beautiful food

” Potato, Cheddar & Bacon Soup ”

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This soup hit all the right buttons when I was craving
a simple, quick, delicious meal on labor day evening.
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Ingredient’s:

Potatoes,                                 diced, blanched
Sharp cheddar cheese,         shredded
Bacon,                                      julienned
Onion,                                     diced
Garlic,                                      paste
Green peas,                             blanched
Heavy cream,
Chicken stock,
AP Flour,
Butter,
Salt,
Cayenne pepper

Method :

Sautee bacon, rendering fat, until crisp. Remove onto absorbent paper, reserve.
Add butter to bacon fat, add onion, garlic and flour. Saute until onion and garlic
are translucent without darkening flour. Add stock, whisk to avoid lumps and
bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in cheese
and craem until texture is smooth. Add potatoes, green peas, salt and pepper
and, while carefully stirring,  reheat until hot.
( You don’t want to mash up the potatoes and peas)

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Breakfast Of Champions ” # 8 Tomato Flatbread & Chorizo

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Unfortunately,  Bella does not understand the concept of sleeping in on a holiday.
So, even though I took her on our last walk at around 2.30am this morning, she had the urge
to wake me up at 5.30am again, indicating she had urgent business to take care of.
Turns out that business was chasing cat’s, nothing else, not even the smallest of “business”.
Well, sometimes love makes us suffer a bit and I figure in Bellas case it is an easy
trade off, all the love she gives me in return for getting up a bit early   🙂
Anyway, after the walk I felt it was time for a REAL breakfast.
So here it is, 6.30am, my  “breakfast of champions” :
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Obviously this dish need’s no recipe. All of the items in the picture of the prep can be substituted and added upon, such as adding different cheeses, different sausages, flatbreads, veggies, change the spread from mustard to greek yoghurt, guacamole or salsa, etc, etc. The possibilities are endless, your imagination will be highly rewarded.

Bon Appetit !   Have A Great Day !
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” Veal Broth With Matzoh Ball’s & Veal Rib’s “
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For many year’s I buy most of my beef, morcilla and chorizo from an Argentinian butcher in Hialeah who sometimes calls me for “specials”.
Usually those are offal and other cuts he has difficulty selling to his American customers, but which he knows I treasure. His older Latino and Haitian customers are also not afraid of that stuff, but the younger crowd usually prefers more mainstream cuts. Wednesday he called me because he had some “specials”. To my surprise, when I got there the specials were veal ribs. It is beyond me why he called me for these, because clearly everybody loves ribs. ( Maybe he was just trying to be nice, not usually one of his outstanding attributes  🙂  Anyway, for $4.50 a pound I did not complain and came home with 10 pound of them (Plus some other goodies)
So here we go :
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Soup:
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Simmer ribs with celery, carrots, onions, leek, garlic, ginger, star anise and chopped tomatoes until ribs are tender, about 2 hours.
Remove ribs, set aside. Strain broth, season with salt, cayenne pepper, lime juice and maggi seasoning.
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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 fold in matzo meal, salt and pepper and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Shape into golfball sized balls, drop into boiling water, cover, turn down to a simmer and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until fully cooked (cut one in half to check if it’s done).


To serve, combine ribs, broth and matzo balls , sprinkle with
chopped cilantro or sliced chives. Grated parmesan optional.
(Not kosher, but I use it anyway)
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Es gezunterheyt !   עס געזונטערהײט !   Life is Good !
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” Rice “

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POLO 


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CHELO 
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Image Source: Fae’s Twist & Tango

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Lately, instead of making steamed rice (Turkish Pilaf or Chinese Fan for example),
I have moved on to mostly make Polo sometimes with, sometimes without  the tahdig (crust).
I just love the simplicity and the plain flavor, as well as the uncomplicated, surefire
procedure. I just soak basmati rice for 4 hours, rinse it thoroughly and then cook it
in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes. Strain, done. Absolutely fool proof and
pure rice goodness.  If you want to make Chelo (Chelou),  there are numerous
video instructions on the net, many different ones with different results.
Just pick your favorite.   🙂
All our latin friends will understand the heavenly texture and flavor of tahdig,
which means bottom of the pot and consists of the crispy rice which forms when
you cook the rice again after you have cooked it and strained it the first time.
At this point you can add just salt, a little water and saffran and return it to the
heat , slowly cooking until a wonderful crust has formed at the bottom of the pan.
Invert it on a plate or platter, with the golden crust on top the star of the dish.
You can also add vegetables and proteins before you cook the rice a second time
to make it a one-pot meal.
In different latin countries  tahdig is called socarrat, pegao, raspa, etc.
The Koreans call it nurungji and I am sure every other language has at least
one  or several words for this delicacy. Just don’t call it burnt rice, because if
it is burned, it is ruined.
The crust should be golden brown, light and crispy but not hard.
( Thadig, Polo and Chelo originate in the ancient persian language )

Please note that some folk’s use the pilaf method and cook the Chelo in one single cooking process.

More on rice (Sushi Rice)
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” Saure Kutteln ” (For Offal Lover’s Only)

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” Saure Kutteln “  (Sour Tripe) with potato gratin.

I grew up eating this dish often, it used to be  a popular dish in southern Germany.
Eating habit’s have changed over the past few decades since I was growing up there,
so who knows, maybe , like so many other wonderful classic dishes, it too has
disappeared from today’s “modern” menus  😦
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Ingredient‘s :

Tripe
Tomato sauce
Demi Glace
Cider vinegar
Dark rum
Garlic paste
Caraway seed
Onions
Butter
Salt
Cayenne

Method :

Blanch the tripe, starting with cold, vinegared, salted water, twice. The third time, simmer until tender. Don’t overcook ! In my opinion, the tripe should still have a bit of a bite to it.
Strain, rinse. Saute the onion, garlic and caraway seed’s until fragrant. Deglace with rum, add demi glace, tomato sauce, vinegar, let simmer for 5 minutes. Add tripe and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with pasta, potatoes or a rustic bread.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Healthy Mac & Cheese and Guacamole “

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“Healthy”  mac & cheese ?  Why not, it’s got veggies  🙂
Well, there you have it. It all depends on how you look at things.
But honestly, what’s wrong with a good meal of pasta, cheese, cream
and vegetables ? Nothing ! Just don’t do what I did :
Eating too much of it at one time. ( The pic’s of the individual portion
should indicate a proper portion for the health- and weight- conscious).
Everybody else : Just dig in and enjoy.

Life is too short to feel miserable about thing’s that make you feel good!
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Ingredient‘s :
Pasta:

Ziti,                          cooked al dente
Carrots,                   blanched
Broccoli,                 blanched
Celery,                     finely diced
Garlic,                     paste
Whip cream,
Whole egg,            whisked
Salame,                  diced
Sharp cheddar,    shredded
Parmesan,            shredded
Brie,                        finely diced
Salt,                        to taste
cayenne,                to taste
Chili flakes,          to taste
Maggi,                   to taste
Butter

Guacamole :

Avocado,               diced
Lime,                      juiced
Fresh chilis,         finely sliced
Cilantro,                coarsely chopped
Garlic,                    paste
Salt,                        to taste
Cayenne,               to taste

Method :
Pasta :

Butter a ovenproof casserole generously with butter.
Mix all ingredients except the chili flakes and half the parmesan.
Fill casserole to the rim, sprinkle with parmesan and chili flakes.
Bake until set and crust is golden. Serve with Guacamole.

Guacamole :

Mix all ingredients until guacamole has the texture you desire.
The more you stir, the more the avocado breaks down and the
guacamole becomes smoother, less chunky.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Salad Of Romaine, Salame, Gorgonzola & Pomegranate / Blueberry Dressing “

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Although I love pasta and stews of any kind more than any other food,
a close third place is definitely a nice salad. Last night the salad God’s
were knocking at my door, leaving me with this wonderful, quick and easy
concoction :
Romaine, salame, roquefort, egg, carrot, tomato, onion and
pomegranate / blueberry Dressing.
Salad Heaven, right there   🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Romaine lettuce,           cut
Tomatoes,                       sliced
Onions,                           sliced
Carrots,                           julienned
Eggs,                                made into thin crepe, julienned
Garlic,                              paste
Salame,                            thickly julienned
Gorgonzola,                   coarsely  crumbled
Dressing,                        Pomegranate / blueberry/garlic

Method :

Mix all ingredients lightly and serve with a slice of rustic bread
to mop up the dressing and bits at the bottom of the plate.

In this case I used ready made dressing ( Litehouse Pom / Blueberry),
which I enhanced a bit to my taste with garlic paste. Obviously the
choice of dressing, as well as any other ingredient to this salad is
open to change and additions. Just follow your heart, your
cravings and your phantasy  🙂

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Salmon Parisienne, Bean & Mushroom Ragout “

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When I cooked this dish last knight I realized that I have not seen anything ” a la Parisienne ” on a menu for many years. What a shame that so many classic dishes and methods simply disappear from the repertoire of our younger chef’s. Granted, old fashioned and steeped in tradition might not be practical or popular on a daily basis. But I feel we should not completely stop to learn and enjoy the classics. How long before we all get sick and tired of the one hundred’st version of grilled fish with salsa ? Let’s mix it up a bit ! Mix the classics with the modern,  the traditional with the new, the tried and proven with the daring  🙂 I vote for a greater repertoire for our younger food enthusiasts in order to keep the spirit of our  culinary profession vibrant and alive !
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Ingredients :

Salmon filet,                     cleaned, skinless, marinated w.salt. pepper, lime juice
Whole egg,                        to dip fish
Flour,                                  to dust fish
Butter,                                 to saute fish

Baby portabellas,            quartered
White beans,                    cooked
Red peppers,                     finely diced
Garlic,                                paste
Onion,                               diced
Scallion,                            sliced
Scallion ,                           whole
Salt,                                    to taste
Cayenne pepper,             to taste
Butter,                                to saute vegetables

Method :

dredge seasoned fish in flour, coat with whisked egg, saute until
egg is tender and fish is cooked but still juicy. Remove to absorbent paper.

Saute onion and mushroom in butter until onions are translucent and
mushrooms start to brown.
Add Garlic paste, saute another minute. Add peppers, whole and sliced
scallions and seasoning.
To plate, put ragout on plate, top with salmon and garnish with whole scallion.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Dandanmian ” Chinese Noodles, Ground Pork & Vegetables

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” Dandanmian ”  or  ” Dan Dan Mian ”  or  “Dandan Noodles “. 

There are many variations of this most simple dish, which originated as
street peddlers dish. Basic ingredients are ground pork, noodles,
spicy sauce with or without peanut- or sesame – paste.
Here is the Dandan I prepared for dinner yesterday
( I too do many variations of this dish) :
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Ingredients :

Chinese egg noodles,            cooked, drained, coated with sesame oil
Ground pork,
Carrots,                                      julienned
Bell peppers,                             julienned
Silver onions,                           peeled, blanched
White cabbage,                        coarsely sliced
Garlic,                                        paste
Ginger,                                       grated
Cilantro,                                    coarsely chopped
Oyster sauce,
Soy Sauce,
Chili oil,
Sesame oil,
Salt,                                             to taste
Cayenne pepper,                       to taste
Chicken stock
Peanut oil

Method :

Saute pork in peanut oil until starting to brown.
Add garlic and ginger, saute until translucent.
Add chicken stock and all seasoning, simmer until
meat is soft. Add cabbage and peppers, simmer for
one minute. Add Noodles, mix well.
To serve, sprinkle with cilantro and drizzle with Chili oil.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Mock Pappardelle, Chorizo, Asparagus, Carrots & Gorgonzola “

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My dilemma is:
I love pappardelle, but I seldom make fresh pasta
at home and I have never seen pappardelle on a store shelf,
at least not here in South Florida. The solution?
Use lasagna sheets. Break them into irregular shapes before
you cook them. The result was very satisfying for me and I will
resort to this many times to come, if, for whatever reason, fresh
pappardelle are not available or impractical to make from scratch
at the time.  ( For whatever reason ) .
Don’t knock it before you try it !      🙂
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Ingredients :

Pappardelle,                  cooked al dente, strained  (or substitute pasta)
Chorizo,                          thinly sliced
Asparagus,                     blanched
Carrots,                           blanched
Gorgonzola,                   coarsely crumbled
Garlic,                              paste
Black Pepper                  freshly ground, to taste
Salt,                                  to taste
Olive oil

Method :

Saute garlic and chorizo in olive oil until garlic becomes translucent,
Add all other ingredients except gorgonzola,  saute until all ingredient’s
are well combined. To serve, top with crumbled gorgonzola.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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