Dear LPG,

As promised, I decided to have a go at something a little unusual this time round and I think that cooking without the need for any heat intrigued me.  Let’s face it, I have had my successes and failures while trying to master the aspect of presenting a dish that resembles the one in the recipe’s picture.

After my questionable attempt at recreating something from the West Indies a couple of months ago and last month’s very easy, way too sweet dessert from the Seychelles for their June celebration, I felt the need to be a little more responsible this month and chose something that the diabetics amongst us can try with safety.

We older folk tend to be stuck in our ways but unheated fish is something I have always promise to have a go at.  I found cutting up raw fish into thin slices quite an exercise for my fingers and I suspect that I could have got a bit more juice out of each lemon.  In all, all that chopping and lemon squeezing gave my fingers an exercise work-out but I have to admit that after an hour and a half the fish looked no different than when I started the marinating process.

I have to admit to having put the food in front of my tasting team with the expectation that these plates of essentially raw fish would end up in the bin, but I was surprised at the reception that it received. I think that I had problems putting the first mouthful of what I still saw as raw fish on my tongue but we all quite enjoyed it.  

In my attempt to follow the independence celebrations around the world, I would like to try something really simple next month and, though the national dish I have found on this occasion looks super easy to prepare, The Chivito Sandwich,   I have to say that it looks as appetising in equally super measurement.  So while we take the time to salute Peru today, I look forward to sharing a really successful homage to Uruguay in August.

CB, Lewisham. 

CB offers some variations on a Uruguayan theme…

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