Recipe for Happiness and "Ceviche"

These beautiful spring days remind me of our years in Quito, Ecuador.  One of my favorite foods from Ecuador is ceviche.  Look it up and you’ll find several spellings:  seviche; cebiche; or sebiche.  You’ll also find as many variations of how to fix it.  Ecuadorians use shrimp or other shell fish.  I’ve also eaten vegetarian ceviches which were good.  Here’s my recipe that I mix up when the weather gets like it is today.  For those of you who like exact ingredients, forget it! Ceviche ought to taste different each time you eat it.  Here goes:

1 cup of orange juice; juice of two lemons; cup or two of chopped tomatoes; 1 tablespoon of catsup; 1 tsp sugar (or to taste); salt; pepper; chopped onion; chopped cilantro (lots); 2 cups small shrimp cleaned/cooked (we cook ours briefly, but Ecuadorians don’t).  Optional:  diced cucumber, corn,  garbanzas, or other veggies you like.  Refrigerate for at least an hour. Feeds one:  me.

Serve cold with more cilantro sprinkled on and with popcorn to garnish and eat by handfuls with the ceviche.  The beverage accompaniment of your choice completes the feast. (Baptists like Coke, but Presbyterians may enjoy beer.  Baptists who are in the company of Presbyterians with no other Baptists present may enjoy beer, also.)

There you have it, the recipe for “ceviche.”   Oh, the happiness part that I promised?   That comes after you eat the ceviche!