Wahaca

Contributor Competitions, Food & Drink, Food Topics & Trends, Guerilla Chilli Growing, News, Our News, Recipes & Cooking Tips, Supplier Articles, Uncategorized

Tips from the Chilli Expert #2 Repotting your plants

So, you’ve planted your seeds, waited with baited breath and crossed your fingers, and all of your dreams have come true – Your chilli seeds have sprouted! But before you get ahead of yourself, just hold on a second, you’ve got to make sure you look after them well if you’re going to be rewarded with precious fruit. In the second of our installment of Chilli Expert videos, our guru grower talks you through repotting your plants to ensure you get an even growth. Over to you Craig…

When your chilli seedling has developed its second set of leaves, it is time to pot it on to another pot.

A mistake that some people make at this stage is to repot it straight into a huge pot, thinking that this ok. If you do this, all that will happen is that the chilli plant will grow to fill the pot, but concentrate on producing foliage, but no flowers. If the plant does not produce flowers, then you will not get any chillies!

As a general rule of thumb, your chilli plant should be potted on to a larger pot when the roots start to appear out of the bottom of the current pot. Personally, I pot on plants from a 3 inch to a 5 inch and eventually to a 7 inch pot.

Keep an eye on your plant and water it if the compost looks as if it is drying out. Again, the idea is to keep the compost moist and not drenched. In the colder months, you will find you only have to water every two or three days, but as the weather heats up, you will probably need to water every day.

When flowers start to appear on the plant, you can give it a helping hand by adding liquid tomato feed to the water. It should be diluted at half of the recommended ratio for tomato plants.

Alternatively, you could use one of the feeds that are specifically designed to be used with chillies.

In the next video, I’ll be giving you tips about how to make sure that all the flowers on your chilli plants turn into lovely chillies. See you then!

2 people like this post.

Unlike

Contributor Competitions, Events at Wahaca, Our News

Calling all designers! Your chance to design the new uniforms for Wahaca Soho

To mark the launch of our new restaurant in Wardour Street, Soho, we are launching an exciting competition to design our staff T-shirts. Not only is this a chance for you to show off your creative side, but the winning designer will be treated to 12 months free food at our Soho restaurant!

Designs should be inspired by “Mexican market eating”. Good designs will be fun, stylish and above all capture the spririt of the restaurants. The winner will be chosen by Co- founders Mark Selby and Thomasina Miers. To see the existing uniforms and for more inspiration, pop into the restaurants or take a look around our facebook and flickr pages.

Key notes:
Consideration shoud be given to the fact that the final design will be printed onto a brown t-shirt.
Unisex t-shirts to be worn by both male and female staff. Designs should be sized to fit on an A4 page (297mm x 210mm).
Designs should be applied to this template and submitted digitally as a high resolution jpeg (300dpi) using the submission form below.
Deadline for entries is the 30th September. Winner will be announced shortly after this date via the blog.

 

Competition entries

name *

email *

attach file

comment

FULL TERMS AND CONDITIONS “Soho t-shirt design contest”

1. Open to all UK, CI, IoM & ROI residents
2. Closing date for receipt of all entries is 30.09.10
3. To participate, entrants must submit their design digitally as a high res jpeg via the blog http://blog.wahaca.co.uk
4. One entry per participant.
5. Entries must be the original creation of the participants.
6. Entries must not contain copyrighted material owned by third parties.
7. The winner will be selected by the promoter based on what they feel would be best for the soho t-shirts .
8. The Prize: The winner will design the t-shirts for the new restaurant and these will be printed by the promoter and worn by their staff. The winner will receive a years worth of meals at wahaca up to the value of £1200. This amount must be used in the Soho restaurant and will expire a year from an agreed date with the promoters.
9. The design must be the original creation of the winner.
10. All designs entered to the competition become the property of the promoter.
11. The winners design will become the property of the promoter
12. The Promoter’s decision in all matters is final.
13. Winners agree to take part in any publicity that may be required resulting from this promotion without further recompense.
14. The Promoter does not warrant the use of, or access to the site, will be uninterrupted by error or virus free nor shall it or its licensors have any liability for damages caused by hostile software which may affect or infect your computer equipment or property as a result of your use or browsing of this site.

Promoter: Wahaca, 66 Chandos Place, London. WC2N 4HG

Like

Unlike

Contributor Competitions, Food Topics & Trends, Guerilla Chilli Growing

Tips from the Chilli Expert #1 Planting your seeds

There’s been huge excitement around Wahaca all week at the thought of the launch of our first ever Chilli Expert video, and we’re pleased to say that the wait has come to an end!

You may remember back in May we started our search for the Wahaca Chilli Expert, and much tweeting, blogging, filming and soul-searching later, we found our man in none other than Craig McNight (It was his increadibly cool surname that confirmed him as our winner!). Since then Craig (or @wegrowourown to his twitterarti) has been busy filming for us, and here is his first video and blog post. Take it away Craig…

Hi and welcome to the first of my ‘Chilli Expert’ videos for Wahaca. In this video I’ll be showing you how to make sure that your chilli seeds have the best chance of germinating, and growing into lovely big chilli plants.

Ideally, the best time to start planting your chilli seeds is January or February. The reason for this is that it will give your seeds and plants a good head start, so that you can enjoy lots of lovely chillies throughout the summer months.

There are a few bits of basic equipment that you will need. You’ll need a plant pot, some multi-purpose compost, a spray bottle, and obviously your seeds!

First fill your pot with the compost and firm it down. Spray the compost with the spray bottle, but the idea is keep the compost moist, rather than drenching it.

If you are using the Wahaca chilli seeds, snap off the matchstick carefully and plant it point end down into the compost to the mark on the matchstick. However, if you are using your own chilli seeds instead, just place them on top of the compost, cover them with another 0.5cm of compost, and then lightly spray it again with the water spray.

Now what your chilli seeds need are heat and moisture. You can help them along by covering the pot with clingfilm and putting it somewhere warm like a windowsill over a radiator, or an airing cupboard.

Check the seeds every day, and spray the compost again if it seems as if it is too dry. Remember the idea is to keep the compost moist and not wet!

Also if you have put the seeds in the airing cupboard to help them along, take them once they have germinated, otherwise you will end up with weak, leggy plants which is a big no-no!

You can also plant the seeds directly into compost in a heated propagator, which you can pick up for a few pounds online or at your local gardening centre. If you’re doing this, plant the seeds about 5-6cm apart.

Also, be aware that different varieties of chilli seeds take different times to germinate. On average they can take up to 3 weeks to germinate, but some hotter varieties can take up to six weeks, so just sit on your hands and be patient!

In my next video, I’ll be showing how to make sure that your just germinated seeds grow into lovely large chilli plants. See you then!

You can read more from Craig on his own blog, www.wegrowourown.co.uk

3 people like this post.

Unlike

Contributor Competitions, News, Our News, What's Happening

Meet Oliver Stone at “South of the Border” Film Premiere

We had a visit from the team promoting Oliver Stone’s new documentary about South American revolutionaries, “South of the Border” last week. They are running a competition for 5 lucky winners to go to the London premiere on the 19th July. We thought it would be fun so we’ve entered, and because we’re the kind of people who like to share, we thought we’d let you know about it too.

So if you want to be in with a chance of winning yourself some serious red carpet time, then head on over to southoftheborder.dogwoof.com and register. Good luck (Well atually, bad luck, because if you win, that means we won’t. In fact, sorry, ignore this and go about your business. Nothing to win here. Thank you.)

Like

Unlike

Contributor Competitions, What's Happening

Are you hotter than Charlie Dimmock? Spicier than Alan Titchmarch? You could be our Chilli Expert!

Red Hot Chilli Peppers

We want to create a series of videos that showcase the joys of growing chillies in a really fun way and we want one of you to be their star. The series will start with a demonstration of how to plant your seeds and then move into the fun and games of pollination, insect defence and harvesting.

We’re looking for someone with a quirky sense of humour and passion for growing chillies to help us make this series.

To apply for this great role simply film yourself (on your mobile phone, digital camera or whatever other format you’ve got access to) doing something that brings your chilli passion to life and upload it to our Facebook page with a short paragraph to convince us that you are the next Don Monty Don.

We will choose our favourite best applicants and set them to a public vote. The winner of which will be rewarded with a Flip video camera, chilli growing tuition, a free meal at Wahaca and the stage to be a star. But don’t delay, get filming now – to fit in with the chilli growing season, we need your entries by 1st June.

Beuatiful image is from ianduffy on Flickr via Creative Commons.

For full terms and conditions please email us at loswahacos@wahaca.co.uk

3 people like this post.

Unlike

Contributor Competitions, Food & Drink, Recipes & Cooking Tips, What's Happening

Molletes by Matty Teran

Matty’s contribution to my recipe competition is a Mexican teatime classic. Kids would come home from school craving this cheap, delicious treat, kind of like the best of beans on toast and cheese on toast all wrapped up in one. It should be in everyone’s repertoire. The hollowed out middle means this recipe has far more to it than meets the eye.

This is another very typical Mexican recipe. Simple and delicious! You have to have frijoles which you can make according to this recipe. You will also need ‘pico de gallo’ salsa, which you can find out more about here. Over to Matty…

Ingredients:

4 rolls or bolillos (but 2 fresh baguettes cut in half will do the trick)
Frijoles (about a cup)
Lancashire or mozzarella cheese according to your taste
Butter
‘Pico de gallo’ salsa (recipe link)

Method:

1. Cut the rolls in half and remove the softy middle part; we call it ‘migajon’.

2. Spread with butter and then with the frijoles.
3. Sprinkle with cheese and bake about 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
4. Serve with ‘pico de gallo’ salsa.

Thanks Matty for a great recipe. It just goes to show that some simple pleasures transcend international boundaries.

Stay tuned for more contributions to my Mexican recipe competition. And if you make this dish please let us know how you get on by leaving a comment.

1 person likes this post.

Unlike

Contributor Competitions, Food & Drink, Recipes & Cooking Tips, What's Happening

Smoked Haddock Ceviche with Corn & Sweet Potato Pancakes by Alicia Fourie

Alicia’s recipe is a deliciously alternative idea for Pancake Day. Using smoked fish is inspired and goes beautifully with the sweet potato and corn pancakes which might be a little too sweet for normal ceviche. The pancakes are also outrageously good with streaky bacon and slow-cooked tomatoes for breakfast. You can use either smoked pollock or coley for a more sustainable option.

Feeds 4 as a light main meal

Ingredients:

For the ceviche:

300g undyed smoked haddock fillets
1 serrano chilli
1 red shallot
Juice of a lime
Tabasco (optional)

For the pancakes:

120g coarse cornmeal
1 red shallot
1 serrano chilli, grated
Zest of a lime
Kernels cut from 2 cobs of corn
200g sweet potato, grated
2 whole eggs
About 100ml milk
2 egg whites
Stems from a big bunch of coriander
Salt & pepper
Sunflower oil for frying

To finish:

Juice of half a lime
Splash of olive oil
1 ripe avocado
Leaves from a big bunch of coriander

Method:

Remove the skin from the smoked haddock and cut it into thin slices, across the grain. Place the sliced chilli, sliced shallot and slices of fish in a non-reactive dish and pour over the lime juice. Sprinkle on a little Tabasco if you like it really hot. Leave for 45 minutes to cure.

In a large bowl combine the cornmeal, diced shallot, diced chilli, lime zest, corn and sweet potato.. Stir through the whole eggs and the finely chopped coriander stems. Add enough milk to make a thick batter. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and fold through the corn and sweet potato mixture. Season with salt & pepper.

Fry pancakes gently in oil (about 4 minutes a side – the first one inevitably falls apart and it takes a long time to cook out the sweet potato) and keep them warm.

When ready to serve, drain the fish from the marinade (discarding the juices but retaining the sliced shallot and some of the chilli slices) and combine with the coriander leaves and scoops of avocado. Dress with the lime juice and a splash of olive oil. Correct the seasoning.

Serve the hot pancakes topped with cool, fresh ceviche.

Alicia’s recipe is very special indeed. The contrast of textures, temperatures and acidity make this a real joy. The corn and sweet potato pancakes are so good that you should make a large batch so they you can enjoy them for lunch the next day with a zesty topping of prawns and guacamole.

Thanks to everyone who entered my competition. For more Mexican recipes, including the winning recipe from Steve Gale you’ll have to buy my book – Mexican Cooking Made Simple!

Like

Unlike

Contributor Competitions, Food & Drink, Food Topics & Trends, Wahacos, What's Happening

Huevos Borrachos by Gicela Morales

One of the star recipes submitted for my Recipe Competition was by Gicela Morales a wonderful Mexican woman who is fiendishly good with salsas. Eggs are a staple in Mexico and there is nowhere that you will eat a better breakfast. The green sauce on these eggs is as fiery as they come and perfect for blowing through the steamiest of hangovers. It is also incredibly good for you, a properly healthy start to the day. If you are looking for a way to blow away some cobwebs then look no further. Over to Gicela:

This is a hot green salsa with eggs for anyone with a hangover. It’s very easy to make and only requires very basic ingredients and a few green chilles.

You can make it as hot or as mild as you wish, but the idea is to make it as hot as you can stand it! Also makes a good brunch.

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the eggs

5 free range eggs
1 small onion
2 table spoons of good frying oil
Salt to taste

For the salsa

3 to 5 green chilles
1 small clove of garlic
1 cup of water

Method

1. Seed the chilles and roast them with the chopped garlic. Remove any burnt skin and put them in a food processor with the water until chopped roughly.

2. Chop the onion. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onion. Saute the onion and add the eggs; mix until scrambled.

3. Add the green salsa to the egg and mix it gently. Bring it to to boil and add salt to taste.

Serve and eat with fresh bread, a roll or on a taco with a strong mug of coffee. Depending on the extent of your hangover, you may not even feel the heat!

Enjoy!

This is a great dish for blasting away a hangover. Thank you Gicela for sharing it.

Stay tuned for more contribution to my Mexican recipe competition. And if you make this dish please let us know how you get on by leaving a comment.

2 people like this post.

Unlike

Contributor Competitions, Street Art, Wahacos, What's Happening

Claroscuro’s Street Art at Canary Wharf

Last summer we ran a competition to find a street artist to graffiti our restaurant. After being blown away by the entries we got, Claroscuro emerged as the winners and have done an amazing job. To see how it all unfolded from a selection of the brilliant entries through to final artwork watch the video below.

Thanks to everyone who entered our competition and to everyone who voted as well. We were overwhelmed by both the quantity and fabulous quality of the entries and are looking forward to working with the street art community on other projects in the future.

Like

Unlike

Contributor Competitions, Guerilla Chilli Growing, What's Happening

The little chilli growing competiton heats up

You might have seen our post launching the little chilli growing competition to all the Canary Wharfers who picked up one of our chilli growing kits, encouraging them to send in photos of how they are getting on.

Well, we’re delighted to say that the responses have already started coming in and it seems that they’re quite a green fingered lot.

Although the Chilli Spy was initially dubious about the actual size of their shoots, Jo and Soph from Morgan Stanley look to be having some great success, with at least 30mm of growth.

We wonder what their secret is. Any tips that you want to share guys?

Over at Barclays Capital the competition is really hotting up, so much so that Neil has applied some real science to his seedlings. He’s created a mini greenhouse to maximise the light and apparently it’s helped his chillies shoot into the lead.

Neil told us that it was so simple to do, and it really paid dividends. Here’s his helpful guide:

1. Take a two litre bottle of water.
2. Cut the bottle in half lengthways (empty the bottle first!).
3. Take this semi-circular section and cut it to the width of your chilli pot.
4. Push the bottle greenhouse into the sides of your pot to cover the chilli seedlings (remember to leave space for air to get in).

We love it!

So if you’re a wannabe Titchmarsh who’s picked up one of our pots, and are just praying for the day that you see your first signs of life through the soil, get in touch and let us know how you’re getting on. Send your story along with some pictures of how you’re getting on to loswahacos@wahaca.co.uk and you’ll be in with the chance of winning a meal for 6 at Wahaca.

1 person likes this post.

Unlike

« Older Entries