Bon Appétit

Shrimp And Octopus Stewed In Red Wine

Seafood , wine, olive oil, tomatoes, onions, garlic, beans and potatoes give this dish that familiar taste and appearance you’ll find when ordering seafood stew along the coast of Portugal and it’s islands.
Maria and I have had this particular stew (sometimes with, sometimes without the beans) a couple of times in the home of one of our friends in Funchal, Madeira, while living there, ca 17 years ago.
Served with rustic bread and LOTS of red Douro (Portuguese wine from vineyards along the Douro river) and Madeira (fortified wine from the islands of Madeira), seafood cooked in wine has since become one of my favorite meals to share with friends, and it has been one of the foods I remember most of that happy time, that beautiful country and its wonderful people.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Food and Memories of Portugal on ChefsOpinion
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Shrimp And Octopus Stewed In Red Wine

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: I got 10 packs, – made my day 🙂

: saute 2 med size chopped onions in 4 tblsp olive oil until transparent

: add 10 cloves of whole garlic confit, 5 bay leaves and 1 tblsp oregano, saute another minute

: add 1,5 lb octopus pieces

: add 1 tblsp tomato paste, 1 bottle of dry red wine, kosher salt and black pepper to taste

: simmer until octopus is tender, about two hours; add water if there is not enough liquid – there should be about 2 cups of liquid at this point

: add 1 lb of raw shrimp

: add two 10-oz can of white beans, 1 drained 10 oz can of diced tomato, 16 oz of small cooked potatoes and 2 tblsp chopped parsley

: simmer another 2 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through

: remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning; to serve, sprinkle with more chopped parsley and accompany with rice or rustic bread; serves 4

: Shrimp And Octopus Stewed In Red Wine

: Shrimp And Octopus Stewed In Red Wine

: Shrimp And Octopus Stewed In Red Wine

: Shrimp And Octopus Stewed In Red Wine

: Shrimp And Octopus Stewed In Red Wine

: Shrimp And Octopus Stewed In Red Wine

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When Life Gives You Avocados……..

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Somebody : “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”
Hans : “When life gives you avocados, make avocado spread” 🙂
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So, I had this huge Florida avocado sitting there for a few days and today I felt like having a quick and tasty snack…………..
Coarsely mash avocado, add grape tomatoes, olive oil, lime juice, chili paste, kosher salt, garlic paste, a few drops of maggi seasoning and chopped cilantro, mix and serve on/with whatever tickles your fancy 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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Avocado Spread

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Matzoball & Corned Beef Soup

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Today’s lunch pay’s homage to the fact that tomorrow is St Paddy’s day and to the fact that corned beef is not really Irish in origin but has its roots in the Jewish community 🙂
(Before you scream at me, you might want to read the article below)

Is Corned Beef Really Irish?
The rise and fall and rise of the traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal
By Shaylyn Esposito, smithsonian.com , March 15, 2013

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Besides that, look at the pictures of this culinary knockout! If you are a soup lover, you won’t be able to resist this sexy, curvy beauty 🙂
I prepare this dish and many variations of it many times during the year, although usually I use regular beef, chicken or vegetable broth.
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Bon Appetit ! B’taya Von ! Gow dty vee dty fondagh ! Go raibh an bia blasta !
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Click Here For Corned Beef & Corned Beef Soup Recipes
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Click Here for Matzo Ball Recipe
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Click Here For More St Paddy’s Day Recipes
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Matzoball & Corned Beef Soup

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: follow link for Matzo Ball Recipe

: cut corned beef into cubes

: place corned beef and finely sliced chives in serving dish

: matzoballs, starting to simmer

: same matzoballs, 30 minutes later

: add matzoball to beef

: add stock to matzo ball and meat

: Matzoball & Corned Beef Soup

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Breakfast Of Champions # 41 – Copa Ham, Prosciutto Ham And Croissants

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What a great way to start a day and weekend 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Breakfast Of Champions # 41 – Copa Ham, Prosciutto Ham And Croissants

croissants from publix – not shabby at all 🙂

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Rabo Encendido ( Oxtail Stew )

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Rule # 1 :

All food and drink consumed in the company of dear friend’s tastes infinitely better 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for Ox Tail Recipe (Add Mushrooms as option)
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Chacha, Dieter, Bella & Rabo Encendido

: Rabo Encendido Mise En Place

: In Progress

: In Progress

: Rabo Encendido

: fusilli (corkscrew pasta)

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Bone-In Rib Eye & “Stuff”

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What a great early dinner today (I started work at 4.00 am, so dinner at 5.0 pm does not sound so ridiculously early, does it? )
This dish was very satisfying, from the potatoes to the beans to the steak. I Sauteed everything in duck fat with lot’s of roasted garlic and used some leftover duck jus to lightly mash the potatoes and beans with, for a great flavor and texture 🙂

“Sauteed bone-in rib eye , with habichuelas blancas (smal white beans), potatoes, tomatoes, scallions and Duck jus”.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Bone-In Rib Eye

: Bone-In Rib Eye

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” Conchiglioni, Portabellas, Peppers & Jalapenos “

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Talk about a satisfying dish that leaves nothing to be desired.
While spicy and alive on the taste buds, the jalapenos,
garlic and chilis were just the right amount , not overbearing, but noticeable.
All in all a successful, easy, quick dish, vulgar because of the heat,
elegant and earthy because of the portabella’s.

(Sound’s like the description of someone on a dating service 🙂
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Ingredient‘s :

Giant pasta shells, cooked al dente, some of the cooking liquid reseved
Portabella mushrooms, sliced
Red peppers, sliced
Yellow peppers, sliced
Jalapenos, sliced (lot’s of them)
Red peppers, sliced
Garlic, paste
Italian parsley, chopped
Pecorino romano, grated
Salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Butter, to saute

Method :

Saute all vegetables, add pasta, half of the grated cheese, some whole butter and a bit of the cooking liquid. Mix well until a sauce forms from the starch of the pasta, butter, cheese and cooking liquid. Once the sauce lightly coats the pasta, plate and sprinkle with the other half of the cheese and the parsley.
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