cook

“Choripán Mariposa”

>
>
South America’s culinary addition to the world of sandwiches, the Choripán, is without a doubt one of the oldest (ever since there was bread and sausage) and definitely one of the best.
No fuzz, just hearty, tasty, rustic goodyness.
Here is my version of this simple, great dish. Instead of a roll I used baguette with garlic butter. I also added tomatoes, horseradish and pickled banana peppers to the chorizo and chimichurri.
(All’s fair in my kitchen) 🙂

Buen Provecho ! Life is Good !
>

Choripan

Toast or saute french bread in garlic butter

Grill or saute baguette with garlic butter

Add grilled/butterflied chorizo, tomato, banana peppers, horseradish and chimichurri

Choripan

>
>
Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video below. ( You don’t have to watch it, just click once ) Thank you 🙂
>
>
>
>

Meat Ball Sandwich – Merguez Meatballs In Harissa/Tomato Sauce On Garlic Bread

>
>
My neighbor and friend Sami is from Egypt. He sometimes gives me some Egyptian, Middle Eastern and/or Mediterranean food to taste, usually about once a month.
Normally it is fully cooked and nicely presented, but yesterday morning he gave me some Merguez stuffing he had just prepared and asked me to “make something different with it”.
Here is what I came up with. I enjoyed it a lot and so did he 🙂

For the sauce, I mixed 2/3 tomato sauce with 1/3 of harissa.
(This sauce was so good, I think I will use it for other dishes or as dipping sauce in the future)

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>

Meat Ball Sandwich – Merguez Meatballs In Harissa/Tomato Sauce On Garlic Bread

Garlic bread, hard boiled eggs, romaine, radish, pickled chilies, drizzled with lemon vinaigrette

Garlic bread, hard boiled eggs, romaine, radish, pickled chilies, sprinkled with sea salt and drizzled with lemon vinaigrette

Lamb meatball sandwich with buttered corn and “stuff”

Meat Ball Sandwich – Merguez Meatballs In Harissa/Tomato Sauce On Garlic Bread

Bella’s version, without the spicy sauce 🙂

>
>
Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video below. ( You don’t have to watch it, just click once ) Thank you 🙂
>
>
>
>
>

Duo Of Spinach Cream

>
>
When I was a Kid, the only vegetable I hated more than onions was spinach.
Now, a few short years later, Onion soup (cream or french) and spinach soup
are some of my great favorites, be it as a soup course, main course or snack.
Tonight, cream of spinach was calling and I answered 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>

To serve, top with chicharones (crispy pork rind) and / or butter-sauteed shrimp

: blanch spinach in salted water

: shock in ice water

: drain

: saute onions and garlic in butter

: add potatoes

: deglaze with white wine

: add chicken or vegetable stock, simmer until potatoes are soft

: add spinach, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, fresh;y grated nutmeg, maggi seasoning, bring back to simmer

: add heavy cream

: blend with stick blender until smooth

: To serve, top with chicharones (crispy pork rind) and / or butter-sauteed shrimp

: Cream of spinach with shrimp

: cream of spinach with chicharones (crispy pork rind)

>
>
Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video below. ( You don’t have to watch it, just click once ) Thank you 🙂
>
>
>
>

牛肉焼きうどん (Gyūniku Yakiudon) Beef Yaki Udon

>
>
Today’s lunch 🙂
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
Click here for more udon noodles on ChefsOpinion
>

牛肉焼きうどん ( Gyūniku Yakiudon ) Beef Yaki Udon

Cut flank steak into thin slices, marinate with soy sauce, garlic paste, grated ginger, sriracha, mirin and corn starch. Saute in peanut oil.

Add straw mushroom, saute another minute.

Add blanched bok choy and bean sprouts, saute until heated through.

Add freshly cooked and drained udon noodles, hoi sin sauce, soy sauce, sriracha and maggi seasoning. mix well.

Add freshly cooked and drained udon noodles, hoi sin sauce, soy sauce, sriracha, maggi seasoning and chicken stock. Mix well. To serve, top with more bean sprouts and sprinkle with cilantro.

牛肉焼きうどん G( Yūniku Yakiudon ) Beef Yaki Udon

>
>
Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video below. ( You don’t have to watch it, just click once ) Thank you 🙂
>
>
>
>

Sauteed Vegetables In Ginger / Garlic Cream With Fan

>
>
Last night’s dinner could have been sooooo healthy, if I’d have stuck to olive oil instead of butter and no heavy cream.
But then again, what is life without love, food and drink as good and rich as possible.
(Well, for me, anyway)
So, there you have it, an almost healthy dinner, great tasting and not too shabby looking either 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

For FAN (chinese steamed rice) recipe, click here

Sauteed Vegetables In Ginger / Garlic Cream

>
>

: saute onions, grated ginger, garlic paste and baby bella’s in butter

: deglaze with white wine

: add heavy cream

: simmer until cream thickens

: add cabbage, simmer one minute

: add spinach and chilis, simmer one minute

: season with salt, cayenne pepper and maggi seasoning

: remove from heat, add bean sprouts

: sprinkle with chopped cilantro (or other herbs of your choice)

: Sauteed Vegetables In Ginger / Garlic Cream

: Sauteed Vegetables In Ginger / Garlic Cream

>
>
>
Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video below. ( You don’t have to watch it, just click once ) Thank you 🙂
>
>
>
>
>> > > >

Grilled Portuguese Sardines

>
>
During the time Maria and I were living in Madeira, Portugal, we usually had grilled sardines at least twice a week. There was this beautiful restaurant, built into a cave in the rock’s below our apartment building, just a three minute walk, which served these wonderful, fresh, juicy, tasty sardines off a wood fired grill. Adorned with just lemon wedges, a small green salad with onions and rustic sour dough bread, this was the perfect meal every time and I remember them very fondly, both for the great food, as well as the romance the surroundings provided to Maria and I.
I usually had all my dinner’s in Madeira with a bottle (or two) of Gatão Vinho Verde, while Maria usually stuck to her diet coke.
While shopping for food on saturday, I came across these great looking (frozen) Portuguese sardines and I just had to get them. I prepared them the way they are usually prepared in simple restaurant’s and homes by the sea – some sea salt inside and out, brushed with olive oil and quickly grilled or sauteed. Then a squirt of lemon or lime and voilà – sardine heaven.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

– and yes, Bella and I had all twelve of them at once…….. 🙂
>

Grilled Portuguese Sardines

: Portuguese Sardines

: Season With Sea Salt

: Grill

: Served With Sauteed Potatoes And Greens

: Grilled Portuguese Sardines

: Grilled Portuguese Sardines

: Remnants Of A Great Dinner

: Gatão Vinho Verde

>
>
Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video below. ( You don’t have to watch it, just click once ) Thank you 🙂
>
>
>
>

Wings Glazed With Fermented Black Bean Sauce

>
>

Wing’s (like life itself) can become a bit boring if you don’t change the method of preparation once in a while, so last night’s wings got a different twist of flavor by marinating them for 24 hours in fermented black bean sauce, lime juice, hoisin sauce, sriracha, soy sauce and granulated garlic. Then roasted at 385 F for ninety minutes, basting often with the marinade. Good Stuff 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>

Wings Glazed With Fermented Black Bean Sauce

: Wings, fermented black bean sauce, lime juice, hoisin sauce, sriracha, soy sauce and granulated garlic.

: Marinate for twenty four hours

: Bake at 385F for ninety minutes, baste with marinade often

: Wings Glazed With Fermented Black Bean Sauce

: Wings and dragon fruit

>
>
Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video below. ( You don’t have to watch it, just click once ) Thank you 🙂
>
>
>
>

Rabo Encendido ( Oxtail Stew )

>
>
Rule # 1 :

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

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
Click here for Ox Tail Recipe (Add Mushrooms as option)
>

Chacha, Dieter, Bella & Rabo Encendido

: Rabo Encendido Mise En Place

: In Progress

: In Progress

: Rabo Encendido

: fusilli (corkscrew pasta)

>
>
Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video below. ( You don’t have to watch it, just click once ) Thank you 🙂
>
>
>
>

Entrecôte Au Poivre (Classic French Pepper Steak)

>
>
When was the last time you have seen a classic steak au poivre on a restaurant menu outside of Europe?
The best you can usually find elsewhere is it’s poor cousin, a steak covered in green peppercorn sauce (Entrecote Au Poivre Vert).
While this can be excellent, it’s flavor and texture is far removed from a steak covered in freshly crushed black pepper and sauteed, then served in a sauce build from it’s very own pan drippings and some other goodies.
Last night I served this with my “special” fries. What makes them “special” is the fact that I fry them only once instead of the usual required two times. I start them in cold peanut oil ( or better yet, duck or goose fat if available) and let the temperature slowly rise to 385 F. By the time the oil is hot and the fries are golden brown, they will be creamy on the inside and very crisp on the outside. I season them with both fine salt and sea salt. The fine salt adheres better to the fries while the sea salt gives me the taste and crunchiness associated with sea salt.

Bon Appetit ! Life Is Good !
>

Entrecôte Au Poivre

Hans’ “Special” Fries

: Rib Eye, Red Wine Jus, Cream, Whole Black Pepper CornSea Salt, Cognac

: 40 Oz Beauty

: Saute To Your Preferred Doneness

: Remove Steak, Set Aside. Deglaze With Cognac (Be Careful Of The Flare-Up !!!), Add cream And Reduce. Add Jus, Reduce To “Nape” Texture

: Pepper Steak

: Entrecôte Au Poivre

: Pepper Steak

: Hans’ “Special” Fries

>
>
Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video below. ( You don’t have to watch it, just click once ) Thank you 🙂
>
>
>
>
>

Gnocchi, Prosciutto, Asparagus & Parmigiano Reggiano

>
>
“Pretty” is not usually the first thing that comes to my mind as far as food is concerned.
But looking at this dish, the thoughts were first : Pretty ! Then : Let’s eat right NOW !
Usually we saute the prosciutto lightly but in this case, it was so thinly sliced and delicate,
just adding it to the top of the dish seemed the right thing to do.
And yes, I just preferred the texture and taste this way. Good Stuff 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Gnocchi Recipe Here
>
>
>
>

Gnocchi, Prosciutto, Asparagus & Parmigiano Reggiano

: Gnocchi, Prosciutto, Asparagus & Parmigiano Reggiano

>
Ingredient’s :

Gnocchi, cooked, reserve some of the cooking liquid
Asparagus, blanched
Prosciutto, VERY finely sliced
Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
Parmigiano Reggiano, finely sliced
Grape tomatoes,
Garlic paste,
Olive oil,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,

Method :

Saute gnocchi, asparagus and tomatoes in olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Add grated cheese and a bit of the gnocchi cooking liquid and toss until everything is lightly coated. To serve, top with prosciutto and very finely sliced cheese (use potato peeler to slice cheese).

>
>
>
>