One of the best parts of traveling the world is getting to experience incredible local cuisine. Food is an integral part of culture, and one of the best ways to truly immerse yourself in a destination. It's also the most delicious way to immerse yourself in the destination! 
Just in time for Cinco de Mayo celebrations, we're sharing two quick and easy recipes with you: Pico de Gallo and Guacamole. The recipes come from our talented Corporate Executive Chef Robert van Rijsbergen. These yummy snacks will be a big hit at your next party! 


Guacamole
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Fun fact: Aztecs were making guacamole by at least the sixteenth century. In the United States, early recipes were published by the California Avocado Advisory Board in the 1940s. Popularity has increased over the years - in fact, over 1.5 billion pounds of avocados were consumed in the U.S. in 2013. We bet it's no surprise to hear that the most avocados are consumed on Superbowl Sunday and Cinco de Mayo! 

Ingredients:

• Two or three ripe avocados, depending on size
• Four tomatoes
• Two red chilli peppers
• One handful of spring onions
• Coriander/cilantro
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Lime juice

​Directions:
Place all but half of one avocado in a food processor. Add two deseeded tomatoes, two deseeded red chilli peppers, the peeled, chopped spring onions and a handful of coriander/cilantro. Pulse until the ingredients have been chopped.
Deseed and chop the two remaining tomatoes. Chop the remaining half of an avocado. Mix these in, giving your guacamole a chunky texture. Move the mixture into a bowl and season with a pinch of sea salt, freshly ground pepper to taste, and a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Use our guacamole recipe to top fajitas, tacos, burritos, or serve it as a dip with tortilla chips!

​Pico de Gallo
Pico de Gallo is a food of many names. It may also be known as "salsa fresca", "salsa picada" or "salsa mexicana". The red, white and green colors are reminiscent of the Mexican flag, and it's sometimes called "salsa bandera" (flag sauce) as well. 
Ingredients:

• Three tomatoes
• Two jalapenos (or more, if you can handle the heat!)
• One white onion
• Coriander/cilantro
• Lime
• Minced garlic
• Sea salt
• Cucumber (optional)
• Avocado (optional)

Directions:

Dice the tomatoes, onion and jalapenos. Chop about a quarter of a bunch of coriander/cilantro. Dice half a cucumber, if you're adding it. Dice one avocado, if you're adding it. 
Put all ingredients in a bowl. Add one teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of minced garlic, and the juice of half a lime. Mix well and serve immediately. 

Alternative: Roast whole tomatoes in a frying pan or skillet on medium-high heat, until the skin begins to split apart.

Posted on River Cruises

Trying out the specialty restaurants is one of the great pleasures of dining on cruise ships. We recently sailed on the Regent Seven Seas Explorer – it has all-included, all-specialty restaurants.

Chef Enmin Wang at the pan-Asian Pacific Rim on the Regent Seven Seas Explorer was kind enough to share with us the recipe for the healthy, fresh, and delicious Tuna Tartare. He prepares it for us on video, and here's our version of the recipe:

For 2 Appetizer Servings

Step 1:  Prepare Carrot/Ginger Japanese Dressing:Makes 375-500 mL

• 250 g (about 3) peeled, chopped carrots
• 125 g chopped whites of shallots
• 125 g peeled and sliced fresh ginger
• 80mL rice vinegar
• 80 mL canola oil
• 1 ½ T honey
• 1 T white miso if desired
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 T Japanese soy sauce
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• water as needed for consistency
• 
  

Tip:  for an even silkier consistency, or if you're worried you don't have a machine that will make a smooth result, cook carrots first. 

Otherwise, put all ingredients in a blender, blend til smooth.  Taste, and add salt, pepper, adjust honey, lime juice, all other seasonings, adding water if desired and necessary for the right consistency.  Put in a squeeze bottle for maximum ease, or a jar.   This step can be done a day or two ahead of using; keep refrigerated. 
This dressing is also delightful on green Japanese salads, and you'll have plenty of leftover to enjoy in other ways.

Step 2: Tuna

• 150 grams sushi grade tuna, in ½ cm dice

Place in a mixing bowl. 

• To taste, add approx:
• ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon each mirin, Japanese soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon combined chives and scallions, cut in thin rounds (more or less, to taste)
• sea salt
• black pepper

Mix all ingredients. Adjust all seasonings to taste.

Step 3: Plate

On each of two decorative plates:

Create a wide pool of Carrot Ginger Dressing. 

If you have 6.5 cm rings, place the ring in the dressing and gently pack half of the tuna in the ring, pressing gently down.  Remove ring. If you don't have a ring, build a small mound of tuna using two spoons, careful not to disturb the dressing.
Garnish top of tuna with:
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• 2 Tablespoons shallots (cut in rings, fried crispy in advance)
• 1 T spring onions, green part only, thinly sliced on a long bias

Sprinkle around tuna in the pool of dressing:

• ½ teaspoon toasted black sesame seeds

Repeat with second plate. Serve immediately (with crisps if you wish) and do not allow to sit at room temperature.

By Executive Chef Kathryn Kelly
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This recipe is one that was inspired from the many meals I’ve enjoyed in the heart of Tuscany. I love this recipe for Thanksgiving or a special harvest dish during autumn. When I serve this on a bed of polenta with a glass of Chianti, I transport myself back to a little farmhouse in Chiusa where I first experimented with this dish.
I prefer to leave the skin on the turkey breast, as it enhances the flavor immensely, but you can certainly prepare it without the skin if you wish. You may want to add a touch of butter or pecorino cheese to the prepared polenta for additional flavor. Originally a chicken recipe that I adapted for Thanksgiving, you can certainly choose to prepare it with chicken breasts – either way, I can promise you the evidence of your efforts won’t last very long. My guests always rave about this dish! 

 Serves 4

Ingredients

Stuffing
½ cup grated celeriac
½ cup grated parsnip
¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts
2 tablespoons dried cranberries, softened in hot water
1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon truffle oil

Turkey
4 boneless, skinless turkey breasts
8 slices prosciutto

Sage Butter
3 tablespoons butter
8 sage leaves

Directions

Mix the Stuffing
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.

Prepare the Turkey
Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Place each turkey breast, one at a time, in a large zip-lock bag and gently pound to a thickness of ½ inch.
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On a work surface lined with parchment paper, lay out the prosciutto in 4 stacks of 2 pieces each. Place a turkey breast on top of each prosciutto stack, making sure the ends of the breasts are within the ends of the prosciutto. Place one-fourth of the stuffing on each breast. Roll the turkey and prosciutto tightly around the stuffing. Place the rolled turkey, seam side down, in a baking pan. Bake until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 162°F/72°C.

Infuse the Butter
In a small sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sage and infuse the butter for about 5 minutes. Remove the sage and reserve for garnish.

To Serve
Drizzle with sage butter and garnish with sage leaves. Try pairing this turkey with creamy polenta with cranberries, and enjoy!