Wickedfood Cooking School, SUNNINGHILL

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

Hi all,

Thank you to all of you who filled in our survey form, we had a great response.  For those who have not yet filled in the survey and wish to do so, please do so before Friday, our cut-off time.  As an incentive, there is a fantastic prize on offer, Cooking class for two for a Month, that’s worth over R3 000 . Click here to fill in the survey and you will be entered into the draw.

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 March individual cooking class programmes are up on the internet – click the relevant month for the programme March and April.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs classes with a minimum of 8 participants and a maximum of 12 as this gives everyone hands-on experience  and keeps the class small enough for maximum learning.

• Monday 8 March at 6pm – Quick & easy 30 minute meals for entertaining (R380 pp). This class is based on Gordon Ramsey’s book Cooking for Friends. We reinterpret 6 of the dishes, all easy to make in under 30 minutes and great for entertaining friends, chilled cucumber soup; linguine with lemon; feta and basil; poached fish; quick fish curry; pork fillet stroganoff; and baked berries.
• Sunday 14 March at 4pm – Easy to prepare Indian dishes (R350pp). An Indian cooking class, exploring authentic easy Indian dishes including potato patties; tandoori chicken; pumpkin cream curry; pulao and sago pudding.
• Monday 15 March at 6pm – Classic Italian dishes (R380pp). Italian cooking class, preparing 6 hearty dishes including chicken liver crostinis; zucchini frittata; pasta with a clam sauce; Osso Buca; polenta and pannacotta.

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

Looking for info on food?

If you have any  food-related question, 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.

Cookbook of the week

Once in a while a recipe book comes along that is truly inspirational.  That can definitely be said about Nigel Slater’s  Tender: v. 1: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch. This book is once again a masterpiece. With over 400 recipe ideas and many wonderful stories from the cook’s garden, this book  is the definitive guide to cooking with vegetables. … Click Here for more.

Click Here to see Wickedfood Cooking School’s top 10 food-related books for 2009.

Did you know:

The saying,  “High on the hog“, means  “Affluent and luxurious.” … Click Here to read more.

Food quote of the week:

“Cooking is at once one of the simplest and most gratifying of the arts, but to cook well one must love and respect food.” – Craig Claiborne

Recipe of the week:

Carrot and coriander fritters

This recipe has been inspired from one of Nigel Slater’s delicious recipes. These fritters make a delicious snack, served with a simple yoghurt dip, or together with a roast. … Click Here for the recipe

The Wickedfood Team

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

Q: Looking for a reasonably “authentic” Biryani recipe. Can you help?

A: Biryani is a set of rice-based dishes made with different spices, basmati rice and meat and/or vegetables. It was brought to India by Muslim travellers and merchants.

The name is derived from the Persian word beryā which means “fried” or “roasted”. There are ±9 main types of Biryani from awedhi biryani to south east asian biryani all with major differences, from what meat is added, if any, to what spice and flovours are used. The most common of biryani’s will conset of lamb, basmati rice, ghee,  ginger, onions, and garlic. The premium varieties include saffron.

At Wickedfood Cooking School the following recipe along with some other great Indian delights are taught in our Indian cooking class

Marinade

7cm piece of ginger, grated

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2T garam masala (see last page)

1/2t chilli powder

1/2t ground turmeric

4 chillies, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves

2T chopped mint leaves

1kg lamb (shank, leg or shoulder), cut into 3cm cubes

4 onions, thinly sliced

1/4t salt

1/2 cup oil

125g (1/4 brick) butter, melted

1 cup (250 ml) thick natural yoghurt

500 g basmati rice

1/2 cup (125ml) thick natural yoghurt

1/2t saffron strands, soaked in 2T hot milk

3T lemon juice

Sealing dough

200g flour

1t salt

Water

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2. In a bowl, mix the marinade ingredients well, and add the lamb. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight.
3. Put the sliced onion in a sieve, sprinkle with the salt and leave for ±10 minutes to drain off any liquid that oozes out. Rinse and pat dry.
4. Heat the oil and butter in a large, heavy-based casserole, add the onion and fry for about 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
5. Remove ±half the oil/butter and set aside (used in step 9 to flavour the rice).
6. Fry the lamb in batches in the remaining oil and butter in the casserole until lightly browned all over – ±5 minutes per batch.
7. Once all the meat is browned, return it all to the casserole, and mix in the onion and the 1 cup yoghurt. Cook everything in the casserole over a very low heat, lid on, until the lamb is tender, – ±20-30 minutes. (At this stage the meat can be set aside in the fridge for up to 48 hours, and then gently re-heated to finish the biryani.)
8. While the meat is cooking, wash the rice under cold, running water until the water runs clear. Place in a pot and cover with ±2cm boiling water. Return the water to the boil, cook the rice for 5 minutes, then drain well and set aside.
9. Once the meat is cooked, spread the rice evenly over it. Pour the reserved oil and ghee, mixed with the 1/2 cup yoghurt, over the rice, and then drizzle the saffron and milk over it.
10. Mix the flour and salt with a little water to form a firm dough. Roll the dough into a sausage shape and press around the edge of the casserole to use as a seal between the lid and rim of the casserole.
11. Bring the meat/rice in the casserole to the boil over a high heat, then press the lid down onto the dough to seal, and transfer it to the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
12. Remove the pot and break the seal of dough before serving.

Serves 6 to 8

Great Asian recipes – Click here:

Chicken feet

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

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.

SUNNINGHILL>> information & bookings (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Hi

At last a food information page on our blog is working. Just click on the heading if you wish to ask a question, or click on the top right hand Question & Answer if you want to see what other people have asked. Hope you participate and we are able to extend our services to our cooking class ex- and future students.

Wickedfood Cooking School news

Our June programme is up on the Internet

Class highlights for the next two weeks include:

• Sunday 07 June at 4pm – Easy Indian cooking class (R370pp).Authentic Indian dishes including singharas, baked fish with tomato cream sauce, kali dal, rotis and kalfi
• Monday 08 June at 6pm –Home-style Middle Eastern cooking class (R350pp). A delicious combination of easy to prepare dishes with a strong Lebanese influence, include baba ghanoush, H’reesy, Bean stew, Lebanese rice, Lebanese bread salad, making pita breads and Rice pudding within an apricot compote.
• Sunday 14 June at 4pm –Easy classic pasta dishes and sauces (R360pp). In this class we make pasta, spaghetti carbonara, spaghetti with tuna sauce, fresh tomato sauce, Bolognaise sauce and the perfect lasagne.

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

Wickedfood Cooking School, Sunninghill

June individual class programme….. click here

Looking for info on food?
Over the last week we have had some great questions on food.  If you are looking for an answer to a food topic that has puzzled you, ask ouronline for assistance on any food-related topic, including recipes, and our two resident chefs will strive to get an answer back to you within 48 hours – Click here for more information, hope to here from you.

Our food article of the week
Organic food is now commonplace. Yet many consumers still have questions about how organic food is produced and labelled. Does it taste better? And is organic food actually healthier.  Click here to read more about this fascinating trend.

What’s new on the Wickedfood blog
Apart from our weekly newsletter, we’re also very active posting interesting food-related articles on the Wickedfood website. New articles this week include:

Recipes

Basil Pesto

Fettuccine with sausage & tomatoes – our recipe of the week

Crostini with chicken livers

Food-related articles on travel

The Art of Tuscan cooking

There are also a host of other mouthwatering recipes and travel related articles on the blog. Please feel free to comment, or let us know if you cook any of them and how they turn out.

Cookbook of the week
The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan is universally acknowledged as the most influential Italian cookbook in English ever published. This is the ultimate book for those wanting to discover genuine Italian cooking. Although there are no glossy photos, the passionately written text leaves the reader almost tasting the food. Where nessery excellent diagrams demonstrate various techniques.. Read more ….

Did you know – Perhaps the best known regional English cheese, Stilton is made from the milk of dairy herds from Melton Mowbray and its surrounding counties. The cheese was originally known as Quenby cheese, but became known as Stilton at the start of the 18th century, when The Bell Inn, a coaching house in the village of Stilton, became the main outlet for sales..

Food quote of the week: – “Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort.” – Norman Kolpas

Food tip of the week: – Never put citrus fruits or tomatoes in the fridge. The low temperatures degrades the aroma and flavour of these fruit.

Recipe of the week – Fettuccine with sausage & tomatoes

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. Click here for the recipe.

Look forward to hearing from you.

The Wickedfood Team

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.

SUNNINGHILL>> information & bookings (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

BOKSBURG>> information & bookings (011) 823-5365 boksburg@wickedfood.co.za

Winter is definitely here. For the next two weeks, we have some delicious warming cooking classes on offer, especially to keep out the winter chills, whether it be hearty roasts, or spicy Mexican and Indian flavors. Hope to see you at one of these cooking classes.

Wickedfood Cooking School news

Our June programme is up on the Internet – click the relevant school for the June programme Sunninghill / Boksburg.

Class highlights for the next two weeks include:

• Monday 25 May at 6pm – Easy Greek dishes for entertaining (R370pp).Dishes include fried halloumi, bean soup, moussaka, spanokopita and honey tart.
• Sunday 31 May at 4pm – Mexican flavours (R360pp). An exotic Mexican cookery class, a blend of new world flavours including Melted cheese with mushrooms Coriander soup, Lamb in a chilli sauce, and Rice pudding.
• Monday 01 June at 6pm – Delicious winter Entertaining (R380pp). No fuss dinner party for six including Roast tomato gazpacho soup, Ricotta ravioli, Grilled fish fillets and Warm lemon pudding.
• Sunday 07 June at 4pm – Easy Indian cooking (R370pp). Authentic Indian cooking class including singharas, baked fish with tomato cream sauce, kali dal, rotis and kalfi

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

Wickedfood Cooking School, Sunninghill

June individual class programme….. click here

Wickedfood Cooking School, boksburg

June individual class programme….. click here

Looking for info on food?
We have launched a facility on our blog, where you can ask online for assistance on any food-related topic, including recipes, and our two resident chefs will strive to get an answer back to you within 48 hours – Click here for more information, hope to here from you.

Our food article of the week
The first British farmers’ market opened in Bath in 1997. They were pioneered in the United States. There are now more than 500 farmers’ market operating throughout the UK, with a spend of about £120m per year. And Wickedfood cooking school, we receive press releases day about new food markets that are opening.  Click here to read more about this fascinating trend.

What’s new on the Wickedfood blog
Apart from our weekly newsletter, we’re also very active posting interesting food-related articles on the Wickedfood blog. New articles this week include:

• Recipes

Phanaeng Beef Curry in sweet peanut sauce

Kaeng kari ka – yellow curried chicken

Phat Thai - Thai fried noodles

Tom yum soup – Sour and spicy prawn soup, our recipe of the week

• Food-related articles on travel

A Taste of Thailand

Floating markets in Bangkok

Southeast Asian cooking schools – Bangkok, Thailand

There are also a host of other mouthwatering recipes and travel related articles on the blog. Please feel free to comment, or let us know if you cook any of them and how they turn out.

Cookbook of the week
Secrets of the Red Lantern (subtitled Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart) is much more than a collection of authentic recipes from successful Vietnamese restaurant Red Lantern, located in Sydney – Click here for more information and see a great video on the book. This book is the honest, difficult story of the Nguyen family. Read more ….

Did you know – Nobody really knows how toad in the hole got its name. It became popular in the 18th century, but dictionaries from that time and from the following century attached the name to a dish where any meat, from prime cuts to leftovers, was cooked in batter. However, in the 18th century, sausages were already the meat of choice for some.

Food quote of the week: – “Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.” ~ Marcel Boulestin

Food tip of the week: – Fresh coffee beans can also absorb nasty odours from your hands.

Recipe of the week – Tom yum soup

Wickedfood Cooking School teaches students how to make this soup in our Thai cooking class. This delicious recipe was inspired by one we saw being made at Thai House Cooking School in Bangkok. According to Pip, of Thai House Cooking School, a good tom yum soup (Sour and spicy prawn soup) should be made and served immediately. Click here for the recipe.

Look forward to hearing from you.

The Wickedfood Team

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.