Cheshire Life’s resident chef Gareth Jones is giving us a flavour of his recent trip to Cancun this month
I recently went to Cancun, Mexico to take a break after a manic Christmas period in the Coopers’ kitchen. I love Mexican food and ate a much as I physically could (and the odd cerveza!). The tastes and aromas of the dishes reminded me of a dish from our very first menu so this month’s dish will be Mexican gazpacho, crushed avocado and wasabi jelly.
Gazpacho is a soup traditionally served cold and made using raw vegetables with a tomato base. It originates from the Spanish region of Andulusia and is widely eaten in Spain and Portugal. (Fernando our Portuguese GM will tell you its from his homeland, he thinks everything originates from there!) Gazpacho is famous for being a summer dish as it is refreshing and cool. This recipe is spiced up with chilli and herbs and a little wasabi kick.
A little tip for this dish is put the serving bowls in the freezer a couple of hours before you sure to keep the soup extra cool.
Gracias Amigos hope you enjoy it.
Mexican gazpacho, crushed avocado and wasabi jelly
Wasabi jelly
2x leaves soaked Bronze leaf Gelatine
75ml whole milk
145ml double cream
12g wasabi paste
12g lemon juice
53g pasteurised egg yolk
Warm the milk and melt gelatine. Mix altogether and set in cling filmed tray. Leave to set then carefully tip out onto a chopping board. Using a warm knife cut into neat squares and put them back into fridge until serving
Crushed avocado
2 x ripe avocado
2 x juiced limes
2 x finely diced red chilli
5g crushed garlic
60g Greek yoghurt
Salt and pepper to taste
Peel avocado, cut in ½ and remove stone. Break down the avocado gently with a fork and add remaining ingredients.
Mexican gazpacho
4x garlic cloves
10g rock salt
2 x chopped cucumbers
2 x yellow peppers chopped
4 x chopped celery sticks
8 x chopped fresh plum tomatoes
2 x chopped red onions
1 carton tomato juice
18g toasted cumin seeds
1g chilli powder
Mix altogether marinade overnight. Blitz half until smooth pulse remaining half and mix. Season.
To serve
Gently spoon your gazpacho into your serving bowls. Then spoon about a heaped tablespoon of the avocado into the centre of the soup. Neatly arrange the jellies around the edge. At the very edge of the bowl run a little rapeseed oil. Top with picked herbs or picked coriander leaves
And to enhance the experience...Nate Booker bar manager has created The South of the Border Cocktail
Whilst Gareth was enjoying a hard earned break in Mexico. We were putting the final touches together for the new drinks list. Working with our usual model of pairing strange ingredients and taking inspiration from Gareth’s adventure we came up with the ‘South of the Border’. A twist on the classic Margarita. Combining fresh lime, smooth Tequila, smoky Mezcal and rounded off with salted agave nectar. To me a Margarita is synonymous with holidays, but the ‘South of the Border’ is meant to capture the hustle and bustle of Mexico, its edgy and has guts, we are stepping out of the comfort of our resort and into the wild. Tequila is actually a type of Mezcal (from a strictly controlled region) and gets all the press, but Mezcal is the spirit to watch this year, its full of character with warmth and definition, similar to a peaty scotch. They have a very unusual production method of smoking the agave and the Maestro’s in charge of making the firey brew at the very small distilleries are masters in their art.
Here’s how we mix it...
1 part El Jimador Blanco Tequila
1 part Fresh Lime Juice
1/3 part Del Maguey Vida Mezcal
1/3 part Cointreau
1/3 part Agave Nectar
1 small pinch Maldon Salt
2 Dashes Orange bitters (If you don’t have these, shake it with a thumbnail sized slice of orange zest)
Chill and prepare your favourite glass (We used sexy Hawaiian Black Lava Salt for the rim). Put all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add fresh ice. Shake until your hands stick to the shaker. Strain into the glass. Garnish with a lime wheel in the glass. Drink. Make another one.
Salud!
Nate
(Del Maguey Mezcal is available at Selfridges, or online at amathusdrinks.com, all the other items should be available at any good supermarket.)
Mr Coopers House and Garden by Simon Rogan
The Midland Hotel, Peter Street, Manchester M60 2DS
0161 932 4128
