Week 4 – 22 to 28 August

Monday 22 August at 6pm – Mexican flavours (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 flavors 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 melted cheese with mushrooms, Coriander soup, Lamb in a chilli sauce, and Rice pudding.

Sunday 28 August at 4pm – Entertaining Italian style (R360pp). In this cooking class we show you some great dishes for entertaining with an Italian flair including rice croquettes, Siena bread soup, semolina gnocchi, poached chicken with a caper/egg sauce and baked pears.

Week 1 – 29 August to 04 September

Monday 29 August at 6pm – Easy Greek dishes for entertaining (R380pp) This Greek cooking class is a simple introduction to Greek cuisine. The Greek diet is the perfect example of traditional Mediterranean eating. It’s based around a variety of colorful and flavorful foods that are high in nutrients and low in animal fats. Dishes include fried halloumi, bean soup, moussaka, spanokopita and honey tart.

Week 2 – 05 to 11 September

Monday 05 September at 6pm – Classic Indian dishes (R380pp). For beginners, eating an Indian meal might be somewhat overwhelming let alone cooking or serving a balanced Indian meal. In this Indian cooking class, learn 7 classic, authentic Indian dishes which include chicken mulligatawny, classic lamb buriyani, soya korma, spicy chick peas, naans and coconut pasties

Sunday 11 September at 4pm – Flavours of the South African Portuguese Table (R370pp). Portuguese cuisine made considerable impact in the South African kitchen, predominantly through the use of hot and spicy chilli-based “peri-peri” seasoning, next to garlic, onions, bay leaves, fresh coriander, paprika and red sweet peppers. They all go extremely well with “braais”. Portuguese cooking class showcasing ‘The Portuguese attitude to food’, in that being simple and imaginative, traditional and inventive. Dishes including trinchado, chicken livers, caldo verde, chicken peri-peri, Portuguese salad and crème caramel.

Green ideas for your Home:

10 Easy Tips for Going Green in the Kitchen

Save time, money and resources in food preparation and storage

Now, these are 10 easy ways to start decreasing your dietary footprint:

1. Ditch the Bottles

Bottled water is pricey and uses a lot of fuel to transport, as well as to make and store all those bottles. Use what comes out of your tap instead. Get a good filter to boost its purity.

2. Buy Local

Reduce all that travelling by rediscovering the fresh bounty of your surrounding area. Find farmers’ markets, co-ops and CSAs (community-supported agriculture projects).

3. Dispose of Disposables

Instead of relying on single-use containers, get real dishes, and wash them! The resources saved will really add up.

4. Banish Excess Packaging

Buy things in larger sizes if you know you’ll use them. Try to select items that have less plastic and extra filler stuffed with them.

5. Bring Your Own Bags

It’s so simple, and plastic and paper bags both take resources to produce and distribute, and end up as litter.

6. Get a Green Thumb

Growing plants not only helps soak up excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but it can help clean toxins from the air and provide habitat (and food, though you may not want to hear that) for wildlife. And it reconnects you with nature!

7. Eat Less Meat

Modern meat is energy- and resource-intensive, and factory farms are huge polluters. Eating lower on the food chain reduces those problems.

8. Use Your Appliances Wisely

Get an energy audit (doing one yourself is easy), unplug unused devices and pick Energy Star when it’s time to replace.

9. Cook!

Plan meals ahead of time so you aren’t scrambling to pick up something convenient, which is likely to be less healthy and wrapped in more packaging.

10. Become Educated

Learn to save money and time by reducing waste and unneeded consumption, whether that’s water, energy, paper, food, travel and more.

Food tip of the week:

APRICOTS

Apricot purée is on the rise as a new substitute for oil or water in many high-calorie, high-fat recipes. Simply purée canned apricots in a blender or food processor until smooth. Unlike prunes (which can darken some baked goods) or apple sauce (which may cause recipes to be watered down), apricot purée reduces the fat content and adds a touch of flavour.

Fresh apricots can be frozen to last throughout the year.
Cut ripe fruit into halves, place on a baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, store in a plastic freezer bag for six months to a year. Thaw in the refrigerator

Apricots bruise easily and decay. Keep away from heat and sun. Ripen at room temperature and then refrigerate at 1 degrees C, 80% humidity.
Look for plump apricots with as much golden orange colour as possible. Stay clear of fruit that is pale yellow, greenish-yellow, very firm, shrivelled, or bruised. Apricots that are soft-ripe have the best flavour, but they must be eaten immediately.
Apricots develop their flavour and sweetness on the tree, and should be mature but firm at the time that they are picked.

Look for: Apricots that are plump and juicy looking, with a uniform, golden-orange colour. Ripe apricots will yield to gentle pressure on the skin.

Avoid: Dull-looking, soft, or mushy fruit, and very firm, pale yellow, or greenish-yellow fruit. These indicate over maturity or immaturity, respectively.

Apricots will ripen at room temperature. To help them ripen, place them in a paper bag with an apple. When they yield to gentle pressure, they are ready to eat. Refrigerate ripe apricots, unwashed, in a paper or plastic bag up to 2 days. Wash them before eating. They are a perfect fast food any time. To cut fruit, slice around its seam, twist it in half, and lift out the pit.

Eating dried apricots is a great way to get your 5 to 9 Fruits & Vegetables A Day. The nutrients (e.g., beta-carotene and niacin) are more concentrated in dried than in fresh apricots. Dried apricots also have a higher sugar content, which makes them more likely to stick on your teeth. Your dentist will remind you to brush or rinse your teeth after eating any dried fruit or sticky foods. If you’re allergic or sensitive to sulphites, remember to look on the label of the package to see if the apricots were treated with sulphur dioxide for colour preservation. Look in health-food stores for apricots that were not treated with sulphites. They’ll be brown, not orange.
CDC.gov – 5 a Day

CANNED APRICOTS
• Apricots are packed in unsweetened fruit juice, light syrup, lightly sweetened fruit juice and water, or lightly sweetened fruit juice.

Storage

• Store unopened cans in a cool, dry place off the floor.
• Store opened apricots in a covered non-metallic container and refrigerate. Use within 5 to 7 days.

Uses and Tips
• Canned apricots are a delicious dessert served directly from the can, with juice, either at room temperature or chilled. They are also a wonderful addition to any fruit salad or dessert recipe.
• Use canned apricots in baking, cobblers and crisps.
• The juice from canned apricots can be drained and thickened with flour or cornstarch to make a fruit sauce for ice cream or pancakes.
• Freeze the drained juice in an ice cube tray; use instead of ice cubes in cold drinks or iced tea.
• Use the drained juice as part of the liquid when making gelatin desserts.

Nutrition Information
• Apricots are an excellent source of Vitamin A.
• 1/2 cup of apricots provides 1 serving from the Fruit Group of the Food Guide Pyramid.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size 2 apricot halves (80g) in light syrup

Interesting places in Joburg:

THE FARMERS’ MARKET @ BAMBOO

Locally grown and very fresh, the Farmers Market at Bamboo in Melville – Each and every Saturday , from 09h00 – 13h00.

Where everything you need is handpicked for you!

21 of Joburgs hottest food producers

Raw honey, goats cheese, marcel pancakes,
koko chocolate, Cathy’s ducks, Lucha Taco, Thava (Indian),
Thai, Persian, Gourmet Boere’s, Uncle Merves’ smoothies,
Kuhestan, Gerald’s biltong, olives, bread,
bean there coffee, vegetables, Lemon Story.

Open from 9am until 1pm– so get there early!
Please check the website for cancellations due to bad weather during winter.

Located on the roof Upstairs at Bamboo, 53 Rustenburg Rd, Melville.

For more information contact David and Ristha Sanei

Contacts:
t: 078 489 2304
e: info@bamboo-online.co.za
http://www.bamboo-online.co.za/

The Wickedfood Team

.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking school. Cooking lessons 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 courses 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. Great Team building ideas.