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

Hi all,

Hope you are having a good week. We are slowly winding down to holiday time and the festive season. I’m sure you can agree this year has flown past. The Wickedfood team have worked on a Top Ten Book list for all  those who are looking for gift ideas, now is the perfect time to start getting things ordered and done so you can relax in the days leading up to Christmas, instead of stressing over gifts selection at the last minute. We also have a huge variety of Mundial knives and kitchen gadgets at the school, all at a better price than most stores. Today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women – Personally I don’t think there should only be one day, I think it should be 365 days – so how about hugging that special lady in your life.

There are only 3 more newsletters left for the year so over the next 3 we will be carrying a Christmas theme – along with that we will be doing a 4-course meal (one recipe a week) for all of you who are stuck for ideas. Keep an eye out on the blog and the Newsletter.

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.

There are no more Individual Classes for the rest of the year but we will have a January programme up soon with some new and interesting classes coming up.


 

Looking for info on food? – The Wickedfood blog looks to be taking off very well with lots of questions coming in, if you have any questions that have been bugging you, 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 give us a shout 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 – Every year from about September the cookbook shelves start filling with a mouthwatering selection of new titles.  This year is no exception, and all of the big names are there.  What is however pleasing,  is the growing number of superbly produced local cookbooks.  In our top ten for this year we have three contributions from local authors. Click Here to look at Wickedfood Cooking Schools’ top 10.

Our food article of the week: – Pretoria chef clinches top honour at Foodie Oscars November 23, 2009
Pretoria chef Chantel Dartnall, of Mosaic Restaurant, has scooped top honours at the 2009 Prudential Eat Out Chef-of-the-Year award. The annual awards ceremony, held on Sunday night at the Western Grand Hotel in Cape Town, is called the Foodie Oscars, and is a “celebration of culinary excellence,” said Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly.
This is the first time that Dartnall, with an all-woman team in the kitchen, has been honoured with this award. Donnelly said Dartnall added a personal touch to every aspect of the restaurant – from her passion for the tastes and textures of decadent ingredients to her love for beautiful crockery.
The restaurant is housed in the The Orient Boutique Hotel in the Francolin Conservation Area, Elandsfontein, Crocodile River Valley. The restaurant also clinched second place in the Prudential Eat Out Top 10 Restaurants.
Donnelly said many of the “newcomers” had raised the standard at this year’s ceremony. (Tonight)

Our favourite ingredient: – Green beans are among the most tender members of the legume family (which also includes shell beans, lentils, and peas). Despite their name, green beans grow in yellow and even purple varieties; while there’s not much flavour difference among them, they are beautiful and can easily stand in for their green counterparts. Green beans originally came by their alias, string beans, because of the tough string that has been bred out of the most common varieties—so they’re easier to prepare than ever. (Green beans – Bon Appetit)

Food quote of the week: – “The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.” – Calvin Trillin.

Food tip of the week: – Lemongrass is a tough-fibered aromatic herb that’s used as a flavouring in countless dishes in Southeast Asia, including ones like Indonesian chicken curry. A stalk or two of the pale green herb infuses soups, braises, and curries with a citrusy taste. Lemongrass can be pounded to make spice pastes or finely sliced for salads, but it’s often used in its whole form, in much the same way a bouquet garni is: dropped into the pot as a dish cooks and removed at the end.
1. First, remove the tip and the root end and peel away the stalk’s fibrous outer layers.
2. Next, use a meat mallet (or, in a pinch, the back of a kitchen knife) to smash and bruise the stalk until it’s pliable.
3. Finally, tie the stalk into a knot (as shown) and put it into the pot. (Saveur.com)

Recipe of the week – Tomato and Basil Tart

The Wickedfood Team

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studios. 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 – team building 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.