Month: March 2013

Bucatini, Bologna, Tomato, Asiago & Egg ” Midnight Snack In Simpleland “

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Yesterday I had a very long workday without lunch or dinner. I finally came home at 9.00pm (I left the house at 5.00am, after two hours of walking Bella, breakfast, checking e-mail, etc) .
First thing’s first, so I poured myself a glass of merlot and sat down to relax a few minutes before I wanted to move on to do what needs to be done. However, I woke up three hours later at around midnight, because Bella brutally stubbed me with her nose, demanding to finally be taken on her walk. When we got back it was past 1.00am and I was famished. I wanted to have something quick, uncomplicated, substantial and tasty, but not too heavy or fatty. A quick inspection of the fridge and cup board revealed, amongst other goodies:
Bucatini, salted butter, bologna, aged asiago, greek yoghurt, eggs, tomatoes and scallions.
Usually and traditionally, one would saute the bologna and tomatoes in fat before adding the other ingredients.
But I wanted to have a different, “fresher” taste. So, here is how it went:
I cooked the pasta, drained it (reserved some of the cooking water). I chopped the tomatoes, sliced the scallions, grated the asiago, whisked the eggs with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Then I mixed all the ingredients over low heat including a bit of the cooking water and cooked it until the eggs set. The result was a revelation of how the addition or absence of one single cooking step (sauteing) can completely alter the taste and texture of a dish. This version is actually my new favorite when it comes to pasta with bologna. The freshness of the bologna (must be of very good quality) and the slight acidity of the yogurt and raw tomatoes make it a new, much appreciated dish in my arsenal of pasta dishes.
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Bon Appetit ! Long Live The Midnight Snack ! 🙂
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More Bucatini On ChefsOpinion 1

More Bucatini On ChefsOpinion 2

More Bologna On ChefsOpinion

” Bucatini, Bologna, Tomato, Asiago & Egg “

: ” Bucatini, Bologna, Tomato, Asiago & Egg ”

: ” Bucatini, Bologna, Tomato, Asiago & Egg ”

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“Fondue” Au Fromage Sec

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Good Read’s. Good Eat’s. Good Drink’s. Good Company = Good Times.
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The title of this dish, “Fondue Au Fromage Sec”, is tongue in cheek, but the dish itself is a knock-out: A great snack, a simple dinner, or fun party food.
I have prepared this often over the years, but I never really gave it a proper name.
So when I made it this sunday afternoon, I wanted to finally give the dish a proper, clever ? name. Hopefully, I succeeded ?
I love a good cheese fondue , and this dish has most ingredients of a “fondue au fromage” , (but not the texture, because instead of being liquid, it is “dry”.
Let me know if you disagree and think you ‘ve got a better name for it 🙂
But then, nevertheless, follow the recipe and you will agree that the dish itself is an outstanding snack or party staple or even , if served with a side of greens, a meatless dinner good enough to shine on it’s own.

Fondue Au Fromage “Sec”

: Fondue Au Fromage “Sec”

: Fondue Au Fromage “Sec”

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Ingredient’s :

Sour dough bread, scored criss cross 3/4 down to the bottom crust
Brie cheese, cut into cubes
Asiago cheese, diced
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Roasted garlic paste,
White wine,
Scallions, thinly sliced
Walnuts, shelled
Dijon mustard,
Chili flakes,
Butter, melted

Method :

Open the slit’s of the scored bread with your fingers. Drizzle with melted buter, then white wine. Add a bit of the mustard to the bits of cheese. Stick one piece of brie and one piece of asiago cheese into each of the cavities. Add cheddar cheese into the cavities as well as on top of the bread. Bake at 375F until cheese melts. Remove from oven, sprinkle walnuts and chili flakes on top, return to oven until the bread starts to crisp up and is heated through all the way. Remove again from oven, sprinkle with finely sliced scallions and serve hot.

Enjoy ! Live is Good !

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Simple Cooking – Perfect Meal

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Sauteed cowboy steak medium rare. Spinach sauteed in duck fat with freshly grated horseradish, bacon, garlic and onion. Very thick cut slice of sourdough bread to soak up all the juices. Scotch bonnet & garlic compound butter to give it a bit of a kick.
Do I need to write more about this dish?
Hell no, just look at the pictures and start drooling 🙂

Recipe for Scotch Bonnet & Garlic Compound Butter

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Cowboy Steak, Spinach & Chili Butter

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: Cowboy Steak, Spinach & Chili Butter

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Sunday. At Home. Dim Sum. Good Stuff !

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Light lunch with lot’s of flavor and some liquid goodness (Tsingtao).

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Har Gow, Siew Mai & Dipping Sauce

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Dipping sauce:
Soy sauce,rice wine vinegar, chili paste, sugar, garlic paste, scallion, sesame seeds.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

“Har Gow” Recipe
“Siew Mai” Recipe
More Har Gow at ChefsOpinion

: Har Gow, Siew Mai & Dipping Sauce

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Breakfast Of Champions # 20 – Mascarpone And Banana Filled French Toast, Caramelized Pomello

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Usually, sweet stuff for breakfast is not my thing, but today felt so different in many way’s that I thought what the heck! Why not try something different this morning. So I made this great breakfast of french toast with vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, banana and mascarpone, a bowl of strawberry yogurt, chilled chocolate milk, and a giant pomelo with caramelized sugar glaze. What a decadent, wonderful way to start the day 🙂
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Life is Good ! Happy Sunday Everyone ! .

Breakfast of Champions # 20

Mascarpone And Banana Filled French Toast, Caramelized Pomello, Strawberry Yogurt

: Breakfast of Champions # 20

: Mascarpone And Banana Filled French Toast, Caramelized Pomello, Strawberry Yogurt

Note :
You might have noticed in the pictures that contrary to standard procedure, I have not whisked the milk and eggs together but dipped the bread in the sugared and vanilla spiced milk first, then in the egg. This makes for a very different texture of the bread which is in my opinion superior to the traditional method. Just be careful not to soak the bread for too long in the milk or it will disintegrate 😦 > .
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Gorgonzola Gratinated Skirt Steak, Tomato & Aparagus On Naan

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Friday night’s dinner is one of these typical dishes that are only concocted when the hunger for a BIG dinner is already gnawing in our gut’s and nothing small and simple will satisfy the hunger disturbed imagination of what the next meal must be like. So here we go, a dinner that will satisfy even the biggest craving for hearty food 🙂
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Gorgonzola Gratinated Skirt Steak, Tomato & Aparagus On Naan

: Gorgonzola Gratinated Skirt Steak, Tomato & Aparagus On Naan

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Ingredient’s :

Skirt steak, marinated overnight in soy sauce, sriracha, & garlic paste
Naan, (substitute with bread of your choice)
Asparagus spears, (white or green, depending on availability and your preference), buttered and seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper
Tomatoes, sliced thick, seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper
Scallions, buttered and seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper
Asiago cheese, finely grated
Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Kosher salt,
Peanut oil,

Method :

Season steak with kosher salt, dust with a mixture of ap flour, cornstarch, cayene and garlic powder , saute in oil until bloody rare (or your preference. (See note below). Place naan on a baking rack. Top with steak. Sprinkle with asiago. Top with tomato. Sprinkle with asiago . Top with asparagus. Top with gorgonzola. Top with scallions. Broil until gorgonzola is melted and get’s a few golden spots. Remove from broiler, sprinkle with chili flakes. Enjoy a great meal ! 🙂

Note :
Remember the carry-over heat and the step of gratinating. Both will further cook your steak. Since I like most of my beef and lamb steaks to be medium rare, I removed it at bloody rare. By the time it was gratinated and ready to eat, it was a perfect medium rare.

Bon Appetit Life is Good !
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End Of The Week Treat # 1

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Friday afternoon, enjoying ” Tiramisu and a good helping of Baileys Irish Cream “.
Ahhhh…..just putting up my feet after a long week of hard work, enjoying the moment, knowing that tomorrows work……
Wait a minute – no work tomorrow nor sunday, just sleep, walk the dog, cook, eat good food, , watching exciting movies, reading good books, hanging with friend’s.
Life is Good ! . . . . . . . 🙂

Have a great weekend y’all !
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Tiramisu & Baileys Irish Cream

: Tiramisu & Baileys Irish Cream

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Tiramisu Recipe By Giada De Laurentis At Food Network

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Stir Fried Vegetables, Egg and Walnuts

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Today I read this article about healthy living. One of the main paths to a healthy life is supposedly to refrain from eating animal protein. But, as you all know, healthy or not, I just love animal protein once in a while. Chicken, pork, lamb,beef, seafood, duck, goose, I love it all.
But, tonight I had a strong craving for rice and vegetables. Since Bella is usually my only dinner guest, I mostly get to decide on the menu all by myself. So today’s dinner came along that ” healthy path ” .
“Despite” being healthy, it was delicious and a joy to eat. But tomorrow – Steak 🙂

Fan ( Chinese steamed rice ) recipe HERE
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Stir Fried Vegetables, Egg & Walnut

: Stir Fried Vegetables, Egg & Fan

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Ingredient’s :

Broccoli, floretes, blanched
Bean sprouts,
Red radishes, quartered,
Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
Chili’s, seeded, quartered
Onion, julienned
Eggs, hardboiled, Quartered
Walnuts, candied
Ginger, grated
Garlic, paste
Scallions, sliced
Cilantro, chopped
Hoi sin sauce,
Soy sauce,
Sesame oil,
Peanut oil, to saute
Chicken stock,
Corn starch slurry,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Chili oil,
Sesame seeds, toasted
Fan,

Method :

Saute walnuts in sugar until sugar starts to brown, set aside. Saute onions until translucent, add ginger and garlic, saute until fragrant, Add broccoli, shiitake, radish, scallion and chili’s and saute until heated through. Add chicken stock, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, salt and pepper, bring to a simmer. Add slurry, simmer for a few seconds. Remove from heat, add bean sprouts. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Add eggs. To serve, top with walnuts, sprinkle with cilantro, drizzle with chili oil. Sprinkle fan with toasted sesame seeds.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Bone-In Rib Eye & “Stuff”

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What a great early dinner today (I started work at 4.00 am, so dinner at 5.0 pm does not sound so ridiculously early, does it? )
This dish was very satisfying, from the potatoes to the beans to the steak. I Sauteed everything in duck fat with lot’s of roasted garlic and used some leftover duck jus to lightly mash the potatoes and beans with, for a great flavor and texture 🙂

“Sauteed bone-in rib eye , with habichuelas blancas (smal white beans), potatoes, tomatoes, scallions and Duck jus”.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Bone-In Rib Eye

: Bone-In Rib Eye

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Saint Patrick’s Day “Breakfast Of Champions” # 19

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” Irish soda bread with raisins & caraway seeds,
topped with corned beef, asparagus, tomato and brie”
Great breakfast in honor of St Patrick.
(The brie might not be Irish, but it lift’s this dish to another dimension 🙂

Erin Go Bragh !

Recipe for Irish soda bread HERE
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