Information & bookings (076) 236-2345  sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Hi all,

Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas break and that this will be an exciting food year for you.  The School closed from 16 December to Monday 9 January 2012, and we’re now back and raring to go. It seems as though many of you have made it to your new year’s resolution to learn more about food, as of January classes are filling up quickly.  We have some very exciting cooking classes lined up for January and February, including Quick 30 minute meals; Easy curries, salads and soups; Easy Italian; Mexican Salsas, dips and filling; and Casual Thai dinner parties dishes - see below for more details.

In February we have our regular and ever  popular Valentines classes.  Bookings are already open for these and we have quite a few bookings, so if you’re interested don’t delay, contact the school for more information or to reserve a place.

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 new year sees an exciting selection of interesting and different cooking classes aimed at individuals.  The Cooking class programme for January and February are up on the internet. 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 15 January at 4pm – Quick 30 minute meals (R370pp). Trying to juggle work and home commitments can be tough, 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, chickpea and pumpkin curry, grilled beef, grilled tuna and a rich chocolate self-saucing pudding with only 5g of fat!!
• Monday 16 January at 6pm – Jamie’s Ministry of Food – Easy curries, salads and soups (R380pp). We consider Jamie Oliver’s ‘Ministry of Food’ his best book yet. It’s the perfect book for any beginner. In this Jamie Oliver cooking class we take six recipes from the book and re-interpret them, with plenty of tips along the way. Learning the secrets to successful, easy cooking which includes, pea and mint soup, vegetable bhajis, chicken korma, lamb rogan josh, evolution potato salad and a vanilla cheesecake.
• Sunday 22 January at 4pm – Easy Italian (R380pp). Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity, abundance of difference in taste, and is known to be one of the most popular in the world. The main characteristics of Italian cuisine is its extreme simplicity. Dishes and recipes are often the creation of grandmothers rather than of chefs, and this makes many recipes ideally suited for home cooking. This is one of the main reasons behind the ever increasing popularity of this cuisine. Join us in this Italian cooking class for a more in-depth look at Italian cuisine which includes cauliflower frittata, risotto with dried mushrooms, lamb chops fried in Parmesan cheese batter and cassata.
• Monday 23 January at 6pm – Mexican Salsas, dips and fillings (R370pp). The history of traditional Mexican food is a long and complex one, and every bit of the complexity is reflected in the sheer variety of flavours in Mexican cuisine. Present day Mexican cuisine has evolved into something truly extraordinary. Join us in this Mexican cooking class as we blend the exotic flavours with that of the new world flavours which includes salsas, dips and fillings, for nachos, tostadas and tortillas, which are all perfect for al fresco dining.
• Sunday 29 January at 4pm -  Easy dishes for casual Thai dinner parties (R370pp). 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 this Thai cooking class, which includes, fresh springrolls, sour and spicy fish soup, stir-fried beef curry, chicken salad with peanut sauce, stir-fried noodles and bananas in a sweet/salty coconut sauce.

Book of the week

Food quote of the week

“Garlic is as good as ten mothers.” – Les Blank

Recipes of the week:

Empire roast chicken

This recipe  is an adaptation from Jamie’s Great Britain, our recipe book for this week.  Jamie says of this roast chicken recipe in the introduction -  “Ask any British person what their two favourite meals are and I reckon most people would say their mum’s roast chicken, and a curry. Well, welcome to Empire roast chicken, a combination of both of those things. Your friends and family are going to love it. I love it. You will love it.” Certainly a delicious dish for a casual Sunday roast with friends. ….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.

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

Hi all,

Halloween is an annual holiday observed on October 31, which commonly includes activities such as trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving jack-o’-lanterns, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films. Part of many festivities is carving weird faces in pumpkins, what to do with the pumpkin when the festivities are over?  We have a few great ideas in this week’s recipes, see below.

According to this week’s book author, life is too short to grow unremarkable food.  Our book of the week, is an extremely absorbing book dedicated to more unusual yet delicious fruits, nuts and vegetables that can easily be grown in the average garden.

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  Spicy Thai, French cooking, and Jamie’s quick meals and pastas.  See the overview below for all the cooking classes for the next month. 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 programme for this month is up on the internet, click the November programme. 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 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
• 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.
• Monday 14 November at 6pm – Jamie’s Ministry of Food – quick meals and pastas (R370pp). We consider Jamie Oliver’s latest book his best. It is a perfect book for any beginner. Learn the secrets to effortless meals in this Jamie Oliver cooking class, including spicy Moroccan stewed fish with couscous, chicken and leek stroganoff, broccoli and pesto tagliatelle, classic tomato spaghetti, macaroni cauliflower cheese bake and banana tarte tatin, with a wicked twist.
• Sunday 20 November at 6pm – Alternative to a traditional Christmas dinner (R390pp). Easy stylish festive entertaining in this cooking class, an alternative to the traditional Winter Christmas food, including chicken liver pâté, sun-dried tomato soup, roasted medallions of sirloin, waldorf salad and a Christmas pudding.
• Monday 21 November at 6pm – Entertaining with Asian undertones (R380pp). A cooking class aimed at hosting an elegant dinner party for six with an Asian taste, including duck and bean sprout springrolls, lemongrass vichysoisse, Crispy skinned fish and crème caramels.

Book of the week

A Taste of the Unexpected

Every once in awhile a really absorbing book crosses our desk.  One such book is Mark Diacono’s A Taste of the Unexpected. 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. It is a book that we will definitely be using as a constant source of reference at Wickedfood Earth. ….Click Here for reviews of all our cookbook reviews.

Food quote of the week

“Life is too short to grow unremarkable food. It’s simply not worth the time or effort and – happily- it’s no more tricky to grow the utterly delicious than it is the entirely ordinary.” – Mark Diacono, A Taste of the Unexpected

Recipes of the week:

Pumpkin Butterscotch Pie

Halloween is becoming big around the world.  One of the dilemmas is what to do with the leftover pumpkin after the party.  Flesh freezes very well as is, just cube and pop into the freezer. A wide variety of delicious dishes can be made from it. In this fun take on pumpkin pie, a little whiskey really puts the “Scotch” in butterscotch. ….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.

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.

Provençale vegetables

1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed, thinly sliced lengthways

1 medium courgette, thinly sliced lengthways

1T extra virgin olive oil

pinch sea salt

pinch freshly ground black pepper

200g sun-dried tomatoes

Grilled squid

3 medium squid, about 200g/7oz each, cleaned

2T olive oil

1t lemon juice

2 pinches sea salt

1 red chilli, seeds and pith removed, finely chopped, preferably Snub nose or Rio Grande variety

1t grated palm sugar, or 2t brown sugar

Rocket salad

1T balsamic vinegar, preferably 8-year-old

2T extra virgin olive oil

pinch freshly ground black pepper

4 small handfuls rocket

Garnish

Parmesan shavings

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Provençale vegetables

• Heat a griddle pan and cook the fennel and courgette slices for one minute on one side, then remove from the heat.
• Drizzle over the olive oil, season with the salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.

Grilled squid

• Slice open each squid lengthways, score a criss-cross pattern on the inside and cut each into three pieces.
• Mix the squid pieces with the olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, chilli and sugar and leave in a shallow, non-reactive bowl to marinade for half an hour.
• Heat a griddle pan until it is very hot, then grill the squid pieces for 15-30 seconds on each side. (This will produce a lot of smoke so make sure your extraction is on and the kitchen is well ventilated.) It is important that the pan is extremely hot so that the squid cooks very quickly and does not boil in its own juices (or cook over the coals of a very hot braai). If it cooks for any longer than two minutes it will become tough and rubbery.

Rocket salad

• Mix together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and pepper and dress the rocket with the vinaigrette.

To serve

• Place the grilled squid and vegetables around each plate. Place the dressed rocket in the centre of the plate, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with the sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan shavings.
• Alternatively, mix the dressed rocket with the Parmesan in a large bowl and serve separately.

Serves 4

Click here to watch a video of Raymond Blanc making this salad.

For more recipes from Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets,  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.

Tags: Ballymaloe Cookery School, Cookery School, cooking class, Darina Allen, Forgotten Skills of Cooking, teambuilding, Wickedfood Cooking School

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

Hi all,

Welcome home. We hope you all had a relaxing and safe break, and hope to see you back at  Wickedfood Cooking School refreshed and with a new desire to learn some exciting recipes in 2011. January and February are always popular for individual classes, and we have some exciting new classes on offer … click here for the programme.

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 January and February 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 12 January at 6pm – Thai dishes for easy entertaining (R390pp for the class). This Thai cooking class is a great introduction to some classic Thai dishes for a casual dinner party including fresh springrolls, sour and spicy fish soup, stir-fried beef curry, chicken salad with peanut sauce, stir-fried noodles and bananas in a sweet/salty coconut sauce.
• Sunday 16 January at 4pm – Easy classic pasta dishes and sauces (R370pp). In this pasta cooking class we teach you the basics of making pasta, and some delicious accompanying sauces, including spaghetti carbonara, spaghetti with tuna sauce, fresh tomato sauce, Bolognaise sauce and the perfect lasagne.
• Monday 17 January at 6pm – Low fat 30 minute meals (R370 per class). In this cooking class we show participants how to produce quick and easy 30 minute meals that are delicious, and at the same time low in fat and well balanced. Dishes include Moroccan spiced chickpea soup, orange spiced lamb stir-fry, and pasta and seafood casserole.
• Sunday 23 January at 4pm – Sweet treats – the art of baking (R360pp). In this baking class, learn the secrets of baking with confidence, including cupcakes, Black Forest chocolate cake, cheesecake, crunchies and quiche.
• Monday 24 January at 6pm – Italian classics (R380 per class). Our very popular Italian cooking class, dishes include cauliflower frittata, risotto with dried mushrooms, lamb chops fried in parmesan cheese batter and cassata.
• Sunday 30 January at 4pm – Classic Mexican dishes for entertaining (R380pp). A Mexican cooking class with an exotic blend of new world flavours, perfect for entertaining with a difference – guacamole, salsa Mexicana, burritas, tortilla soup, chicken chocolate, chilli sauce and white flan.

On food

Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. The mixture is stirred slowly while cooling to prevent large ice crystals from forming; the result is a smoothly textured ice cream.

The meaning of the term ice cream varies from one country to another. Terms like frozen custard, frozen yoghurt, sorbet, gelato and others are used to distinguish different varieties and styles. In some countries, like the USA, the term ice cream applies only to a specific variety. Alternatives made from soy milk, rice milk, and goat milk are available for those who are lactose intolerant or have an allergy to dairy protein, or in the case of soy and rice milk, for those who want to avoid animal products.

In the Persian Empire, people would pour grape juice concentrate over snow – in a bowl – and eat this as a treat. Snow would be saved in the cool-keeping underground chambers known as “yakhchal” or taken from fresh snow that may still have remained at the top of the mountains. In 400 BC, the Persians went further and invented a special chilled food, made of rose water and vermicelli which was served to royalty during summers. The ice was mixed with saffron, fruits, and various other flavours.

Ancient civilizations have served ice for cold foods for thousands of years. Frozen mixture of milk and rice was used in China around 200 BC. The Roman Emperor Nero (37–68) had ice brought from the mountains and combined with fruit toppings. These were some early chilled delicacies.

Arabs were the first to use milk as a major ingredient in its production, sweeten the ice cream with sugar rather than fruit juices, as well as perfect ways for its commercial production. As early as the 10th century, ice cream was widespread amongst many of the Arab world’s major cities, such as Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo. … Click here for some delicious very different ice cream recipes.

Cookbook of the week

Posh Nosh

Lannice Snyman was for many years one of the champions of the South African food industry. In this book she shares some of her favourite recipes that she has been using over time to entertain friends and family.  If you’re looking for one book that contains many of the classics, this is it. … Click Here for more.

Gardening

Not only are growing your own vegetables very rewarding, but they are also very healthy, and by growing your own vegetables you’re doing your own little bit in decreasing your carbon footprint.

What to do in January

If you went away over the holidays your garden could be running a little wild. It is time to trim, cut and tidy.

• Cut back flowering herbs – it will encourage them to grow more leaves.
• Sow the last of the short season summer crops.
• Start sowing winter seeds and seedlings.
• Liquid feed and side dress flowering vegetables with potassium rich organic fertilisers.
• Regularly folio spray all vegetables, particularly curcubits and tomatoes, with seaweed.
• Keep ground well mulched.
• Sow green manure crops in between seedlings.
• Trellis tomatoes, and wind gemsquash and butternut up tripods.

• Regularly harvest whatever is ripe, particularly beans, tomatoes and squash.

Beans might attract aphids, if they are not too excessive, leave them. They won’t harm the beans that have already developed and they will attract ladybirds. If new growth on the beans is thick with aphids,  squirt them off with a blast of water.

If there is excessive rain in summer rainfall areas, keep an eye out for mildew. Cut off affected leaves and spray with an organic fungicide. Spray underneath the leaves too. Rambling squashes tend to develop mildew on their older leaves first. As long as there is good new growth happening, they don’t mind these older leaves being trimmed off. This also clears out space for another plant

For more tips on month-to-month vegetable gardening see  Month by month

Food quote of the week

“Food has replaced sex in my life, now I can’t even get into my own pants” – Anonymous

Recipe of the week:

Pasta with braised butternut

This delicious pasta sauce recipe comes from our book of the week  – Posh Nosh. Pumpkin doesn’t have to remain stuck in the foody doldrums forever; it may be flossied up in all manner of posh ways.  This yummy pasta sauce recipe being just one of them. …Click Here for the recipe.

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.

A: A Thai Curry is very quick an easy to make, and should be hot. Bought green curry paste is a perfect. This is an ideal dish to cook in a potjie, but take care not to overcook. Use any meat, chicken, beef, pork, seafood or even vegetables. At Wickedfood Cooking School, in out Thai cooking class we make this Thai green Chicken Curry, which is a classic.

2 tins coconut milk

2-4T green curry paste, or to taste

1kg meat (see above), diced into ±3cm cubes

¹/3 cup fish sauce

3T brown sugar

±¹/2 cup water

±6-8 small eggplants, quartered, or 1 large eggplant cubed to 2cm, (or 1 cup frozen peas)

¹/2 cup sweet basil leaves, torn

1 small tin bamboo shoots

1 jalapeño chilli, thinly sliced, for garnish

1. Scoop the cream off the coconut milk (±3T) and heat in a casserole dish (or potjie) which will later hold the chicken in one layer. Mix in the green curry paste and heat to boiling, until the milk splits, forming a thin layer of oil.
2. Add the chicken, fish sauce and sugar, and cook, stirring continuously so as not to burn, until the chicken changes colour.
3. Add the remaining coconut milk, eggplant and water, and cook for 5 minutes at a slow boil. Add the bamboo shoots and reheat to boiling, simmering for 5 minutes.
4. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with basil and the chilli. The dish can stand while other preparation is done, as it does not have to be served piping hot. Serve with rice.

Serves 6-8

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 events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

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

Hi all,

This sudden cold snap has certainly reminded us that winter is still here, and in winter we should be eating hearty warming stews and roasts. Winter is also a time for venison and in celebration of this, on  Sunday 22 August, we’ll be running a very special event – working with venison, in conjunction with Slow Food. It is a radically discounted event, only R250pp, and we only have a few spaces still available, so see below, or contact the school for more details.

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 August and September programme .

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  class.

• Sunday 15 August at 4pm – Thai master class (R390pp). A Thai cooking class with classic Thai flavours and a strong leaning towards seafood. Dishes include fried seafood pancake, chilli and tamarind soup, deep-fried fish, banana flower salad with prawns, crispy noodles and sweet sticky rice.
• Monday 16 August at 6pm – 30 minute meals (R380pp). Quick and easy meals for two. Dishes include vegetarian stir-fry, red chicken curry, pepper steak, sun-dried tomato pesto, fish with almonds, and pizza.
• Sunday 22 August at 5.30pm – Working with venison (R250pp), in conjunction with Slow Food. This is a gourmet, 5 course dinner, looking at 4 very different venison preparations, and pairing them with some very unique wines.
• Monday 23 August at 6pm – Jamie’s Ministry of Food – Easy curries, salads and soups (R370pp). This Jamie Oliver cooking class is inspired by Jamie’s book Ministry of Food, at Wickedfood Cooking School we regard it as his best. It is a perfect book for any beginner. We take six recipes from the book and re-interpret them, with plenty of tips along the way. Learning the secrets to successful  easy cooking, including spicy Moroccan stewed fish with couscous, chicken and leek stroganoff, broccoli and pesto tagliatelle, classic tomato spaghetti, macaroni cauliflower cheese bake and banana tarte tatin, with a wicked twist.
• Sunday 29 August at 4pm – Classic French cooking (R390pp). French cooking class, an introduction to French cuisine with some classic seafood dishes including quiche Lorraine, bouillabaisse, sole meunière, salad niçoise and flourless chocolate cake.

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

Lemons don’t just perk up meals and desserts with their citrus vim and vigour, they can also help your cookery. Adding a few drops of lemon juice to egg whites before whisking them for meringues helps stabilise the proteins and prevents the whites turning into clumps of cotton-woolly foam, should you get overzealous with the electric beaters.

Cookbook of the week

Bourke Street Bakery

One of the rising stars of Australia’s baking scene is Bourke Street Bakery, situated in the hip foodie enclave of Sydney’s Surry Hills, selling artisanal baked goods of the highest order.  Fortunately for those of us who are not able to visit the bakery, we can now recreate many of their delicious offerings from the inspiring cookbook of the same name. … Click Here for more.

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

Food quote of the week

“Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.” – Harriet Van Horne.

Recipe of the week:

Carrot cake
Carrot cake is one of the all time favourites, found on nearly every coffeehouse menu.  Apart from being full of flavour, carrot cake also has a relatively long shelf life. … 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 – teambuilding 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.

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

Hi all,

Our newsletter goes out every second week, and in addition we publish an alternate newsletter every other week on the blog, click here to see last week’s issue.   In addition we can also RSS feed the newsletter  to your email, Click on the orange RSS feed above.

On Sunday 22 August, we’ll be running a very special event – working with venison, in conjunction with Slow Food. This is a gourmet, 5 course dinner, looking at 4 very different venison preparations.  Cost is R250pp, limited to 10 people. Contact the school for more details.

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 August and September programme .

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  class.

• Sunday 01 August at 4pm – Classic Indian dishes (R370pp). Authentic Indian cooking class, dishes including chicken mulligatawny, classic lamb buriyani, soya korma, spicy chick peas, naans and coconut pasties.
• Monday 02 August at 6pm – North African tagines (R390pp). Our Moroccan cooking class, with 3 classic North African stews, and accompaniments including crushed wheat soup. Dishes include fish tagine, lamb and fruit tagine, chicken and pumpkin couscous and couscous stuffed peppers.
• Monday 09 August at 6pm – Sweet treats – working with Chocolate (R390pp). In this chocolate cooking class, learn the secrets of working with chocolate, including decadent chocolate cake, chocolate truffles, brownies, choc chip cookies and layered chocolate mousse.

• Sunday 15 August at 4pm – Thai master class (R390pp). A Thai cooking class with classic Thai flavours and strong leaning towards seafood. Dishes include fried seafood pancake, chilli and tamarind soup, deep-fried fish, banana flower salad with prawns, crispy noodles and sweet sticky rice.

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

100 year old eggs

As well as prizing them for being a symbol of fertility, the Chinese also make a rather curious preserve with their eggs. 100 year old eggs are traditionally made by curing fresh eggs in a paste of clay, ash, salt, lime, and rice hulls for three months, not 100 years, as the name might suggest. With its dark-green yolk, a mahogany-coloured jellified white and an aroma of sulphur and ammonia, this delicacy is definitely an acquired taste. they are however delicious, sliced into Asian dressed  salads.

Cookbook of the week

The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency

As with all Dorling Kindersley books, this one is not only highly informative, but also beautifully produced.  This new edition of an enduring classic from the founding father of modern self-sufficiency, is still the key reference to living off the land. Covering all the practicals from ploughing fields to milking cows as well as information on how to create an urban organic garden and harness natural energy, this is perfect for anyone aspiring to the self-sufficient lifestyle. … Click Here for more.

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

Food quote of the week

“Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.” – Mark Twain, writer.

Recipe of the week:

Braised rabbit with mustard

Venison comes in a number of guises, from large antelope to birds and rabbits.  Now is a great time to be eating venison, and in honour of the season.  Rabbit is one of the healthiest meats to eat, it is very lean and extremely tasty if cooked correctly. … 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 – teambuilding 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.

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: There are a number of techniques to use when making fish cakes.  These include:

1. Ensure that you have a good wet/dry mix.  You need a binding agent such as egg and a starch for binding,  such as cooked potato, flour  or breadcrumbs.
2. Work the mixture when mixing, so that it becomes sticky.
3. Once the fish cakes have been shaped, chill in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes so that the firm up.

At Wickedfood Cooking School we make delicious fish cakes in our Thai cooking class.  Fish cakes are a popular snack, found throughout Thailand, and are an ideal starter or appetizer. Every chef has his own secret recipe, and we found this one at Pat’s Home Thai Cooking School in Phuket, especially delicious. What makes them special is that they have no flour or baking powder, which when added, tends to make the cakes rather stodgy. When making the cakes make double quantities and freeze any leftovers. Always bring back to room temperature and heat through before serving as they are best eaten warm. These cakes can also be made using chicken, pork, beef, lamb or prawns, but then blend the meat in a food processor until almost pasty in consistency.

500g fine flesh white fish fillets (hake, cob), skin on

1 egg

¹/2 cup string or French beans, sliced fine

3T kaffir lime leaves (or basil), shredded

1t sugar

1t salt or 1T fish sauce

1-3T red curry paste

±3 cups oil for flying

1. Using a fork, scrape the meat off the skin, a little at the time, which will give the meat the appearance of having been ground.
2. Place the fish in a large bowl, together with the remaining ingredients, except the oil, and knead with the hands until sticky. Then continue to mix, aerating by taking spoonfuls and forcefully dropping back into the bowl.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan. Dampen the hands with a little cold water, and then working with approximately a tablespoonful at a time, form into approximately 3cm x 1cm diameter cakes, and drop into the hot oil, taking care not to splash. Fry for about 3 minutes on either side, or until golden brown and crispy, then drain on paper towel.
4. Serve with cucumber dipping sauce

Serves 4-6

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.