Cayenne pepper

Steak And Pasta Salad With Pickled Onions

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Some of us “Tough Guy’s” might feel a bit dainty when out with our buddies and would like to actually have “just a salad, please” 😦
Well, boys and girls, not with this baby, I’ll guarantee ! Here we have “just a salad” for every real man and every real woman, anytime and anyplace. Buhaaa ! Enjoy ! 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life (and salad) is Good !
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Steak And Pasta Salad With Pickled Onions

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: onions, chilies, chili flakes, rice vinegar, kosher salt, peanut oil, cilantro

: mix ingredients and let marinade for at least 2 hours

: marinade sliced striploin with soy sauce, garlic oil and sriracha

: sear in a VERY hot pan on both sides (no additional oil required) until browned but still rare

: plate vinaigrette-dressed iceberg salad

: top with vinaigrette-dressed pasta and cucumber salad

: top with steak

: top with onions

: Steak And Pasta Salad With Pickled Onions

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EASY DOES IT # 24 – Potato Salad

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This potato salad is a far cry from the one I usually make at home, which is “Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat” (Swabian Potato Salad), which does not contain Mayo or any other “stuff” besides potatoes, onion, stock, salt, pepper, oil, vinegar and sometimes herbs and/or bacon.
This one is a VERY different baby, but just as delicious 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to more Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat
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Creamy Potato Salad

Potato Salad

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Preparation :
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: Slice and salt cucumbers, let rest for 20 minutes, squeeze out water

: add tomatoes, parsley and scallion

: add warm, freshly cooked potatoes, horseradish, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, a small dash of ketchup, mayonnaise and a dollop of yogurt

: Creamy Potato Salad

: Potato Salad

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Bombay Vegetable Omelette

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Although most egg dishes which I have encountered in India and Pakistan use hard-boiled eggs, this dish, which I make often when I have some leftover curry sauce in the fridge, seems to capture (for me) the spirit of Indian and Pakistani breakfast dishes I had in hotels and private homes while living (Pakistan) and traveling (India) in both countries 🙂
Serve with naan and / or rice
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Bon Appetit ! कृपया भोजन का आनंद लीजिये ! (kripyā bhojan kā ānnaṅd lijīyai)
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Link to “EASY DOES IT # 11 – CURRY”

Link to Naan Recipe
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Link to Chelo / Polo
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Link to Rice
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Bombay Vegetable Omelette

Bombay Vegetables

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: saute botton mushrooms in clarified butter until starting to brown

: add diced onions, saute until opaque

: add diced peppers, blanched broccoli and blanched cauliflower

: add curry sauce (see link to”easy does it – curry)

: add spinach leaves and a dollop of greek yogurt

: add plenty of chopped cilantro, check / adjust seasoning

: plate veggie-curry

: whisk whole eggs with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: transform eggs into omelette 🙂

: place egg atop of veggie-curry, add a small dollop of greek yogurt and more chopped cilantro

: Bombay Vegetable Omelette

: Bombay Vegetable Omelette

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Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

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If you’ll have a sandwich, you might as well make a good one ! This one certainly qualifies 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

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P.S.
You might want to stop after step 3 – “gratinate until golden” and just enjoy one of the best garlic breads you’ll ever find 🙂
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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: mix finely grated parmesan, garlic paste and garlic oil

: spread generously on two slices of sour dough bread

: gratinate until golden

: top both slices of bread with sharp cheddar, then top one slice with sliced cucumbers , season with kosher salt and chili flakes

: top with sliced mortadella

: top with sliced tomato, add horseradish to other slice of bread

: put both breads together, brush both slices with garlic oil

: saute or griddle bread on both sides until golden

: cover sandwich , keep cooking SLOWLY until cheese starts to melt. Meanwhile, make a salad with tomato, cucumber and vinaigrette, serve with sandwich

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

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Salade De Pâtes

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A simple pasta salad will, more often then not, hit the spot for a simple yet satisfying meal.
And if you add some fruits to it, culinary bliss will be achieved with a minimum of fuss and expense 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is good !
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P.S.
Use any protein or vegetable to replace the bologna and Swiss cheese, such as shrimp, crab meat, chicken, roast beef and/or any vegetable and cheese at hand.
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More Pasta Salad
Even more Pasta Salad
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Pasta Salad. Salade De Pâtes

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: blanche asparagus in salted water

: shock asparagus in ice water, drain

: cook pasta, drain

: slice bologna and swiss cheese into julienne(or other protein / cheese of your choice)

: radish, cucumber, asparagus, swiss, bologna

: add COLD pasta, garlic paste, apple cider vinegar, mayo, mustard, ketchup, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: serve with carambola and kiwi (or other fruit of your choice)

: mix all ingredients, check / adjust seasoning

: Pasta Salad. Salade De Pâtes

: Pasta Salad. Salade De Pâtes

: Pasta Salad. Salade De Pâtes

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Chicken Noodle Soup With Broccoli Rabe & Tomatoes

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My very own preference for chicken to use in a soup are the wings, which makes for a bit of messy eating at the dinner table. (Bella does not mind 🙂 )
So, if this is an issue for you, you might want to replace the wings with boneless diced chicken leg.
On the other hand, chicken noodle soup was never meant to be an elegant dish, so what the heck, use whatever makes you happy!
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Simmer wings with water, sliced ginger, sliced garlic, kosher salt and cayenne pepper until wings are cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove wings, set aside. Meanwhile, cook pasta, strain, toss with a bit of sesame oil. Strain soup, return to simmer, add chilies, broccoli rabe, tomatoes, scallions, hot sauce, soy sauce and wings, simmer another minute. Check / adjust seasoning. To serve, add pasta to serving dish, top with soup, wings and veggies, sprinkle with more scallion.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: wings, garlic, ginger, blanched broccoli rabe, mild chilies, scsllions, whole grain spaghetti, hot sauce, say sauce, sesame oil

: Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

: Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

: Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

: Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

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“Eggs And Potato” (Baked Potato And Caviar)

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Ok friends, here is my opinion about “Caviar with all the trimmings” : It sucks !
In my humble opinion, only folks who don’t love caviar water down the pleasure of eating it by adding a mountain of other “stuff” to stretch it (lots of chopped onions, chopped eggs, sour cream, chopped chives, capers, lots of toast or other bread, mountains of blinis, etc.
I understand that it is not everybody’s kick to pay a few hundred $ for an ounce of caviar. But to stretch it with condiments means to just water down the pure pleasure, so you actually get less bang for your money. (Think of the best cognac you can lay your hands on – then stretching it with ice and water – Brrrrr 😦
All you should add to your caviar (in my own, humble opinion) to enjoy it to the fullest, is a bit of good, buttered bread, a tiny bliny or a bit of potato and top it with a generous amount of caviar. One ounce – two bites maximum WITH the bread or potato. Or, if you want to enjoy the caviar to the max – eat it neat, sit back, enjoy ! Life is good ! (I used one small potato and 4 oz of caviar for this dish – what the heck, I’ll only be 62 once)
As usual, use the best caviar you can afford – quality over quantity !
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I am probably a bit spoiled with my taste for caviar because back in the mid- and late seventies I spend a lot of time in Russia.
During that time we were able to exchange one pair of used jeans on the black market for one kilo of the best caviar. We ate the stuff on buttered bread like other folk eat marmalade on bread – good sourdough bread with unsalted butter, piled high with caviar, probably 6 to 8 ounces per sandwich 🙂
Imagine to be able to do this nowadays, my oh my…………
Some of my friends who were with me during those trips and who read this post –
Yalta, Odessa, Leningrad, Sochi…….Aaahhhhhh, the good old day’s !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

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Preparation :
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: bake potato at 425 F until very soft

: mix with butter, finely sliced scallions, a bit of greek yogurt and a tiny dash of sriracha

: mix ingredients, (the potato should be very light and almost neutral in taste), fill back into potato shell to serve

: Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

: eat most of the potato before you start with the caviar

: hit me………

: Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

: Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

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Mondongo

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Even if you never had mondongo (tripes, kutteln) before, this variation should help you overcome your resentment easily because it is eye-appealing, tastes mild and best of all, it smells great, which you can’t say of some recipes utilizing tripe. The secret here is to blanch the tripe 3 times in salted, vinegared water, so that the typical smell of tripe has disappeared and you have an odorless piece of offal which should please you with its great taste and unique texture 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to more Mondongo Recipes
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All about Tripe
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Mondongo

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Preparation :
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: blanch tripe in salted, vinegared water

: rinse, cut into strips

: blanche 2 more times, drain, rinse

: saute onions, garlic paste and bay leaves in olive oil

: add chicken stock, simmer for 10 minutes

: add heavy cream, kosher salt, cayenne pepper and tripe, simmer for 10 minutes

: add cooked potatoes, corn, chick peas, chives and white beans, simmer another 5 minutes

: add grape tomatoes, check / adjust seasoning

: Mondongo

: Mondongo

: Mondongo

: Mondongo

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Easter Lamb Roast

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Since I am working on weekends and my day-off’s fall on Monday and Tuesday, Bella and I celebrated Easter today, with a great lunch and a couple of good movies, a long walk in the park and not much else…….. 🙂
A whole lamb leg would have been too much for Bella and I, so my butcher was nice enough to sell me half a deboned leg. In the spirit of a lazy day I kept it simple – just the lamb roast with some potatoes and onion marmalade.
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Happy early Easter ! Life is Good ! 🙂
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Roast Leg Of Lamb

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: season lamb with cracked black pepper, kosher salt and granulated garlic, sear on all sides until golden brown

: transfer to a rack or grill pan, roast in oven at 290 degrees for about 90 minutes for medium to medium well, depending on the size of the leg and your preference

: when cooked to your liking,, set aside for at least twenty minutes to let the juices re-distribute

: slice according to your preference (I like mine about 1/3 of an inch thick)

: meanwhile,blanch potatoes in salted water, drain

: saeson with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, saute in duckfat

: saute sliced onions in duck fat, season with salt and pepper

: add the juices which have collected from the resting lamb leg to the onions

: add guinnes beer and simmer until onions are very soft but not mushy, check / adjust seasoning

: plate lamb and potatoes

: add onion marmalade and a few dollops of greek yogurt

: Roast Leg Of Lamb

: Roast Leg Of Lamb

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Panko Breaded Chicken Breast & Romaine Leaves In Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

Link to “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food”
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This is a great dish for the times when you need / want a quick and easy meal which represent’s culinary simplicity but not culinary banality 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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