At Wickedfood Cooking School, we offer cooking classes for individuals on every alternate Sunday afternoon and most Mondays.  On Sunday just gone by,  we ran a pasta cooking class, where students learned the art of making pasta, including how to make flavoured pasta and how to fill pasta,  as well as a variety of pasta sauces.

Congrarelations to Hannelie and partner, our recent compertition winner

The class was presented by Mike, our development chef, and attended by twelve eager students, two of whom were there as prize winners for our recent competition.

Mike showing students how to fill ravioli

Cutting chilli flavoured pasta into fettuccini

During the class the students were shown that techniques of making four flavoured pastas:

1. Chilli tagliatelle – with a seafood cream;
2. Yellow and green Tagliatelle – beautiful colours with a cream, chicken and mushroom sauce;
3. Pepper fettuccini – with  a simple cream and parmesan sauce (Alfredo sauce)
4. Fried sweet pasta – with grappa in the dough.

They also made two delicious filled pastas:

1. Cappelletti – with a butter cream sauce.
2. Beef filled spinach ravioli – with a mushroom, tomato and red wine sauce.

Click here for more pictures of students learning to make pasta

For more on making pasta click on one of the links below:

1. Making Fresh Pasta
2. Pasta Dough
3. Mushroom sauce for pasta
4. Colouring pasta
5. Broccoli and Pesto Tagliatelle
6. Beef bolognese
7. Basil Pesto
8. Fettuccine with sausage & tomatoes
9. Baker’s spaghetti

Wickedfood Cooking School

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.

A great and simple recipe, not much work is required for a dessert that can really wow your friends. We’re using bananas as they are always available but any fresh fruit can be used, why not spice it up with the addition of chocolate chips or dried fruit and nuts.

100g unsalted butter, cubed
300g castor sugar
8 large bananas peeled and sliced lengthways
1t ground cinnamon
2 oranges, zest of
1 packet puff pastry
Flour for dusting
Optional for serving: crème fraiche, vanilla ice-cream mixed with 4T desiccated coconut

1. Preheat oven 180°C.
2. Place the butter into a sturdy deep-sided baking tray (approximately 19 x 30cm), place the tray on a low heat, let the butter melt and then add the sugar and stir constantly until completely dissolved.
3. Lay the bananas on top of the golden caramel and remove from the heat, sprinkle the cinnamon and half the zest on to your bananas.
4. Dust a clean work surface and rolling pin with flour, place your pastry on its side and roll out until you have a rectangle shape about the same size as your baking dish and about 0.5cm thick.
5. Drape the pastry over the rolling pin and transfer to the baking tray and roll over the bananas gently tucking it in around the bananas to make sure they are well covered with no gaps. Prick the pastry a few times and then place in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden.
6. When ready remove from the oven and turn out onto a board or serving platter immediately as to stop the sugar from sticking.
7. To serve cut into portions and garnish with lemon zest and dollops of crème friache (or ice-cream).

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 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 classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Serves 4

Q: How do I get a smoky flavour to meat that is cooked in a kettle braai?

A: Smoking with Speciality Wood – Speciality wood is the secret many grill fanatics swear by for authentic barbecue smoke flavour. Which type of speciality wood to use is widely debated, since each creates a certain flavour. Think of speciality wood as a seasoning for your barbecue. Using it will give flavour to the meat just like using a barbecue sauce.

Varieties of Speciality Woods – Wood from nut trees, such as hickory and pecan, tends to be much stronger flavoured, which some people don’t like. Fruit trees tend to have milder flavours – pecan, cherry, hickory, oak, orange, mulberry, apple, peach, apricot. Until you know which type of smoking wood you like, you might want to try a variety. That way, you can experiment with different flavours without having to buy a whole bunch of different cooking woods.

How to Cook With Speciality Woods – Like wine, certain types of specialty woods go best with certain types of meat. Most barbecue experts like oak with beef, and lighter fruitwoods, such as apple, with chicken. Many seasoned chefs also mix their smoking woods. For instance, you can use half pecan and half apple for a new taste when grilling chicken.
To use speciality woods, soak the wood chips in water for at least half an hour before adding them to the grill. If you have a smoker box in your grill, you can put the chips there. If you are using a gas grill, wrap them in foil and puncture a few holes. If you are using a charcoal grill, you can put them in right on top of the coals.

Smoky roast chicken

Simple roast chicken is delicious. Together with baked potatoes and boiled vegetables, or a green salad it makes a really good healthy family meal. For a delicious slightly smoky flavour, there is no better way of cooking chicken, than on a kettlebraai. Simply rub with salt and pepper, and maybe a bit of lemon juice and cook. The addition of wood to the fire as you put the chicken on gives a wonderful smoky flavour.

1 x ±1,5kg chicken
Salt and pepper
Lemon juice – optional

1-2 sticks of fruit tree wood

1. Trim the chicken of excess fat, checking especially the neck and tail cavities and make sure that there are no feathers left on.
2. Rub the chicken well, including the stomach cavity, with salt and pepper, and lemon juice if using.
3. Place the chicken on the roasting grid of the kettlebraai, breast side down with a container underneath to catch any dripping juices. Add the wood onto the coals, if using.
4. Roast the chicken for 40 minutes, at about 180°C, then turn it over, breast side up and roast for a further 20 minutes.
5. Carve into pieces and serve.

Serves 4

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 classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

This is a really tasty cross between a French fricassee and a Russian stroganoff. If you put some rice on to cook, you can quickly make the dish in another pan and by the time the rice is done everything will be ready. Will work well with beef and pork as well as any firm white fish.

Oil for cooking
2 large leeks quartered length way and then sliced into 1cm strips
250g portobello or oyster mushrooms
4 chicken breast skin and bone removed sliced into 1cm lengths
¼ cup butter
2cups dry white wine
1 cup water
2 cups fresh flat leaf parsley (include the stalks and reserve 2T for garnish)
500ml single cream
I lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan. Add the leeks, white wine and water. Season with salt and pepper and allow to simmer for 5min with lid ¾ on.
2. Add the chicken, parsley, cream and mushrooms. Stir in and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook for 10min covered.
3. Take off the heat and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon and stir in well. Season to taste. Serve with rice.

TIP: to add colour add some chopped red peppers when the chicken goes in. beef would also work well replace the white wine for red.

Serves 4

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 classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Q: Can you please help us with a recipe?
EXTREMELY HEALTHY Food
We must cook this under 20 minutes
We only have a microwave and an electric pan

A: Although microwaves have become an integral part of most households, they are still largely underutilized. this recipe is for a simple Seafood Pilaf, but once you get comfortable with how your microwave works you can really start been imaginative with cooking fantastic dishes from delicious Thai green Curry’s and curried butternut soups to superb desserts like flop proof carrot cakes and creme caramels.

This recipe is from one of our Microwave Cooking course which we did in our recent Individual cooking class at Wickedfood Cooking School.

Rice, with a mixed seafood base of squid, fish and mussels. This dish is delicious served hot, or the next day at room temperature for lunch.

1. In a large pyrex bowl that will eventually hold all the ingredients, mix together the oil, rice and turmeric. Microwave on 900W for 1 minute.
2. Add the mushrooms, marrow, pepper, onion, stock and orange juice. ¾ cover the dish with gladwrap and microwave on 900W for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the fish and prawns, and microwave at 600W for a further 4 minutes, stirring halfway through.
4. Add mussels, squid and tomato, and cook for a further minute, adjust seasoning and serve.

Serves 2

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. We offer a variety of Microwave Cooking Classes. 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 classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.