Chef's Diaries @malcolmemmanueil-blog - Tumblr Blog

Posts

Friday's Steak and lobster on the move. 12 oz Sirloin steak, 2 scallops, a whole lobster, cassava chips, salads and house dips. Book your lobster now for this coming Friday. #Bexhill #Eastbourne #Hastings #weekendvibes #Lobster #lovelatinfood #aztecsungod #eatlatin #livelatin

Catalonian Roast Lamb ingredients

Serves 4 – 6

1.5 kg leg of lamb

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

2 cloves of garlic finely sliced

1 wineglass of dry white wine

300 ml (½ pint) of water

2 tablespoons of wine vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

Potatoes (the quantity just depends on how much you want to cook with the lamb)

1 or 2 large onions

4 or 5 whole garlic cloves (or add less if you don’t want such a strong garlic flavour in the onions and potatoes)

Salt

Freshly ground black peppers

Cooking Method

Rub the lamb with half of the olive oil, season it with salt and pepper and rub the thyme over the surface of the lamb. Let the lamb sit for an hour to absorb the flavours.

Peel and cut the potatoes into slices about 1cm thick and place on the bottom of a roasting tin. Slice the onions and mix them with the potatoes and peel the garlic but leave the cloves whole and add to the potatoes and onions.

Put the white wine, water, vinegar and lemon juice into a pan and bring to the boil.

Next make some slits in the leg of lamb and put some slices of garlic into them and then rub the lamb with the rest of the olive oil. Place the lamb on top of the potatoes, onions and garlic and pour about half of the liquid over the meat.

Place in a preheated oven at 230ºC / gas mark 8 for 15 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 190ºC / gas mark 5 and continue to roast it. Baste with the remaining liquid from time to time. If the potatoes soak up too much of the liquid you can make more.

For cooking time allow 15 minutes per 450g if you like your lamb pink and 25 minutes per 450g if you like it well done in the manner that the Spanish like it!

Traditionally in Spain this would be served along with the potato that is cooked with it but you might choose to serve it with some roast potatoes and vegetables of your choice.

#lamb #roastlamb #spanishkitchen #cooking

malcolmemmanueil-blog

Finally we were able to source one of the finest quality Nationwide and most possibly worldwide. Long Horned beef, and for those who haven’t had the chance to know what is it! This beautiful cattle is a very rare breed, grows only in Northern England and Ireland. Similar breed do exist in Texas USA, and considered a premium quality as well. Long Horned is free range in nature, our dedicated Butcher was able to source it Organic from Northern Ireland. The process is very simple, we source the meat, ground it (mince) get it pressed in rings, and then straight on the grill. No fats, no preservatives, no artificial colours and no nasties. Shelf life is 3 days. We don’t freeze it or recycle it. This great and honest Burger is one of the top quality Burgers in the UK. The way I serve it is either in a grilled Brioche Bun, or if I have a special guest, I serve it normally with my Signature Black bun. Tempted to try? Please pop in to #Georgeinn Southwark and give it a go…

#georgeinn #longhorned #blackburger #superfood

Powerful Drink That Helps to Clean Your Whole Organism

Detoxing the body can offer many health benefits to your body. Have you ever considered detoxing?

Detoxing the body is a way to recharge, rejuvenate, and renew the body. When you detox the body, you eat little and drink a lot. Because, you’re getting rid of the waste inside the body, so you need something to push all those toxins out. There are a number of health benefits to detoxing the body.

Benefits:

-Boosts energy -Rids the body of excess waste -Weight loss -Stronger immune system -Improves skin -Better breath -Reduces cravings -Clearer thinking -Healthy Hair -Lighter feeling -Anti-aging -Improved sense of well-being

If you would like to detox the body and feel better about yourself, try this recipe.

Ingredients:

4 liters of water 2 lemons or 4 limes 2 fresh cucumbers 20 mints leaves

Directions:

1. Wash the cucumber and lemon and slice them. 2. After mixing lemons and cucumbers, mix mint leaves. 3. Put into a large bowl or pitcher and add the water 4. Store in the fridge.

Dose

Drink 4 glasses a day every day until you run out. For best results, avoid consuming sugars and fats.

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/detox-diets-cleansing-body

http://bembu.com/detox-benefits

http://www.livestrong.com/article/18969-benefits-detoxing-body/

#weightloss #antiaging #betterbreath #HealthyHair

Powerful Drink That Helps to Clean Your Whole Organism

Detoxing the body can offer many health benefits to your body. Have you ever considered detoxing?

Benefits:

If you would like to detox the body and feel better about yourself, try this recipe.

Ingredients:

4 liters of water 2 lemons or 4 limes 2 fresh cucumbers 20 mints leaves

Directions:

1. Wash the cucumber and lemon and slice them. 2. After mixing lemons and cucumbers, mix mint leaves. 3. Put into a large bowl or pitcher and add the water 4. Store in the fridge.

Dose

Drink 4 glasses a day every day until you run out. For best results, avoid consuming sugars and fats.

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/detox-diets-cleansing-body

http://bembu.com/detox-benefits

http://www.livestrong.com/article/18969-benefits-detoxing-body/

#Weight loss #better breathing #healthy hair #anti-aging #well-being

Bring the Christmas joy to your home with our unique Christmas feast. Order Roast Turkey now and have the mulled wine on us. Offer expires on 10th December. Roast Turkey, pigs in blankets, honey glazed root veg, potato fondant, rolled stuffing. http://tinyurl.com/llp29ft #Christmas #roastTurkey #supperclub #cayena #cayenasupperclub #malcolmemmanueil #privateevents #christmasfeast #christmasdinner

#roastturkey #christmasfeast #cayenasupperclub #privateevents #malcolmemmanueil #supperclub #cayena #christmasdinner #christmas

Food is my religion; it's the magical element that binds people and keeps them together. It doesn’t matter where you are, or what you do, every day and at some certain point you will have to gather around a table with friends or family, during a lunch break, dinners or even on holidays.

Food has played a big role in our daily life, it developed in such a way that it became a part of who we are. In some cultures, if a lady cooks a good meal it means she is ready for 'Mr Right', while in other cultures if a man wants to impress his date, he would cook a creative romantic meal. Watching a game? There must be a decent selection of bites to go with drinks, and let’s not mention lazy Sundays and the snacks.

So, food has been the centre of our attention at all times, socialising around food, sorting business around food celebrating around food

Great minds can be spotted easily, a person cannot avoid a creative vision, specially from beginners, they are on the edge of creativity, and all they need is a push from my careful hands.

#cooking classes #supper club #come dine with me #cayena

Its Wine & Tapas eve @jeniussocial Tonight at 6pm www.jeniussocial.co.uk

From up left. #Madiera poached #venison #cranberry on mini yorkies, #salmon #ceviche on beetroot #wssabi mousse, #Goat cheesecake with #balsamic pearls, confit #duck #tamarind on #poppadoms

Time bomb called GYROS

According 2010 estimates, norovirus in the most common of the known pathogens, responsible for 5.4 million illnesses and 149 deaths each year. Salmonella is now estimated to cause more than a million illnesses and 378 deaths annually. E. coli toxins are estimated to cause 176,000 illnesses and 20 fatalities a year. Campylobacter is estimated to cause 845,024 illnesses and 76 deaths. Listeria is one of the most lethal pathogens, estimated to cause 1,591 illnesses and 255 deaths.

Friday night, is the week end’s

celebration eve. Is the time when everyone wants to enjoy , meet, talk and perhaps party hard after a long hard working week, and then to snack something on the way back home, and

who wouldn’t do that??

Having many options of fast food outlets such as, takeaway, Chinese, Mc Donald’s Gyros and so, with attractive front

view, designed by amazing food posters and attractive low prices of meal deals...Unfortunately, not everything is exactly as it looks like, and in most cases the Magical Friday night meal deals, might end up being a tragedy.

From a personal experience, in Cyprus nobody gives a

damn about food safety. It’s not a rocket science by the

way, it is few measures to insure that food does not cause any harm for consumers by insuring that meat is been cooked properly, fridges are working accordingly & employees are qualified to handle food.

Most restaurants are using students of foreign

nationalities, who are not related to the food industry without any food handling training or health checks, and the reason is, ‘CHEAP LABOUR’ despite the danger that they may cause, they are still working, and serving us food prepared by their “beautiful hands”!!!

One of the main critical foods Item that I came across is the

famous ‘Gyros’, or what we call in England ‘The Kebabs’

What is Gyros

Gyros could be chicken, pork or beef.

The meat is marinated, and then built on a long metal stick until the whole thing

becomes like a giant cylinder.

The whole Cylinder then is placed on a burner in order to cook the meat slowly.

The meat cooks from the outside only, while the inside is still row, and that’s when the chef moves the row part

towards the fire in order to cook it.

There is at least 35cm of uncooked meat between the Gyros center (metal stick) and the cooked surface. In most cases the Gyros stays hanging out near to the fire place about 12-16 hours a day.

How safe do you think it is to consume such a

product??

Safety Facts

Handling food can be tricky yet easy

when the food handler or the consumer

knows how.

As we know, Bacteria lives every where,

on our hair, body, bed, shower, food pets etc..

Salmonella is one type of Bacteria associated with this type of food, and its infection is usually caused by eating raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs or egg products. The incubation period ranges from several hours to two days.

Most salmonella infections can be

classified as gastroenteritis. Possible signs and symptoms include: Nausea, Vomiting, Abdominal pain, Diarrhea, Fever, Chills, Headache, Muscle pains, Blood in the stool.

Signs and symptoms of salmonella

infection generally last four to seven days, although it may take several months for your bowels to return to normal. A few varieties of salmonella bacteria result in typhoid fever, a sometimes deadly disease that is more common in developing countries.

Cooking rules

Certain rules must be followed while storing or cooking meat, and especially chicken.

Chicken must be controlled by temperature, in which below 5 C when stored, and above 73 C when cooked.

Cooked meals should not stay displayed for more than 2 hours, even though, during those 2 hours, the food must preserved in hot environment. And I will explain why.

Bacteria finds comfort in temperature range between temperatures 6 C and 63 C, and that’s what Chefs call it the danger zone. In the danger zone temperature, Bacteria can multiply by dozens and hundreds in 20 min. keep the food one hour and you’ll have piles of salmonella feasting on your meal.

So Imagine the Gyros cylinder, being hanging out for 15

hours, and the meat is cooked from outside, yet still row from the inside, and not maintaining a healthy temperature.

So what is the solution?

Simple, if you do not trust the place is following safety measures, skip the damn gyros and order a well-done grilled meat (chicken or beef). The main thing is, the meat will be taken from the fridge, which is safe, and will be cooked well-done which is above 73C which is super safe.

Or you can take my options, just go home and fry an egg :)

Cyprus, Chefs that never existed

Nov. 2011

Since my arrival at Cayena to fulfill my vision and mission of the Latin Fusion cuisine, which is complex and unique, and I have this great challenge which became recently an obstacle, finding skilled chefs.

Building the kitchen's brigade, in order to complete the menu is not an easy task. Choosing the right person for the right job, is like getting married. A year has gone, and Mr. right has not shown yet, "seems that the Bride will rotten at home".

In the search of a good Chef, a year till now and all what I am getting is:

A builder who can cook

A driver who thinks cooking spaghetti is the key to be a chef

and recently I got a dancer who thinks its all about art

I consider today as a momentum, a day to remember, something unmissable and must write about.

I got 2 applicants for a good positions in my Kitchen.

First applicant came travelling from a different city, and his dream is joining our cuisine for what he heard about us, after the interview, and introducing his verbal expertise using well balanced sentences spelled as a poetry, I went straight to the point:

'The talk is done, and now its show time, go inside the kitchen,

cook something to impress me, prove me what kind of chef you are,

I want something to represent your skills, your ego, your passion.

Something that could tell what level can you take our kitchen into'.

I stayed at the Bar having my coffee and waiting for my dream 'of finding a Chef' to come true, then suddenly I woke up when the guy finished his dish in 5 minuets. I walked slowly towards the table and hundreds of thoughts running in my head, to find a small starter plate with exactly 2 slices of grilled cheese and mango salsa.

I asked myself, is that normal!! a guy traveled from one city to another, and represented his skills with a 2 slices of grilled cheese ???

Second applicant, came on the same day, and after going through the same boring speach about his glorious culinary history, I simply asked him the same thing; 'come and cook'. two hours after the appointment, the guy text me that'sorry chef i have to travel, ill see you next week' I started laughing out loud that my sous chef asked me, whats up with you, getting crazy?? I nod my head and went back to my kitchen.

after this day, I have no comments, I will accept the fact of working between Chefs that never existed...

Food Awards, or Food Ad-words

Nov. 2011

I came across one of the Magazines, claiming to be food critics and a culinary cultural educator.

going through there pages, I found a good variety of restaurants from different culinary backgrounds.

one article that grabbed my attention, was a 2 sides advert to one Asian Restaurant, claiming to be the finest on the Island.

I couldn’t wait until I went there to see what that entire foss is about! Going through their food menu, most of the Items were so typical, as I expected, except one small detail, food was uncooked!!!

I ordered chicken skewers (yaketori style) with noodles, prawns tempura and my favorite side (noodles), and then the food arrived.

My expectations might be higher than it should be, for a restaurant having 2 pages on a food critics magazine means something, extraordinary service, home made fresh food, or maybe a celebrity Chef who’s rocking the place.

Going back to my order, the grilled noodles that should be dry, was soaked in oil, and not only that, the disgusting part was that the noodles was deep fried (could tell that from the oil’s color)

Prawn Tempura, was of same quality to the one I bought many times from my local supplier, not homemade, while the chicken skewers were cold from inside. Few bites were enough to rush me into the toilet vomiting everywhere.

Going back to the magazine, I kept questioning myself, what did they see in that restaurant that I could not recognize. Few days later, and during service, one of the waiters ran into the kitchen screaming (it’s a food critic from one magazine)!!! My eyes went wide and of course I gave extra attention to the whole service experience at that night.

In the kitchen, a person might find any type or kind of spice or blend, except the cinnamon, for one reason, I only use it in desserts, or some specific recipes. And is always kept away in the store room.

Back to the critics, they called to complain that they sense a huge amount of cinnamon in there chili con carne, the manager came back to me with their complaint and we both know that this is ridiculous, however our culture is that the guest is always right, we apologies and offered a discount.

The second day, they came over to meet me, introducing themselves as the food critics from the same magazine I am writing about. Once again they mentioned the cinnamon, but I couldn’t allow that story to carry on rotating in my ear, so I straighten that up by explaining our kitchen process, that every single dish is based on a certain recipe, and I ended up displaying all my recipes to show them that cinnamon was not used in any of the food that they ordered.

They admitted of having a great experience in general, but still insisted to reduce the cinnamon (that I never used).

After this chitty chat, they offered me a free review as a 4 cm box in there magazine, which I found it generous, and they asked me to be enrolled in their directory that cost about 800 euro, which I found it useful.

A couple of weeks later, another critics from the same magazine came over, and tried to be picky on very silly issues, such as; the Vanilla Ice-cream is not strong enough in flavor then as usual, they called the manager to offer him another paid service, as to advertise for 1000 euro, of course we refused.

The whole experience was similar to a cheap propaganda, pay money to get reviewed. It’s like brain washing the audience, showing the readers what they only want to show, who pays more get published, then along came their so called food awards.

Their strategy is a pure rip off propaganda in which, they list restaurants for the audience to vote for, you might find on the list few restaurants that you never heard of, and even the restaurant that I was food poisoned in was listed as well.

After their listings, they start to push restaurants to advertise with them in a very high price, and of course if you pay, your food is published on the front pages to brain wash the audience even without thinking about it. With a free link to vote.

It is very easy to make money using several immoral cheap ways, (prostitutes, are they not making money??) oh hell yeah, but until a certain age.

The challenge is, how long can they last, and how many Idiots they will be using and abusing until their truth is uncovered, that their reviews was never about an honest truth, but it’s all about ripping off your money.

Food culture, a global common language

Sep. 2011

Every cuisine is unique, and what makes it unique is the great culture behind it.

since the dawn of mankind, nations have witnessed wars, invasions, immigrations, cross-overs etc..

all resulted in new cultural discoveries, and one of those discoveries is the food culture.

Food now days became very diverse, a national Identity for each cultur to be proud of, became the official representitive for all nations.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Great British Food:

combination of traditional dishes from the Isles, such as Irish stew, Shephards pie, cottage pie, Cornish pasteries and other colonial dishes such as curries and rice dishes. During the late 80s, British food was influenced by the Euro/French culinary revolution which resulted in refining the dishes but keeping same ingredients.

British cuisine has been described as "unfussy dishes made with quality local ingredients, matched with simple sauces to accentuate flavour, rather than disguise it." However, British cuisine has absorbed the cultural influence of those that have settled in Britain, producing hybrid dishes, such as the Anglo-Indian chicken tikka masala."

Anglo-Saxon England developed meat and savoury herb stewing techniques before the practice became common in Europe.

The Elegent French Cuisine:

Indisputably, one of France's greatest treasures is its rich cuisine. The French have an ongoing love affair with food, and their reverence for time spent eating is evident in leisurely consumption through a bevy of appetizers and main courses, usually accompanied by a number of wines.

French cooking is the ultimate in "herby" cooking (as opposed to spicy). From sultry bay leaves to aromatic lavender, herbs further define French cuisine. The list is endless—basil, tarragon, rosemary, fennel, chives, savory, oregano, chervil, thyme, sage, parsley, marjoram and the list goes on.

One should also be sure to indulge in another of France's best products—cheese. The French eat more cheese than any other nation in the world—quite understandable for a country which produces 400 different kinds of cheese.

The Latin American Cuisene:

Latin American culinary influences include not only Amerindian Spanish and Portuguese foods, but the cooking styles of immigrants from many other parts of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Each of the country's five geographic regions offers cuisines that are distinctly different yet recognizably Latin Americans.

The Amazonia region of South America provides a plethora of fresh fish and tropical fruits. In Peru the Inca Empire (Tahuantinsuyu) and Incan cuisine contribute to the nation's overall cuisine. Potatoes are common, and also plants such as quinoa. The Pacific Ocean, provides a large amount of seafood. Many plains also are on this continent, which are rich for growing food in abundance. In the Patagonia region south of Chile and Argentina, many people produce lamb and venison. King crab is typically caught at the southern end of the continent. Antarctic krill has just recently been discovered and is now another food source. Tuna and tropical fish are caught all around the continent; Easter Island is a notable area where they are found in abundance. Lobster is also caught in great quantities from Juan Fernández. In Brazil the most traditional dish is the feijoada, a stew of beans with beef and pork.

It also refers to typical foods, beverages, and cooking styles common to many of the countries and cultures in Latin America. Latin America is a highly diverse area of land that holds various cuisines that vary from nation to nation.Some items typical of Latin American cuisine include maize-based dishes (tortillas, tamales, pupusas) and various salsas and other condiments (guacamole, pico de gallo, mole, chimichurri, and pebre). These spices are generally what give the Latin American cuisines a distinct flavor; yet, each country of Latin America tends to use a different spice and those that share spices tend to use them at different quantities. Thus, this leads for a variety across the land. Sofrito, a culinary term that originally referred to a specific combination of sauteed or braised aromatics, exists in Latin American cuisine. It refers to a sauce of tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, garlic, onions and herbs.

Latin American beverages are just as distinct as their foods. Some of the beverages can even date back to the times of the Native Americans. Some popular beverages include mate, pisco, horchata, chicha, atole, cacao and aguas frescas.

Desserts in Latin America are generally very sweet in taste. They include dulce de leche, alfajor, Rice pudding, tres leches cake, Teja and flan.

Ref: 1-Wikipedia

2-chefsteady.co.uk

How to chose the best Sandwich shop

Aug. 2011 One of the most critical practices within the food operation. It brings fame or shame; and in some cases it brings death.

Who doesn't visit sandwich shops now days? All of us does, if during breaks, or if walking by and felt the urge to grab a nibble.

You may find a typical sandwich station with a cook standing behind it, wearing a paper hat, gloves, and apron, a cloth to clean his table, etc...

Being a big sandwich fan personally and specially Chiviotos, I usually investigate a sandwich shop many times before taking the risk and deciding to be their consumer.

There are few effective ways to tell of how good they practice safety at work.

First thing, visit a place 3 times, just to have a drink or a coffee. During your stay, check if the chef is doing the following:

Is he sanitising the knife before and after cutting the sandwich?

Is he using 2 different knives for tuna and meet?

Is he using a paper towel and sanitizer spray to clean between each service?

Is he using a dirty piece of towel to clean his hands and the station after every sandwich?

Is he using keeping the cold items in a cold will display to keep ingredients cold?

Is he changing gloves before and after every single sandwich?

If you got five of the questions answered by YES and one is NO, then its your luckiest day, you found the right sandwich for yourself.

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Chef's Diaries