Wickedfood Cooking School, SUNNINGHILL

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.

Wickedfood Cooking School, SUNNINGHILL

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

Hi all,

Cold winter days deserve hearty meals. At Wickedfood Earth we have sweet potatoes, pumpkin and braised  lettuce, and with it lots of steaming stews, with dried pulses, and  hearty roasts – see our recipe of the week, Slow roast shoulder of lamb, below.  We are pleased to report that our individual classes are becoming more and more popular and that many of them are running at full capacity.  To avoid disappointment, please try to book as far in advance as possible.

Do you have a passion for food and want to share that enjoyment with others?  At Wickedfood Cooking School in Sunninghill we are once again looking for people who would like to be trained to become counter-assistants and instructors.  These are part-time  positions with the possibility of working a few mornings, afternoons for evenings a month.   For more information, send an e-mail to geoffrey@wickedfood.co.za, with a short motivation.

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  July and August 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 17 July at 4pm – 30 minute meals (R380 pp). A cooking class for the housewife, the executive, the newly single and the I’m-too-busy-to-cooks out there. Come learn 6 healthy, quick and easy 30-minute meals which include a vegetarian stir-fry, red chicken curry, pepper steak, sun-dried tomato pesto, fish with almonds, and pizza
• Monday 18 July at 6pm - Indian delights (R370 pp). Indian cuisine is distinguished by its sophisticated use of spices and herbs which differ according to community, region, and state. Join us in discovering the exotic flavours of authentic Indian cooking in this spicy Indian cooking class. Dishes include lamb kofta, fish in a yoghurt sauce, vegetarian biryani, parrathas and carrot halva.
• Monday 25 July at 6pm – The tastes of Spain (R390 pp). Spanish cuisine is down-to-earth, uncomplicated food, based on the ingredients available locally or the crops grown regionally. In this Spanish cooking class we introduce ‘the people’s cuisine’ which includes tortilla Espanola, salt cod fritters, gazpacho, paella, and almond tart.
• Sunday 31 July at 4pm - Making flavoured pasta, shapes and sauces (R370 pp). Adding flavour and colour to fresh hand-made pasta. Learn the secrets of making pasta from scratch and pairing it with a sauce in this pasta cooking class. Dishes include pepper fettuccini with an Alfredo sauce, chilli tagliatelle with a seafood cream, beef filled spinach ravioli and fried sweet pasta with grappa.

Cookbook of the week

Seasonal Spanish Food

With his love of vibrant flavours and uncomplicated ingredients, José Pizarro has long delighted customers with his dishes at Brindisa tapas restaurant in London, next door to Borough Market. His cooking is based on traditional recipes, but gives a modern twist. In his book Seasonal Spanish Food, he follows this philosophy through, with recipes that are simple and easy to follow.

Click Here for reviews of all our cookbook reviews.

Food quote of the week

“As a child my family’s menu consisted of two choices:  take it or leave it.” – Buddy Hackett

Recipes of the week:

Slow roast shoulder of lamb

This recipe comes from our cookbook of the week. It’s a delicious hearty winter dish to complement a full bodied red wine. Ideal for casual entertaining, the lamb tastes delicious served with a green salad and  baked potatoes with apples. ….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,

Asian cooking is extremely popular at Wickedfood Cooking School, especially our Thai and Indian cooking classes.  In July we’ll be offering both an Indian and Thai cooking class for individuals, and in anticipation of these classes, we have listed some of our favourite Asian cookbooks in this week’s blog.  Happy reading.

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  July and August 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 03 July at 4pm – Sweet Treats – working with Chocolate (R390pp). Learn the secrets of working with chocolate in this chocolate cooking class, including decadent chocolate cake, chocolate truffles, brownies, choc chip cookies and layered chocolate mousse.
• Monday 04 July at 6pm – Gordon Ramsay – Cooking for Friends (R390 pp). This Gordon Ramsay cooking class is based on his book Cooking for Friends. Love him or hate him, he certainly knows his food. In this book, we see a very different side of him, more relaxed, cooking some best-loved versions of classic British dishes for family and friends, including Shropshire Summer soup, Farfalle with bacon, peas and sage, Braised chicken thighs.
• Monday 11 July at 6pm – Thai classics (R370pp). Thai cooking is very different to modern western cooking but internationally famous. In this Thai cooking class we teach you how to balance the 5 flavours of this cuisine in the following dishes, which include fish cakes chicken and coconut milk soup, spicy grilled squid salad and Thai-fried rice.
• Sunday 17 July at 4pm – 30 minute meals (R380pp). A cooking class for the housewife, the executive, the newly single and the I’m-too-busy-to-cooks out there. Come learn 6 healthy, quick and easy 30 minute meals which include a vegetarian stir-fry, red chicken curry, pepper steak, sun-dried tomato pesto, fish with almonds, and pizza
• Monday 18 July at 6pm - Indian delights (R370pp). Indian cuisine is distinguished by its sophisticated use of spices and herbs which differ according to community, region, and state. Join us in discovering the exotic flavours of authentic Indian cooking in this spicy Indian cooking class. Dishes include lamb kofta, fish in a yoghurt sauce, vegetarian biryani, parrathas and carrot halva.

Cookbook of the week

Great Asian Cookbooks

Asian cooking classes are our most popular genre at Wickedfood Cooking School. We get numerous requests for recommendations of good Asian cookbooks.   Click Here for reviews of some of our favourite Asian Cookbooks.

Food quote of the week

“There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who love chocolate, and communists”. - Leslie Moak Murray in “Murray’s Law“

Recipes of the week:

Stir Fried Pork and Tofu with Soy Chilli Dressing

One of Neil Perry’s favourite Asian dishes, from his book Simply Asian - a book that is the base of one of the Asian cooking classes at Wickedfood Cooking School. In his version of Ma Po Tofu, the tofu is kept in cubes rather than being chopped up with the pork mince – this way you can enjoy the jelly-like texture of the silken tofu. Serve as a lunch or light dinner for two, with rice. . ….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,

It looks like it will be a cold weekend  for Easter.  Perfect weather to indulge in chocolate, see our delicious recipe of the week.  It is also Jerusalem artichoke time and we have a simple warming Jerusalem artichoke soup as an added quick recipe.

Because outdoor cooking is so popular in South Africa, early in May (see programme below) Wickedfood Cooking School will be running our popular outdoor cooking class, teaching students the secrets of cooking on kettlebraais. included in the class will be a recipe on how to keep chicken juicy, with a delicate smoky flavour.

To all of you going away, have a safe journey, and those staying behind, we have some delicious classes on offer, including a French cooking class and Indian cooking class.

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  April and May 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.

• Monday 25 April at 6pm – Classic French cooking (R380pp). This French cookery class is a perfect  introduction to French cuisine including cheese soufflé, potato and leek soup, coq au vin, potato gratin, and tarte tatin.
• Monday 02 May at 6pm – Indian class (R370pp). This Indian cooking class is yet another great introduction to learning the secrets of cooking authentic Indian dishes which include mild spicy tomato soup, rogan josh, lentils with spinach, chapatis and apricots in cardamom syrup.
• Sunday 8 May at 4pm - Outdoor Cooking – poultry (R390pp). In this Outdoor Cooking Class, learn the secrets of outdoor cooking on Cadac kettlebraais and gas barbecues. Dishes covered in this class include whole roasted juicy chicken, how to smoke a chicken in a kettlebraai, tangy tomato marinade, chicken kebabs, quick and easy bread pockets, grilled vegetables and bananas with a chocolate sauce.

On Food

Know your Jerusalem Artichoke

Cookbook of the week

Tender: Volume II, A cook’s guide to the fruit garden

Nigel Slater is a cook who writes, he’s no doubt one of the top food writers around at the moment. Over the years, he has produced a variety of superb cookbooks.  In Tender, his last book, Nigel focused on his vegetable patch. Now, in Tender: Volume II, A cook’s guide to the fruit garden, he turns to his fruit garden for inspiration, with around 300 recipe ideas for everything from stews and soups, to puddings and pies. … Click Here for more information.

Food quote of the week

“Like a melting snowflake, the perfectly ripe pear is a fleeting thing. Something to be caught, held tenderly, briefly marvelled at, before it is gone forever. Ripeness is all.” - Nigel Slater from his new book Tender: Volume II

Recipes of the week:

This week we once again bring you 2 delicious recipes:

• Chocolate and chestnut terrine - a seriously rich recipe to be enjoyed in thin slices, perfect as a decadent Easter treat, with chestnuts just coming into season. This cake is very similar to one that we make at Wickedfood Cooking School in our chocolate cooking class.
• Jerusalem artichoke soup -  Jerusalem artichokes are now coming into season.  To prepare, do not over season as they have a very delicate flavour.  This simple recipe, developed at Wickedfood Cooking School test kitchen could not be any easier.

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,

Wickedfood Cooking School has become a popular venue for end-of-year functions over the years. Although dates are filling up rapidly for the next six weeks, we still do have limited space available should your company still be looking for a venue for the end of your function.  Alternatively why not consider organizing a function in January as a welcome back function for your star staff and/or clients. For more information, click here, or contact the school.

In addition, we also have some mouthwatering classes for our individual clients. We are re-running the most popular classes of the year, so if you missed due to these classes being full, then this is a great opportunity. Book early to avoid disappointment.

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

Cooking class programmes are up on the internet, click the relevant month for the 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.

• Wednesday 11 November at 6pm – Classic Indian dishes (R370pp). Authentic Indian cooking class, with dishes including chicken mulligatawny, classic lamb buriyani, soya korma, spicy chick peas, naans and coconut pasties.
• Sunday 14 November at 4pm – Alternative Christmas dinner (R380pp). Our popular Xmas cooking class, with recipes ideal for a hot weather Christmas, including chicken liver mousse, sun-dried tomato soup, de-boned turkey, roasted medallions of fillet, and Christmas bombe. De-boned turkey and Christmas bombe, due to the length of the preparation, a hands-on demonstration of the preparation will be given, but the finished dish may not be sampled in the class.
• Monday 15 November at 6pm – Alfresco Italian dining (R360pp). Classic Italian cooking class with dishes from the Italian kitchen, ideal for a 6-course summer buffet dinner – stuffed tomatoes, cheese mould, potato gnocchi with a gorgonzola sauce, cold sliced pork and tuna sauce, and zuccotto.
• Monday 22 November at 6pm – Informal festive entertaining (R380 pp). Easy stylish festive entertaining including seafood salad, orange glazed poussins, roast pork, and mini mixed fruit strudels.
• Sunday 28 November at 4pm – Sweet treats – the art of baking (R360pp). Learn the secrets of baking with confidence, in this baking cooking class including cupcakes, Black Forest chocolate cake, cheesecake, crunchies and quiche.
• Monday 29 November at 6pm – Classic French cooking (R350pp). Our French cooking class introducing classic French cuisine dishes including cheese soufflé, potato and leek soup, coq au vin, potato gratin, and tarte tatin.

Please contact the school should you wish to make a booking:

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.

On food

Beetroot derives from a wild seashore plant, the sea beet, native to southern Europe and North Africa. It’s thought to have been brought to Britain by the Romans. Beetroot should be boiled in their skins to prevent the purple juices from leaking out. Boil them whole with the root  and a little bit of the stem attached.  Did you know that they come in various shapes and colors.  In France that have a very interesting Beetroot, the shape of a carrot. Chioggia beetroot has purple and white concentric rings. If cooked whole, they keep their colours seperate, and look amazing sliced raw into a salad.

The leaves of the Beetroot plant are also edible, and highly nutritious. While the plant is growing, pick off the tender smaller leaves and add to salads.  When harvesting the root, the larger leaves can be cooked as you would spinach.

Cookbook of the week

The Songs of Sa Pa: Cooking Around Vietnam

This book is a personal and culinary tour through Vietnam by renowned Vietnamese chef, Luke Nguyen. He visits his family and friends, and is invited into the homes of local Vietnamese food experts and cooks, to learn more about one of the richest, most diverse cuisines in the world. Apart from the heartwarming story, the book contains more than 100 regional and family recipes and vibrant, stunning photographs bursting with colour and texture, capturing the beauty of Vietnam, her people and their deep connection to food.  … Click Here for more.

Food quote of the week

“Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.” – Walt Kelly

Recipe of the week:

Vietnamese chicken salad

One of the favorites at Wickedfood cooking school’s Vietnamese cooking class as well as our Asian cooking classes.  Vietnamese cuisine is considered by many as one of the healthiest cuisines in the world.  This chicken salad demonstrates that perfectly. …Click Here for the recipe.

The Wickedfood Team

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.