Sofia Larrinua Craxton

cooking classes for the summer

Below is a schedule of some fun cookery classes that will take place during the summer (Just click on the links below for information):

9th July 11.00 - 13.00.  £40 .  Tomatoes. At Divertimenti in Brompton Road. 

Nothing heralds summer quite like juicy ripe tomatoes. Join Sofia Craxton as she shows you just how versatile this fruit/vegetable can be. Recipes include Tomato Summer Pudding, Tomato Ice Cream with Mascarpone, Classic Cream of Tomato Soup and a range of delicious sauces for Pasta, Romesco and Sofritos. There will even be a recipe for Tomato Marmalade, Tomato Borscht and a Tomato and Strawberry Salad. Pomodoro perfection.

16h July 11.00 am. Hands-on Tex Mex.  At Just Cook

Join Mexican expert Sofia Larrinua Craxton for this truly fun packed class!  In this class we will explore Tex-Mex flavours and you will learn how to make the best chilli with beer ever and Mexican Barbacoa: slow-cook-melt-in-the-mouth lamb, plus how to make staples like flour and corn tortillas and smoked mushrooms quesadillas.  We will also learn how to make a variety of salsas using fresh and dried chillies.  This class is ideal for husbands who want to venture in the kitchen, for those who like Tex-Mex and want to learn more and for those who are keen cooks who want to learn about more eclectic ingredients like dried chillies and use a food smoker.

13th August 9.30 - 11 am and again at 16.00 - 17.30 Tapas. At Just Cook

In this tapas taster class you will learn how to make quick delicious tapas from various parts of

Spain

.  Prawns with garlic and pimenton, meatballs, Basque style fish and Spanish tortilla will make a feast of any mid-week supper.  This class is also ideal to go in conjunction with the Summer Salads to make delicious, colourful and healthy buffets to eat al fresco.

13th August 12.00 - 13.30 and again at 18.00 - 19.30 Summer Salads Buffet. at Just Cook

To complement your tapas selection, in this summer salads buffet, you will learn some secrets as to how to make and assemble a variety of summer salads, making the most of local and seasonal produce.  Impress your friends and family with a selection of colourful and delicious salads ideal for summer outdoor eating.  In this class you will learn how to combine various ingredients and tips for making different dressings and most importantly how to assemble them so they look stunning with the minimum effort.  Strawberries, peaches and tomato salad from

Sofia

's latest book 'The Tomato Book', Grilled Halloumi with Apricots, and Melted Spinach and Fetta are some delicious recipes which we will be testing and tasting.

From September, there will be loads of new courses, classes and my Certified Cookery Course... just watch this space!

it is mango time!

Yes it is early June and it is a sunny day, so it feels that the time is ripe to talk about mangoes.  These juicy and yellow ovals are native to India and travelled to other parts of the world, mainly South East Asia and the Philippines, from where they must have embarked in direction to Acapulco or somewhere in the pacific coast of the Americas.

When you talk about mangoes to people who have lived or live in tropical zones, it is a little like talking about someone you love and who you are going to meet again after a while.  Just to mention the word brings a smile to our faces and a sparkle to our eyes. In the same way as with humans, people have their personal favourites and someone from Pakistan, for instance, would tell you the best in the world are Pakistani Honey Mangoes; any Indian person will tell you that the king of mango is called Alphonso and so on.  Mexicans vouch for Filipino Mangoes or 'Mangos de Manila'.  Like all things food, preferences are related to what is familiar to us and I clearly remember my first addiction when aged 4 or 5 and short enough to be unable to see the top of the kitchen counter I binged on 1.5 Kg of ripe mangoes!  Short of falling ill, this event sealed my fate and started a long lasting relationship with this king of fruits.

Mangoes can be eaten ripe and unripe but then the manner in which they are consumed is completely different.  An unripe mango is deliciously acidic and can be part of a salad.  In Mexico we sprinkle salt and chilli powder and eat it as a lolly pop.  Many cultures cook with it and there are many curries, salads and other interesting dishes that use green mangoes. 

To eat a ripe mango is a unique experience which calls for a time of solitude in which one prepares for the messy ritual that follows.  A decent well brought up person would cut a mango around the stone in two halves, peel and cut into bite sized pieces from the fruit and eat with a fork.  This is obviously a nice thing to do, but with a mango one has to be wild, best is to peel the fruit using a knife or bare hands, then just like with artichokes, suck any pieces of pulp that adhere to the skin; once finished with the skin, discard.  Wear yellow or better still, roll up your sleeves and attack the fleshy pulp, bite off as you please enjoy each and every mouthful and go all the way to the core.  Once finished wash your face and arms and reflect on the experience. 

Another way of eating a mango is simply by cutting a slit on the top of the mango and suck up all the pulp, this is similar to drinking up a naturally made smoothie.

This time of year calls for the best sweet fleshy mangoes, buy them -this is best done at an ethnic shop, Indian and Pakistani ones sell them by the box.  Leave them to ripen in a fruit bowl, the smell will tell you when they are ready, sometimes they exude a trickle of honey and off you go.

In the same way as you would do to a beloved person who you have not seen in a while, don't just stare at them and shake hands, instead embrace them, kiss them and tell them you much you love them and missed them, and yes enjoy their short stay 100%

papaya salad with papaya seed dressing

This is a simple salad which makes the most of fresh ingredients, the use of papaya seeds as part of the dressing is genius, because papaya seeds have got a peppery taste and they are crunchy too.  I don't know whose idea it was to use papaya seeds in a dressing, I saw this in a brilliant book called 'Big Small Plates' by Cindy Pawlcyn and obviously this salad is very much inspired on the one featured in the book, it is just simpler. 

For this you will need ripe ingredients and a sunny day! 

Serves 4

For the salad

1 small but ripe papaya

1 medium sized little gem or cos lettuce, leaves roughly torn

1 bag (100 g) rocket or watercress

1 ½ Tbsp toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted

For the dressing

2 Tbsp of papaya seeds

3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1 Tbsp honey

About 70 ml olive oil

About 25 ml walnut oil

The juice of half a lime, you might need to add more...

2 small cloves garlic

¼  tsp sweet pimenton

salt and pepper to taste

Peel the papaya, cut in half and scoop out the seeds, reserve these and cut the papaya in bite sized pieces; large chunks or slices cut in a diagonal are attractive, avoid cutting the papaya too small, it will go soggy.

To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and whiz until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding salt, pepper and lime juice

Assemble by placing the torn leaves of lettuce on a dish and top with a layer of rocket/watercress, top with a few chunks of papaya, sprinkle some walnuts and seeds and spoon over some of the dressing; repeat the layers until you run out of ingredients, remember to finish with  a layer of dressing and for extra shine drizzle a little olive oil.

 Serve immediately with grilled hallumi slices or barbecued chicken.

 

 

 

Papaya

Papaya was cultivated in the area known as Mexico since immemorial time and like all things nice, it travelled to other tropical parts of the world thus becoming an essential fruit and an ingredient in other cultures. It has been a subject for films -just have a glimpse to these evocative scenes; it has also been a model for many paintings and sculptures, but most importantly it has been a good friend in many kitchens and in many stomachs, since papaya contains an enzyme called papain which is good for digestion.

To make the most of a papaya, you need to make sure it is fully ripe; this means that the fruit should be soft with a faint fruity smell and it needs to be orange-red.  To achieve this it is best to buy and leave in a fruit bowl for a few days until you become almost unbearable suspicious of the fruit actally being past its best, at this point it will be deliciously sweet and soft. 

A good way to prepare papaya is by cutting a wedge of what you are going to consume and using teaspoon, scoop out the seeds; then using a potato peeler, peel off the skin, cut in bite sized chunks and enjoy with a squirt of lime.   Some people like mixing it with other fruits like mango and mix with water or milk to make an 'agua fresca' or a 'licuado'.  Green papayas can be eaten cooked in curries.  Papayas make good salad ingredients, they mix well with salt, pepper and lime and in my next post I will give you a recipe for a papaya salad with papaya seed dressing, so don't throw away those seeds yet!

*picture detail of 'slit fruit' by Nicholas Moore 1992.

a good remedy for flu panic

Life is strange, one minute Mexico City is crazy with traffic and everyday life, the next morning it becomes a ghost town.  The city -and the country, closed down for over 2 weeks and with that all kinds of businesses have been affected.  For those who want to travel, eat good food and support local economies, why not go and eat at your local place.  Below is an eclectic pick of 'taquerias' in Mexico City which serve good food in a variety of surroundings.

1.  El Chalet.  Obrero Mundial 225, corner with Amores in Colonia del Valle.  This taqueria is a personal favourite, the tacos are made with really good quality ingredients and the portions are substantial.  Try the garlic/chile sauce which is yummy.  The tacos al pastor are very good, juicy without being greasy -sadly a common feature of many places nowadays.  Simple bistek tacos are very good too.  Service is excellent and although the taqueria sits in the middle or a busy corner, they have an outdoor sitting space which on a Sunday is not busy at all, if you go on a Sunday you can also have a stroll at the local tianguis across the street.  This no fuss taqueria is very good value and it gives you a glimpse of simple Mexico City life, the place caters well for families. The beer is good, try the draught beer of 'de barril' dark and pale, good with any taco combination.

2.  La Casa del Pastor.  Musset 3, corner with Mazaryk in Polanco.  This taqueria is posh, it sits in a corner of fashionable Mazaryk street, it is a bit like having a burger joint in Fifth Avenue or a 'chippie' in Bond Street.  Prices obviously reflect the location of the place, but the tacos here won't disappoint you.  Meat is perfectly cooked and juicy.  To go with this they serve an array of 10 salsas for which you would have to order 10 tacos to taste them all.  If you don't mind paying London prices for good tacos in a fashionable spot then this is the place for you.

3.  El Rincon de la Lechuza.  Miguel Angel de Quevedo 34.  If you want a bit of bohemian life, then go to Coyoacan and stop at this place,  I used to go there as a child and I can still recall the delicious flavour of their chicken soup and tacos.  This place does delicious 'queso fundido' which is a clay pot filled with melted cheese and chorizo, poblano peppers or any other meat, then you make into tacos with flour or corn tortillas.  Again this is a family place with a touch to bohemianism due to its closeness to the University City and to Coyoacan.

Like these there are thousands of places which have been very badly affected by a sudden lack of customers and I wonder what will happen to them?  If you read this in any part of the world, consider visiting Mexico and if you are in Mexico, consider eating out and contribute in a delicious way to improve local economies.

The tomato book

is out now!  If you want to see a review I got on the internet please click here.  Yes this is the publication of a really useful book I co-wrote with Gail Harland, it is a book about everything you wanted to know about Tomatoes and were afraid to ask.  Eric Treuille chef-owner of Books for Cooks who is to say the least 'quite' knowledgeable on the subject said: 

"I am taking the Tomato book with me to France, its brilliant I love the recipes and the growing tips, congratulations we have the book in the shop"

I know it is really self congrulatory to write about my book on my blog but hey life is too short to wait for someone else to do it.  I just wanted to say that it is out now, it is a good book and I hope you will buy it and enjoy it.

If this is not enough, please note that I will be doing a talk on the book, a tasting session and book signing next week at Stack House Kitchen on Tuesday and at the Hampstead Garden Institute on Wednesday Download BookSigning[1]

mexican street markets

Or 'el tianguis' as it is commonly known is the Nahuatl word for the various colourful markets which populate the streets of Mexico, here you can find all the things you need, thought you needed and things you would not even imagined existed but are sold, from wedding dresses to plants and baskets, these markets sell all kinds of stuff and it is lovely to see people buying all kinds of things.  A particularly nice thing to do is to buy fresh fruits and vegetables; courgette flowers, tomatillos, cactus leaves, ripe guavas, mamey fruit and avocados, sweet mangoes and juicy pineapples, all sit happily waiting to be tested, tasted and bought.  For those who fancy a snack, just stop at any of the many street stalls, where you can taste a hand made quesadilla with fresh hot salsa or a 'tlacoyo' which is a tortilla filled with beans, usually made with blue corn and topped with a delicious salad of cactus leaves, tomatoes, coriander and crumbled cheese.  If in Mexico look for the classic green or pink canopies characteristic of these markets and delight in watching people offering their wares, haggling and buying.  Try the various exotic fruits and vegetables and stop for some food.  Don't forget to take a hand made bag or basket or better still buy it there.  If you like Mexican cooking implements look for them at the stalls, you can get tortilla presses, lime squeezers and gorgeous enamel pots and pans at very good prices.  Of course if you feel eccentric, you can always bargain for some silver jewelry, a banana plant, fake designer shoes or even a wedding dress, the choice is yours.  Whatever your taste choices a 'tianguis' is really fun!

On black beans and 'blazing saddles'

To avoid this, try soaking and rinsing dried beans before cooking them.  Beans contain sugars which create havoc in our intestines.  If you soak dried beans overnight and then drain the water and rinse very well, the troublesome sugars go in the water and voila, there you have it, no embarrasing scenes afterwards!

Also remember never to add salt whilst cooking beans, this toughens the skins and they won't cook well. 

Last week I did a class at Stack House Kitchen on Tex-Mex flavours and for some reason there was an only male audience:

 

This scene is very different to the unforgettable one from "Blazing Saddles", the reason is -apart from the fact that these guys had eaten drained and rinsed beans; they also had great fun at this 'cookery school with a difference'.  Sue our host goes to great lenghts to ensure people have a good time.  She managed to get bottles of the best Mexican beer  and she also got a stovetop smoker for us to play with.  We made a delicious smoked tomato salsa and melted cheese with smoked mushrooms.  These eaten in a freshly made tortilla in the Kent sunshine was bliss.  Thank you Sue for the wonderful time.

a sunny day!

... on my chilli plants! 

I am doing catering again!

 

Yesterday I was inspired by somebody! Cristina a lovely old client of mine went to a lot of trouble to find my number because her friend wanted to host a party with Mexican food.

 

Last year I decided to put on hold my catering business because deep inside, I felt tired and I was looking at it in a negative way; I felt this is an unfair way to treat my clients, because I believe, that when we work we need to do it positively; in the end a client pays for the food, but takes a good memory as well and that is worth a lot.  During my catering years -I have done this since 2000; I have organised hundreds of parties, I have met loads and loads of generous friendly people who have always been really grateful and complimentary about my food.  When I trvel in London I sometimes think of all the wonderful places, offices, houses, venus etc., wher I have been lucky enough to organise a party and how lucky I have been with the way I make a living.  

 

However things take their toll and after a while I started resenting this job, mainly because I was looking at it in a negative frame of mind, so I decided to put this on hold for a while.

 

The call yesterday prompted something in me.  There is this girl I did some food for her back in 2001, by chance her friends are customers of mine and I have taught them and some other common friends etc., this turns into another story....  Anyway she had been looking for me because she remembered eating my food and liking it (she is Mexican), and she went to trouble to find my new website and then to call and see if I did catering.  I told her I didn’t but since it was her and her friend it would be ok.  Today a wonderful girl calls me and we spent ages talking about food etc., and she wants me to do a party.  Looking into what I have done in the past, looking into my recipes etc., I found that actually I have developed my own repertoire of Mexican food, where I am doing recipes which have evolved with the time and the place and the person.  I have adapted some things because it seems better and delicious to me, some foods are made the way my mother taught me, some other foods, snacks and salsas follow ‘traditional’ recipes, but there are lots of other items which have a Mexican element to them, an inspiration but these I have adaped.  There are healthy options, some stick to being delicious in spite of being richer.  There is plenty of colour and zest.  This is the food that reminds me of my country of birth which I like to cook, done in a way which relates to the present both in space and in time. 

 

Please go to the right sid of this blog and click on 'catering/party organising' and if you are interested send me an e-mail.

 

 

choco cake in a box

PICT0008
Originally uploaded by fiestasofia

this is just a test from flickr to see if this parcel can be delivered safely and on time!