Author: Olivia

Calling all Chefs and Mixologists from around the world! Put on your apron and get inspired by tea around the theme of “immunity”, to stand a chance at winning a vacation of a lifetime!

Here’s an unrivalled opportunity to showcase your culinary skill and flair, while revolutionising and pushing the boundaries of tea in gastronomy and mixology, with recipes that can help boost immunity, with a 5000-year-old, immunity-boosting herb at the heart of it – tea!

Brew our judges away and win an all-expense-paid 7-day vacation to a luxury resort in Sri Lanka, and an opportunity to attend the only Worldchefs certified tea school – The Dilmah School of Tea in Sri Lanka!

Here’s how to enter:
 
1. Make a food item that is sweet or savoury using Dilmah Tea as an ingredient.

2. Make a non-alcoholic beverage using Dilmah tea as an ingredient. This could be an iced tea, chai, hot & cold tea mocktail, smoothie, tea shake etc.

3. Upload your entry as a video or image with a rationale behind your creations on to Dilmah’s tea inspired awards website.

Submissions close on 18th March 2021. After which, our global panel of judges comprising the following experts will get shortlisting!

 
Dilhan C. Fernando
Tea Grower, CEO of Dilmah Tea, Director, Dilmah School of Tea, Sri Lanka

Dr. Tissa Amarakoon
Author of Tea & Your Health, former Deputy Director Research at the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka 

Tomek Malek
World Champion Flair Bartender, Poland 

Peter Kuruvita
Chef & Restaurateur, Australia 

Shortlisted participants will be notified by 23^rd March 2021 and will have the opportunity to present LIVE via Zoom to our judges.

Good luck!

Support for Croatia

On December 29th half of the town of Petrinja in Croatia was destroyed in a 6,3 magnitude earthquake. The very next day, another struck with a magnitude of 4,1. 

Please help to support Croatia by donating to those affected by the earthquake. You can make your donation through the Croatian Red Cross by using this link: https://www.hck.hr/english/10656

Show the power of the white jacket by sharing and calling for donation through your channels. 

It is cited in texts and known around the world that ‘Tea began as a medicine, and then grew into a beverage’ – The Book of Tea. 

Scientific research further confirms what Asians have believed for centuries; that all types of tea contains polyphenols and powerful natural antioxidants which can protect regular tea drinkers from many degenerative diseases. Similarly, studies also suggest rooibos and spices have potent antioxidant and antiviral properties. 

Chef Peter Kuruvita combines both its ancient healing properties and its modern-day pleasures into tea inspired gastronomy recipes to help enhance the immune system. With carefully thought-out ingredients, he combines the polyphenolic and antioxidant goodness of tea and the antiviral properties from our Infusions to bring you Immunity Inspired by Tea Recipes. From energy-boosting recipes such as vegan-protein balls, to restaurant-worthy dishes such as Beetroot Tartare with Black Tea and Walnuts. 

Watch how to make a Gazpacho that can boost your immunity, with Dilmah’s Tangerine, Rose and Grapefruit Infusion: 

Dear colleagues, chefs and friends from all around the world.

I am wishing you all a “MERRY CHRISTMAS” and from the bottom of my heart a very festive season. 

Despite of a very difficult year 2020 and so many obstacles due to COVID 19 Pandemic this special time of the year shell give you all the positive energy and to ensure that 2021 will be a better year for all of us. 

The entire world population is suffering but in my personal view I believe in the positive energy in our human raze and especially in the “POWER OF THE WHITE JACKET. 

We as culinarians can make a change and as well our social responsibility is to support all the NEEDY and UNFORTUNATE as well. 

GOD bless you all and please “SHARE” with the people in need. 

Today I am talking to you as your WORLDCHEFS President and as the virtual “SANTA” and on behalf of the entire “Board of Directors of WORLDCHEFS” again our personal “MERRY CHRISTMAS” and “GOD bless you all”. Stay safe and healthy and we are looking forward meeting and seeing you all somewhere around the globe.

Yours,
Thomas A. Gugler
Worldchefs President

Lapland Smoked Trout

 A dinner in the Arctic wilderness. 
By Luis Soto Villalta.

 History 

Smoked fish is an ancestral tradition in the Nordic countries. The Sami people have been living in the Arctic since before the last Ice Age. They used to complement the reindeer diet with fish such as salmon, trout, or Arctic char. 

The most common methods for preserving meat and fish have been drying and smoking. The Sami people had a nomadic lifestyle based on following the reindeer herds. This lifestyle made them improvise simple, but effective cooking and smoking systems. 

When sledging on the frozen lakes, the inhabitants of Lapland used to fish through a hole in the ice. They smoked the fish for instant eating or storage. This tradition has survived to present days. 

Fishing

 During my stay in Lapland managing Kvikkjokk Fjällcenter, I had the opportunity to carry out some winter expeditions on the frozen lakes of the area. When we located a good fishing place after a couple of hours on a snowmobile or dogsled, we stopped to prepare all necessary for fishing and dining. 

 First, we shoveled the top snow, then with a large drill we drilled the ice down to the water. For ice fishing, we use a short fishing rod, about half a meter long. When a fish bites and is brought to the surface the temperature difference kills it quickly. 

Ingredients for 2 Servings

2 trout fillets
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 lemon 

Preparations 

Once the fishing is over, clean the fish. Prepare the smaller pieces for grilling and fillet and clean of their spines the larger trouts. 

Before this, light a good fire delimited with stones. The most used firewood is birch because of its plenty in Lapland. Its bark is also great for starting a fire. Form a pyramid with branches and then place the birch bark at its base. Cut the thicker logs into two or four pieces lengthways before placing on the fire. 

Smoking 

The fillets are then fixed in perforated wooden planks with small stakes, as the image at the next page shows. Once we fix the fillets, we season them with salt and pepper. If desired, add pressed lemon, although the Samis only seasoned with salt. 

Afterwards, sunk the boards into the ground, surrounding the fire. They should be far enough away so that the trouts do not roast, but close enough to give them the smoke and some heat. As a reference 20-25 cm from the fire and outside the outer edge of the campfire. The firewood should burn in the mid-flame and not on embers. 

Smoke for about 1 hour. 

Waiting for the dinner

We can enjoy the beautiful arctic nature while our trout is being smoked. Another good option is to cook a Lapp coffee and grill the smaller fish. 

As an appetizer, we will put our teeth to the test with some gåjkkebierggo or dried reindeer meat. A “hard” speciality considered as a Delicatessen in Lapland. 

Serving

To serve our smoked trout, we use the same wooden planks where we smoked it, instead of plates. We only need to remove the wooden stakes. 

Images from Business Finland. 

About the Author

My mother and grandfather introduced me to professional cooking. As people say in Spain: I learned to cook from the bottom of my mother’s skirt. The tradition in the family comes from my grandfather when he founded the first restaurant of the family in 1916. I have later studied both professional cooking and hotel management. I focused my career on kitchen and accommodation management, especially in the rural environment and the wilderness.

Luis Soto Villalta
https://desoto.eu

Michelin to launch ‘digital-only’ 2021 Guide in January

By James McAllister
08-Sep-2020 – Last updated on 08-Sep-2020 at 09:04 GMT

The 2021 Michelin star revelation ceremony will be held next year on January 25, rather than next month as originally planned.

All the new Michelin stars will be unveiled at the event at The Dorchester Hotel in London, which will be designed to highlight the resilience, quality and potential of the industry across the UK and Ireland.

The event will also mark the launch of the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2021.

Michelin says the decision to move the publication and launch from the usual October date will not only allow time for the hospitality industry to get back on its feet, but will also allow it more time to prepare ‘a full and comprehensive guide’ for its readers.

The ‘digital-only publication’ will ‘take into account industry recovery from Covid-19’ and ‘offer users more modern and engaging resources’ via the Michelin app and online.

“Our inspectors are eating out and supporting the industry across Great Britain and Ireland,” says Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides.

“Moving the event to January and launching a digital-only guide gives us the time we need to be fair to restaurateurs and to ensure the consistent, expert advice our customers demand.

“Restaurants have been through challenges we previously couldn’t even have imagined – and I want to applaud chefs and owners for the passion, ingenuity and entrepreneurship they have shown this year.”

Michelin had originally planned​​ to invite members of the public to its star revelation event for the first time this year at an event that had been due to take place at London’s Camden Roundhouse on 19 October 2020.

While full details will not be available until closer to the event date, Michelin has suggested that the 2021 revelation ceremony will be accessible both in person and digitally

This article was originally published in Big Hospitality.

Castilian Roasted Suckling Pig

A millenary speciality roasted in a wood-fired oven.
By Luis Soto Villalta.

History

Thinking about pig breeding was common in the Iberian culture, it is also logical to think that Iberian people could have roasted suckling pig in the pre-Roman era. However, the oldest graphic sources are from Latin origin. In fact, the suckling pig appears as a gourmet speciality in Roman pictures.

This all suggests that roasted suckling pig began to spread among the Iberian-Roman people between the 1st and 5th centuries AD.

During the Muslim occupation between the 8th and 15th centuries, its popularity declined over the majority of the Iberian Peninsula but not over the Norther Christian Kingdoms.

Some centuries later, it was in “Casa Cándido” in Segovia when the fame of the Castilian roast suckling pig spread throughout Spain and then to the rest of the world because the tourist boom of the 60s. Cándido started his business in 1930, although the inn had been operated since 1860.

Another internationally famous restaurant whose speciality is roast suckling pig is “Casa Botín”, in Madrid. Founded in the 17th century, its wood-burning oven has never been turned off since then, remaining 365 days a year ready to roast.

How to Prepare

Ingredients for 6-8 servings:

• 1 suckling pig 4,5 to 5 kg. 
• 1 ½ litre water. 
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt. 
• About 150 ml pork lard. 

Preparing the oven:

You can use any wood-burning oven for pizzas or roasts. 

Use pine or birch wood for lighting because they burn faster. Once lit, use oak or holm oak wood because they are harder and more aromatic, they burn more slowly. 

The interior of the oven must be at 225°C because when we introduce the piglet the temperature drops to 200°C. If it is not a big oven, heat it up 4-5 hours before roasting the suckling pig. If it is a big oven, heat it up the night before. 

You must leave enough embers to roast the suckling pig for two hours. Do not introduce firewood during the roasting. It is better to leave extra embers so that there is no lack of heat. In this case, the suckling pig can be covered with aluminium foil to prevent it from becoming over-roasted. 

Roasting the suckling pig:

It must be clean and empty, open at the belly halfway, from the head to the end of the spine. It does not have to be completely split, but open like a book. 

Place it on a baking tray if it is possible in a clay one. Must be with the ribs facing upwards with a few slats underneath so that the crust does not stick to the tray. Salt it with coarse salt and put a litre of water on the tray and half litre between the ribs. 

Place the tray about 30 centimetres away from the embers. 

Roast the piglet for one hour, sprinkling with the roasting liquid. 

After one hour, turn it over and prick it with a fork to release the water it has absorbed under the crust. 

Brush with the pork lard. 

Wrap the ears and tail with aluminium foil and put the piglet back into the oven. 

Roast for about one more hour, until the crust is golden and crunchy. 

Serving:

Take the baking tray out of the oven and cut the suckling pig with the edge of a flat plate with quick hits. Cut and serve portions of about 600 to 800 gr. 

It can be served with salad or potatoes to your choice. 

About the Author

My mother and grandfather introduced me to professional cooking. As people say in Spain: I learned to cook from the bottom of my mother’s skirt. The tradition in the family comes from my grandfather when he founded the first restaurant of the family in 1916. I have later studied both professional cooking and hotel management. I focused my career on kitchen and accommodation management, especially in the rural environment and the wilderness.

Luis Soto Villalta
https://desoto.eu

Andalusian “Espeto”

The art of vertical wood-fired grilling
By Luis Soto Villalta.

History

The oldest spit-grilled fish images are in some Egyptian burial chambers. This type of grilling possible was also done in other ancient Mediterranean civilizations. Typical Turkish and Greek vertical roasts as gyros and kebab are proof of this.

The espetos tradition in southern Spain dates to the Muslim era when Muslims brought this type of grilling from the Near East. The cause was the Islam spread and the invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.

This grilling method passed from home cooking to professional cooking in the 19th century. It was by the hand of Miguel Martínez Soler when in 1882 he opened his famous bar on the beach: “La gran parada ”. It would be the first beach bar “chiringuito” in the Costa del Sol. Miguel was who started to spike sardines on a piece of cane sinking it on the sand next to the fire. The fame of his espetos spread quickly and on January 21st, 1885, the King of Spain Alfonso XII visited the bar. On Miguel’s advice, he ate sardines with his hands, without knife and fork.

Nowadays, people grill in espetos other species of fish as well as squid and cuttlefish.

How to Prepare a Traditional “Espeto” with Sardines

Preparing the cane:

You must cut one 2.5 to 3 cm diameter cane that is still green into segments of 35 to 50 cm long.

Divide the cane lengthwise into two halves.

Then cut ends of each cane in the shape of a spear tip.

Finally, reduce about 20 cm of cane at the opposite end, which is sunk into the sand, from 2.5 cm to 1.5 cm diameter.

Spiking the sardines:

Season the sardines with coarse salt a couple of hours before roasting.

Thread sardines in a row, all in the same head-to-tail direction to make the grilling uniform.

Cross each sardine from back to belly in half its length. The cane rounded outside must run along the sardine spine and be perpendicular to it.

The sardines must have their back down and their belly up.

Thread the thicker sardine at the bottom of the espeto and the thinner one at the top. When you sink in the sand first, the cane rounded outside faces the fire.

Grilling the espetos:

The olive tree is the best firewood for the espeto. This is because of its resistance, heat power and plenty in Andalusia. The oak wood could be used in other countries where there are not olive trees.

Light the fire and wait until the wood becomes embers.

Once you have threaded the sardines, sink the espetos into a small mound of sand. 20- 25 cm from the fire, a little inclined in the direction of the breeze.

The espetos must receive the heat and not the smoke. The flame must never meet the fish.

Grilling ends after 10-12 minutes facing the fire. 5-6 minutes every side.

Serving:

Remove the espetos from the sand and placed on a dish. You must hold each espeto

with one hand and disengages the sardines with the other hand by a slight twist. Serve with some bread and sliced lemon. You can also serve with lettuce. The eatable weight of a sardine in espeto is half of its raw weight.

About the Author

My mother and grandfather introduced me to professional cooking. As people say in Spain: I learned to cook from the bottom of my mother’s skirt. The tradition in the family comes from my grandfather when he founded the first restaurant of the family in 1916. I have later studied both professional cooking and hotel management. I focused my career on kitchen and accommodation management, especially in the rural environment and the wilderness.

Luis Soto Villalta
https://desoto.eu

Feature photo: Espetos in Málaga, Costa del Sol, Spain.