Every once in awhile a really absorbing book crosses our desk.  One such book is Mark Diacono’s A Taste of the Unexpected . He quite rightly believes that it is a waste of time and effort growing the usual fruit and veg available on the supermarket shelves, they are usually cheap to buy and don’t taste that much different to what’s available at the shops.

In A Taste of the Unexpected Mark discusses growing  the more unusual fruit and vegetables – Tree Fruit, Nuts, Soft Fruit, Herbs & Spices, Beans & Greens, Leaves & Flowers and Buried Treasures. 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.

The book is winner of the Guild of Food Writers Food Book of the Year Award 2011.  Author, Mark Diacono, is head gardener at River Cottage and owner of Otter Farm, which has become known as the ‘Climate Change Farm.’ On his farm in Devon, Mark grows gourmet delights such as gojiberries, Egyptian walking onions, kai lan, salsify, Chilean guava, day lilies and Szechuan pepper.

Exciting and inspirational, A Taste of the Unexpected will redefine your approach to growing your own food. As Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall of River Cottage puts it “…I believe that this is a book that will, if you let it, if you really use it, change how and what you grow, what you cook and how you eat, forever and for the better.”

It is a book that we will definitely be using as a constant source of reference at Wickedfood Earth.

Interested in buying this book? Visit - Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, is able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for, and they deliver to your door. Pay only R369 for this book (Recommended Retail Price = R410)!  Red Pepper Books is offering Wickedfood Cooking School subscribers an EXTRA 10% off this book. Simply type in the promotional code WICKEDFOOD on the shipping page of the checkout process and your purchase will be reduced by a further 10%, and therefore pay just R332.10, a total saving of R77,90.

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.

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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.

Wickedfood Cooking School, SUNNINGHILL

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.

This is a vegetable cookbook. Whether or not it’s a vegetarian cookbook depends perhaps on your point of view. River Cottage Veg not written by a vegetarian, or with the intention of persuading  anyone else to become a vegetarian. But not one 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, and thereby to eat less meat and fish too.

Why don’t we eat more veg? They’re healthy, cost-effective and, above all, delicious. Hugh believes that it is time to put this right, as he explains in this brilliant new book. It is packed full of imaginative tasty, meal-in-one dishes that have been thoughtfully put together to create mouthwatering dishes – a warm salad of grilled courgettes, lemon, garlic, mint and mozzarella; a winter giant couscous salad with herbs and walnuts; radishes with butter and salt; linguine with mint and almond pesto and cherry tomatoes, new potato gnocchi; and  a spring onion gallette to name just a few. With over 200 recipes and vibrant photography, River Cottage Veg Every Day is a true celebration of everything vegetable. It is a book that we will definitely draw inspiration from at Wickedfood Cooking School when we develop our new series of vegetarian cooking classes  as well as vegetable accompaniments for our standard cooking classes for the new year.

For recipes from River Cottage Veg, click here

Interested in buying this book? Visit - Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, is able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for, and they deliver to your door. Pay only R360 for this book (Recommended Retail Price = R399.95)!  Red Pepper Books is offering Wickedfood Cooking School subscribers an EXTRA 10% off this book. Simply type in the promotional code WICKEDFOOD on the shipping page of the checkout process and your purchase will be reduced by a further 10%, and therefore pay just R319.96, a total saving of R80.

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.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall believes that we eat too much meat. This recipe, taken from his latest book, River Cottage Veg, shows just how versatile vegetables can be.  If you want to make it ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it, leave out the yoghurt and add it at the last minute, just before serving. It is very similar to one that we do at Wickedfood Cooking School in our Indian cooking class.  You can substitute spinach or kale for Swiss chard. Instead of potatoes, you could use any root vegetable or cauliflower.

3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
3cm piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

About 500g Swiss chard
2T  sunflower oil
1 onion, halved and finely sliced
1t garam masala
½t mustard seeds
½t ground cumin
¼t ground turmeric
3 cardamom pods, bashed
350g new potatoes, quartered
250g plain (full-fat) yoghurt
1½T tomato purée
A small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
A small handful of almonds, cashews or pistachios, toasted and chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper

1. Pound the garlic, chilli and ginger together with a pinch of salt to a paste.
2. Separate the chard leaves from the stalks. Cut the stalks into 2–3cm pieces and roughly chop the leaves.
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and fry until just golden.
4. Add the pounded garlic paste and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes.
5. Tip in the rest of the spices and stir for a minute or two.
6. Add the potatoes and chopped chard stalks and fry, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, so that they are well coated with the spice mixture.
7. Pour in about 400ml water – enough just to cover the veg. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10–12 minutes until the potatoes are just tender. Add the chard leaves, stir and cook until just wilted.
8. In a bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, tomato puree and some of the hot liquid from the curry.
9. Remove the curry from the heat, stir in the yoghurt mixture, return to the heat and warm through very gently (if it gets too hot, the yoghurt will curdle).
10. Stir in most of the coriander. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
11. Scatter over the toasted nuts and remaining coriander, then serve with rice and naan or chapattis.

Serves 4

For more recipes from River Cottage Veg,  click here

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.