Q: Hi, I’m looking for a simple basil pesto recipe. All the recipes I’ve found so far seem to call for pine nuts – where does one buy pine nuts from?

A: Most of your larger store’s should stock pine nuts, if you have no luck there try a health specialist shop or deli. At a push, you can use peeled almonds, but the flavour and texture is not quite the same.

In our cooking classes at Wickedfood Cooking School have found that the best recipe for Basil Pesto is one that is kept fresh, simple and to a minimum so that the flavours can really come through on their own. The most common pestos are probably Pesto alla genovese (basil), Pesto alla siciliana (tomato and less basil), Pesto alla calabrese (grilled bell peppers and black pepper) and Arugula (rocket, black olives, lemon peel and coriander).

In a recent individual cookery class at Wickedfood Cooking School we used this recipe which came out as a firm favourite:

• 4 cups basil roughly torn (soft stalks can be added)
• 1-2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup toasted pine nuts
• ±1t sea salt
• ¼ cup Parmesan
• ±1 cup olive oil

1. Place the basil, pine nuts, garlic and salt in a mortar and pound until a smooth paste is reached.
2. Add the cheese and mix in well.
3. Slowly pour in the olive oil and mix until the desired consistency is reached.
4. Season with salt and pepper and store in an air-tight container for ±1 week.

Serve with fresh pastas for best results.

Wickedfood Cooking School

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

Wickedfood cooking school 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.

While in Tuscany in search for ideas for their Italian cooking classes and teambuilding cooking classes, the Wickedfood Cooking School team came across this simple, quick and easy pasta recipe.

500g fettuccine
4T olive oil
2-3 Italian sausages
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 x 410g can tomatoes, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh basil (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat until warm. Add the sausage and fry, turning a few times, until browned all over and cooked. Remove from the pan and slice.
2. Add the red pepper and tomatoes to the same pan and heat until the mixture simmers. Return the sausage to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add some fresh basil, if required, at this stage.
3. Meanwhile cook the fettucine in boiling salted water until al dente.
4. Drain and turn into a warmed serving dish. Pour the tomato and sausage mixture over and mix through.

Serves 4

Read more about our trip to Tuscany click here

Wickedfood Cooking School

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

Wickedfood cooking school 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.

While traveling through Thailand Phat Thai (Fried noodles) became on of Wickedfood Cooking School film crew’s favorite snack food. We now teach this recipe in out Thai cooking class. You need a large wok for this recipe. Follow the different steps of preparation carefully, the end result is worth it.

200g rice noodles, soaked in water to soften
1/2 cup cooking oil
1T crushed garlic
1T chopped shallots
50g pork cut into thin slivers
10 prawns, shelled and deveined
50g pickled white radish, chopped
50g bean curd, sliced
1T dried shrimp
1t dried chillies
4T tamarind juice
3 eggs
3T fish sauce
2T palm sugar
200g bean sprouts
Shredded Chinese cabbage
Julienned carrots

To serve
Chopped coriander
Chopped spring onion
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts

1. Heat 3T oil in a large frying pan or wok and fry garlic and shallots for a few minutes. Add pork and prawns and stir fry until cooked. Add pickled white radish, bean curd, dried shrimps and chillies. Mix well and move to the side of the wok.
2. Add another 3T oil to the side of the pan and add the drained noodles. Add tamarind juice to the noodles and turn constantly to prevent sticking to the wok. Mix noodles and pork mixture and push to the side again.
3. Add another 2T oil to the side of the pan and break in the eggs. Spread the eggs in a thin layer with a spatula. When set, mix into noodle mixture. Add fish sauce, sugar and half the bean sprouts. Mix well. Add Chinese cabbage and carrots and mix through, stirring until heated.
4. Serve sprinkled with coriander, spring onions and peanuts, and wedges of limes or lemons.

Serves 2

Great Asian recipes – Click here:

Chicken feet

Biryani

Kaeng kari ka – yellow curried chicken

Phanaeng Beef Curry in sweet peanut sauce

Phat Thai

Tom yum kung

Green pawpaw salad

Fish head curry

Warm squid salad in a pineapple

Spiced pork spare ribs

Deep-fried silken tofu

Thai beef salad

3 Cup Chicken

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 recipe is taken from the Wickedfood cooking school cookbook-of-the-month cooking class based on Kylie Kwong’s delightful cookbook Recipes and Stories. The deep-fried tofu has crunchy exterior, served with lemon, salt and pepper. It must be eaten immediately after cooking, as it becomes moist and loses its crunch when it cools.

600g silken tofu
2 cups vegetable oil for deep-frying
½ cup cornflour
1 cup coriander leaves
2t sechuan pepper and salt
1 lemon cut in half

1. Gently remove tofu from packaging and invert on a plate. Carefully slice into 6 cubes, draining off any excess liquid.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a hot wok until the surface seems to shimmer slightly.
3. Just before frying, lightly coat tofu pieces in cornflour and, using an egg lifter, carefully lower into the hot oil. (It is important not to coat the tofu in advance of heating the oil, or it will become very moist and sticky.) Fry tofu until golden brown, remove and drain well on kitchen paper.
4. Arrange tofu on a platter garnished with coriander and serve immediately, sprinkled with sechuan pepper and salt and accompanied by lemon halves.

Serve as an entree, or as part of a banquet for 6-8

Great Asian recipes – Click here:

Chicken feet

Biryani

Kaeng kari ka – yellow curried chicken

Phanaeng Beef Curry in sweet peanut sauce

Phat Thai

Tom yum kung

Green pawpaw salad

Fish head curry

Warm squid salad in a pineapple

Spiced pork spare ribs

Deep-fried silken tofu

Thai beef salad

3 Cup Chicken

For other articles on South East Asia see:

A Taste of Thailand

Floating markets in Bangkok

Must try Singapore dishes

The ABCs of Singapore food

Singapore hawker food centres

Vietnamese cuisine

Cooking schools in South East Asia

Thai House cooking school • Bangkok • Thailand

Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School • Thailand

Red Bridge Cooking School • Hoi An • Vietnam

Books reviewed by Wickedfood on Asian food:

Secrets of the Red Lantern

Kylie Kwong: Recipes and Stories

A Passion for Thai Cooking

Balance & Harmony, Asian Food

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.

At Wickedfood Cooking School we believe that the simplest pasta recipes taste the best. This is our take on this Tuscan classic. Pecans and walnuts work equally well in this recipe. If you use very fresh walnuts and the inner skin is still pale, it must be removed because it will be bitter. If the skin is brown, it may be left on.

1 1/2 cups pecan or walnuts
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
Salt
1 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

500g good quality spaghetti

1. Chop the nuts finely with a knife, or pulse in a food processor.
2. In a pan over low heat, warm half of the olive oil. Add the nuts, garlic and breadcrumbs and fry until the garlic is just golden, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Remove from the heat and mix in the remaining olive oil.
3. In a pot, bring ±4 litres salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, ±11 minutes.
4. Drain and tip into a warm serving bowl (reserve ±1 cup of the cooking water to moisten the pasta if too dry).
5. Add the nut sauce to the spaghetti and toss well, moistening if necessary with the reserved cooking water. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 6-8 as a starter or 4 as a main course

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.