Oh Ceviche!

Forgive me father it's been ages (2011!) since my last blog. But an experience at a restaurant we're looking after compelled me to write today - exercising my self imposed exile.

We've been looking after the PR for Ceviche for the last six months and I've eaten there maybe six times now. Last week I actually got a craving for it...For anyone who doesn't know about Ceviche it's a fantastic Peruvian restaurant in Frith Street Soho, London that anyone who has yet to visit and loves there food should make sure they visit. Not only is the food completely unlike anything you'll have in London except maybe the odd dish here and there - think the Yellowtail sashimi with the jalepeno pepper at Nobu off the tip of my head. But wait...It's not just raw fish it's all kinds of things: Quinoa salad with avocado, the chicken or cheese tequenos (like soft and mildly spicy spring rolls), the cancha - like huge un-popped edible popcorn kernals - awesome snack before the real food arrives. Then there's the beef heart on skewers with something called panca chilli anticuchera sauce - which is like a less viscous mayo/hollandaise sauce - and don't be put off by the word heart, I'm a bit squeamish when it comes to animal organs, but you really wouldn't know - it's sliced and presented so beautifully and tastes incredible.

No-one's going to believe this is for real as we do the PR for them but honestly I've not been this enthused about food and a restaurant since I can remember! The mac n cheese is out of this world - I always want to order another portion but know it's too greedy - when my mum used to make it really good it reminds me of this. Then there's the Don Ceviche which reminds me of the Nobu Yellowtail dish I mentioned earlier but this is miles better - not only cheaper but more fish and more flavour. I could honestly eat Don Ceviche every single day - it actually makes me feel a happier person! The last dish you have to try (there are loads of others but these are my own personal favourites) is the beef - Lomo Saltado a sliced, flame-cooked filet of beef with red pepper and onion that melts in the mouth and served with chips! Anyway...The fact I'm about 40 miles away from Ceviche right now is making me very sad as I want it to be next door so the only way I could deal with my pang was to write about it!

Almost forgot - if you've never had a Pisco (peruvian spirit) Sour (it's like the best margherita you've ever had) try one at Ceviche - there's no way you'll stop at one! Also for non-alcoholic choice - I always get at lunch - get the Superchaco: Guava, Maca, ginger, lemongrass cordial, sparkling water and lime. I always feel a bit crap after sweet drinks but this leaves me feeling great no matter how many I've had!

The reason I think I like it so much is that the food is healthy, delicious and satisfying and that's such a rare combo in this day and age. PLease try it if you haven't already. I'll stake my reputation, what's left of it on it!


Check out Martin making Beef Saltado on Saturday Kitchen last weekend here
and here is the recipe for Don Ceviche here

Buttered Croutons

It's been a while...

We're going to have soup and I'm trying to keep my ingredients as natural as possible, so I've I decided to kill two birds with one stone by finishing up some bread that was a few days off it's best while creating a healthy addition to my winter soup. Here it is:

Buttered Croutons

what you'll need:

Past its best bread (although fresh will do)
olive oil
Garlic - finely chopped (optional)
lurpak butter
herbes de provence
freshly ground black pepper
wok
baking tray
Silver foil
kitchen roll
container to store croutons in


- Start by cutting up the bread into cubes - as big or small as you want them for your soup
- preheat the oven to 220 degrees C and put all the cubes on the foil on a baking tray and put in the oven for 10 mins to dry out
- check on them after 5minutes - the croutons should be dry and the softness should have gone. This may happen before 10 mins so keep checking them. You're looking for them to be soft and chewy in the middle when you finish the whole dish (wok etc) so make sure they're dray but not baked to a crisp for this part
- put a generous lug or two of olive oil in a wok and add two generous lumps of butter - two big knife scrapings should do it (the olive oil prevents the butter from catching as butter on it's own burns easily)
- heat the wok until it's sizzling (medium to high heat)
- add the dry croutons from the baking tray and toss them quickly so as much of the oil/butter covers every part of the croutons
- Turn the croutons over quickly and constantly. Once the croutons start to brown nicely add the finely chopped garlic, herebes de provence and some ground black pepper
- make sure all the croutons get nicely browned before removing (you may find you burn a couple - but this just means you lose a few to get a nicely browned majority.
- transfer the croutons back to the baking tray to cool off (this is essential before you put in the container as if they're still warm the steam in the container will make them go soft and you want them nice n crispy!)

Add to any soup - I like Veggie or a nice Butternut Squash soup in the winter - if you're feeling really unhealthy add some emmental cheese gratings.

Enjoy!

Wine, Food and Great Boozers

Man it's been a long time since I posted.

Enjoying a great drop of red wine tonight courtesy of M&S - Marques de Alarcon - £5.99 but worth every drop. Awesomely smooth and going down too nicely. Don't share - keep this one to yourself!

Went to Soho hotel this week for lunch and thought the calamari fritti was average but the cobb salad was really good - didn't need the starter really, main was huge.

Also disappointed the calamari in Pizza Express has been discontinued although it was always a bit limp. If they could do it crispier I'd be all up for petitioning its return!

Cheapest pint in central London is still The Chandos pub on the southern most corner of St Martin's Lane.

Nirvana Exhibition was fun and a pint in the Big Chill (opposite) on Dray Walk E.London (nest to Rough Trade East) was great - looks like a good place to stop in on a Thursday or Friday night.

Music to cook by this week - Def the new Fink album especially 'Yesterday Was Hard On All Of Us' and 'Perfect Darkness' - needs to be a mellow dish though - it's got that Sunday feeling. Fink's tour starts Friday 23rd Sept in Brighton - catch him in London on Oct 5th at Union Chapel. http://soundcloud.com/dawbellpr/fink-yesterday-was-hard-on can't wait!

Bruschetta: Pizza Express style

For years I searched for the perfect bruschetta recipe. This is properly delicious and not a million miles off the Pizza Express one.

Vine ripe tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Red onion
Salt n pepper
Pesto
Garlic cloves
Wide French loaf
Olive oil

chop and deseed the toms and cut into small pieces and put into a bowl
add the extra virgin olive oil so they literally soak into the toms – add salt n pepper
finely chop half a red onion and add to the mixture
leave for 30 mins to soak up the flavour
cut up as many slices of bread as you want from the french loaf
place them all on a baking tray
brush olive oil lightly onto one side and place into a hot oven
when bread is starting to brown nicely take out and rub a garlic clove lightly on the toasted side
then spread some pesto lightly on the same side
dollup the tomato mixture on top with a fork so as not to get too much extra virgin olive oil on the bread
then you're ready to serve!

Music to cook to...

@hypem http://t.co/ZRdy8NO

Music to cook to...

@hypem http://t.co/oSrnVuU

Seared Salmon Salad...Mmm

I haven't posted up any recipes recently. Been too consumed with my day job which seems to be a 24 hours these days!

So here's an easy and healthy one that I tweaked a bit, taken from my fave chef Rick Stein:

Delicious seared salmon salad...
(serves two)

YOU NEED:

2x skinless salmon fillets
light olive oil
salt and ground black pepper
salad leaves - I prefer watercress and spinach leaves
short thin french bread stick
1x medium red pepper
1x large salad/spring onion branch
frying pan - pref a skillet

dressing:
(choice of)

lemon juice - a whole lemon cut in two halves

or 1/2 a small tub of no fat creme fraiche, half a teaspoonful of wholegrain mustard and two pinches of dill mixed together.


start by making the croutons:

cut small slices (1cm width approx - less if you can) of the french bread up and lay maybe 14 down on a baking tray. preheat the oven to 210C while you start brushing olive oil onto each side of every slice of bread. Then ground a little pepper over the whole try before sticking in the oven for about 11 minutes or until crispy brown.

for the salad:

take a couple of salmon fillets without the skin and place them face up on a chopping board.
next run a knife along the middle of the fillet making two thinner slices of the fillet - so you're pointing the knife away from your body and cutting either from left to right or right to left depending what hand you use.
do this again with the other fillet.
this gives you four fairly thin slices of salmon that should shallow fry very quickly
pour some olive oil into an egg cup and use a brush to coat both side of each fillet with a thin layer before seasoning both sides with salt and pepper.
heat up the skillet pan to quite a high heat with no oil in it (the fillets have enough on them already to sear the salmon)
put the fillets into the pan and fry them for about 2 minutes each side or until they've seared to your liking
remove them and let them cool down
lay out the salad leaves in a shallow bowl and finely chop the salad onion right up the green part until you have no more fresh onion left to chop and then distribute evenly over each of the bowls of salad leaves.
then tear small chunks of the cooled salmon (up to you if you want it hot or cold though) over the salad.
chop your red pepper up into thin edible slices or chunks and distribute over each of the salad bowls before tossing the whole lot to make them look more presentable.
finally add your croutons for a little crunch.

wait to add the dressing at the last minute as it will make it soggy otherwise:

with the lemon halves: put one half on the edge of each bowl and serve so the person eating it can squeeze as mucj or as little as they want to. makes for a healthy fresh zest to the salad

with the creme fraiche dressing: I like to just put a healthy dollop on the edge of the bowl but you may just want to serve it in a separate dish for people to dress over the top of their salad.

Delicious, healthy and perfect for a saturday lunch at home or a warm summer evening meal out in the garden with some fresh chilled sauvignon blanc.