ceviche recipe

Ceviche is a traditional dish served in restaurants all over Peru. There are hundreds of variations of this signature recipe.  Personally, I am more of a purist and prefer the simpler versions using the five basic ingredients of: fish, salt, lime, chili peppers and onions.  

This recipe is from the Lima Gourmet Company, a great food tour and cooking class that was one of the highlights of my recent trip to Lima. 

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CEVICHE  // serves 4

by Lima Gourmet Company

prep time: 15 minutes // cook time: 15 minutes // TOTAL TIME: 30 min

INGREDIENTS: CEVICHE

• 800 g. white fish ( about 1.75 lbs. of sole, sea bass or flounder )
• 300 g. red onion - julienne ( finely sliced )
• 2 aji limo peppers - if you can't find this, substitute with habanero peppers
• 12 limes
• 500 ml. of "tiger's milk"
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
• salt to taste
• ice cubes

INGREDIENTS: TIGER'S MILK

• 500 ml of lime juice
• 500 ml of water
• 200 g. fish stock
• 25 g. rocoto chili ( deveined and seeds removed ) 
• 25 g. aji amarillo ( deveined and seeds removed ) 
• 25 g. aji limo ( deveined and seeds removed ) - if you can't find this, substitute with habanero peppers
• 50 g. celery
• 10 g. ginger
• 30 g. red onion
• 50 g. salt
• 10 g. white pepper

METHOD:

1. Soak the chopped onions in cold water with ice.
2. Cut the fish into medium-sized cubes, and place in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the onions, lime juice and season with salt.
4. Tiger's Milk: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and let marinade for 5 minutes.  Blend all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and strain through a sieve. 
5. Add the "tiger's milk" gradually until desired taste is obtained. 
6. Let the fish marinade for 10 minutes in the fridge before serving to allow the fish to "cook."
7. Garnish with cilantro.

NOTES:

• Serve this dish with slices of cooked sweet potatoes and corn on the side which is the traditional accompaniments. 
• Only use the freshest, semi firm, white-fleshed sea water fish like sole, flounder or sea bass.  Don't use oily fish like tuna or mackerel. 
• Use fresh limes and don't squeeze all the juice out of them to avoid bitterness. 
• Make sure to cut your fish evenly so it cooks evenly. 

vegan fruit crumble recipe

I LOVE fruit bordering on the obsessive side. During the winter months, I like making crumbles using what I can find at the farmers market, which is usually apples and pears.

I recently started experimenting with making dairy free crumbles.  This recipe is vegan and uses gluten free oats. I added strawberries, to give this recipe a hint of summer and used a medium size, stoneware casserole dish from american bakeware that cooked this recipe perfectly. 

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VEGAN STRAWBERRY, APPLE & PEAR CRUMBLE  // serves 8 - 10

by brunchpants

prep time: 30 minutes // cook time: 35 - 40 minutes // TOTAL TIME: 1.25 hours

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING:

• 4 ripe peeled pears
• 4 peeled apples ( gala or fuji preferably  )
• 1 cup whole strawberries 
• 3 tbsp. almond meal
• 1 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/3 cup maple syrup 

INGREDIENTS FOR THE TOPPING:

• 1 1/4 cup of almond meal
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 10 large juicy ( or soaked ) dates 
• pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 cups of gluten free "old fashion" oats
• 1/2 cup of sliced almonds
• 1 cup of sliced strawberries ( set aside for decor on top )  

METHOD: FILLING

1. Preheat the oven to 350' F.

2. After peeling the apples and pears, cut them into quarters, remove the core and seeds, and slice lengthwise to create even slices.

3. Core and slice the strawberries.

4. Mix everything together and put into a 9" baking dish and set aside.

METHOD: TOPPING

1. With the exception of the strawberries, pulse all of the ingredients ( using only half of the oats at first )  in a food processor to evenly blend.  You want everything to be mixed well but not pureed. 

2. Once everything is well blended, add in the second half of the oats and pulse only a few times, so you keep large pieces of oats in the mixture. 

3. Add the topping to the filling mixture, patting it down so it is evenly distributed. 

4. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until bubbling and browning on top. 

5. While the crumble is cooling, add the sliced strawberries to the top in a pattern of your choice. 

NOTES:

• You can refrigerate the crumble after you put the topping on and bake it before you want to serve.

ratatouille recipe

My dad used to make ratatouille from his collection of French cookbooks when I was growing up.  The aroma from the kitchen of making this recipe is almost as comforting as the food for me. I particularly love making Ratatouille in the colder months and use the leftovers for breakfast dishes. I have tried a few different ratatouille recipes in the past, however my Dad's adaptation uses anchovy paste which puts the end result in a class of its own. 

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RATATOUILLE  // serves 8-10

by brunchpant's dad Marcel

prep time: 30 minutes // cook time: 25 - 30 minutes plus 2 hours for reducing sauce // TOTAL TIME: 3 hours

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tbsp. olive oil

• 1 tbsp. anchovy paste

• 1 large yellow onion - cut into "Rondelle" ( large circles )

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped

• eggplant - 1 kilo ( about 2.2 lbs. ) preferably the longer Italian variety, cut into 1.5 inch pieces or rounds ( depending on the size of zuchinni you are using ) 

• zucchini - 1 kilo ( about 2.2 lbs. ) - cut into round pieces

• 3 - 16oz canned organic peeled tomatoes - roughly chopped

• 1 red pepper - sliced into strips, lengthwise, about 1 cm thick

• 1 yellow pepper - sliced into strips, lengthwise, about 1 cm thick

• 1 green pepper - sliced into strips, lengthwise, about 1 cm thick

• 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme and/or optional herbes de provence

• 3 bay leaves

• 4 whole cloves

• 1/4 tsp. clove powder

• salt and pepper to taste

• handful fresh basil leaves - roughly chopped ( save a small amount for garnish )

• handful fresh flat leaf parsley - roughly chopped ( save a small amount for garnish )

DIRECTIONS:

1. Use a medium size stock pot and over medium heat, start by "perfuming" the olive oil with Anchovy Paste" ( in french called huile d'olive parfumée ). Be sure not to overheat the olive oil.

2. Add the onions, cut into “Rondelle” ( big circles ) and sauté them until translucent.

3. Add the chopped garlic and stir for a few minutes until fragrant.

4. Add the eggplant first so it soaks up some of the olive oil and continually stir for about 1 minute.

5. Add the peppers and zucchini in alternating layers, stacking them on top of each other.

6. Pour in the tomatoes with the juice, covering all of the vegetables.  ( note - If you need more liquid to cover the vegetables, add a little no-sodium chicken stock or water ) 

7. Add the remaining herbs and spices - thyme, cloves, clove powder, bay leaves, basil and parsley and lightly stir to cover all the ingredients in liquid.

8. Cover and cook over medium heat for 25 minutes.  Use a knife to pierce through the zucchini and eggplant to test, if it slides in easily, you know it is finished. 

9. Strain out the vegetables and set aside, saving the liquid to reduce. ( cover with foil and set aside in the oven if you want to serve this dish hot, otherwise leave uncovered )

10. Reduce the sauce by boiling over medium-high heat. You want the sauce to reduce to a glaze-like consistency.  The time this will take depends on the type of pot you are using, but expect at least 1.5 hours.  Stir frequently to avoid burning.

11. Once sauce is reduced to a glaze, pour over the strained vegetables and garnish with leftover basil, parsley and thyme.

NOTES:

• You can serve this dish hot or at room temperature.  

• glaze the dish with the reduced vegetable sauce right before you serve and sprinkle with some of the leftover basil and parsley.

• do not use the long Chinese zucchini for this recipe as it doesn't have the right flavor.

homemade chai tea recipe

After making homemade chai tea, I was obsessed. The spices and flavors are addicting.  I like to make this on cold rainy days.  

Chai tea recipe:

4 cinnamon sticks, 4 black tea bags, 8 whole cloves, 12 cardamom pods, 2 star anise, 8 whole black peppercorns, 4 cups water, 4" sliced piece of ginger, 1 vanilla pod, 1/8 tsp nutmeg.

Bring all to boil for 10 min. add almond milk and honey to taste. Makes 4 cups.