Ceviche

Serves 6 At The Cafe at Books & Books, Bernie Matz makes his signature ceviche without peppers, allowing the flavor of the sea to dominate. He uses grouper from the warm waters of the Florida Keys, but any very fresh, firm white fish will do. Striped bass is especially delicious. Matz says ceviche will keep in the refrigerator for two days; he prefers just three or four hours. The fish will continue to “cook’’ in the citrus juice. 3 pounds skinless, boneless white fish (striped bass, hake, or halibut)

Aji, or chili peppers, are native to Peru and the main ingredient in the new Costa Peruana Aji Pastes ($6.95-$10 for an 8-ounce jar), available in organic Amarillo, Limo, or Panca varieties. The bold, fresh flavors of the Aji Amarillo are the hottest/spiciest of the three. The chili is one of the staple ingredients of Peruvian cuisine. Add it to potato, rice, bean, and vegetable dishes. Aji Limo paste is best suited for ceviche or pasta, but a nice addition to meat, poultry, or fish.

Serves 4 Chef Brian Hill of Shepherd’s Pie garnishes his ceviche of Maine rock crab (also known as peekytoe and red crab) with crusty saltine crackers. 1 pound Maine crabmeat Juice of 2 oranges Juice of 2 lemons Juice of 3 limes 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded 1/2 habanero chili, stemmed and seeded 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce 2 ...

Serves 6 At The Cafe at Books & Books, Bernie Matz makes his signature ceviche without peppers, allowing the flavor of the sea to dominate. He uses grouper from the warm waters of the Florida Keys, but any very fresh, firm white fish will do. Striped bass is especially delicious. Matz says ceviche will keep in the refrigerator for two days; he prefers just three or four hours. The fish will continue to “cook’’ in the citrus juice. 3 pounds skinless, boneless white fish (striped bass, hake, or halibut)

Serves 8 In Joan Nathan's "The New American Cooking," she writes about visiting Josephina and Alfredo Vizueta in Passaic, N.J., and learning this ceviche dish. Even though Josephina chops everything by hand and uses an old-fashioned stone mortar and pestle, she adds ketchup to the shrimp because red is an important color in the dish. 2 pounds unpeeled medium shrimp 3 tablespoons olive oil Juice of 1 orange 1 cup coarsely chopped parsley 1 ...

MIAMI -- If the action is on the sidewalks across town in South Beach, it is more often tucked behind the gates of private banks and secluded apartment towers on broad-leafed Brickell Avenue. Not so at Novecento, a Latin American bistro that has found fame in Buenos Aires, New York, and Miami. Pull into the car park behind the low shopping plaza at 1414 Brickell and be greeted in Spanish by valet attendants more used to customers hailing from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and other points south.

Aji, or chili peppers, are native to Peru and the main ingredient in the new Costa Peruana Aji Pastes ($6.95-$10 for an 8-ounce jar), available in organic Amarillo, Limo, or Panca varieties. The bold, fresh flavors of the Aji Amarillo are the hottest/spiciest of the three. The chili is one of the staple ingredients of Peruvian cuisine. Add it to potato, rice, bean, and vegetable dishes. Aji Limo paste is best suited for ceviche or pasta, but a nice addition to meat, poultry, or fish.

Machu Picchu 307 Somerville Ave., Somerville 617-623-7171; www.machupicchuboston.com Hours: Monday-Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Thursday-Friday, 11:30 a.m. - 1 a.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. - 1 a.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Major credit cards accepted; Handicapped accessible Peruvians have the potato down pat, which is no surprise given that nearly 4,000 varieties grow there, and Peru is widely considered to be the birthplace of...

Hail, Boston, our city of neighborhoods. From the east, the aroma of tortillas on the griddle, char-bottomed pizza pies, and airplane fumes mingled with paper-cup coffee. By the water, lobster wholesalers, urban fish shacks, and metal shipping containers in Cezanne hues, dispersing into North End brick, garlic sizzling in olive oil, and sauces cooked for hours. Live shrimp and pea shoots and pork potstickers in Chinatown, ginger and scallions and white rice plain and perfect. On to lobster Savannah.

By Patricia Harris Globe Correspondent SONOMA VALLEY, Calif. - Even dedicated oenophiles can find winery tours and tastings altogether too predictable, no matter how good the product. That's certainly true in California's Sonoma Valley, where many of the region's 200 or so wineries are open to the public. Yet on my last visit, I discovered a couple of vintners who have added a spark of imagination to the typical routine of pour, sniff, sip, and spit. Owner Judy Jordan rejected business as usual when she opened the J Vineyards tasting center in...

Serves 4 Chef Brian Hill of Shepherd’s Pie garnishes his ceviche of Maine rock crab (also known as peekytoe and red crab) with crusty saltine crackers. 1 pound Maine crabmeat Juice of 2 oranges Juice of 2 lemons Juice of 3 limes 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded 1/2 habanero chili, stemmed and seeded 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce 2 ...

Hail, Boston, our city of neighborhoods. From the east, the aroma of tortillas on the griddle, char-bottomed pizza pies, and airplane fumes mingled with paper-cup coffee. By the water, lobster wholesalers, urban fish shacks, and metal shipping containers in Cezanne hues, dispersing into North End brick, garlic sizzling in olive oil, and sauces cooked for hours. Live shrimp and pea shoots and pork potstickers in Chinatown, ginger and scallions and white rice plain and perfect. On to lobster Savannah.

Machu Picchu 307 Somerville Ave., Somerville 617-623-7171; www.machupicchuboston.com Hours: Monday-Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Thursday-Friday, 11:30 a.m. - 1 a.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. - 1 a.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Major credit cards accepted; Handicapped accessible Peruvians have the potato down pat, which is no surprise given that nearly 4,000 varieties grow there, and Peru is widely considered to be the birthplace of...

Serve with plantain chips or slices of ripe avocado. Serves 12 as an appetizer 2 pounds bay scallops, cut into cubes 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro 1 habanero pepper, seeded...

SOMERVILLE -- It's always worrisome when a small restaurant moves into a bigger space and upgrades from cheap plastic menus to fancy leatherbound ones. It's just never the same. The intimacy disappears, prices go up, and strange new people keep barging into the neighborhood to check it out. So when we saw that Machu Picchu in Union Square had moved to a larger location in November, we got nervous. Would it still have the spicy rocoto pepper sauce that we took home in tiny plastic containers and hoarded for days on end to spread on sandwiches and fried potatoes?

MIAMI -- If the action is on the sidewalks across town in South Beach, it is more often tucked behind the gates of private banks and secluded apartment towers on broad-leafed Brickell Avenue. Not so at Novecento, a Latin American bistro that has found fame in Buenos Aires, New York, and Miami. Pull into the car park behind the low shopping plaza at 1414 Brickell and be greeted in Spanish by valet attendants more used to customers hailing from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and other points south.

SOMERVILLE -- It's always worrisome when a small restaurant moves into a bigger space and upgrades from cheap plastic menus to fancy leatherbound ones. It's just never the same. The intimacy disappears, prices go up, and strange new people keep barging into the neighborhood to check it out. So when we saw that Machu Picchu in Union Square had moved to a larger location in November, we got nervous. Would it still have the spicy rocoto pepper sauce that we took home in tiny plastic containers and hoarded for days on end to spread on sandwiches and fried potatoes?

Serves 8 In Joan Nathan's "The New American Cooking," she writes about visiting Josephina and Alfredo Vizueta in Passaic, N.J., and learning this ceviche dish. Even though Josephina chops everything by hand and uses an old-fashioned stone mortar and pestle, she adds ketchup to the shrimp because red is an important color in the dish. 2 pounds unpeeled medium shrimp 3 tablespoons olive oil Juice of 1 orange 1 cup coarsely chopped parsley 1 ...