Category: News

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

Alshaya Group join forces with WEF to support a sustainable future across MENA

Through its membership of the World Economic Forum’s Regional Action Group for the Middle East and North Africa (RAG MENA), Alshaya Group this week (14th September 2020) joined a group of government, business and civil society leaders from across the region to endorse the Principles of Stakeholder Capitalism for the Middle East and North Africa which are designed to inform an inclusive, sustainable and resilient recovery for the region.

The full text of the WEF news release can be found here.

The seven principles outlined in the WEF announcement are:

1. Crafting inclusive economic policies and a new social contract
2. Stimulating economic integration
3. Reshaping education systems
4. Harnessing the Fourth Industrial Revolution
5. Promoting environmental sustainability
6. Mitigating global health risks
7. Committing to good and agile governance

Commenting , Mohammed Alshaya, Executive Chairman of Alshaya Group said: “The Alshaya Group is very proud to be a signatory of the seven ‘Principles of Stakeholder Capitalism’ that can guide the MENA region as we respond collectively to new challenges in a new era. As regional leaders we share a common responsibility to help shape a dynamic, inclusive, sustainable and prosperous future that benefits society as a whole.”

WEF announced the initiative on Monday 14th September 2020.

This article was originally published here. Learn more about Alshaya Group, visit www.alshaya.com/en.