The June Chilli Newsletter

G'day

Welcome to the chillies-down-under.comAugust 2008, Chilli Newsletter.

No, you didn't miss out on last month's newsletter - I don't do one in July as that is when my birthday is so I usually take some time off.

My parents flew over this year as it was my 40th and we had a fairly decent size party for it.

Anyway, I'm back now and raring to go.

OK, let's get into it;

Food Quote Of The Month

"Lord God, Chili eaters is some of Your chosen people. We don't know why You're so doggone good to us.

But never think we ain't grateful.... Amen."

Bones Hooks - Texas Cowboy

Chilli Tip Of The Month

• Full cream milk or yoghurt - the capsaicin is soluble in many fats, and attaches to the casein in milk as well



• Ice-cream - Not quite as effective at taking away the capsaicin as the above, but the coldness does bring some rapid relief



• Vodka - capsaicin is partly soluble in alcohol, so high alcohol spirits work (i.e 37% +) - but you have to spit it out, otherwise it will still burn on the way through.

Chilli Scare In Brisbane, Queensland

Queensland police have come under fire for breaking emergency protocol by rushing a man believed to have been suffering from a chemical attack to hospital before haz mat experts had arrived.

St Andews War Memorial Hospital was forced into quarantine after officers from Brisbane's Charlotte Street police station used a police car to ferry an employee who reported feeling ill after opening an envelope soaked in a mystery substance during a mail scare yesterday morning.

The substance was later found to be a potent form of chilli powder - but not before the hospital was forced to block ambulances from coming in an out of the complex to prevent the possible contamination outbreak.

The actions of police could have made the situation far worse if the substance had been more dangerous, Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) Inspector Paul Simmons told ABC news this morning.

"So when they've (the police officers) turned up to the hospital, the hospital didn't know anything about it or what was going on," Inspector Simmons said.

"For a short time St Andrews shut down the ambulances coming in and out until we could ascertain what the actual chemical was - and that is fair enough too as we didn't want to have any further contamination outside the area."

Wow !

Ceviche - The New Sushi ?

For the uninitiated, ceviche is seafood, usually fish, that is marinated in citrus juice and/or vinegar and spices. The acid of the citrus/vinegar essentially de-natures the proteins of the meat thereby gently "cooking" it.

My family and I have been spoilt in that we have a friend, Mike, living in Perth who moved over from Chile a couple of years back and frquently makes this dish when we catch up with him. He also bought some to my recent birthday party.

Now why is this in the newsletter ? Because ceviche nearly always has chilli in it. Anyway, I'll reprint some of the article below for you (written by Damian Barr).

The raw truth is, we've now eaten just about all the sushi we can. There's a YO! Sushi on every corner and it's no longer novel. The restaurant chain Gaucho started with just one ceviche dish on the menu a couple of years ago. “Now we serve six different kinds and we are adding more,” says Ryan Hattingh, Gaucho's operations manager. “Our customers can't get enough of it.”

This spicy, seemingly raw Latin American fish dish was once served only in a few small Spanish restaurants in London. Now it's popping up on menus across the country.

It can be found at the Blue Parrot Cantina, Edinburgh, and Britain's first dedicated ceviche bar just opened at The Club Bar & Dining, Soho - Raymond Blanc is a regular. “Thanks to sushi we're no longer squeamish about fish,” says Rasheed Shahin, its chef. “Ceviche is basically Latin American sushi.” Without the rice.

Like sushi, ceviche is low fat and high protein. It's even healthier because it's served with a crunchy salad - no stodgy carbs. It also packs more bite with its characteristic chilli and lime flavour.

A ceviche craze swept America and it was served in star restaurants such as Balthazar and the 21 Club. Here, Nobu led the way with celebrity fans including Naomi Campbell and Jude Law. Ceviche (pronounced say-veech-eh), is perfect for people who can't cook because there is no actual cooking. Don't panic, though, it's not raw and flapping on your plate.

“It's cured in citrus juices,” says Hattingh. “Peruvian fishermen needed to find a way to stave off hunger so that they could stay at sea longer. Obviously they had no fire to cook with, so they cured with lime.”

Gaucho offers five ceviche, ranging from the basic Ecuadorian (tiger prawns in a roasted tomato and lime sauce) to the more advanced fire & ice (lobster and shrimp, coconut and lime with red onion, jalapeño and coriander). “The key flavours are salt, lime and chilli,” says Hattingh. “It tastes hot but it's always served cold, usually with something crunchy such as lettuce or daikon.”

Rasheed Shahin says: “It's light and refreshing but has bite. It's more spirited than sushi and perfect for summer.” Shahin shows me how it's done: “The best fish for ceviche are meaty ones such as tuna or swordfish. If you're staying British, use bream or bass. Flaky fish, such as cod, won't work because the texture isn't right and oily fish, such as mackerel, don't absorb the citrus. Shellfish works really well - prawns, scallops and langoustines are perfect.”

Whatever you use, make sure it has not been previously frozen. “It's not just about flavour,” cautions Tim Croft, director of the fish suppliers Island Seafare. “A two-day-old fish is fine for frying, but not for ceviche because the flesh is tougher so the citrus won't get in, which means it'll be dangerously raw.”

Nigel back again - yes, as you would suspect, this month's recipes below are ceviche recipes

Updates To The Site

Recipes

Mexican Style Ceviche

Prawn Ceviche

OK, that's it for this month.

I hope you're all well and still enjoying the newsletter.

Wishing you a life full of flavour

Nigel