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 – 1080 Recipes is a comprehensive collection of traditional and authentic Spanish recipes, covering everything from tortilla to bacalao. This title has been a bestseller in Spain since it was first published, and with over 2 million copies sold it can be found in most kitchens across the country. The book’s author, Simone Ortega is considered to be the doyenne of cooking in Spain and has written about food for numerous years. Click here to read more.

Our food article of the week: – Do women roast chicken differently from the way men do? Is it possible to tell whether the ravioli on your plate was rolled by a male chef or by a female? Such was the challenge set before a group of hungry panelists at a recent event, “Gender Confusion: Unravelling the Myth of Gender in the Kitchen” Click here to read more.

Our favourite ingredient: – Fish sauce is a condiment that is derived from fish that have been allowed to ferment. It is an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces. Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in Filipino, Vietnamese, Thai, Lao, and Cambodian cuisine and is used in other Southeast Asian countries. In addition to being added to dishes during the cooking process, fish sauce can also be used in mixed form as a dipping condiment. Some fish sauces (extracts) are made from raw fish, others from dried fish; some from only a single species, others from whatever is dredged up in the net, including some shellfish and some from whole fish. Some fish sauces contain only fish and salt, others add a variety of herbs and spices. Fish sauce that has been only briefly fermented has a pronounced fishy taste, while extended fermentation reduces this and gives the product a nuttier, cheesier flavour.

Food quote of the week: – “Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.”  ~Walt Kelly

Food tip of the week: – Cutting a vegetable “lengthwise” means to slice from the root end to the bud end (“pole to pole”). Envision the way a vegetable grows, with the root end down and the bud end up. That’s the length of the vegetable. To quarter a vegetable lengthwise, slice it along a line from the root to the bulb end, and then cut each half again in the same fashion. Cutting an ingredient “crosswise,” on the other hand, means slicing across the circumference, thus creating a piece with the entire root end and another with the entire bud end.

The difference between the two methods can be important to some recipes, especially during grilling. For example, when an onion is cut lengthwise, its root section will remain intact, preventing smaller segments from falling through the grill. When an onion is cut crosswise, it will not stay together as well.

Recipe of the week – Chilli prawns

The Wickedfood Team

Wickedfood Cooking School runs Johannesburg cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Cooking 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 teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.