beautiful food

Steak Sandwich – Boss Level

>
>
If you come to my house and I offer you a sandwich, don’t except two limp slices of wonder bread with mayo and a few thin slices of mystery meat……
Rather, expect something like the following goody 🙂
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>

Steak Sandwich – Boss Level

top caramelized onions with fried eggs

top guacamole with caramelized onions

top sliced steak with guacamole

top bottom-half of roll with sliced steak

spread dijon mustard on 2 garlic/onion rolls

>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>

: clean a tenderloin, strip or other steak you prefer of all silver skin and excess fat, season with cayenne papper, kosher salt and granulated garlic

: add eggs to fry

: grill or saute to your desired temperature, add sliced onions, cook onions until caramelized, renove onions

: let staek rest at least 5 minutes before slicing

: spread dijon mustard on 2 garlic/onion rolls

: top bottom-half of roll with sliced steak

: top sliced steak with guacamole

: top guacamole with caramelized onions

: top caramelized onions with fried eggs

: top fried eggs with second half of garlic/onion roll

: Steak Sandwich – Boss Level

: Steak Sandwich – Boss Level

: Steak Sandwich – Boss Level

: Steak Sandwich – Boss Level

: Steak Sandwich – Boss Level

>
>
>
>

Panko Coated Flounder Fillet With Shrimp And Cucumber-Potato Salad

>
>
While I am a great fan of traditional breaded fish fillets, this version, without the egg as part of the breading, is more suitable for a thin and delicate fish fillet such as flounder. Adding the finely diced peppers and sliced scallions to the panko-crumbs give the fish added flavor, while adding rice flour to the mix will help the coating to stick to the fish, as well as ensure a crisp crust. As for the potato salad, just add sliced, salted cucumbers to regular swabian potato salad.
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>
>
Click here for Swabian Potato Salad (Schwäbischer Kartoffel Salat)
>
Click here for MORE Swabian Potato Salad (Schwäbischer Kartoffel Salat)
>
>

Panko Coated Flounder Fillet With Shrimp And Cucumber/Potato Salad

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures

>
>
>

: Season fish and shrimp with lemon juice, cayenne pepper, granulated garlic and kosher salt

: mix panko bread crums, finely diced peppers, sliced scallions and rice flour ((substitute with corn starch if rice flour is not available)

: dredge fish and shrimp in the panko mix, saute in olive oil on both sides until almost done, then add shrimp and cook both until cooked through but still juicy, remove to absorbent paper

: serve with swabian potato-cucumber salad and lemon wedges

: Panko Coated Flounder Fillet With Shrimp And Cucumber/Potato Salad

: Panko Coated Flounder Fillet With Shrimp And Cucumber/Potato Salad

: Panko Coated Flounder Fillet With Shrimp And Cucumber/Potato Salad

: Panko Coated Flounder Fillet With Shrimp And Cucumber/Potato Salad

<
>
>
>

Salmon Rillette

>
>
One of my favorite spreads are rillettes, especially pork rillette and salmon rillette. While I have not prepared pork rillette for some time, you can often find salmon rillette in my fridge.
It’s effortless to prepare, yet if properly stored, it will give you many days of enjoyment. (Pork will last for weeks or even months if properly stored). I usually spread it on a slice of rustic bread at breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack. Although perfectly delicious by itself on bread, rillette can be even more enjoyable when spruced-up with a wide range of additions, such as capers, raw or pickled onions, cornichons and even topped with eggs for breakfast. Rillette also pairs nicely with steamed or sautéed potatoes and for the adventurous, try incorporating it into a pasta dish. (I have done this with pork rillette and the result was delicious. 🙂
.
Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
>
>
All about Rilettes
>
>

Salmon Rilette

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: skin salmon filets, remove all bones

: cover salmon filets with melted butter, add kosher salt, cayenne pepper and garlic paste, simmer on very low heat until salmon is just done

: break salmon into chunks

: add fresh dill leaves

: fill rillette into serving dish, place in refrigerator overnight

: let rilette reach room-temperature before serving

: spread a generous amount of rillette on bread of your choice

: Salmon Rilettes

: Salmon Rilettes

>
>
>
>

Poulet Beaucoup D’Ail

>
>
Chicken breast has gotten a bad rap for a long time.
However, you can safely say that’s not the chicken breast’s fault, but the fault of the cooks who do not know how to properly prepare it.
(It is the same dilemma with fish, veal, pork and most other protein besides red meat – the taste and texture of properly cooked protein is so wonderful yet so elusive in most restaurants these days).
I remember when I was a teacher and I showed my students how incredibly juicy and tasty a breast of chicken can be when cooked in a professional manner. Before the demo, I always asked “why do we prefer chicken leg over chicken breast” and the answer was always: “because breast are dry and tasteless”. How very surprised they all were when I proved them wrong. 🙂
So, the way to do it is to cook it to 160F to 162 F depending on the type and thickness of the protein, then let the carry-over heat do its magic; after a short rest, the protein should reach between 164F and 165F the moment it reaches the guest, but it must never exceed that temperature or it will be dry !!! During my time and before that, cooks would never think of using a thermometer to check the doneness of food – everything was dictated by the experience we garnered over many years of real cooking. Now imagine, some of our successors are not even able to find the center of the protein to get the temperature right (no kidding). And of course, if cooked too fast, protein will also end up less than stellar.
Having said all that, you might understand that I would never order a chicken breast in a restaurant these days, because the absolute majority of cooks nowadays does not know how to do a chicken breast justice. (Again, the same holds true with pork, fish and other protein which are so wonderful tasty, tender and juicy when handled with expertise).
Unfortunately, because of lack of cooking skills, the new “experts” will make you believe that only protein which is under-cooked or raw will be juicy 😦
Ok, ok, so I vented a bit, I beg your pardon…..
As of today’s dish, I resorted sheepishly to the habit of naming the dish in french, since “Poulet Beaucoup D’Ail” sounds so much better than “Chicken With Lot’s Of Garlic“. ( Or maybe “Pollo Con Un Monton De Ajo” anyone ?) 🙂
And for those of you who do not believe in lots of garlic, just replace the garlic with botton-mushrooms. As for the gnocchi with black beans, lately I have prepared that combination often and in many different variations – gnocchi with butter beans, gnocchi with chick peas, gnocchi with edamame etc, all sautéed in herb butter, pesto, tomato sauce, chili oil, cheese sauce and so forth. The added texture of the beans make the gnocchi even more enjoyable than just plain with butter or sauce.
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>

Poulet Beaucoup D’Ail

>

Poulet Beaucoup D’Ail

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: season chicken breast with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: dredge chicken in flour, shake of excess

: saute slowly together with garlic cloves in olive oil (replace garlic with botton mushrooms if you prefer)

: the garlic should be golden, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside

: remove chicken and most garlic, reserve

: in the remaining olive oil, saute cooked beans until heated

: add fresh cooked gnocchi, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: chiffonade fresh basil

: add chiffonade to bean/gnocchi mix, check/adjust seasoning

: to serve, sprinkle with finely grated parmigiano reggiano

: top with sliced chicken breast

: top with the remaining olive oil and the garlic cloves, sprinkle with more basil

: Poulet Beaucoup D’Ail

: Poulet Beaucoup D’Ail

: Poulet Beaucoup D’Ail

>
>
>
>
>

Beef And Vegetable Soup With Pistou

>
>

Beef And Vegetable Soup With Pistou

>
>
Pistou, or pistou sauce, is a Provençal cold sauce made from cloves of garlic, fresh basil, and olive oil. (It sometimes includes grated cheese and/or tomato.
In the Provençal dialect, pistou means “pounded”. The sauce is derived from the Genoese pesto, which is traditionally made of garlic, basil, pine nuts, grated Sardinian Pecorino, and olive oil, crushed and mixed together with a mortar and pestle. The key difference between pistou and pesto is the absence of pine nuts in pistou. (Source: wikipedia.org)
.
Well, there you have it – pistou, a classic tool to transport an ordinary dish to the next level of culinary happiness 🙂

>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>
Pistou:
>

: basil plant, about to loose a bunch of leaves……

: place basil leaves in a mortar

: add garlic cloves, olive oil, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, muddle everything with the pestle

: Et Voilà – “Pistou”

>
>

Beef And Vegetable Soup :
>
>

: add sliced beef neck bones to water seasoned with kosher salt, cayenne pepper, garlic paste and grated ginger, simmer until meat is tender, about 2 hours

: when meat is tender, remove, set aside

: meanwhile, remove meat from bones, discard bones

: cut meat into bitesize pieces

: add raw baby carrots to the soup, simmer until carrots are tender

: when carrots are soft, add large diced cabbage, cooked potato wedges and return beef to the soup, cover, simmer until cabbage has wilted but is not mushy, about 3 minutes, check/adjust seasoning

: serve soup with pistou and fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano

: Beef And Vegetable Soup With Pistou

: Beef And Vegetable Soup With Pistou

: Beef And Vegetable Soup With Pistou

>
>
>
>
>

Broiled Beef Ribs With Chimichurri And Hasselback Potato

>
>
Since I don’t have an outside grill anymore, I “grill” (broil) all my grill dishes in my oven under the broiler on high heat.
Cooking for myself only, this works great for me, it gives me the sought-after “Maillard Reaction”, requires no lengthy grill preparation and on top of all, saves a lot of cleaning effort 🙂
Today I had some delicious beef ribs and a hearty hasselback potato, accompanied by some leftover chimichurri from my last steak dinner. Life is Good !
>
Bon Appetit ! ¡buen provecho!
>
>

More about Chimichurri
>
More about Maillard Reaction
>
More Hasselback Potatoes
>
More Grilled Beef Ribs on ChefsOpinion
>
>

Broiled Beef Ribs With Chimichurri And Hasselback Potato

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: cut slices across the potato the short way about 1/8 to 1/4 inch apart, making sure to cut down but not all the way through the potato, so the slices stay connected at the bottom and don’t fall apart

: brush the potato generously with butter or olive oil, then season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, bake at 400F until done, about 45 minutes; while baking, brush often with more butter or olive oil

: beef ribs, cut thin across the bones

: season with soy sauce, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, granulated garlic, dried oregano and dried thyme

: spread ribs on oven rack, brush with olive oil

: broil (or grill) on high heat on both sides until lightly charred but still medium rare and juicy

: to serve, drizzle generously with chimichurri

: Broiled Beef Ribs With Chimichurri And Hasselback Potato

: Broiled Beef Ribs With Chimichurri And Hasselback Potato

>
>
>
>
>

Salad Of Mussels, Octopus, Sardines, Artichokes, Potatoes, Eggs & Greens

>
>
Today was “Fix and clean the computer day” at my house (re-installing all programs, etc), therefore there was no time for elaborate cooking (or anything else, for that matter).
So what better way to not cook but still eat a great meal than a large salad with veggies and canned seafood.
As I mentioned before, canned seafood can be great if you know what you are buying and forgo the cheaper, inferior brands.
Just experiment with different brands until you find the one that will ring your bells 🙂
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>
Link to Cuban Crackers
>
Link to Escabeche
>
>

Salad Of Mussels, Octopus, Sardines, Artichokes, Potatoes, Eggs & Greens Salad

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: romaine lettuce and fresh spinach

: add sliced peppers, shredded carrots and small potato wedges

: add marinated artichoke hearts and boiled eggs

: add octopus en escabeche, mussels en escabeche, olive oil, cider vinegar, garlic paste, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: plate salad with Cuban crackers

: garnish with tomatoes, sardines en escabeche, eggs and sliced scallions

: Salad Of Mussels, Octopus, Sardines, Artichokes, Potatoes, Eggs & Greens Salad

: Salad Of Mussels, Octopus, Sardines, Artichokes, Potatoes, Eggs & Greens Salad

>
>
>
>

Japanese Pork, Korean Rice Cakes And French Beans (Teriyaki Feast)

>
>
While the ingredients for this dish (and the cooking methods) are not exactly a traditional combination, for my personal palette they compliment each other perfectly. They are typical for the dishes I prepare for myself at home. On the other hand, would I still cater to guests at a restaurant or at home, I would not hesitate to serve this kind of food as a course in a multi-course menu. (As I have done many times).
Having been trained in and practiced for most of my career classic French cuisine, as well as garnering experience in local cuisines around the globe, this type of “fusion cuisine” has become my personal cooking style. Nowadays, cooking mostly for myself, a few close friends and the occasional high-end private gig, I don’t have to confirm to traditional cuisines anymore; – my food has become truly a fusion of dishes, methods and ingredients from around the world. Mind you, I don’t try to make my food appear haphazardly strange or exotic on purpose, but sometimes that’s the result when mixing without restraint 🙂
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
P.S.
“Teriyaki” in this dish refers to the teriyaki sauce as part of the dish, not the traditional cooking method. Click for Teriyaki
>
>
>

Japanese Pork, Korean Rice Cakes And French Beans

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

Standard cup board items in my kitchen:
>

: Ginger Paste

: Garlic Confit Paste

: Chile Oil

: Soy Sauce

: Teriyaki Sauce

>
>

: mix soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, ginger paste, garlic paste, and chile oil into sweet and spicy marinade, about 1 cup

: marinade pork butt in the marinade for two days, turning often

: to a non-stick pan, add the 1 cup marinade, 6 cups of water and the pork but

: cover the pan, bring to a boil, turn heat to very low, simmer until pork is very tender, about 2 hours, depending on the size of the butt

: remove pork but, set aside, keep warm

: remove 1/3 of the stock, reduce until thickened, put the pork on a baking rack, brush with the thickened glaze, bake for twenty minutes at 375F, brush with glaze every 5 minutes

: meanwhile, rinse rice cakes for 5 minutes

: cook rice cakes in lightly salted water for 2 to 3 minutes, drain, rinse

: add rice cakes and blanched beans to the remaining teriyaki stock, simmer for 2 minutes, check / adjust seasoning

: plate the rice cakes and beans

: top with sliced pork and pork skin

: nape generously with the teriyaki stock, sprinkle with scallions

: Japanese Pork, Korean Rice Cakes And French Beans

: Japanese Pork, Korean Rice Cakes And French Beans

: Japanese Pork, Korean Rice Cakes And French Beans

: Japanese Pork, Korean Rice Cakes And French Beans

: First Bite 🙂

>
>
>
>

Red Lentil Soup With Smoked Turkey Leg

>
>
It’s getting cooler at night lately, so hot soup is again welcome, especially when eaten al fresco. This soup took about two and a half hours to cook from beginning to end, but the actual prep-time was only a few minutes, which makes it a perfect dish when you don’t feel like getting too involved with heavy prep-work, but still want to have a satisfying meal 🙂
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
P.S.
If you want your lentils with more texture, cook the turkey leg first in lightly salted water, then cook the lentils with the resulting stock until just done.
>
>

Red Lentil Soup With Smoked Turkey Leg

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: saute garlic paste in butter until fragrant

: add julienned onions, saute until lightly caramelized

: add red lentils, maggi seasoning, bay leave, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, ground cumin and dried oregano

: add chicken or vegetable stock

: add the smoked turkey leg

: simmer until turkey leg is tender, about two hours

: almost……

: remove turkey, dice, check / adjust seasoning of lentils

: Red Lentil Soup With Smoked Turkey Leg

: Red Lentil Soup With Smoked Turkey Leg

>
>
>
>
>

Hearts On Fire

>
>
If you have followed ChefsOpinion for some time, you know that I am very fond of Offal.
I understand of course that not everybody shares this fondness, but for the most part, in most of the offal dishes that I blog about, the offal can be replaced with more run of the mill proteins, such as shrimp, chicken breast, sliced beef and even vegetables.
For the rest of us – offal rock! 🙂
In the past, when my wife and I used to go with friends to Brazilian Churrasqueiras, everybody thought I was mad when I stuffed myself with grilled chicken hearts, while Maria and our friends enjoyed their Picanha, Entrana, and other more popular cuts. But for me, the meat-course always started with a bunch of chicken hearts. I was only ever able to find them in Brazilian Churrasqueiras, so I always took advantage of the opportunity to indulge. Nowadays, I go out very seldom, so when the craving for chicken hearts hits me, I have to prepare them myself.
I prepare them in different ways, grilled, braised, fried or simmered in soup.
Last night I felt the need for something spicy, so I prepared the hearts as follows – I seasoned them with soy sauce and lots of garlic, coated them in corn starch and then fried them in pure chili oil. The result was truly “Hearts on Fire ” – they were hellishly spicy from the chili oil but the more subtle-seasoned bok choy toned it down a bit and when eaten together, the result was pure culinary bliss – very tasty,very spicy, very addictive 🙂
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>
How to make Home Made Chile Oil
>
>

Hearts on Fire

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: blanch baby bok choy in salted water, shock in ice water, drain

: simmer one cup of chicken stock, season with 1 tblsp soy sauce, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp grated ginger and a dash of salt, thicken with a bit of corn starch slurry