Week 5 – 27 June to 03 July

Monday 27 June at 6pm – Delicious winter Entertaining (R370pp). Cooking class to equip you with the skills to host a ‘No fuss dinner party for six’ including Roast tomato gazpacho soup, Ricotta ravioli, Grilled fish fillets and Warm lemon pudding.

Sunday 03 July at 4pm – Sweet treats – working with Chocolate (R390pp). Learn the secrets of working with chocolate in this ‘sweets treats’ cooking class, including decadent chocolate cake, chocolate truffles, brownies, choc chip cookies and layered chocolate mousse.

Week 1 – 04 July to 10 July

Monday 04 July at 6pm – Gordon Ramsay – Cooking for Friends (R390 pp). This Gordon Ramsey 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.

Week 2 – 11 to 17 July

Monday 11 July at 6pm – Thai Class (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 (R380 pp). A Cooking class for the housewife, the executive, the newly single and the I’m-too-busy-to-cook’s 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.

Green ideas for your Home

Reusing Kitchen Cabinetry? by Susan Serra.

Continuing on

the green theme of Kitchen design 101, part of the whole green design concept is to “REUSE.” There are many very easy ways that we can reuse other, perhaps, older items and get a new (and surprisingly wonderful) perspective in the kitchen.

Point being, you don't have to buy everything new!

First and foremost, you have cabinetry. Sometimes the existing cabinetry is in decent shape, sometimes it's in bad shape. And, even if you can refinish it, perhaps, an option, the interiors are usually old and worn. Of course, oftentimes, the floor plan and cabinetry configuration will substantially change, making it very difficult to adapt the old to the new.

If you want new cabinetry, you should have new cabinetry. I'm not going to pass judgment on those who choose to either hold on to their old, worn, cabinetry, hoping/planning to give it new life, or who buy all new cabinetry, which may not be as green as it could be. It is an individual choice, end of story.

In this new, green, era, I see my role being to offer guidance, education and choices…this is a fundamental philosophy of mine, well before this green issue came upon us. I can help my clients go down a green road, or, perhaps, a lite green road. Should they become more informed about green design, including its issues and products? Yes. What they do with that information is their choice. That said, here are some easy ways to go green!

It's a great idea in old homes, to hold on to, say, the butler's pantry cabinetry, which may be simple, old, yet, charming. I've recommended doing that many times.  It is not cabinetry that one uses every day, and it usually adds to the home architecturally. Weigh this type of cabinetry carefully before thinking about removing it.

Sometimes I also design a built in pantry closet rather than adding additional cabinetry to the space. A pantry can be made on site, with doors and shelves, rather than purchasing more cabinetry. A few pieces of building material as opposed to cabinets. Sometimes this idea works out, and looks great too.

Ask your designer what the alternatives are, as well as the pros and cons, to design something more simple, more integrated with the architecture of the home, or, keeping some of which is already in place.

Food tip of the week:

ALLSPICE

(Pimenta officinalis; Pimenta dioica)

Allspice flavor and aroma is a pleasant blend of cinnamon and clove.

Allspice is generally described as possessing a woody, cinnamon-like flavor which is slightly numbing.

Allspice is used in seasonings, sauces, sausages, ketchup, jams, pumpkin, gravies, roasts, hams, baked goods, and teas. Caribbean cooking relies on Allspice as the main ingredient in jerk/biltong seasoning. It is used in Caribbean, Mexican, Indian, English, and North American cooking and in seasoning blends such as jerk/biltong seasoning and curry.

Interesting places in Joburg:

http://marketonmain.co.za/

Market On Main is the market for Johannesburg, made by Johannesburg.

The Wickedfood Team

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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.