Avocado

Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Little Sandwich ( NOT ! )

Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Sandwich ( NOT ! )

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And here we go – another beautiful, tasty example of what a sandwich can be if you love food and take it serious 🙂
(If you wonder about the name “Torta”, click the link below to learn all there is to know about this great Mexican sandwich 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
Because I used a double layer of beef, I did not use standard breading (flour, egg, and breadcrumbs) for the beef, instead, I just dipped the beef slices in a mixture of 50/50 flour and panko. However, if you use a single layer of beef, I suggest you employ the traditional breading method.
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Click here to read all about Mexican Torta on ChefsOpinion
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Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Sandwich ( NOT ! )

avocado, radish, and cucumber salad

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Preparation :
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: thinly sliced beef round, ciabatta, avocado, tomato, cucumber, radish, cilantro

: cut veggies into large dice, add garlic paste, lime juice, cayenne pepper, olive oil and kosher salt to taste, mix well; let marinade for 30 minutes, then add diced avocados and tomatoes, mix carefully

: avocado, tomato, radish and cucumber salad

: mix 1 cup panko crumbs,1 cup a/p flour and kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, dredge 2 ea beef svallops

: saute the beef scallops until medium well, remove to absorbent paper, keep warm

: cut a 5 inch piece fresh-baked ciabatta horizontally in half

: top the bottom half of the ciabatta with 1 ea beef scallop, top with a generous amount of the salad, repeat

: ciabatta bottom, 2 layers of beef and 2 layers of salad, top with the top part of the ciabatta

: Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Sandwich ( NOT ! )

: Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Sandwich ( NOT ! )

: Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Sandwich ( NOT ! )

: Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Sandwich ( NOT ! )

: Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Sandwich ( NOT ! )

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Pozole

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Partial excerpts from Wikipedia:
“Pozole. Variants: pozolé, pozolli, pasole), which means “hominy”, is a traditional soup or stew from Mexico, which once had ritual significance. It is made from hominy, with meat (typically pork), and can be seasoned and garnished with shredded cabbage, chile peppers, onion, garlic, radishes, avocado, salsa and/or limes.
It is a typical dish in various states such as Sinaloa, Michoacán, Guerrero, Zacatecas, Jalisco, Morelos, State of Mexico and Distrito Federal. Pozole is served in Mexican restaurants worldwide.
Pozole is frequently served as a celebratory dish throughout Mexico and by Mexican communities outside Mexico. Common occasions include Mexico Independence Day, quince años, weddings, birthdays, baptisms, and New Year’s Day.
Pozole can be prepared in many ways. All variations include a base of cooked hominy in broth. Typically pork, or sometimes chicken, is included in the base. Vegetarian recipes substitute beans for the meat.
Dried hominy can be used for pozole, but it must be soaked and cooked
The three main types of pozole are blanco/white, verde/green and rojo/red.
White Pozole is the preparation without any additional green or red sauce. Green Pozole adds a rich sauce based on green ingredients, possibly including tomatillos, epazote, cilantro, jalapeños, and/or pepitas. Red Pozole is made without the green sauce, instead adding a red sauce made from one or more chiles, such as guajillo, piquin, or ancho.
When pozole is served, it is accompanied by a wide variety of condiments, potentially including chopped onion, shredded lettuce, sliced radish, cabbage, avocado, limes, oregano, tostadas, chicharrónes, and/or chiles.
Pozole was mentioned in Fray Bernardino de Sahagún‘s General History of the Things of New Spain (c. 1500). Since maize was a sacred plant for the Aztecs and other inhabitants of Mesoamerica, pozole was made to be consumed on special occasions. The conjunction of maize (usually whole hominy kernels) and meat in a single dish is of particular interest to scholars, because the ancient Americans^(which?) believed the gods made humans out of masa (cornmeal dough).”
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According to research by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (National Institute of Anthropology and History) and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, on these special occasions, the meat used in the pozole was human. After the prisoners were killed by having their hearts torn out in a ritual sacrifice, the rest of the body was chopped and cooked with maize, and the resulting meal was shared among the whole community as an act of religious communion. After the Conquest, when cannibalism was banned, pork became the staple meat as it “tasted very similar” [to human flesh], according to a Spanish priest.“
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Pozole

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Preparation :
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: cook a whole med size chicken with 4 scallion stalks, 1 large peeled onion, kosher salt o taste and one tsp dried oregano in 2 qt water until chicken is tender, remove chicken and set aside; there should be 1 qt stock remaining – check/adjust seasoning

: remove meat from carcasse, shred and divide into 4 soup bowls

: drain and rinse one 12 oz can of homini, add to the chicken

: according to your preference, add chopped tomatoes, sliced avocados, sliced chilies, shredded cabbage, chopped cilantro and chopped fresh oregano to the bowls, (or any other condiment mentioned in the intro), top with the chicken broth, serve with fresh lime

: Pozole

: Pozole

: Pozole

: Pozole

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Not Your Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner ……..Shrimp And Potato Salad

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So here I was on a Thanksgiving afternoon, coming home at 4.30 pm, hungry but absolutely not in the mood to do the turkey thing just for Bella and myself.
But you see, being alone has the distinct advantage that tradition and customs can be ignored at will in ones own four walls, especially when the one you live with, Bella in my case, is even less into tradition but a sucker for ANY good food, as long as there is meat or seafood involved.
So after our walk, a decision what to prep for dinner was due.
A quick glance at the contents of the freezer and fridge revealed shrimp, cooked potatoes, cucumber, mayo, avocado, grape tomatoes and pomegranate.
Ten minutes later, myself comfortable in my TV chair and Bella by my feet, a tasty (and huge) plate of shrimp salad in my hand, we truly enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner with not even a bit of a longing for turkey and its trimmings 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Not Your Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner ……..Shrimp And Potato Salad

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Preparation :
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: bring to a simmer 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tblsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp garlic paste, cayenne pepper and kosher salt to taste

: add 1 lb peeled, headless, tail less, deveined shrimp, cover, simmer until shrimp are cooked through, about 2 minutes, drain, spread out to cool to room-temperature

: dice 1 med cucumber, 6 oz cooked potato, 10 ea grape tomatoes, 1/2 cup mayo, 1 tsp grated horseradish, cayenne pepper and kosher salt to taste, mix all ingredients,; to serve, arrange on serving plate, sprinkle with sliced scallions, 1 ea diced avocado and seeds from 1/2 pomegranate

: Not Your Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner ……..Shrimp And Potato Salad

: Not Your Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner ……..Shrimp And Potato Salad

: Not Your Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner ……..Shrimp And Potato Salad

: Not Your Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner ……..Shrimp And Potato Salad

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Steak Salad Recipe # 2371

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Aged beef tenderloin and a hearty salad – if done with love, a wonderful, sexy, perfect fit.
I am usually not a big fan of beef tenderloin because in my opinion, the texture is rather boring and more suitable for a toothless baby than for a grown man.
However, cut into lardon’s, seasoned properly and sautéed really hot until nicely browned on the outside and still rare on the inside, it is the perfect meat to add to a salad.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Steak Salad on ChefsOpinion
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Steak Salad Recipe # 2371

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Preparation :
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: Basil Bush

: slice 10 ea medium sized red radishes into thick slices, add 2 tblsp kosher salt, mix and let rest to marinade for 20 minutes; squeeze-out excess water, discard water

: trim 16 oz beef tenderloin of all fat and skin, cut into lardons, season with 1 tblsp chili paste, 1 tblsp garlic paste and kosher salt to taste

: saute beef in VERY HOT pan until browned on the outside but still rare on the inside

: 4 ea hard boiled eggs, 1 ea yellow chilies, 1 ea avocado, peeled and cut into slices, salted radishes, 1 head endive,

: whisk 3 tblsp olive oil and chiffonade of 10 basil leaves with 1 tblsp white balsamic vinegar, kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste, mix with the salad

: divide salad onto 2 serving plates, top ea salad with half the sauteed meat each, garnish with more basil ; serves 2

: Steak Salad Recipe # 2371

: Steak Salad Recipe # 2371

: Steak Salad Recipe # 2371

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Cordon Brie

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I had been thinking of and lusting for chicken cordon bleu the whole day long, so on my way home I stopped at the store to buy the ingredients.
They should have been : Two large, boneless/skinless chicken breasts, a pack of sliced ham and a pack of sliced swiss cheese.
However, when I got home I realized that I had forgotten the swiss cheese. At first I wanted to rush back to the shop to get the swiss cheese, but when I took the eggs for the breading out of the fridge I saw a lovely brie cheese and made an executive decision – “tonight’s chicken cordon bleu shall contain brie instead of swiss”.
During dinner, I decided that from now on, ALL cordon bleu in my house will be made with brie. Brie is so much more tasty and runny than swiss, so it makes the perfect filling.
Long live ” Cordon ~~Bleu~~ Brie ” !
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
If you are a light eater, you might want to cut each cordon brie into half before breading to yield 4 four portions instead of the two I prepared for Bella and I
– one to be served hot for tonight, the other one to be served cold (room temperature) tomorrow.
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Honey/Yogurt Dressing:
Mix 1/3 cup mayo, 1/3 cup greek yogurt, 1 tblsp honey, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste; whisk until smooth, check/adjust seasoning
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Cordon Brie

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Preparation :
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: peel and cut 1 medium size avocado into bite-size pieces, cut 6 ea red radishes into wedges, add the heart of 1 small endive and 2 oz of yogurt dressing

: Endive, Radish And Avocado Salad In Yogurt Dressing

: cut the 8 oz breasts horizontally into 4 cutlets, score lightly to avoid shrinkage

: to each of two cutlets, add 1 slice ham and one 3 oz slice of brie

: top both pieces with 1 slice ham each

: top both with the remaining two cutlets

: whisk two whole eggs with 2 tblsp shredded parmesan cheese, 1 tsp sriracha, 1/2 tsp garlic paste and kosher salt to taste

: flour, egg mix, bread crumbs

: saute both cordon brie in 4 tblsp vegetable oil until almost done, discard oil, add 2 oz whole butter, finish cooking on both sides; serves 2 VERY large portions or 4 regular portions if cut in half before breading

: Cordon Brie

: Cordon Brie

: Cordon Brie

: Cordon Brie

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Naan “Pizza”

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I love to make pizza from scratch. I used to make it at least once or twice a month, mostly making my own dough, sometimes using fresh dough I bought at my favorite pizzeria.
However, since I now live in a small apartment, with a small kitchen which has the counter space the size of a hand towel, for practical reasons I sometimes use naan instead of pizza dough.
Although the texture is completely different, I like it as an uncomplicated, quick fix 🙂
Since I am already at a distance from a “real” pizza, I also like to use spicy salsa mexicana (picco de gallo) instead of tomato sauce, which add’s a wonderful extra layer of heat and debt of flavor.
“Real” pizza this is not – naan pizza it is, and it is at it’s best as such 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Pizza at ChefsOpinion
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Click here for Garlic Confit Paste recipe
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Click here for Naan recipe
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Naan Pizza

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Preparation :
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: brush naan with garlic confit paste on both sides

: dice salami, remove avocado from shell

: spread spicy salsa mexicana on naan

: add avocado and salami

: sprinkle with shredded mozzarella

: bake at 350F until cheese is melted and salami is heated through; naan should be crisp on the outside but still soft on the inside; to serve, sprinkle with fresh basil chiffonade

: Naan Pizza

: Naan Pizza

: Naan Pizza

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P.S.
If you wonder why there is a whole tomato as a garnish – I like to squeeze very ripe tomato on top of my pizza just before eating it 🙂
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Breakfast Of Champions # 53 – Burrito With Scrambled Eggs, Re-fried Beans And Avocado

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Today’s breakfast – another winner, easily whipped up in minutes. (Assuming you have some leftover re-fried beans at hand).
If you don’t, just replace the re-fried beans with sautéed red beans, black beans or even chick peas (garbanzos), seasoned with cumin, kosher salt cayenne, garlic paste and diced onion,
which will only just add a few extra minutes to the preparation.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Breakfast Of Champions # 33 – Burrito With Scrambled Eggs, Re-fried Beans And Avocado

Breakfast Of Champions # 53 – Burrito With Scrambled Eggs, Re-fried Beans And Avocado

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Preparation :
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: season eggs with garlic paste, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: scramble eggs in med-hot pan with butter or olive oil, when starting to set, add diced peppers, avocado and sliced scallions

: ready to eat………..

: spread re-fried beans on flour tortilla (corn tortilla if you prefer), sprinkle with crumbled / grated cheese of your choice

: add scrambled eggs

: roll tortillas into cylinders

: saute burritos in lightly oiled pan until golden, to serve, top with sour cream and more scallions and pair with a small salad or fruits

: Breakfast Of Champions # 53 – Burrito With Scrambled Eggs, Re-fried Beans And Avocado

: Breakfast Of Champions # 53 – Burrito With Scrambled Eggs, Re-fried Beans And Avocado

: Breakfast Of Champions # 53 – Burrito With Scrambled Eggs, Re-fried Beans And Avocado

: Breakfast Of Champions # 53 – Burrito With Scrambled Eggs, Re-fried Beans And Avocado

: Breakfast Of Champions # 53 – Burrito With Scrambled Eggs, Re-fried Beans And Avocado

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Crispy Pata

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This super tasty and crispy dish is one of my all-time favorite Pinoy dishes. Usually it is made with a whole pork leg, but I also like it just the way I was introduced to it many years ago while living in the Philippines, with the cheapest cut of the leg, the feet.
The first time I had this dish was in Manila, when the maid I employed offered to share some of the food she cooked for herself and her husband that day. She was a bit shy to offer, since she thought the food might not be good enough for me, what with all the bones and stuff. She also used only the Feet, since she could not afford to buy the whole pork leg. I remember how happy and proud she was when I loved her cooking. After that, I had her cook for me this and other local specialties often, which we usually shared on the rooftop terrace which was a big deal for her and her husband. (This was in the early 80’s – a maid used to make $20-$30 a month, even less in the countryside. My maid’s husband was the caretaker at our apartment-building of 6 apartments, he made about the same salary. But, to their luck, they were allowed to sleep under the staircase on the ground floor, which they closed off with cardboard and a curtain and therefore considered them self fairly safe, comfortable and overall lucky with their living accommodations.)
Thankfully, times have changed, but there is still way too much poverty around the world and too many people must endure this kind of poverty or, sadly, worse 😦
But thinking about food should be a happy occasion, so back to the present and our Crispy Pata. While it is easy to prepare, you might want to do the frying outside if you can (think deep-fried turkey) In any case,be extremely careful when frying the feet or the whole leg in deep fat, because the moist meat tend’s to splatter a lot. A covered fryer will give some protection but still – use the utmost care !!!
Serve with atchara or avocado.
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Bon Appetit ! Kainan na !
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Click here for Atchara
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P.S.
Don’t even think about discarding the pork stock! It will make a very flavorful soup, as you can see below.
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Crispy Pata

Pork Soup With Pasta, Corn And Egg

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Preparation :
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: pigs feet

: score the skin

: simmer the feet with kosher salt, chili flakes, a dash of lime juice and lots of garlic paste

: meanwhile, mix chopped chilies, garlic paste, chopped onions and chopped cilantro with kosher salt and white vinegar

: chili-vinegar dipping sauce

: chili-vinegar dipping sauce

: skim the scum and most of the fat during simmering

: strain the stock, check / adjust the seasoning, add pasta, kernel corn, scallions and egg yolk to serve as an appetizer to the crispy pata

: when the feet are very ! tender but NOT falling apart, remove the feet from the stock, let dry for at least one hour

: fry in 375F oil until the skin is very crisp and the meat is still moist and juicy

: serve with atchara or avocado

: douse liberally with the chili-vinegar sauce

: Crispy Pata

: Crispy Pata

: Pork Soup With Pasta, Corn And Egg

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Fresh Corn And Arugula Salad With Chorizo

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sauteed fresh corn with garlic paste and cracked black pepper

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When I sautéed the corn in preparation for this salad, I could hardly resist to eat the corn just of the cob, it smelled and looked so appetizing. But alas, I was able to resist and finish the salad first, then enjoyed the whole concoction together.
Great salad, great lunch 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Fresh Corn And Arugula Salad With Chorizo

Naan

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Preparation :
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: Saute fresh corn slowly in garlic oil with garlic paste

: season with fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt

: prepare sliced red onions, baby arugula, red peppers, yellow grape tomatoes and finely sliced iceberg

: cut kernels off the cob

: add to salad, add honey mustard vinaigrette

: plate the salat

: top with avocado and finely sliced chorizo, garnish with fresh basil and pickled chili

: Fresh Corn And Arugula Salad With Chorizo

: serve with hot naan

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Summer Feast Salad

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Today the temperature was hovering around 100F and the humidity was almost unbearable.
So what, you say; You have A/C, you say….
Well, we do, but Bella and I spend half a day at the Topeekeegee Yugnee Park, which is just a few miles up the road from our house. It was very relaxing and beautiful, but oh so hot.
So when we got home, a light meal was in order and what better than a salad and a pool of iced tea to cool a scorched body down 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
I usually don’t use much fruit in my salads, but the firm, slightly tart nectarines perfectly complimented the cheese, salad and nuts.
P.P.S.
Instead of croutons I used tarallini (Small Taralli , (sometimes marketed as “Italian Love Knots”)