cilantro

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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Pork Ribs & Rice Noodles Soup

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I was tempted to call this dish “Kluay Teaw Moo Toon”, but then I remembered that Mirandi of the “High Heel Gourmet is coming by at ChefsOpinion sometimes and how fierce she is about authentic Thai recipes. (I REALLY don’t want to get her mad 🙂
All jokes aside, this dish is definitely Thai inspired. Fragrant, light, bright, tasty. I hope that recipes like this will inspire my readers to understand the philosophy of cooking as I see it :
Take a look at good stuff, feel inspired by it, learn from it, do your own spin on it. Just make sure you call it “inspired by” or “in the style of”. But then again, if the shoe fit’s……
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“Kluay Teaw Moo Toon”
( “Variation Of A Thai Pork Spareribs Noodle Soup” )

: Kluay Teaw Moo Toon ( “Variation Of A Thai Pork Spareribs Noodle Soup” )

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Ingredients :

Pork ribs, blanched (for a clear stock)
Rice noodles, soaked
Bok choy, substitute with other green vegetable if you prefer, I used brocoli
Bean sprouts, (I prefer the crunch and tasteof raw onion julienne)
Cinnamon stick,
Star anise,
Coriander, crushed
Garlic paste,
Cilantro stems, Thais normally use cilantro root but I can’t get it around here
Cilantro leaf’s, coarsely chopped
Soy sauce,
Sugar,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Onion, peeled, quartered
Ginger, grated
Pork stock, substitute with vegetable stock if you prefer
Peanut oil,

Method :

Saute ribs in peanut oil until lightly browned. Add garlic, ginger , star anis , coriander and onion and saute until fragrant. Add stock and cilantro stems (roots if you can get hold of them) and simmer until ribs are tender but not falling apart, about 2 to 3 hours. Remove ribs and set aside. Adjust seasoning. Strain stock. To serve, place noodles, ribs and vegetables in a serving bowl. Top with boiling hot stock. Sprinkle with cilantro and onion julienne. Serve with soy sauce, chili sauce and fried shallots.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Guacamole

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Guacamole Ingredient’s :

Avocado, diced
Lime,   juiced
Fresh chilis,    diced
Cilantro,   coarsely chopped
Garlic,   paste
Salt,

Method :

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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Note: For a slightly different version, add diced totatoes.
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” Flatbread & Shrimps “

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Minutes to prepare (I used store bought flatbread)
Hours of satisfaction 🙂
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Simmer shrimp in water with salt and lemon juice until just done.
Schock in ice water. Remove tails except for 3 shrimps, for decoration.
Dice peppers and chili. Chop cilantro.
Marinate shrimp, peppers and chili with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Heat the flat bread on both sides under your broiler, adding some more char if you like.
Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Add shrimp salad to flat bread, drizzle greek yoghurt and sriracha on top.
Sprinkle with cilantro and top with tail-on shrimp. EAT !

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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“ Red Lentils & Bell Pepper Burgers “

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Red Lentils & Bell Pepper Burgers,
Served With Raita

For one of those meatless, healthy day’s 🙂

Ingredients

2 lbs red lentils, cooked until tender

2 lg egg

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

1 med green bell pepper, diced, sautéed

1 med red bell pepper, diced, sautéed

1 med onion, finely diced, sautéed

Garlic, minced, to taste, sautéed

2 tblsp Cilantro, coarsely chopped

Cumin, to taste

Curry powder, to taste

Kosher salt, to taste

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Oil to sauté

Method

Mix all ingredients except the tofu and oil. Shape into ball’s, make an indent and fill with tofu.
Sprinkle lightly with additional bread crumb’s and sauté until golden and heated through

Raita