One of the best Lithuanian chefs, Liutauras Čeprackas: I have to adapt to the new reality

“I once said that a steak can only be eaten in one restaurant, there will be no transportation home from the” Meat “restaurant. The transported food, I thought, was losing flavor. But never say never: the way we live today has forced to change his mind ”, admits Liutauras.

He had to turn his head right on how to get the person who ordered his favorite steak to taste it fresh, freshly baked, hot. “All you have to do is do some work and follow the directions exactly,” says Liutauras, who betrays what restaurant visitors don’t always know, “and some of the restaurant’s dishes are almost ready.” The closing highlights are placed when a restaurant guest orders a meal.

“Do not think that restaurants prepare ready meals and then heat them in the microwave, no, there are only dishes that take three, four and sometimes eight hours to prepare. Have you seen a guest ready to wait that long? ”Asks the chef, reminding him that this rule is especially true for slow cooker meat dishes and sauces.

Liutaur hopes that diners who have ordered food from his restaurant will finish cooking at home, as he usually does at the restaurant. “I hope they succeed,” he smiles, adding that he does not contract with cyclists who transport food, but instead waits for people to pick up food at the restaurant door or relies on fast, experienced drivers.

He’s one of those optimistic realists who waits for the time to come and restaurants open their doors to visitors and kitchen crews get back to their usual pace and work. “Of course I think of my employees,” says Liutauras. – I want them to have activities, I want to maintain their spirit, a good work environment and the inner motivation of all of us. After all, we all clearly understand that we will hardly be able to maintain our restaurants if we work for one month and do not work for three. “

Renowned for his dishes and ingenuity, the chef does not hide his longing for life in the restaurant and for the guests who appreciate what he creates. “It is important to me that people remember us to know that we are waiting for their guests for everything when all this mush is finished. After all, the word “restaurant”, according to Professor Rimvydas Laužikas, comes from the word “restoration” or elevation, which means that here you come to eat what you do not know at home, or do not want, or take too long to do. . How many of us can make Eggs Benedict for our family’s breakfast every day? At first it’s interesting and then boring, “says Liutauras.

Now, like never before, he has free time, so even the family is not without inspiration to produce on a daily basis. That is why he pampers his two daughters and his wife Laura with more complicated, non-traditional and time-consuming dishes. Yet with the utmost nostalgia, he recalls a time when everyone could go to a restaurant together and enjoy food that he didn’t have to cook alone.

Liutauras Čeprackas shares a family favorite recipe during quarantine.

Fried salmon with vegetables

Will need:

500 g of salmon, preferably a thicker piece
1 package of small asparagus
1 lemon
50g butter
30 g of honey
sprigs of rosemary
10 g minced garlic
you go out

In the pan, Liutauras dissolves the butter with honey, then collects the minced garlic and sprinkles with salt.
Put the asparagus on the foil sheet and the salmon on top. Pour the sauce, put a sprig of rosemary, sprinkle with lemon juice. The foil is folded and placed in the oven. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 feet for about 12 minutes.