cooking class takes the stress out of Christmas. Dishes include seafood salad, orange glazed poussins, roast pork, and mini mixed fruit strudels.
• Sunday 06 November at 4pm – Spicy Thai (R380pp). Thai cuisine places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components. Thai cuisine is also known for being quite spicy as well as balancing the four fundamental taste senses in each dish or the overall meal: sour, sweet, salty, and (optional) bitter. Learn how to balance these tastes in our Thai cooking class. Dishes include minced pork northern style, spicy chicken soup, deep-fried fish in a garlic sauce, sweet and sour vegetables, stir-fried noodles and sweet rice pudding

Book of the week

River Cottage Veg

This is a vegetable cookbook. Whether or not it’s a vegetarian cookbook depends on your point of view. River Cottage Veg not written by a vegetarian, or with the intention of persuading  anyone to become a vegetarian. But none of the recipes in the book contains a scrap of meat or fish, it is strictly vegetarian. The author, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, is on a mission to persuade the public to eat more vegetables. Packed full of imaginative, tasty, meal-in-one dishes that have been thoughtfully put together to create mouthwatering dishes. …  Click Here for reviews of all our cookbook reviews.

Food quote of the week

“Never eat more than you can lift.” – Miss Piggy

Recipes of the week:

Chard & new potato curry

We eat too much meat. This recipe, taken from River Cottage Veg, shows just how versatile vegetables can be. ….Click Here for all our recipes.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery 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 cooking lessons 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.

Wickedfood Cooking School, SUNNINGHILL

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

Hi all

In this weeks newsletter we look at having organic foods delivered to your doorstep. This idea is a good way to start supporting a healthier way of eating. Small scale organic box schemes are offered across South Africa, below we point out the Gauteng box schemes. We are also attending and participating in the Slow Food Market in Skeerport this weekend, come say hi. We also highlight the use of Bacon in this weeks Food Tip.

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

Our  individual cooking class programmes are up on the internet. Click the link for the appropriate month – October

Week 3 – 17 to 23 October

Monday 17 October at 6pm – Easy to prepare Italian dishes (R380pp). Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity, abundance of difference in taste, and is known to be one of the most popular in the world. The main characteristics of Italian cuisine is its extreme simplicity. Dishes and recipes are often the creation of grandmothers rather than of chefs, and this makes many recipes ideally suited for home cooking. This is one of the main reasons behind the ever increasing popularity of this cuisine. Join us in this Italian cooking class for an introduction to Italian cuisine including tomato pizza, bean and pasta soup, cannelloni, grilled fish, bean salad and lemon tart.

Sunday 23 October at 4pm – Outdoor Cooking – beef class (R395pp). A braai is essentially a traditional way of preparing a meal on the open fire. It has evolved to take on many forms since early pioneering days – from a wood fire to the use of charcoal and gas. Today a variety of BBQ shapes and cooking surfaces allows for exciting and innovative methods of meal preparation. It is unquestionably the most enticing, easy and informal way to entertain. Join us in learning the Delicious secrets for cooking beef on kettlebraais and gas barbecues in our Outdoor cooking class. Dishes covered in this class include spicy beef burgers, secret of cooking the ultimate steak, prime rib roast, and Béarnaise sauce.

Week 4 – 24 to 30 October

Tuesday 25 October at 6pm – Indian class (R370pp for the class). Indian food is a diverse and extraordinary one, reflecting a complex layering of cultures through history and based on religious beliefs, geography, climate and availability of ingredients. India’s range of cuisine can amaze even a connoisseur. Different regions in India offer their own specialties with their very own taste, subtlety and aroma. The exotic tastes, hues and textures of Indian food have ensured a steady growth in popularity in the West. Join us in discovering these incredible dishes in our Indian cooking class. Dishes including samoosas, vindaloo, spinach kofta, mushroom pulao and gulab jamons.

Week 1 – 31 October to 06 November

Tuesday 01 November at 6pm – Informal festive entertaining (R390pp). Entertaining during Christmas time does not have to be laborious, our informal festive cooking class takes the stress out of Christmas. Dishes include seafood salad, orange glazed poussins, roast pork, and mini mixed fruit strudels.

Sunday 06 November at 4pm – Spicy Thai (R380pp). Thai cuisine places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components. Thai cuisine is also known for being quite spicy as well as balancing the four fundamental taste senses in each dish or the overall meal: sour, sweet, salty, and (optional) bitter. Learn how to balance these tastes in our Thai cooking class. Dishes include Minced pork northern style, Spicy chicken soup, Deep-fried fish in a garlic sauce, Sweet and sour vegetables, Stir-fried noodles and Sweet rice pudding

Week 2 – 07 to 13 November

Monday 07 November at 6pm – Classic French cooking (R370pp). This French cookery Class is a perfect introduction to French cuisine, which includes cheese soufflé, potato and leek soup, coq au vin, potato gratin, and tarte tatin.

Green ideas for your Home:

ORGANIC BOX SCHEMES

The organic food industry is still in its developing stages in South Africa. When you buy organic food from either an exclusively organic shop or from a retailer that offers an organic option, you are contributing to the increase in demand for organically grown food. Organic farming systems use environmentally-sound methods to control weeds and pests and naturally maintain and replenish the fertility of the soil. Food is grown without chemical pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or fertilisers. This is good for the health of our planet and ultimately our bodies.

Foxglove Herbs & Delicacies
Sue Vingerhoets • www.foxglove.co.za
herbs@foxglove.co.za •  011 466 9977 or 0866 888 500

Suppliers of organic boxes from their shop with a weekly list of available products emailed to clients for them to choose from.

Organic Emporium

Deborah Logan • www.organicemporium.co.za
ivette@organicemporium.co.za •  011 704 0786
011 704 5475  •  083 225 0861
A large variety of organic produce (including fish, vegies and cleaning materials) delivered to your doorstep in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs.

Wensleydale Farms
Tim, Sue or Crispin Jackson • www.wensleydale.co.za
sue@wensleydale.co.za •  012 650 0064
086 511 44 71  •  082 410 3479
They grow and distribute certified organic fruit and vegetables. They also have a vegetable box scheme where they deliver fresh organic produce direct to the public.

Food tip of the week:

BACON

Cooked bacon loses about 80% of its raw weight (which is mostly fat and a small amount of water).
This is why raw bacon has about 126 calories per slice, and cooked crisp bacon has only about 35 calories.

1/2 cup crumbled Bacon = 8 crisp cooked slices

Bacon is cured and smoked pork. Mostly pork bellies are used, some countries bacon is made from the rib eye of boneless pork loin, and most European countries use the ham (thigh) or shoulder to make bacon.

An opened package of bacon keeps for about 1 week. Unopened vacuum sealed packages of bacon will keep in the freezer for about a month before the fat begins to oxidise and turn rancid.

Blanch heavily salted bacon in boiling water for a minute before using in recipes to reduce the amount of salt in the bacon.

Interesting places in Joburg:

Slow Market

Wickedfood Earth will be participating at the new Slow Market in Skeerport. This local produce market is all about fresh ingredients and bringing the local farmers closer to the general public. See you there..

The Wickedfood Team

.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking school. 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 cooking courses 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. Great Team building ideas.

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

Hi all,

The first of the summer vegetables is now coming in to the shops, with asparagus and artichokes leading the way. On the fruit side, strawberries are in full swing, and the first mulberries are starting to appear, together with early peaches and nectarines.  See our recipe of the week for tips on cooking asparagus.

Cooking classes for individuals for the next two weeks include Spanish peasant cooking, Making pasta sauces, Easy Italian and Outdoor cooking, this one concentrating on beef.  See the overview below for all the cooking classes for the next two months.

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.

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.

Wickedfood Cooking School news

Cooking class programmes for the next two months are up on the internet, click the relevant month for the October and November programmes.

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 cooking class.

• Sunday 09 October at 4pm – Spanish peasant cooking (R380pp for the class). Learn to cook with the robust flavours of the Spanish countryside in this Spanish cooking class. Spanish food reflects this vast country’s turbulent history, diverse geography and Mediterranean culture. The class includes fried calamari, chourizo and cheese fritters, garlic soup, butterflied lamb, hot chourizo salad, and fried cream.
• Monday 10 October at 6pm – Making pasta sauces (R370pp). Tired of the same old pasta sauces? Come learn some new ones in our pasta cooking class. Delicious, no-fuss, easy sauces for pasta, including raw tomato sauce with ricotta cheese, rocket pesto, vodka tomato cream, ham and mascarpone, and ragù with nuts and mushrooms.
• Monday 17 October at 6pm – Easy to prepare Italian dishes (R380pp). Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity, abundance of difference in taste, and is known to be one of the most popular in the world. The main characteristics of Italian cuisine is its extreme simplicity. Dishes and recipes are often the creation of grandmothers rather than of chefs, and this makes many recipes ideally suited for home cooking. This is one of the main reasons behind the ever increasing popularity of this cuisine. Join us in this Italian cooking class for an introduction to Italian cuisine including tomato pizza, bean and pasta soup, cannelloni, grilled fish, bean salad and lemon tart.
• Sunday 23 October at 4pm – Outdoor Cooking – beef class (R395pp). A braai is essentially a traditional way of preparing a meal on the open fire. It has evolved to take on many forms since early pioneering days – from a wood fire to the use of charcoal and gas. Today a variety of BBQ shapes and cooking surfaces allows for exciting and innovative methods of meal preparation. It is unquestionably the most enticing, easy and informal way to entertain. Join us in learning the delicious secrets of cooking beef on kettlebraais and gas barbecues in our Outdoor cooking class. Dishes covered in this class include spicy beef burgers, secrets of cooking the ultimate steak, prime rib roast, and Béarnaise sauce.

On Asparagus

Asparagus is a spring vegetable, and is getting to the height of the season right now.  Enjoy the ones that are grown locally now, while they are abundant on the shelf, at good prices.

Asparagus is a flowering perennial plant in the genus as the lily family. A plant may have a life of up to 20 years if cultivated with care. On the negative side, they make the soil around them sterile, so once they are removed, very little else grows where they were being cultivated.

Earliest records of asparagus cultivation trace it back to Greece some 2,500 years ago. The Greeks believed that asparagus possessed medicinal properties and recommended it as a cure for toothaches.

It is the tender shoots of the asparagus that are harvested. On the shelves you find mainly green and white varieties, and occasionally purple.  They are all the same plant, with the white asparagus growing beneath this soil, whereas the green asparagus is harvested once it is approximately 15 to 20cm above the soil. The colour is thus determined by the amount of exposure to sunlight. The white asparagus variety has less flavour than the green or purple asparagus. They are always harvested by hand, a very labour intensive vegetable. Click here for two simple recipes.

Book of the week

One Magic Square: The Easy, Organic Way to Grow Your Own Food on a  square metre.

Australian gardener, Lolo Houbain’s popular book on creating themed and small 1m2 food gardens, has reached South Africa. Starting with a discussion on the types of food production in the world, she then encourages the reader to start his own small food garden using one of 30 different designs. She also covers how to prepare the beds, composting, pests, and vegetable and herb culture. Finally she has a section on vegetables and herbs that you can plant.

Click Here for reviews of all our cookbook reviews.

Food quote of the week

“Don’t take a butcher’s advice on how to cook meat. If he knew, he’d be a chef.” – Andy Rooney

Recipes of the week:

Asparagus

Asparagus is one of the first spring vegetables to arrive on the shop shelves.  They are now at the height of the season, with prices coming down all the time.  Buy local, the fresher the sweeter.  Here are two simple recipes, one for white and the other for green asparagus, as well as a delicious easy-to-prepare sauce. ….Click Here for all our recipes.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery 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 cooking lessons 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.

Wickedfood Cooking School, SUNNINGHILL

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

Hi all

In this weeks newsletter we look at making compost which is a very simple process. If you throw the stuff in the dustbin it will be wasted and end up in an expensive and undesirable landfill site, where it will do no good at all. The result of composting is a free supply of the best possible soil improvement material for your garden and an alternative to all the expensive artificial fertilisers and peat. BUT, ISN’T IT COMPLICATED?
Nah, not really, we explain below in our ‘Green ideas for your home’. We also visit the new Neighbourgoods Market. The Johannesburg version of the Biscuit Mill is finally open! In keeping with their commitment to urban regeneration and the goal to revive and reinvent the Public Market as a civic institution, they have chosen a venue in the heart of the city precinct of Braamfontein. Market-goers can expect the same high standards of quality and experience that have become the benchmark of the cape town market. We also highlight the use of Avocados in this weeks Food Tip.

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

Our  individual cooking class programmes are up on the internet. Click the link for the appropriate month – October

Week 1 – 03 October to 09 October

Monday 03 October at 6pm – Spicy Thai (R380pp for the class). Thai cuisine places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components. Thai cuisine is also known for being quite spicy as well as balancing the four fundamental taste senses in each dish or the overall meal: sour, sweet, salty, and (optional) bitter. Learn how to balance these tastes in our Thai cooking class. Dishes include Minced pork northern style, Spicy chicken soup, Deep-fried fish in a garlic sauce, Sweet and sour vegetables, Stir-fried noodles and Sweet rice pudding

Sunday 09 October at 4pm – Spanish peasant cooking (R380pp for the class). Learn to cook with the robust flavours of the Spanish countryside in this Spanish cooking class. Spanish food reflects this vast country’s turbulent history, diverse geography and Mediterranean culture. The class includes fried calamari, chourizo and cheese fritters, garlic soup, butterflied lamb, hot chourizo salad, and fried cream.

Week 2 – 10 to 16 October

Monday 10 October at 6pm – Making pasta sauces (R370pp). Tired of the same old pasta sauces? Come learn some new ones in our pasta cooking class. Delicious, no-fuss, easy sauces for pasta, including raw tomato sauce with ricotta cheese, rocket pesto, vodka tomato cream, ham and mascarpone, and ragù with nuts and mushrooms.

Week 3 – 17 to 23 October

Monday 17 October at 6pm – Easy to prepare Italian dishes (R380pp). Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity, abundance of difference in taste, and is known to be one of the most popular in the world. The main characteristics of Italian cuisine is its extreme simplicity. Dishes and recipes are often the creation of grandmothers rather than of chefs, and this makes many recipes ideally suited for home cooking. This is one of the main reasons behind the ever increasing popularity of this cuisine. Join us in this Italian cooking class for an introduction to Italian cuisine including tomato pizza, bean and pasta soup, cannelloni, grilled fish, bean salad and lemon tart.

Sunday 23 October at 4pm – Outdoor Cooking – beef class (R395pp). A braai is essentially a traditional way of preparing a meal on the open fire. It has evolved to take on many forms since early pioneering days – from a wood fire to the use of charcoal and gas. Today a variety of BBQ shapes and cooking surfaces allows for exciting and innovative methods of meal preparation. It is unquestionably the most enticing, easy and informal way to entertain. Join us in learning the Delicious secrets for cooking beef on kettlebraais and gas barbecues in our Outdoor cooking class. Dishes covered in this class include spicy beef burgers, secret of cooking the ultimate steak, prime rib roast, and Béarnaise sauce.

Green ideas for your Home:

Our Sustainable World: Composting

WHY COMPOST?

It’s all based on natural processes that ensure most living things that die rot away (or decompose). The world is full of organisms that feed on dead material, breaking it down to products at the foot of the food-chain – they are Nature’s Recyclers. Wherever you find dead things you’ll find a concentration of them doing their job. In composting we simply utilise their natural abilities to turn waste vegetable matter into a nutrient rich humus which you can add to your garden soil to boost it’s growing power, improve it’s structure and moisture content.

You don’t need any fancy equipment to begin a compost heap. Start in an out-of the-way spot in your garden on bare soil, not on paving or concrete, and simply start to build a heap from all of your waste vegetable material. It’s best to start off with a course layer of prunings, bark and twigs to allow air to enter the heap more easily (more of that later). You can knock together a rudimentary three-sided frame out of old pallet wood to hold the heap in place and help it’s efficiency or you can make your heap in an old plastic dustbin with the bottom cut off.
Once the heap has reached a reasonable size, those tiny organisms will really get to work. In fact they work so hard that the temperature in the middle of your heap can reach 70ºC within two or three weeks (although it is more usual to find temperatures of around 50ºC). It will take four to eighteen months (depending on conditions) before your heap is ready to add to your garden soil. You’ll know when it’s ready when it’s dark in colour and has a sweet earthy smell. Of course, the recently added material at the top of the heap won’t be ready yet, so simply use the stuff from the bottom of the heap and put the rest back to continue.
WHAT CAN I COMPOST?

• Fruit and vegetable peelings
• prunings and broken-up twigs
• Grass cuttings
• Cut flowers
• Autumnal leaf falls
• Horse, rabbit, pigeons & chicken manures
• Straw
• Feathers, hair and fur
• Tea leaves/bags and coffee grounds
• Shredded wood/branches
• Crushed egg shells
• Shredded newspaper

WHAT SHOULDN’T I COMPOST?

• Meat, meat products, fish or cheese
• Cooked scraps or scrapings
• Persistent weeds or weeds in seed
• Diseased plants
• Soot or coal ash
• Human faeces or used nappies
• Pet litter or pet waste
• Metal, glass, plastic, artificial textiles

IS THERE ANY SPECIAL MAINTENANCE?
The micro-organisms and bacteria that turn your heap into compost require three things: vegetable matter, moisture and air. Excluding air means that you’ll encourage “anaerobic” organisms to get to work and turn your heap into a smelly, slimy mess. So one essential bit of heap maintenance is “turning”. This means turning the heap over with a garden fork once every fortnight to mix and aerate it.
Your compost heap needs to be kept moist, but not wet, so keep it covered to keep out the rain and water it a little if it becomes too dry.
Heat is essential for rapid maturing of the heap. The heat is self-generated by the organisms as they break down the vegetable material, but the heat may be easily lost in cold weather. You can help by covering the heap with old carpets as the days get colder.
Things that will help accelerate the composting process are nettles (especially young ones, but avoid putting the roots in), chicken manure and human urine.

Food tip of the week:

AVOCADO

Avocados will not ripen on the tree. They must be picked from the tree to initiate ripening. The leaves supply a substance that prevents ripening. The best way to store avocados is to leave them on the tree; they will store for 7 months or more when left on the tree.

• Storage below 4 degrees C or above 21 degrees C will cause rot.
• Some varieties will spoil below 10 degrees C.
• Ripen at room temperature (15 – 21 degrees C), then store at 7 degrees C.

Depending upon type and variety, avocados vary greatly in shape, size, and colour. Most tend to be pear-shaped, but some are almost spherical. Fruits weighing under 200g are most commonly available. Some have rough or leathery textured skin, while others have smooth skin. The skin colour of most varieties is some shade of green, but certain varieties turn maroon, brown, or purplish-black as they ripen.

Despite this variation in appearance, avocados are of good eating quality when they are properly ripened, becoming slightly soft. This ripening process normally takes from 3 to 5 days at room temperature for the quite firm avocados usually found in food stores. Ripening can be slowed by refrigeration.

Look for: For immediate use, select slightly soft avocados which yield to gentle pressure on the skin. For use in a few days, buy firm fruits that do not yield to the squeeze test. Leave them at room temperature to ripen.
Irregular light-brown markings are sometimes found on the outside skin. These markings generally have no effect on the flesh of the avocado.

Avoid: Avocados with dark sunken spots in irregular patches or cracked or broken surfaces. These are signs of decay.

An extra tip: When preparing avocados, to avoid the browning of avocado flesh when exposed to air, immediately place the peeled fruit in lemon juice until ready for use.

Avocados are about 22% fat, with the average medium size avocado containing 300 calories and 30 grams of fat.

Avocados are loaded with nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, and folate. They’re also cholesterol and sodium free. Avocados contain 60% more potassium per ounce than bananas. This fruit is an excellent source of monounsaturated fat.

Interesting places in Joburg:

NEIGHBOURGOODS MARKET JOHANNESBURG

The market runs every saturday, come rain or shine form 9:00 – 15:00. There is also a calender of special events throughout the year such as the We Love RealBeer Festival and the forthcoming Barrel & Vine. Participating taredrs include: &Union breweries, Origin artisan coffee roasters and Nigiro tea’s, Fine & Raw chocolates, Richard Bosman & The Charcuterie, Buffalo Ridge mozzarella & Lazanou organic vineyards. If you consider yourself a foodie or self proclaimed Ramsay when it comes to the kitchen or a maker of specialty artisan goods you can now apply for trade by filling in the trader application on their website.

The Wickedfood Team

.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking school. 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 cooking courses 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. Great Team building ideas.