Black Pepper

T Bone Steak With Garlic & Scallion Butter, Potatoes, Brussel Spouts and Roma Tomatoes

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 Where on earth can I find the perfect “one portion, high heat, electric indoor grill”  ?!
I had bought one a while ago but the darn thing just doesn’t get hot enough to grill a steak the proper way 😦
Although I love my meat sauted, I’d like to switch once in a while to a grilled piece of meat.
A good grill pan would be a great alternative, but even that seems to be hard to find around here.
So, here I was again, sauteing a great piece of meat with my favorite cooking method.
However, just for a change, tonight I would have liked to have changed it to a grilled steak if I had a proper indoor grill.
Hopefully I’ll find something soon. (I have been looking for some time now) >
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” T Bone Steak With Garlic & Scallion Butter, Potatoes, Brussel Spouts and Roma Potatoes ” >
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T Bone Steak With Garlic & Scallion Butter, Potatoes, Brussel Spouts and Roma Potatoes

T Bone Steak With Garlic & Scallion Butter, Potatoes, Brussel Spouts and Roma Potatoes

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Steak :
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T-bone steak,   seasoned with kosher salt & black pepper Peanut oil >
Saute steak until one almost done to your preferred doneness (carry-over heat will do the rest).  Remove from heat, let rest. > >
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Vegetables / starch : >

Discard oil from pan, add butter, saute cooked potatoes until lightly browned. Add blanched brussel sprouts, saute until heated through. Add tomatoes, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper. Saute one more minute. Remove from heat. >
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Scallion butter : >

Mix soft butter with finely chopped scallions, finely chopped scotch bonnets, and kosher salt.
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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good ! > > > >
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Spaghetti With Walnut, Cashew & Cilantro Pesto, Dried Cranberries And Pecorino Romano

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Dear Friends,

I had to think long and hard what I’ll do without Maria. I came to the conclusion that she would not have wanted me to give up life at this point (I was close, but thanks God for Bella…).
I am aware that the pain of losing her will never go away, but I will have to take care of Bella and myself in order to honer the memory of Maria.
Since Maria was the biggest fan of “ChefsOpinion”, I have decided to start posting again and hope that she still enjoys reading it wherever she is and sharing the dishes with me in spirit.
I hereby dedicate all future posts to Maria and our love for each other, our love for sweet Bella and our love for good food everywhere 🙂

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Todays lunch had all the usual ingredients of my cooking style :
Lot’s of taste, texture and simplicity.
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Spaghetti With Walnut, Cashew & Cilantro Pesto, Dried Cranberries and Pecorino Romano

Spaghetti With Walnut, Cashew & Cilantro Pesto, Dried Cranberries and Pecorino Romano

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Ingredient’s :

Spaghetti,   cooked al dente, some cooking liquid reserved
Walnuts,   shelled
Cashew nuts,   shelled
Olive oil,
Cilantro,
Cranberries,   freeze dried
Pecorino romano,   finely grated
Kosher salt,
Black pepper,

Method :

In a blender blend nuts, olive oil, cilantro, salt, pepper and cheese until your preferred texture is reached, If too thick, add more oil, if too thin, add a bit more cheese. Remove from blender and add the cranberries. Let steep for at least two hours.
Mix with freshly cooked and drained spaghetti and a small amount of the cooking liquid. If required, add more cheese and/or cooking liquid.
To serve, sprinkle with more cheese and freshly grated black pepper.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !  (Mostly, Sometimes  🙂

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“Apollodoros” Steak Sandwich

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Just look at the ingredients and you’ll understand why I prefer this to another famous steak sandwich, named after a city I will not mention here.
Maybe it’s just me, but shredded  “Real” steak, pita bread, greek yoghurt, fresh vegetables, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and lot’s of roasted garlic puree !
Tell me if I am wrong, but in my opinion, this sandwich just rocks !

P.S.
Apollodoros means “gift of Apollo” from the name of the God APOLLO combined with Greek δωρον (doron) “gift”. Hey, I created it, I’ve got to name it 🙂
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“Apollodoros” Steak Sandwich

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Sauted Strip Steak , Cauliflower Tortilla & Sriracha/Garlic Butter

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Sunday’s  late lunch / early dinner (4.00pm)
After sleeping-in late (7.30am and enjoying a big breakfast of strawberry smoothies and goose liver pate stuffed croissants, I did not feel hungry at lunch time and held out until late afternoon.
But then I knew I would have to combine lunch and dinner, so it needed to be a substantial meal, otherwise the snack monster would haunt me early in the evening. This is the first time I made a Spanish Tortilla with cauliflower and tomatoes and it made me realize what a great dish I’ve been missing all my live. What a wonderful dish. It can stand on it’s own, as breakfast, snack, even a complete meal if accompanied by a small salad, served hot or at room temperature. You can of course use different vegetables, different cheeses, add protein such as sausage, bacon, shrimp, crab meat, add different herbs, etc. The possibilities are endless and only limited by your fantasy 🙂
If you ever want to reproduce this dish, just make sure the cauliflower / vegetables are blanched  al dente, so that the tortilla has a bit of a bite to it. While I was cooking the tortilla, I also added grated parmesan cheese to the whisked eggs, (not featured in the mise en place picture). You can omit the cheese, but it definitely adds another level of depth to the dish.
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Sauted Strip Steak , CauliflowerTortila & Sriracha/Garlic Butter

Sauted Strip Steak , Cauliflower Tortilla & Sriracha/Garlic Butter

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Ingredients :

Tortilla :

Cauliflower rosettes,   blanched al dente
Eggs,  whole, whisked, seasoned with kosher salt, cayenne and grated parmesan
Grape tomatoes,
Butter,

Method :

Saute cauliflower and tomatoes briefly in butter, add egg mixture and cook covered on low heat until eggs have set but are not dry. Slide onto a dinner plate, top with the saute pan, invert and cook other side of tortilla until golden.
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Steak :

Season teak with salt, granulated garlic and freshly ground black pepper and saute both sides until desired doneness. Remember the carry over heat will cook it  one more level after you remove the steak from the pan! Let the steak rest for ten minutes before slicing !

Butter :

Mix softened butter with sriracha, roasted  garlic paste, a bit of lime juice and kosher salt.

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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Jamaican Black Bean Soup & Flour Dumpling’s ( A “Light” Saturday Lunch )

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When  I encountered  Jamaican  dumplings   for the first time in the early seventies,  I would never have imagined that I will ever like them, having been raised with southern german-style dumplings, which are very light and airy (if done correctly).
So when I saw these tough little dumplings, (resembling in shape Schwaebische Bubespitzle), I was skeptical, to say the least. But, while living in Jamaica in the eighties, I have come to love these  Jamaican dumplings, but again – in order to be appreciated, they must be properly prepared, simmering for a long time in a flavorful stock, stew or soup .
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Irie, Mon 🙂
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Jamaican Black Bean Soup & Dumplings

Jamaican Black Bean Soup & Dumplings

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Ingredients :

Stock of your preference, veal, chicken, beef, pork, vegetable
Black beans,   soaked overnight
Onions,   diced
Celery,    diced
Bacon,   diced  (substitute with salt pork if preferred)
Garlic,   paste
Spicy sausage,   pork, veal or beef
Assorted chilis,   select according to your preferred heat level
Tomatoes,  diced
Cumin,
Kosher salt,
Black pepper,   freshly ground
Cilantro,   coarsely chopped
Goose fat,    rendered  (use your favorite fat, canola oil, olive oil, butter, duck fat, goose fat, etc)

Method :

Saute bacon in fat until rendered, add onions, garlic, celery, chilis and sausage and saute until fragrant, add tomatoes, stock and beans. Season lightly with cumin, salt and pepper and simmer until the beans are “waxy”. Adjust seasoning if necessary. To serve, place soup into serving bowl, top with dumplings and sprinkle generously with cilantro .

Dumplings :

Mix flour, water and salt into a smooth dough, roll small pieces into finger shaped noodles and simmer in stock until cooked through. ( Usually like o cook them straight in the soup, but for a nicer presentation I cooked them separate this time for better pictures 🙂

Bon Appetit !   Irie !

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Breakfast Of Champions # 22 “Pytt I Panna”

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I have  been introduced to this dish early in my career as a cook, when I was working at the “Hotel Kattegat” in Torekov, Sweden. At the time, I did not think of it as something special, maybe because we cooked it by he ton, since it is a staple of swedish cuisine. But, over the years, I have grown to love it in all it’s various incarnations. It is basically a dish made of leftover meat and potatoes. What particular meat you use is up to whatever leftovers you’ve got. However, when I make pytt i panna nowadays, I usually prepare everything from scratch, so I use my favorite pytt i panna meat, which is either salame or chorizo, whichever of the two happens to be in the house.
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Pytt Y Panna

Pytt Y Panna

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Ingredients :
Potatoes,   cooked,
diced Salame,   diced, (substitute any meat/sausage you have available
Onion,   diced
Egg,  sunny side up
Kosher salt,
Black pepper,   freshly ground Butter,
Scallion,   finely sliced  (usually in Sweden we use dill leaves)
Ingredients for your favorite side salad:-)
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Method : Saute potatoes in butte until golden, add meat and onions and saute until onions are translucent and meat starts to become slightly brown, Season with salt and pepper. To serve, place hash on serving dish, sprinkle with scallions, top with fried egg. Pair with a small salad.
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Smaklig måltid !   Life is Good ! > >
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Breakfast Of Champions # 21 “Shrimp, Vegetable and Potato Bowl”

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What a perfect way to start a day.
Spicy, beautiful, well rounded, rich and satisfying.
(Just like a spouse should be 🙂
Have a great weekend y’all.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Breakfast Of Champions # 21 Shrimp, Vegetables and Potato Bowl

Breakfast Of Champions # 21 Shrimp, Vegetables and Potato Bowl


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Saute  mushrooms, add potatoes,  scallions and peppers, season with (lots) of freshly ground black pepper and (not a lot) kosher salt, add garlic paste, saute until fragrant. Add blanched  broccoli  and shrimp, saute until broccoli is heated through and  shrimps are just cooked. Remove from heat, add  maggi seasoning  (or soy sauce  if you prefer), mix and serve. Goes best with a cold beer 🙂
( Relax, it’s your day off ! )
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Braised Beef Ribs In Red Wine

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” Braised  beef ribs in red wine with potato gnocchi and vegetables in curry cream ” >
I have prepared beef ribs in many different ways over the years, but , in my humble opinion, this preparation stands high above the rest. Just make sure you don’t skimp on the wine , both the quality and the quantity you use. Use lots of onion and garlic as well and stay away from thickening the sauce with flour ! Just press all the vegetables which you cook in the sauce through a fine mesh sieve, it’s the only thickener the sauce will need. The texture and flavor are just so much better this way. >
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Braised Beef Ribs In Red Wine

Braised Beef Ribs In Red Wine

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Ingredient’s:

Beef ribs,
Merlot,   (or red wine of your choice)
Tomatoes,   chopped
Celery,   diced
Onions, diced
Red pepper,   diced
Garlic,   paste
Scallion,   finely sliced
Peanut oil,
Kosher salt,

Method :

Season ribs with salt and pepper. Saute ribs in oil until evenly browned on both sides. Remove, set aside. Saute carrots and onions until caramelized. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add back ribs. Add celery, tomatoes and wine. Simmer until ribs are very tender but not falling apart. Remove ribs, hold warm. Strain sauce through a fine mesh sieve, then pressing all the vegetables through with a bench scraper. Return sauce to simmer until it has the desired texture. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Return ribs to sauce to re-heat. To serve, place ribs on serving dish, nape generously with sauce and sprinkle with scallions. Serve with potato gnocchi and curried cauliflower/carrots. . >

Curry Cream Recipe

Potato Gnocchi Recipe > > > >

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good ! > >
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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 “

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Chicken & Tomato Stew With Orzo, Cabbage & Cauliflower

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Saturday  lunch should be quick, light and delicious !
Well, here you go :
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Chicken & Tomato Stew With Orzo, Cabbage & Cauliflower

Chicken & Tomato Stew With Orzo, Cabbage & Cauliflower

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Simmer chicken drumsticks in chicken broth seasoned with kosher salt, maggi, freshly ground black pepper, grated ginger and garlic paste until tender but not falling apart. Add blanched cauliflower florettes, diced white cabbage and diced green bell peppers. Bring back to simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat, add grape tomatoes. Adjust seasoning if required. Ladle over orzo (risoni) and sprinkle liberally with cilantro and finely grated parmigiano reggiano
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P.S.
If you ever wonder why I add grape tomatoes to so many of my dishes, here is why: First, I love the color accent it lend’s to many dishes. Second and even more important, I love the way they “pop” in the mouth and give you that instant tomato goodness. There you have it  🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Have A Great Weekend !
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