It would be hard to find a surfer who doesn’t dream about (or already) live the beach house lifestyle. A bedroom with glass sliding windows that open out into wide angle panoramas of mother nature curling towards their local beach. And once the appetite for surf and sunshine has been satiated the next on the pyramid of needs is, of course, sustenance of the edible variety. As we mature so do our tastes and for many this means we begin to enjoy subtleties in flavour and texture that we may not have appreciated in our teens and twenties. Or perhaps we just start to care more about the fuel we provide to our fabulous machines. We are, after all, what we eat.
So in the quest for sustenance fit for the beach lifestyle we are pleased to present one of our favourite little treasures, Surf Cafe Living.
Jane and Myles Lamberth are living their dream running a bustling seaside cafe, creating a gorgeous home and enjoying a carefree coastal lifestyle. Surf Cafe Living is their second book, the follow-up to The Surf Cafe Cookbook. It features 50 delicious easy-to-make recipes, with the emphasis once again on using fresh, organic, seasonal produce.
From the cover, which is as beach chic as you can get, to the high quality pages within you’ll find yourself lost in a world of culinary opportunity. Swept away by the tides of inspiration, airbrushed by the light offshores of mid-afternoon tummy rumblings. Enough talk about it, here’s a recipe you’ll find within.
Recipe from the SURF CAFE LIVING
Ingredients
Serves 4
4 chicken thighs
4 chicken drumsticks
2 cooked chorizo sausages, chopped
1 chopped onion
4 chopped cloves garlic
½ glass red wine
2 tins chopped tomatoes
2 tins butter beans or cannellini beans
Tablespoon sugar
Splash or a tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper
½ teaspoon paprika (smoked paprika is great if you can find it, but use slightly less as it’s quite fiery)
½ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
2 tablespoon chopped rosemary
Zest of one lemon
Chopped parsley to garnish
Directions
- Heat up a large casserole dish and add a drizzle of olive oil.
- Throw in the chopped garlic, onion and rosemary. Sauté the onions for a couple of minutes then add the chopped chorizo sausage. Cook and stir for two minutes.
- Add in the chicken, placing it skin down on the sizzle to brown the skin. Cook for another five minutes, stirring once halfway to turn the chicken.
- Then add the beans, tinned tomato, red wine, vinegar and paprika. If you like it spicy, add in the cayenne now.
- Stir around and add the sugar, salt and pepper and Worcestershire sauce.
- Reduce the heat and allow to simmer on a low heat for a good two hours, low and slow, giving it the occasional stir.
- Turn off the heat and let it rest for another 10 minutes before serving. Grate on some lemon zest just before you dish up. Sprinkle some chopped parsley on each serving.
- Great with thick cut bread; a cheap and cheerful dish with lots of flavour!
For lots more tasty recipes order The Surf Cafe Cookbook, from www.thesurfcafebook.com, and get a set of cool postcards plus free p&p.
Taking his inspiration from the changing seasons, talented chef Myles shows you how to prepare mouthwatering dishes such as Calamari and Chorizo Salad, Spiced Butternut Squash Soup, Pan-Fried Skate with Capers, Coconut Thai Crab Cakes, Roast Spatchcock Chicken with Salsa Verde, Cola Pulled Pork, Polka Dot Cake and Chocolate Raspberry Tart. All the recipes are uncomplicated, with quantities given in both US and metric measurements.
Since the release of The Surf Cafe Cookbook Jane and Myles have also made a place of their own, transforming a rundown cottage into a contemporary beach house. In Surf Cafe Living, they explain how to refashion a living space with passion and creativity, utilising ideas and know-how from local designers and craftsmen. You’ll learn how to how to build a fire pit for barbecues, how to make inventive party decorations, and how to turn coffee sacks into stylish cushion covers. There are also tips from local food producers about making cheese, keeping bees and growing herbs. This book is all about stress-free entertaining. It will inspire you to invite guests around for brunch, throw an impromptu barbecue, or take the next step and host a fabulous dinner party. Surf Cafe Living is dedicated to making your house a home and filling it with great friends, family and of course delectable food.
It’s more than a cookbook, it’s a guide to creating the beach house lifestyle of your dreams.
Available on Amazon.com, where you can get it now for $20.26