It’s been a month since the Sense of Taste course wrapped up, but I think I was nostalgic for it from the minute I walked out of that kitchen. What a fun, memorable experience!

Nicola couldn’t make Week Three, so I took along hubby Arthur. And it turned out to be the perfect week to have my pasta-loving partner there: we were cooking Italian. We started the session with a presentation from Kimilili, who make Swiss cheeses with milk from their free ranging cows out in the mountains of Wolseley. Arthur, who dear readers will know is a cheese maniac, was in his element. (And he’s actually a good cook, when I let him at the stove. See how dashing he looks sweating off these onions!) We tasted some fantastic cheeses, including an unusual and delicious smoked feta.

Now, it seems that Week Three of the Sense of Taste Course is also Wild Week of Semi-drunken Debauchery. Everyone is pretty relaxed with each other by this stage, and there was also a birthday in our group, and what with the beer flowing freely… Well, when Chef Peter tried to educate us in the colourful history of chunky, salty puttanesca pasta sauce (puttana is the Italian word for prostitute) there was some extreme teasing (from the girls, nogal!) that had our tough-as-nails teacher blushing.

We started with that Italian classic, made rustically tasty with anchovies and capers. Arthur was in such a good mood, he even conceded to putting some garlic in our sauce (gasp!). We didn’t make pasta by hand: Chef Peter believes it’s an unneccessarily fiddly waste of time and has ‘a guy’ (details if you go on the course) who makes great fresh pasta, so that you don’t have to. Next, I finally got to make gnocchi! That’s been on the ‘to do’ list for years, and I’m glad I learned at Sense of Taste, because that was some of the best gnocchi I’ve ever eaten (and very “unprecious” to make). Chef Peter gave us his extremely clever tip for making the lightest gnocchi (again, you’ll have to go on the course…). His other clever idea is to fry the gnocchi, which transforms them from pasty balls to golden nuggets of nomminess. Slather them in Matthew’s blue cheese sauce, and you can easily eat a whole bowl. Which is a good thing, because plenty of SOTers needed their stomachs lined that night…

No Italian class would be complete without risotto, which basically involves lots of stirring. Obviously, this can be done with one hand, leaving the other free to transfer beer to your mouth. The risotto was served with fresh salmon that had been flown in from Norway, arriving at 3pm that afternoon. Never in my life have I had such sublime salmon. The kitchen crew just lightly baked it, so it was still soft. With each bite, its coral creaminess melted into the buttery risotto, creating a subtle flavour and texture combination that was simply beautiful. Even Arthur ate all of his, and enjoyed it. If you understood how much this man dislikes fish, you’d know how miraculous this was. Final verdict: Week Three is cheese, carb and beer heaven.

Nicola was thrilled to be back for the final week. And, as you can see from the photo, she’s a bit of a sushi fan (who isn’t?) Week Four is Gourmet Indulgence Week, with sushi and fillet steak on the menu. There’s a bit of precision involved in making sushi (which is probably why we did it before the beer took too much of an effect), but Chef Peter and his crew do teach you a few tricks, like squashing down the rice just a little harder than you might feel comfortable with. They’re right – it does make the sushi neater, presuming you’ve not overcooked the rice! Basic, edible sushi isn’t really that hard to make – as Chef Peter told us, the years and years of training that sushi chefs go through is really more to do with filleting the fish, and mostly to do with the very strict Japanese appie system (in other words, it’s all about paying your dues). Another thing I learned is that red pepper is surprisingly tasty in sushi – untraditional, I know, but this is a fun course, after all!

Once we’d gorged ourselves on sushi, we moved onto the meat. Chef Peter used to run a famous restaurant up in Joburg called Carnivore, which, as you can guess, basically just serves lots and lots of different kinds of meat. So he knows a lot about it, and has some interesting insights to share about cuts, storage and cooking of meat. Then, we learned the chef’s trick for making perfect medallions of fillet: wrapping it very, very tightly in lots and lots of clingwrap. And that clingwrap doesn’t come off when you fry it. Sounds dodgy, but it works. We sealed the ends of our fillets, removed the clingwrap and sealed the sides, and then they went into the oven for a few minutes, while Chef showed us how to make the mushroom mousse that was destined to be their crowning glory.

Finally (okay, 15 minutes later, but the wait felt interminable!), the fillet was served, along with what I like to call The Potato Bake of the Gods – I don’t want to know how long it took Matt to mandolin all those potatoes, but it was worth it! Kitchen-hand Mark had made some rosemany jus (which he’d given a name… I think it was ‘Julie’. Shame, the dude is in a kitchen from 5am to midnight every day. Makes it pretty tough to get a girlfriend.) It was a fitting, if slightly bittersweet, pièce de résistance to the course.

Do the full four-week Sense of Taste course for R1800, or you could do a taster by joining their awesome curry class on 28 January for just R500 (I’m convinced Chef Peter has decided to do this because beer goes so well with curry!). Be your own ‘Chef in Action’ and learn to cook (and eat) the ’spicy world tour’: Thai green chicken curry, North Indian beef and lentil curry, and Malaysian-style red curry with hake, pok choy and porcini mushroom, served with Persian herbed rice. Email: events@senseoftaste.co.za or call 082 578 9029 to book.

I must say, Chef Peter outdid himself on the course last week. It really was an immersion in ‘Neptune’s treasure trove’ (and the amount of seafood we got to cook and consume would just about cover the course costs if you were served it up in a restaurant). We started with a smoked salmon trout salad (with fish from Three Streams in Franschhoek), then calamari in lemon butter sauce, which we prepared from scratch (it’s easier to peel a mini squid than you’d think), then a whole head-and-tail Thai style baked fish, then (yes, there’s more) the art of prepping and frying prawns, and, finally, the bathtub full of fragrant, steaming fresh mussels, by which time I was so drunk on the pleasures of frutti del mare that I lost all inhibition and simply stuck my head in the pot and drowned myself in their salty juices.

Needless to say, Week Two of my Sense of Taste course was just, well more: more cooking, more beer, more fun, more flaring like a pro (yeah!) Again, we had loads of time to be hands-on and really get a feel for what we were doing. This partly explains why we were there until nearly midnight, though kicking off the session with a wine tasting from Napier that none of us wanted to stop probably contributed (the Napier brandy distilled from chenin blanc is absolutely amazing, by the way: drink it neat, it’s like local-lekker cognac for about R220 a bottle). It really was a jam-packed evening that convinced me that at R1800 for four weeks, you’re not going to get better value from a cooking course anywhere else in Cape Town.

Tonight, we’ll be cooking Italian, and I will finally make gnocchi (yes, I know, can you believe I’ve never done that before?) Based on last week’s experience, I’d better wear my eating pants…

So I was super-excited when Debbie and Peter Ayub invited me and a friend to do the Sense of Taste course. My partner in culinary crime is my friend Nicola, a new mom and book editor who has the endearing quality of launching herself into any new experience with an open mind and cheerful determination. Not bad things to have when you’re starting a four-week course of (minimum) four-hour cooking lessons.

The first thing I noticed when we walked in (rather late – one really should pay attention to the directions Debbie sends) was that the crowd was quite young – mainly professionals in their 30s – and about half of them were men. People in our group are at different levels – some of us cook every day and some need to learn from scratch (Shaun, across the table from us, cooked his first ever meal that night, and took a photo of it as his new cellphone wallpaper). The next thing I noticed was that the condensation was thick on the brass spout of the Windhoek dispenser, so I got me one of those.

Chef Peter started with the most important cooking foundation: knife selection, care and skills. Soon we were chopping onions with our lovely Global knives, under the watchful, watering eyes of Peter and his assistants, Matthew and Mark. After we got the hang of that, we were thrown into julienning and dicing carrots. And with all the bits? We were shown how to make a stock, of course! (Or was it a jus? A bit of both, but there was much hilarity working our way through descriptions and methods of all the sauces and bases.)

For me, the most useful part was learning to cut a chicken into portions. I’d seen plenty of pictures in books and tried to follow them, but always ended up hacking through bones and generally making a mess of it. Chef Peter gave us all the tips about jointing, selecting where to cut and shaving meat off the bone. Pretty soon I had a relatively neatly dissected bird. Guess carving duty will be mine this Christmas!

The course is packed with tips and information, including some things I knew to do, but hadn’t quite worked out why, like why you boil potatoes starting with cold water (so that they cook evenly all the way through) and why you put salt in blanching water (to make the colours in veggies ‘pop’).

I also learned a neat little tip that will save acquiring another piece of equipment in the already over-subscribed little red kitchen: how to make a smoker in a normal pot with some foil and a foil tart tin (and to put rice in with the shavings to help them burn longer).

We ended off with a chicken dish (which we wrapped in spinach to steam in the oven – almost impossible to overcook!), smoked mash and fabulous asparagus (from the Epping market – another nice tip from Chef Peter). We needed it by then: the course is about four hours long, which actually goes by quite quickly with all the info coming at you. It also gives everyone lots of time to get the experience they need: I hate it when the assistants start coming around and finishing stuff for you because there’s a time limit on the class. This class is a lot more relaxed and fun.

What I really like about the Sense of Taste course so far is that it’s not about cooking one or two fancy dishes, but about getting hands-on experience of a range of kitchen skills that will simply help you cook better, whether you’re following a recipe or not. One of the most useful books on my cookery shelf is The Cook’s Book, a compendium of techniques and tips that I can refer to whenever a recipe book is too vague. This is the kind of knowledge that gives you confidence in the kitchen, making you the cook you hoped to be.

(Next week, we do fish: watch for an update!)

Then I went Bigfoot on my carbon load and motored out to the winelands to the launch of the new Food & Trees for Africa office on Backsberg estate. (I planted the vine they gave me on my balcony yesterday – not that I’m actually the biggest ‘carbon credit/offset’ fan. Where’s my damn solar-powered car?!) I missed the speeches (which I heard were great), but the snacks were pretty good, especially the cheese from Backsberg’s neighbours Dalewood. Also, as well as their very nice 2008 chenin going for R26 a bottle, Backsberg is selling 250g blueberries for R15 (believe it!) The Trialogue office got fresh blueberry muffins this morning (and maybe they’ll get a bottle of the chenin on Friday afternoon).

Saturday was an awesome day (climate thingies were followed by TWO braais), and I was feeling all warm’n'fuzzy about the world. Then, just to drive the point home, it stormed in Cape Town last night, the kind of thunder storm you get up north in summer, except with gale-force winds. The kind of storm that makes you feel pretty small, and more than a little scared.

The recipe makes two cakes, one which I’ll take to family or the office and the other that Arthur eats half of (no, I’m not joking, it’s that good), before taking it to his company, where it is met with joyous cries of “Cake or death? Cake, please!” (here’s the joke, in case you don’t know it). So, finally, after much (relentlessly persistent) cajoling from friends and colleagues, here is the (moister! spicier!) famous carrot cake recipe. Like all good baking recipes, it’s super simple (the only fiddly bit is the carrot-grating) and never fails.

‘Make like rabbits’ irresistible carrot cake

4 extra-large eggs
310ml white sugar
250ml sunflower oil
500ml cake flour
10ml bicarbonate of soda
10ml ground cinnamon
5ml ground ginger
5ml ground mixed spice
5ml salt
3 x 250ml peeled and grated raw carrots
440g tin crushed pineapple, drained
100g pecan nuts, chopped

cream cheese icing
80g butter
125g thick cream cheese
5ml vanilla essence (or half the amount of real vanilla extract)
500ml icing sugar, sifted
10ml very finely grated orange or lemon zest (optional)

For the cake, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and pale. Beat in the oil. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ground spices and salt, and stir into the egg mixture. Mix in the grated carrot, drained pineapple and chopped pecan nuts. Spoon the mixture into a greased 23cm ring pan or two loaf tins (22 x 12cm) and bake in a pre-heated oven at 160°C for 50 – 60 minutes.

For the icing, cream the butter and cream cheese (this is easier if you’ve left them out to soften while making the cake). Add the vanilla and zest, then mix in the icing sugar to make a thick, fluffy icing. Spread over the cooled cake.

TWEET 1: Prep 4 ‘chokes in water + lemon juice. Mix 1.5 lemonsZest, 750ml brdCrumbs, 80ml ParmChs, 80ml chpd parsly, 1tblsp chpd rosemry, #nytrc

TWEET 2: 6clv mncd garlc, 1 chpd carrt, 1.5tblsp capers, s&p. Baking pan: 1slcd onion, ‘choke stems, 4sprgs parsly, 2clv garlc, 1slcd carrt. #nytrc

TWEET 3: Stuff ‘chokes w mix > pan > drzl olive oil. Add bit water, 125ml wine. Cover w foil. Bake @ 400d 4 1.5hrs. #nytrc

Not easy! The queen of this format is cookbook. Follow me on Twitter at michelle_matt.

I first thought I’d just put together some of my favourite tried-and-tested recipes, but I’ve decided to make it a bit more complicated for myself :-). One of my friends asked me how I manage to cook supper when I know there’s “nothing in the house” and that made me realise the importance of the well-stocked pantry. Now, mine’s not nearly as extravagant as some, but it gets the job done and it could be a good blueprint for yours. So, here we go…

These are the things that can hang around for ages in your kitchen – you can even whip up a pretty decent emergency meal from them. Pilafs and pasta sauces are easy and with an extra ingredient or two (eggs, a couple of veg) you can make frittatas, tagines, risottos and more.

This is my most basic staple list. Once you have this pantry in place, you’ll find that it’s almost effortless to maintain – some things only have to be topped up every few months (if you’re cooking for two, like I do).

olive oil
very good olive oil (for salads, pastas etc)
sunflower oil
white wine vinegar
balsamic vinegar
white and red wine

Pasta and grains:
basmati rice
brown rice
arborio (risotto) rice
wholewheat couscous
spaghetti (Barilla)
pasta shapes (I like mini penne)
cake flour
oats

Dried pulses:
brown lentils
red lentils
split peas
soup mix
popcorn

Tinned food:
chickpeas
cannellini beans
baked beans
butter beans
chopped tomatoes
whole tomatoes
Mexican tomatoes

Spices:
sea salt (Khoisan Trading) and black pepper
celery salt
whole coriander
ground and whole cumin
nutmeg
ginger
cinnamon
bay leaves
chili flakes
paprika
curry powder

Nuts, fruit, etc:
flaked almonds
dried apricots
raisins
black olives
tomato paste sachets
veg stock (Telma)
onions (they keep for ages under the right conditions)

In the fridge:
butter
plain yoghurt
lemon juice
basil pesto
tapenade
soya sauce
(of course, also condiments: mustard, tomato sauce, chutney, atchar etc)

In the deepfreeze:
peas
creamed spinach
Fry’s burgers (although I’m weaning us off these)

Kitchen garden (yup, I consider this part of the “pantry”):
rosemary
mint
basil (most important!)

Nice-to-haves:
harissa paste
green curry paste
sundried tomato pesto
flavoured vinegars
dried herbs
ginger paste
sambal oelek
Italian tomatoes
tinned ratatouille
cloves
fresh marjaram and oregano
quinoa (keep in the fridge)
coconut milk
cashew nuts
pine nuts

Right, there you go, set up! I’ll be devising and passing on recipes for meat-free pantry suppers and fast foods over the next few weeks.

*Thanks to babaghan for sharing this cool photo on Flickr

Admittedly, I saw this on a Jamie Oliver show about eight years ago and remembered it, but I think I’ve probably tweaked it quite a bit over the years. It’s garlic-free, because Arthur hates garlic, but so packed with tomatoey goodness and rosemary undertones, that you really don’t miss it. If you do, just add a clove or two to the onions.

Baking the sauce allows the tomato flavour to really develop and makes the mince nice and juicy. It’s vastly superior to a stove-top bolognaise, I think.

Baked bolognaise
Serves four

one tbls olive oil
one big onion, finely chopped
half tsp dried chili flakes
one tsp brown sugar
one tsp balsamic vinegar
65g tin of tomato paste
300g beef mince
200g pork mince
small glass red wine
two heaped tbls Ina Paarman sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
425g tin of whole tomatoes
two smallish sprigs of fresh rosemary
salt and pepper
500g spaghetti
grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

In a pot with ovenproof handles heat up the olive oil and then add the onions and slowly sweat till translucent. (You can also cook this in a normal pot, and transfer it to an ovenproof dish later). Add the chili flakes, brown sugar and balsamic and allow to caramalise.

Add the tomato paste and cook briefly. Then add the mince in a couple of batches, to brown. Once browned, toss in the red wine and allow the alcohol to burn off, then add the chopped sundried tomatoes and tin of whole tomatoes. Stir to combine, breaking up the whole tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper.

Cut a piece of baking paper to cover the top of your ovenproof pot. Tuck a couple of springs of rosemary into the sauce and then cover with the paper, pushing down around the edges of the sauce to seal.

Put the pot into an 180°C oven and bake for an hour. Get your spaghetti boiling 10 minutes before the timer goes. Take your sauce out of the oven and carefully take off its paper lid. It’ll look quite dry on top, with orangey red bubbles of tomato sauce hinting at the juicyness underneath. Lift out the rosemary stalks, give the sauce a good sir and serve on the spaghetti, with grated cheese.

Variations:
Use mixed beef and ostrich mince, available at Pick’n'Pay, and add a few chopped rashers of bacon when frying the onions.
Add a couple of chopped anchovies near the beginning of cooking for extra savouryness.
Add a couple of grated carrots and/or courgettes to bulk up the sauce and add veggie-vites (great for picky kids).
Add chopped mushrooms for extra low fat meatiness.
Add a little bit (100g) of very nutritious chopped liver or liver paste – this doesn’t make the sauce “livery”, but gives it a silky texture after baking.

*Thanks to Catmiz for the Flckr pic.

*Thanks to eviltuna7 for the Flickr photo.