Jerusalem artichokes, a root vegetable,  are now coming into season.  To prepare, do not over season as they have a very delicate flavor.  This simple recipe, developed at Wickedfood Cooking School test kitchen could not be any easier. Add just enough seasoning to bring out the flavour.

± 800g Jerusalem Artichoke, scrubed and peeled

Milk to cover

Pinch sugar

Squirt lemon juice

Salt, pepper, and nutmeg to season

1T finely chopped chives

• Place Jerusalem artichokes in a pot, and just cover with milk.  Bring to boil and simmer on a very low heat until tender.
• Puree with the blender until smooth and pass through a sieve.
• Return the Jerusalem artichoke soup to the pot, season to taste and add a little more milk if necessary, to thin it down.
• Reheat just before serving, and garnish with chopped chives.

Serves 4

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.

At Wickedfood Cooking School we teach our students a variety of southeast Asian inspired soups in our Thai cooking classes.   A laksa is the closest one will get to a hearty warming Southeast Asian soup.  It comes in many guises, this one is an adaption from Reuben Cooks, our cookbook of the week.  In his recipe he uses salmon fillets, but we find them a little rich and prefer whitefish such as hake or gurnard. Once you have mastered this recipe substitute the seafood for chunky vegetables or chicken breasts.

1L chicken or vegetable stock
1 tin coconut milk
Salt and black pepper
20 steamed, shelled mussels
400g salmon, cut into chunks (see introduction)
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
2 red bird’s eye chillies, chopped (optional)
350g rice vermicelli noodles, cooked
1 handful of coriander or basil or mint leaves, to garnish
Onion sprouts, to garnish

Laksa paste
1T whole coriander seeds
3 stalks lemon grass
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup picked fresh coriander leaves
1T curry powder
1T turmeric
6 lime leaves
1/2 cup grated palm sugar
1/2 cup Thai fish sauce
3 green chillies, chopped
3 red chillies, chopped

• Heat the stock in a large pot. When hot, add the laksa paste. Simmer for a few minutes and add the coconut milk. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Add the steamed, shelled mussels and simmer for 1 minute.
• Add the fish and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Add the lime juice and chillies, if using. Bring the soup almost to boiling point, cover the pan and turn off the heat.
• Serve as soon as the noodles are ready. Reheat the rice vermicelli noodles, drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Moisten the noodles with a little of the soup from the seafood pot. Serve the noodles, soup and seafood in 4 large bowls, garnished with herbs and onion sprouts.

Laksa paste

• Blend all the ingredients together to make a fine paste.

Serves 4

Try these other Asian inspired soups:

Chinese corn and chicken soup

Tom yum kung

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 good chicken stock is the basis for most  sauces and soups in Chinese cooking, including Chinese corn and chicken soup.  At Wickedfood Cooking School,  we save all the offcuts from chicken carcasses that we use, in the freezer, and then once a month make a large quantity of stock which we then freeze in 500ml quantities.  It is important to boil the stock for a long time at very low heat, barely simmering.

±500g chicken carcasses/bones and/or necks

±500g pork spare ribs or meat bones

4 spring onions, each tied in a knot

12 slices ginger, crushed with a cleaver

4L water

¹/3 cup (80ml) rice wine

2t salt

1. Remove any excess fat from the bones and discard. Chop bones into large pieces.
2. Place bones into a stock pot with spring onions, ginger and water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a mere simmer and cook for 3-4 hours. Skim to remove any impurities.
3. Strain through a fine strainer and discard the solids. Leave in the fridge overnight and then skim any remaining fat from the surface.
4. Return the stock to a pot add the rice wine and salt to taste. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze in small portions.

Makes ± 3L.

Q: Recipe for best Chinese corn soup please.

A: Cantonese chicken and corn soup is one of the most popular soups throughout China, and also very popular and Wickedfood Cooking School in our Chinese cooking class. We use tinned creamed corn, and for a smooth texture, whizz it in a food processor for a couple of seconds. For flavour it is very important to use home made chicken stock. Traditionally only egg whites are used for this dish, but the whole egg can also be used.

250g chicken breast fillet, minced or coarsely chopped

²/3 cup Shaoxing rice wine

400g tinned creamed sweet corn

1,5L chicken stock

1t salt

2T cornflour, dissolved in a ¹/4 cup of water

2 eggs (or whites, see introduction), lightly beaten with 2T water

2t roasted sesame oil

1. Place the chicken in a bowl together with 3T of the rice wine and combine. Set aside.
2. Place any remaining wine, sweet corn, chicken stock and salt in a large pot and bring to the boil, stirring continuously.
3. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to simmer, add the chicken and stir to separate the meat. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the dissolved cornflour, in a thin stream, stirring continuously, and simmer until thickened slightly.
5. Remove from heat and pour the egg in, in a thin stream to create long strands, mixing as you pour.
6. Stir in the sesame oil. Check the seasoning and serve immediately.

Serves 6

A great healthy soup that is quick to make with little effort and works well as a warm hearty winter soup or cold summer alternative.

Oil for frying
2 carrots peeled and roughly sliced
2 celery stalks sliced
2 medium onions chopped
2 cloves garlic sliced
2L vegetable stock
800g frozen peas
1 cup fresh mint leaves
Sea salt and pepper

1 ciabatta for serving (optional)
125ml crème fraîche (optional)

1. Heat 2T oil in a large pot and add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic and fry until carrots are soft and onion is golden brown ±10 minutes.
2. Pour in the stock and mix in well soaking up any flavours that have stuck to the bottom of the pot.
3. Add the peas, stir well and bring up to a boil and then allow to simmer for until peas are soft.
4. Take off the heat and add mint leaves and liquidize until smooth.
5. To serve
6. Divide into bowls and serve with fresh or toasted bread and crème fraîche.

Wickedfood Cooking School

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

Wickedfood Cooking school runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studios. 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 – team building 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 teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.