Hi all,

Winter is here which means hunting season, translating to venison.  If  properly butchered and cooked, venison is both very healthy and delicious to eat.  The secret is either to cook it hot and fast, or low and slow. Our recipe of the week, Rolled Shoulder of Venison, is a perfect example of how to slow braise tougher cuts.  The recipe comes from our cookbook of the week Karoo Kitchen, an inspiring journey of discovery, heritage, the human spirit, and how food can become a unifying force.

Should you wish to learn more about the mouthwatering dishes that make up our South African heritage, we still have as few spaces open for our South African cooking class, A taste of the Karoo, this coming Monday.  Whether it’s Asian, European or African cuisine you’re looking for, or just quick and easy everyday meals, our programme for the June and July covers most of the bases.

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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 programmes for June and July are up on the internet, and bookings are now open. 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.

• Monday 27 May at 6pm – South African – A Taste of the Karoo (R430pp). The food of the Karoo was born out of necessity and created in hardship. Nowadays the cuisine is quite different and while the food is still very regional and the basics the same, sophistication is very much the name of the game. These unique flavours that have become synonymous with South African farm cuisine can be learnt in this South African cooking class. These dishes include chicken pie, bobotie, pumpkin fritters, mealie bread and koeksisters.
• Sunday 02 June at 4pm  – Kylie Kwong’s Chinese kitchen (R430pp). With her easy charm and good looks, it is little wonder that second generation Chinese Australian Kylie has become a household television celebrity chef. Her food is deliciously uncomplicated. Her dishes that we cover in this Chinese cooking class include crispy skin chicken, stir-fried beef, spicy dry-fried green beans, deep-fried silken tofu, stir-fried rice noodles and steamed egg and ginger custards.
• Monday 03 June at 6pm – The tastes of France (R430pp). The French have an ongoing love affair with food, and in this French cooking class we teach home gourmets and enthusiasts alike how to create these wonderful foods with our introduction to French cuisine, including chicken liver pâté, French onion soup, entrecote pommes frites, and crème caramel.
• Monday 10 June at 6pm – 30 minute meals (R430pp). In this ’30 minute meals’ cooking class we will 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 16 June at 4pm  – Jamie’s Italy (R430pp). Sample the flavours of 8 dishes from Jamie Oliver’s road trip through Italy’s culinary landscape. These authentic recipes learned in this Italian cooking class are practical for foreigners, and the instructions easy to understand. Dishes include brushette, risotto, grilled mushroom, baked creamy chicken and spaghetti pie, grilled fish, fried courgettes, caprese salad, and fresh fruit and almond tart.
• Tuesday 18 June at 6pm – Spicy Thai (R430pp). 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: hot, sour, sweet, salty, and (optional) bitter. Learn how to balance these tastes in this Thai cooking class entitled ‘Spicy Thai’ which 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.

Cookbook of the week

Karoo Kitchen

Our cookbook of the week,  Karoo Kitchen, is a real gem, a microcosm of our beautifully diverse country, and a mouthwatering selection of heritage recipes and true stories from the heart of South Africa. Whether it’s how to clean and cook a sheep’s head, make an old fashioned milk tart, a Karoo lamb pie or rolled shoulder of venison, you’ll find  these recipes here. … Click here to read more.

Click Here for reviews of all our cookbooks.

Food quote of the week

“Cabbage: A vegetable about as large and wise as a man’s head.” – Ambrose Bierce

Recipe of the week

Rolled Shoulder of Venison

Winter is the time for Venison. Our recipe of the week, Shoulder of Venison, is a perfect example of how to braise venison slowly to get the most out of it. ….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. We’ve just launched a new and exciting class, Wickedfood Master Cook. Think Master Chef with a fun twist.