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Chicken, Matzo Ball And Vegetables Soup – Recipe # 3731

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Another chicken soup post you say? – well, why not I say – there can never be enough of that beacon of traditional comfort food 🙂
On a rainy day; on a sunny day; on a sad day; on a happy day: Chicken soup, when prepared with love, will make you feel better, no matter what.
So there you have it . Enjoy !
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Matzo Balls Recipe:

1 cup matzo meal
3 eggs

3 tblsp oil or rendered chicken fat

1/4 cup seltzer (exact amount depends on the size of the eggs and the coarseness of the matzo meal)
3 tblsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste

Mix all wet ingredients together, then stir in matzo meal, salt and pepper and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Shape into golf ball sized balls, drop into boiling water, cover, turn down to a slow simmer and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until fully cooked (cut one in half to check if it’s done).
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Chicken, Matzo Ball And Vegetable Soup – Recipe # 3731

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Preparation :
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: To a pot with 2 qt water, add 5 chicken thighs, 2 tsp kosher salt, 1 pinch cayenne pepper, 1 tsp garlic paste and 1/3 tsp grated ginger; bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook until chicken is tender but not falling apart, about 45 minutes

: meanwhile, blanch 8 oz bok choy, shock in ice water, finely slice 3 stalks of scallions, 1 large carrot and 2 medium tomatoes as pictured

: when the chicken is tender, remove from broth, remove and discard bones, cut meat into bite-size pieces

: add carrots to broth, simmer until carrots are tender, about 4 minutes, remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning

: prepare matzo balls according to recipe (pictured is triple the recipe )

: cook matzo balls according to recipe (pls note that in the picture you see triple the recipe; I prepared triple the recipe because my neighbor requested that I prepare some for her families lunch)

: divide the chicken and vegetables into 4 serving plates, add one matzo ball to each plate

: add the hot chicken soup

: Chicken, Matzo Ball And Vegetable Soup – Recipe # 3731

: Chicken, Matzo Ball And Vegetable Soup – Recipe # 3731

: Chicken, Matzo Ball And Vegetable Soup – Recipe # 3731

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Tostadas Al Pescado (Fish Tostadas)

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When you decide to make tostadas, the biggest decision will be if you want to prepare your own tortillas and fry them to a flat crisp or buy packaged tostada shells, which you can buy in any supermarket nowadays’, most of excellent quality. After that, the most sensible thing is to put the tostadas on a platter in the center of the table, arrange all the toppings in bowls around them and let everybody assemble their own favorite. Traditionally, refried beans, cotija cheese, a simple salsa and sometimes seafood are the main ingredients/toppings.
But, as you can imagine, tostadas, like most other dishes with a long culinary history, have evolved and advanced to be more adventurous and varied. Anything you fancy is allowed to grace your tostada, as long as it is delicious and makes you smile 🙂
Refried beans, shredded lettuce, sour cream, any cheese, any seafood, sausage, meat, grilled vegetables, any salsa, guacamole, etc, etc.
I happened to have some fresh Swai fillets at hand as well as white cabbage for a tasty cabbage slaw. Added some guacamole, salsa Mexicana and a bit of sour cream and BINGO ! – exiting lunch served in a snap 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Salsa Mexicana Recipe:
2 medium tomatoes- diced; 1 med white onion- diced, 3 jalapeños- chopped, 1/3 cup cilantro- chopped; lime juice and kosher salt- to taste; combine, check/adjust seasoning.
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Tostadas Al Pescado (Fish Tostadas)

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Preparation :
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: combine 3 cups finely sliced white cabbage, 1/2 cup sliced red onion, 1/4 cup sliced scallion, sliced red chillies to taste with1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tblsp lemon juice, 1 tsp garlic paste, kosher salt to taste

: cabbage slaw

: cut 2 swai filets into 3 or 4 strip’s each (depending on size of fillets), season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: dredge fillets in A/P flour

: saute fillets in vegetable oil until golden and cooked through

: ahhhh…..

: Tostadas Al Pescado (Fish Tostadas)

: ready to assemble…..

: top fried tortilla with slaw

: top with fish fillet, drizzle with lime juice

: top with guacamole

: top with salsa Mexicana

: top with sour cream and chili (chili optional)

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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 56 – Steak And Egg

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If you feel you need a breakfast that will prepare you for a special day ahead, be it a tough work-day or a fun play-day, this tasty beauty will probably fit the bill. Even if you are a vegetarian, just omit the steak and you will still have a dish that is full of flavor and texture, pretty and just – yummy 🙂
Good morning and have a great day !
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Note: Although only 2 eggs are needed for this recipe, I usually cook one extra egg, just in case one breaks……(better safe than sorry)
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Breakfast Of Champions # 56 – Steak & Egg

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Preparation :
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: peel one large baking potato

: trim the ends and discard, cut the remaining potato into four 1/2 ” slices

: simmer slices in salted water until soft but not falling apart

: meanwhile, season two 8 oz beef tenderloins with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, saute or grill until cooked to your preferred internal temperature, reserve

: saute potatoes in duck fat until golden and crisp, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: season 2 thick slices of beefsteak tomatoes with kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste, finely slice 2 ea scallions

: dust tomato slices with a/p flour, saute in duck fat until golden

: poach three eggs to your desired doneness in 1/2 qt of water that has been seasoned with 1 tsp white vinegar and 1 tsp kosher salt

: to assemble the dish, place 1 slice potato on serving plate

: top potato with 1 slice tomato

: top tomato with another slice of potato

: top potato with 1 beef filet

: top beef with one egg

: nape (cover) egg with sauce mornay (cheese sauce)

: sprinkle with finely sliced scallions; recipe serves two

: Breakfast Of Champions # 56 – Steak & Egg

: Breakfast Of Champions # 56 – Steak & Egg

: Breakfast Of Champions # 56 – Steak & Egg

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Chicken And Waffles

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Chicken And Waffles are deeply rooted in the American south and have become a staple Soul Food item. More commonly made with fried chicken and served with gravy or honey and butter, I never really understood the attraction of the dish. However, my own version presented here, with very crisp waffles, sautéed boneless chicken breast and smothered onions in cream sauce has fully won my heart and will be a new standby in my home-kitchen repertoire.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Chicken And Waffle

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Preparation :
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: butterfly 3 boneless chicken breasts

: season with kosher salt, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper, saute in butter (or vegetable oil if you prefer) until just done but not dry

: while the chicken is sauteeing, prepare the waffle batter

: cook the waffle about 2 minutes longer than usual to get a crisper waffle that can stand-up better to the smothered onions in cream

: 1 done, 2 to go……..

: when cooked, remove chicken and reserve

: in the same pan/fat, saute two medium sized, sliced onions until lightly caramelized

: add 1 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup lager beer, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat

: add 3 tblsp finely chopped cilantro, check/adjust seasoning

: place waffle on serving plate

: top one side of the waffle with a chicken breast, cover the other side of the waffle with smothered onions, sprinkle with more chopped cilantro and a pinch of smoked paprika (paprika optional) ; serves 3

: Chicken And Waffle

: Chicken And Waffle

: Chicken And Waffle

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Portuguese Eggs

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While Maria and I were living in Funchal, Madeira, we became friends with a wonderful local couple, Balduino and Felicidade. They invited us to their home often, where we usually had an early brunch and then set out to explore the island, usually by car and sometimes by scooter. After a while this became a wonderful routine and it was Balduino’s pride (and our enjoyment) to prepare a different variation of “Portuguese Eggs” each time we met at his house. Over time, we were able to enjoy this dish with squid, octopus, lobster, shrimp, espada (the most popular local fish), chorizo, ham and different greens and herbs. He sometimes sprinkled grated local cheese on top of the eggs before baking, but he never included the more common ricotta cheese. Always accompanied by hearty, home-baked bread and local wine, it was the perfect delicious and fortifying meal to keep us going for hours on our expeditions around the island 🙂
(To be truthful, sometimes we replaced the tours with more wine and a bottle of port and just talked about past and future island-explorations).
Let me say here that Madeira is one of the most beautiful places Maria and I had the luck and privilege to live together 🙂
Here now is today’s version of “Portuguese Eggs” in memory of great friendship, great places to live, happier times and the great love of my life, Maria, who passed away exactly 3 years ago.
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Love ……….
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Portuguese Eggs

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Preparation :
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: tomatoes, potato, shrimp, onion, peas, basil

: peel, dice and simmer 1 large potato in salted water until soft but not falling apart, drain

: slice one medium onion, saute in 1 tblsp olive oil until translucent

: add 2 lbs halved tomatoes, season with salt and cayenne papper, broil until starting to caramelize

: add 2 cup water and 1 tsp garlic paste, simmer until tomatoes have broken down and a sauce has developed, about 20 minutes (add more water if sauce becomes too thick)

: add potatoes, simmer 5 minutes

: season 10 oz shrimp with fresh-ground black pepper, kosher salt, garlic paste and olive oil (if you prefer, remove the tails before adding them to the stew)

: add the shrimp and 3 oz green peas to the tomatoes, mix, check/adjust seasoning

: add whole eggs to the stew, sprinkle eggs with kosher salt, simmer slowly until eggs are cooked the way you like them; if you like your eggs more cooked than I do, put them under the broiler for a couple of minutes, ; to serve, sprinkle with herbs of your choice; serves 4 or 5

: meanwhile, cut 2 pretzel-rolls into halves

: brush with garlic paste

: grill rolls until golden

: Portuguese Eggs

: Portuguese Eggs

: to serve, place bread on bottom of serving dish, top with portuguese eggs

: Portuguese Eggs

: Portuguese Eggs

: Portuguese Eggs

: Portuguese Eggs

: Portuguese Eggs

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Soufflé Chocolate Cheese Cake

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Way back when I was a chef and young cooks asked me for suggestions and advise what to cook during competitions or job-interviews, the most difficult suggestion was usually the dessert course.
Most young cooks (and many old chefs) are not very skilled in pastry, so a quick, easy, foolproof, yet impressing and delicious dessert is usually a problem.
(When I was judging applicants both for sous chef positions and for chef instructor positions, 99 out of 100 desserts presented was crème brûlée) 😦
As for myself, although during my 3.5 year apprentice ship I was schooled for 6 months in classic french pastry, preparing the stuff was never something I enjoyed a lot.
(On the other hand, eating it is a whole different story) 🙂
The following little gem – Soufflé Chocolate Cheese Cake is a wonderful solution to the dilemma and it helped many of the cooks I mentored to be able to serve a dessert that could stand up to the rest of their presentation. It is so simple and quick to prepare that to this day I prepare it often for myself at home. Besides being easy to prepare, it also lends itself to variations, such as adding fruit, dark chocolate instead of white, or eliminating the chocolate altogether and replacing it with condensed milk. You can also use a spring mold instead of muffin cups to make it into a super-light, regular-sized cake. Because I had a bit of leftover chocolate pudding in the fridge from yesterday, I added it to 3 of the 6 mini-cakes.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Souffle Chocolate Cheese Cake

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Preparation :
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: melt 8oz chocolate in double boiler

: melted chocolate

: to 8 oz cream cheese add the chocolate

: divide 6 eggs into yolks and whites (make sure the bowls are absolutely clean and free of fat)

: completely incorporate the chocolate into the cream cheese

: add the egg yolks, incorporate

: stir until smooth

: whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks

: add 1/4 of the egg-whites to the cream cheese /chocolate/egg yolk mixture, stir until smooth

: fold-in the rest of the egg-whites

: ready to fill into molds

: lightly spray molds with cooking spray (or brush with butter if preferred)

: fill molds to the rim, add filling if desired

: bake at 350F for 45 minutes (or until a inserted toothpick comes out clean); – pls note that cakes will rise like souffles, then, while cooling, deflate back to their original size

: cooling down………..

: plain cakes on the left, chocolate filled on the right; whipped cream (pls don’t mess this up by using ready-whip) 😦

: Souffle Chocolate Cheese Cake

: Souffle Chocolate Cheese Cake

: Souffle Chocolate Cheese Cake

: Souffle Chocolate Cheese Cake

: Souffle Chocolate Cheese Cake

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Grilled Beef Tenderloin With Parmesan-Roasted Mushrooms

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Usually, I don’t eat beef tenderloin anymore. It has become prohibitively expensive and most of the time I prefer the texture of bone-in rib eye anyway. However, yesterday was my time of the month (to go to my Argentine butcher). One of the specials he offered was the most beautifully aged, grass-fed beef tenderloin for a great price, so I snapped up a couple of pounds.
Here now is the first steak I prepared (out of four I bought), accompanied by mushrooms only. Nothing else to distract from the marvel of this wonderful, tender, tasty chunk of meat ! (The mushrooms were not too shabby either) 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Grilled Beef Tenderloin With Parmesan-Roasted Mushrooms

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Preparation :
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: season 16 oz tenderloin with kosher salt

: grill steak until done to your preference (med-rare for me )

: let steak rest for 10 minutes before cutting

: meanwhile, clean 6 oz of large botton mushrooms

: season mushrooms with 1 tblsp soy sauce, granulated garlic, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, add 1 tblsp olive oil

: roast in 375F oven for 15 minutes

: prepare a mixture of 2 tblsp panko bread crumbs and 2 tblsp grated parmesan cheese, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: top the mushrooms with the crumb/cheese mixture

: continue to roast the mushrooms in the oven until golden, sprinkle with chopped parsley

: Grilled Beef Tenderloin With Parmesan-Roasted Mushrooms

: Grilled Beef Tenderloin With Parmesan-Roasted Mushrooms

: Grilled Beef Tenderloin With Parmesan-Roasted Mushrooms

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Pork, Cabbage & Chili Noodles

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Ahhh, the refreshing, liberating, exciting, sinus-clearing effect of eating a dish as spicy as one can handle.
The key here is –
“as spicy as one can handle” ! (Hot as hell in my case)
To season something beyond a level of spiciness which is comfortable and enjoyable would not make sense – but to stay just below, on a level that hurts but feels good at the same time can be very addictive. While not all the food I eat at home is spicy, once in a while I need the rush which comes from a healthy dose of chili.
If you plan to re-create this dish, simply and sensibly adjust the amount of chili you use to your personal preference.
Like I said on other occasions concerning spicy food –
“It should kick like a lady, not like a mule” 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Pork, Cabbage & Chili Noodles

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Preparation :
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: prepare a sauce of 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup bean sauce, 1/4 cup hoi sin sauce and 1 tblsp sesame oil

: season 1 lb ground pork with chili paste, kosher salt and granulated garlic to taste, add 2 tblsp peanut oil

: mix well

: stir fry in 2 tblsp peanut oil until pork starts to brown, add 1 medium sliced red onion

: stir fry until onion is translucent

: add 1 lb diced white cabbage

: add the sauce and 1 cup water

: simmer until cabbage starts to wilt, check/adjust seasoning

: meanwhile, cook and drain 1 lb Chinese egg noodles, add 2 tblsp sesame oil and 3 tblsp peanut oil, mix

: plate noodles on serving dish

: top with the pork / cabbage stew, sprinkle with scallions and pickled chilies

: Pork, Cabbage & Chili Noodles

: Pork, Cabbage & Chili Noodles

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Open-Faced Chicken Sandwich

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There are chicken sandwiches – and then there is THIS chicken sandwich ! 🙂
When I made the sandwich, I almost stopped after adding the tonkatsu sauce and the sliced tomatoes to the baguette, because that by itself already looked good enough to eat. (Next time I crave a tomato sandwich, this will be the way I’ll prepare it). But then I went on to add the chicken and some scallions and the result was without a doubt the best chicken sandwich I ever laid my eyes on.
The combination of the crusty baguette, generously seasoned/very ripe tomatoes, the mouthwatering tonkatsu sauce and the crispy, juicy chicken comes together for a sandwich which is easy to prepare and hard to beat in looks, texture and taste 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Open-Faced Chicken Sandwich

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Preparation :
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: score the skin of 5 chicken thighs, season with1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/2 tsp granulated garlic, 1 tblsp sriracha, 1 tsp honey and 1 tsp kosher salt

: place thighs on a wire rack, bake in a 375F oven for 45 minutes or until cooked through

: baste the chicken with the remaining marinade twice during cooking

: after chicken is done, let rest for 15 minutes before slicing in half

: meanwhile, slice 1/2 of a baguette length-wise in half

: brush generously with tonkatsu sauce , top with sliced tomatoes, season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

: top each baguette-half with 5 half-thights, sprinkle with sliced scallion

: Open-Faced Chicken Sandwich

: Open-Faced Chicken Sandwich

: Open-Faced Chicken Sandwich

: Open-Faced Chicken Sandwich

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Braised Pork Belly In Ginger, Garlic & Soy

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Braised pork belly – one of the finest culinary blessings God has bestowed upon us 🙂
I like to prepare pork belly in many different versions, both Western style and Asian style (one of them being the famous Hong Shao Rou), but one of my most-loved variation is the one featured here. It resembles Hong Shao Rou a bit, but I keep the sauce more liquid and spicy, without adding rock sugar, red coloring, shaoxing wine or tofu puffs. The outcome is a much lighter, less complex version which I sometimes enjoy better than the more complicated and heavy Hong Shao Rou, especially when pairing with rice. On the other hand, if I forgo starch and pair the pork belly with vegetables such as bok choy, cabbage or broccoli only, I prefer to accompany it with Hong Shao Rou, since it’s thicker sauce is more suitable. Aren’t we fortunate that we can choose? 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Braised Pork Belly In Ginger, Garlic & Soy

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Preparation :
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: 2 lbs pork belly cut into cubes, 1 stick cinnamon, star anis to taste, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1/3 tsp grated ginger, 2 cup water, 3 ea sliced scallion (plus more for garnish), kosher salt and chili sauce to taste

: bring all ingredients to a slow simmer

: simmer until pork is tender but not falling apart and there is about 1/2 cup cooking liquid left (you might have to add more water during cooking); check / adjust seasoning

: to serve, sprinkle with finely sliced scallions and accompany with steamed rice (Fan) ( P.S. – if you serve to guests and/or children, you might want to remove the star anis and cinnamon stick before serving)