cooking

Sautéed Salmon With Arugula, Strawberries & Walnuts In Raspberry Vinaigrette

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Once in a while, my neighborhood fishmonger receives an overnight delivery of fresh-caught, never frozen salmon. He usually leaves me an e-mail message the same morning, so by noon I’ll have salmon in my kitchen which happily swam in the ocean or stream just one or maybe a couple of days before that. Ahhh, the wonders of our modern times 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Sautéed Salmon With Arugula, Strawberries & Walnuts In Raspberry Vinaigrette

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: from a side of salmon, cut a 8 oz portion

: remove the skin (if you plan to eat the skin, scrape it clean of all fat and meat particles; this one was for Bella, so I omitted this step)

: season with salt and cayenne pepper, saute in peanut oil until golden on one side, about 4 minutes

: turn the fish and skin, cook until 162F in the center (or less if you prefer, but please remember food-safe temperatures are strongly suggested for a reason, and required by law in commercial establishments ! )

: to 1 cup baby arugula add 8 ea quartered strawberries, 1/2 cup very finely sliced red cabbage, 1/4 cup walnuts and 1/4 cup raspberry vinaigrette, mix, place salad on a serving plate, top the salad with the salmon filet, drizzle the salmon with the juice from a caramelized lemon

: Sautéed Salmon With Arugula, Strawberries And Walnuts In Raspberry Vinaigrette

: Sautéed Salmon With Arugula, Strawberries And Walnuts In Raspberry Vinaigrette

: Sautéed Salmon With Arugula, Strawberries And Walnuts In Raspberry Vinaigrette

: Sautéed Salmon With Arugula, Strawberries And Walnuts In Raspberry Vinaigrette

: Sautéed Salmon With Arugula, Strawberries And Walnuts In Raspberry Vinaigrette

: Sautéed Salmon With Arugula, Strawberries And Walnuts In Raspberry Vinaigrette

: Sautéed Salmon With Arugula, Strawberries And Walnuts In Raspberry Vinaigrette

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Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

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“Congee With Mushrooms, Carrots & Egg (Chinese Rice porridge)“
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Excerpt from a previous post of Congee on ChefsOpinion :
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” Rice Porridge –
The first thing that comes to mind is probably baby food or hospital gruff.
Most folks would never think of ordering it from a menu in a restaurant, much less wake up and crave it for breakfast, if they hadn’t tasted or at least seen it before.

Now, let’s try again :
Congee. Lúgaw. Chok. Xifan. Juk. Okayu.
OK now, that’s better 🙂

Sounds more interesting and exotic? These are just a few names given to rice porridge around the world. If there is a country or region which traditionally eats rice, then there is some form of rice porridge eaten.
Congee can be enjoyed as breakfast, snack, lunch or dinner. Congee most often contains rice, but other grains can be used.
Ideally, it is made with strong, tasty stock that infuses great taste and debt into the dish. But from there on, let your fantasy run wild. Congee can be made with seafood, meat, vegetables or a combination thereof.
Then there are the toppings – Pickled vegetables, fried shallots, sliced scallions, any mushroom, crisp fried garlic, dried shrimps, 100-year eggs, cilantro, etc, etc.
If you like it, put it on.
Below is a version I made on Sunday for breakfast. The texture is more like a Filipino Lugaw, with the rice VERY soft but still keeping its shape. “.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Congee With Mushrooms, Carrot & Egg

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: to 1 qt chicken stock, add 2 cup cooked Fan (Chinese steamed rice) and 1 cup cleaned, sliced carrots; simmer until the rice and porridge has the desired texture and the carrots are tender (if too dry, add more chicken stock)

: meanwhile, saute 1 cup sliced mushroom of your choice in 1 tblsp peanut oil until lightly browned, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, reserve

: when the congee has the desired texture, add 4 whole whisked eggs, simmer one minute, remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning, plate in a bowl

: drizzle with chili oil (optional)

: sprinkle with 1 tblsp sliced scallions, top with the sauteed mushrooms

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushrooms. Carrots & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushrooms. Carrots & Egg

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Chicken Tandoori/Naan Sandwich

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This tandoori chicken sandwich needed no simple or fancy condiment to elevate it. The chicken was very juicy, very tender and VERY tasty. Usually, I would serve this with raita, sliced onions, sliced tomato, sliced cucumber, a few spritz of fresh lime, plain yogurt, finely sliced cabbage slaw, or any other addition to moisten the sandwich, elevate the texture or the flavor. But on this sandwich, that would have been a wasted effort, since it was perfect, in every aspect, the way it was.
(If I would serve this in a restaurant, I would of course “improve” the presentation to make it seem fancier and justify a higher selling price, but since this was at “Chez Bella” (our home), I did not deem this a requirement. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
I prefer to cook the chicken bone-in and tear the meat from the bones at the table. For a less messy way, you can, of course, use boneless thighs and knife and fork 😦
P.P.S.
Because I am a huge Stones fan, for obvious reasons I almost called this sandwich “Sticky Fingers”, but then something (good sense?) advised me against it. 🙂
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Garam Masala Recipe:
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You will need :
Coriander seeds, black cardamom pods, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, bay leaves, peppercorn, a small amount of cinnamon bark. Dry roast in a pan on low heat until fragrant, about one minute. Put in spice blender until powder-fine. Remove to a jar, cover airtight.
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Chicken Tandoori/Naan Sandwich

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Preparation :
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: mix 1 cup Greek yogurt (or strain your own yogurt overnight in a suspended cheesecloth)) with 1 tblsp garam masala, 1 tblsp turmeric, 1 tblsp sweet paprika (instead of the usual artificial food coloring), 1/2 tsp granulated garlic, 1/3 tsp granulated ginger, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, chili flakes and kosher salt to taste

: mix all ingredients well, add 3 ea deep-scored chicken thighs, mix, cover, keep in fridge over night

: next day, place the chicken on a rack, roast at 450F until golden crisp and cooked through (35 to 45 min); however, the length of time depends on the size of the chicken, the type of oven, etc; if you have a food thermometer remove the chicken when it registers 162 at thickest part on the bone, remove the chicken, cover lightly and let rest for 5 minutes before serving

: crisp, juicy, golden – done……

: tondoori chicken at it’s finest 🙂

: while the chicken rests, prepare fresh naan or reheat good quality frozen naan

: Chicken Tandoori/Naan Sandwich

: Chicken Tandoori/Naan Sandwich

: Chicken Tandoori/Naan Sandwich

: Chicken Tandoori/Naan Sandwich

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Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Little Sandwich ( NOT ! )

Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Sandwich ( NOT ! )

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And here we go – another beautiful, tasty example of what a sandwich can be if you love food and take it serious 🙂
(If you wonder about the name “Torta”, click the link below to learn all there is to know about this great Mexican sandwich 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
Because I used a double layer of beef, I did not use standard breading (flour, egg, and breadcrumbs) for the beef, instead, I just dipped the beef slices in a mixture of 50/50 flour and panko. However, if you use a single layer of beef, I suggest you employ the traditional breading method.
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Click here to read all about Mexican Torta on ChefsOpinion
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Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Sandwich ( NOT ! )

avocado, radish, and cucumber salad

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Preparation :
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: thinly sliced beef round, ciabatta, avocado, tomato, cucumber, radish, cilantro

: cut veggies into large dice, add garlic paste, lime juice, cayenne pepper, olive oil and kosher salt to taste, mix well; let marinade for 30 minutes, then add diced avocados and tomatoes, mix carefully

: avocado, tomato, radish and cucumber salad

: mix 1 cup panko crumbs,1 cup a/p flour and kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, dredge 2 ea beef svallops

: saute the beef scallops until medium well, remove to absorbent paper, keep warm

: cut a 5 inch piece fresh-baked ciabatta horizontally in half

: top the bottom half of the ciabatta with 1 ea beef scallop, top with a generous amount of the salad, repeat

: ciabatta bottom, 2 layers of beef and 2 layers of salad, top with the top part of the ciabatta

: Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Sandwich ( NOT ! )

: Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Sandwich ( NOT ! )

: Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Sandwich ( NOT ! )

: Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Sandwich ( NOT ! )

: Torta De Milanesa De Res – A Dainty Sandwich ( NOT ! )

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Snails And Gnocchi In White Wine, Pernod & Mustard Cream

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Snails and Gnocchi, what a wonderful combination.
Add Pernod Ricard, wine, and whole grain mustard, and you have a heavenly dish that is super easy to prepare, looks like a million and tastes like 2 million 🙂
I have created this dish decades ago, and have served it in many restaurants around the World since.
Good, simple food never get’s old 🙂
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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Gnocchi Recipe:
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Ingredients:
1 lb Russet potatoes,   cooked, peeled, mashed
A/P flour,   sifted – as needed
2 Eggs,  whole, whisked
Kosher salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
1 0z Butter
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Method:
Add eggs, seasoning and flour to potatoes, mix lightly until smooth.
Shape into gnocchi.
Make light indentations with a fork.
Cook a sample in simmering salted water. If too soft, add flour. If too dense, add egg.
Cook gnocchi in simmering water until gnocchi float. Remove with slotted spoon into a strainer. Saute in melted butter.
Serves four.
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P.S.
If you are squirmish about snails, replace them with large scallops. This will give you a different, but equally wonderful dish 🙂
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Snails And Gnocchi In White Wine, Pernod & Mustard Cream

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Preparation :
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: marinate overnight 4,5 oz drained and rinsed snails in 1/2 cup white wine ( I used Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse 2015), but of course you can use any white wine of your choice) If the snails are very large, cut in half

: saute 1/2 med size onion in 1 tsp olive oil until translucent

: add 1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup Pouilly-Fuisse and the drained snails (discard the wine marinade), simmer until the cream has the texture “Nappé”

: add 1 jigger of Pernod, 1 heaping tblsp whole grain dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp garlic paste, 12 ea grape tomatoes. 1 tblsp chopped parsley and kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, stir

: add 4 cups fresh cooked Gnocchi, check/adjust the seasoning; serves 6 appetizer or 2 main course

: Snails And Gnocchi In White Wine, Pernod & Mustard Cream

: Snails And Gnocchi In White Wine, Pernod & Mustard Cream

: Snails And Gnocchi In White Wine, Pernod & Mustard Cream

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Hoisin Chicken With Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta And Cherry Bomb Peppers

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First of all – calm down, don’t be scared, hold your horses, don’t panic !
Despite their vicious name, “cherry bomb peppers” (sometimes just called “cherry peppers”), are not very hot at all, registering at just 2500 to 5000 Scoville heat units (SHU). (Think jalapeno). They can be red, yellow or green and, depending on the pickling marinade, the original heat-level is sometimes brought down to a mild, tasteful flavor which adds a welcome light kick (the kick of a lady, not the kick of a mule) to some otherwise overly sweet and/or mild dishes, without burning your mouth to a crisp.
And of course, as I have mentioned many times, pls adjust the recipe according to the preference of the folks you serve your food to, so if you do not enjoy chilies, just omit them 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Hoisin Chicken With Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta And Cherry Bomb Peppers

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Preparation :
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: mix 1 cup hoisin sauce, 1 tblsp honey, 1 tblsp Thai chili sauce, 1/ cup soy sauce and 1 tsp garlic paste, incise 8 ea chicken parts of your choice (Leg, Drumstick, Breast) with 4 cuts on ea side, brush with the marinade, place on a wire rack over a baking pan with 1/2 qt water added, roast at 375F until meat is halway cooked, turn ea piece, brush again generously and finish cooking until the core temperature reaches 160F, remove from heat, let rest for 5 minutes before serving

: hungry yet ?……..

: while the chicken rests, de-grease, strain and reduce the stock from the bottom of the baking sheet to 1/2 cup, mix with freshly cooked sun-dried- tomato pasta

: Hoisin Chicken With Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta And Cherry Bomb Peppers

: Hoisin Chicken With Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta And Cherry Bomb Peppers

: Hoisin Chicken With Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta And Cherry Bomb Peppers

: Hoisin Chicken With Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta And Cherry Bomb Peppers

: Hoisin Chicken With Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta And Cherry Bomb Peppers

: Hoisin Chicken With Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta And Cherry Bomb Peppers

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Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen (Swabian Onion Tart/Pie/Cake)

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Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen is usually eaten in late Summer and early Fall, typically served with new wine, but fans (there are legions of them, including myself), will eat it year-round. As with any “traditional/classic” dish which is mostly prepared at home, there are many variations, most of them excellent. After all, it is pretty hard to screw up a simple dish like this, consisting of just a few basic ingredients –
– Yeast Dough, (or shortcrust)
– Creme Fraiche, (or, in a pinch, sour cream, which makes it slightly more tart)
– Onions, sautéed, diced, (or sliced), anywhere from just transparent to caramelized
– Bacon, (or not)
– Chives (or not)
– Caraway Seeds, (or not)
– Eggs,
– Salt & Pepper,
– Round Pie Pan (or square or rectangular)
– Deep Dish Springform (or large flat sheet pan) – because of the different heights, the ratio of onions to cream mixture also varies greatly.

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I grew up eating Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen all the time, but even in the area where I lived, cooks (mostly housewives), were very flexible which the variation they would use.
The only exception was the Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen from the time I was but a small child until I was about 7 years old, after which time the village communal oven was not used anymore. Up ’til I was about 7 years old, we still had a communal oven in the village bakery, everybody followed the same regional, well-established recipe. During that time, most farmers wife’s baked huge sheet pan’s of Zwiebelkuchen in the communal oven (as well as the bread for the following week).
Because there where no refrigerators in farmers homes at that time, a good part of the Zwiebelkuchen was shared with friends and neighbors, so that nothing was wasted. This is how I got my first taste of Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen, since my Mom was a city girl and was not fond of cooking, baking or any other domestic chores. when I was about five, my family moved from a large City (Stuttgart) to the small Village of Gechingen, where my father inherited his childhood home from my grandparents, who, like their parents and their parents and their parents……… were farmers. Growing up in a rural environment was in part very great, and in another part very bad for a city boy. I never got used to some of the customs, way’s and restrictions the small-village life provided us with. (One of the biggest reasons why I left home to start an apprenticeship as cook before I was 14 years old)
But, all the food from this time, including Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen, became highly regarded favorites as I got older. To this day, I seek those dishes wherever I go. Sadly, most everywhere, many of these items are not valued anymore and have gone the way of so many old-fashioned things – they have just disappeared. Good food, dood customs, good manners and so many other good things we used to respect, love nurture and appreciate in the past are just gone. Those of us who still (or just newly, in some cases) are fond of the time-proven pillars of “the good old times”, can only hope that “old is new again” will one day soon again apply to most of the beloved standards of our past 🙂
Until then, when I crave Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen, I have to prepare it myself.
And now, don’t get me going about old-fashioned manners, customs, and decent behavior…….
Bit of a nostalgic, old farts rant there, but I feel better now 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Zwiebelkuchen Dough:
Use your favorite shortcrust dough or yeast dough.
Substitute with pre-made shortcrust dough, pizza dough, pre-baked Quiche crust or pre-baked pizza crust. I suggest you experiment until you find your favorite. It’s well worth the extra effort 🙂
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Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen (Swabian Onion Tart/Pie/Cake)

Preparation :
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: slice 4 lbs white onions into julienne

: saute the onions in 4 oz whole butter until lightly caramelized, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: mix one cup crème fraîche with 2 whole eggs, 1 tsp caraway seeds and kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, let cool to room-temperature

: add the cream/egg mixture to the sauteed onions, mix well

: pre-baked yeast dough

: spread the onion mixture evenly on top of the crust, drizzle lightly with melted butter

: bake in a pre-heated oven at 375F until the onions have heated trough and the cream mixture has set; to serve, cut into portions, sprinkle with chives

: Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen (Swabian Onion Tart/Pie/Cake)

: Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen (Swabian Onion Tart/Pie/Cake)

: Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen (Swabian Onion Tart/Pie/Cake)

: Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen (Swabian Onion Tart/Pie/Cake)

: Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen (Swabian Onion Tart/Pie/Cake)

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Smithy’s Beef Rib Soup With Spinach And Pasta (Rinder Suppe Von Der Rippe, Mit Spinat Und Pasta)

Smithy’s Beef Rib Soup With Spinach And Pasta (Rinder Suppe Von Der Rippe Mit Spinat Und Pasta)

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When all else fails, this soup will make you feel better………(Just ask Smithy) 🙂
If you prefer, replace the linguini with any type of pasta, potatoes, or rice.
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P.S.
If you don’t like to use chopsticks, break the linguini (or any other type of long pasta) into small pieces before cooking.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Smithy’s Beef Rib Soup With Spinach And Pasta (Rinder Suppe Von Der Rippe Mit Spinat Und Pasta)

to plate, add 1/2 of ea pasta, spinach and beef to a large soup plate, add beef broth

Smithy’s Beef Rib Soup With Spinach And Pasta (Rinder Suppe Von Der Rippe Mit Spinat Und Pasta)

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: 4 lbs beef ribs

: in a large pot, add the ribs, 4 qt water, 1 lg quartered peeled onion, 4 ea med carrots, cut into lg pieces, kosher salt and grd black pepper to taste, cook until ribs are soft but NOT falling apart, remove ribs; you should have 1 qt stock remaining; meanwhile, cook 8 oz pasta of your choice (here, I used linguini)

: remove the meat from the bones

: strain the broth, add a splash of Maggi seasoning, check/adjust the seasoning

: add 8 oz fresh spinach to the hot broth, stir, let steep 2 minutes

: to serve, add 1/2 of ea pasta, spinach and beef to a large soup plate, add beef broth ; recipe serves 2 main course or 6 appetizer

: Smithy’s Beef Rib Soup With Spinach And Pasta (Rinder Suppe Von Der Rippe Mit Spinat Und Pasta)

: Smithy’s Beef Rib Soup With Spinach And Pasta (Rinder Suppe Von Der Rippe Mit Spinat Und Pasta)

: Smithy’s Beef Rib Soup With Spinach And Pasta (Rinder Suppe Von Der Rippe Mit Spinat Und Pasta)

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Lunch Quickie – Smoked Salmon, Spicy Potato Salad And Sunny Side Up Eggs

When contemplating what to prepare for a combined breakfast/lunch today, I found that I had some leftover cooked potatoes, leftover “cebollas en escabeche” (escabeche de cebollas) and a packet of smoked salmon.
Within less than 10 minutes, this gorgeous dish was ready on the table.
Bella and I were happy and content, and cleanup was a snap. Easy peasy 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Lunch Quickie – Smoked Salmon, Spicy Potato Salad And Sunny Side Up Eggs

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: melt 1 tblsp rendered duckfat in a hot pan

: add 10 oz cooked potatoes, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, saute until lightly browned

: transfer potatoes to a bowl, toss with 1 tblsp sliced chives, 1 tblsp EVOO, 1 tblsp rice vinegar, salt and pepper to taste

: add 4 oz cebollas en escabeche, mix, check/adjust seasoning

: arrange 10 oz smoked salmon on a serving platter, top with the potatoes, garnish with some pickled chilies (optional)

: top the potatoes with sunny side up eggs (I used three eggs, because I usually don’t give eggs to Bella. If you share this dish with another person, add another egg so the dish will serve 2 people

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Grilled Pork Tenderloin With Portobello, Broccoli And Tomato

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In my opinion, pork tenderloin (fillet) is one of the most underrated cuts of meat. And of course, that is wonderful, because once people catch on, it will be priced out of reach of most folks (Lamb chops, anyone ? 😦 )
But since this has not happened yet, I can enjoy pork tenderloin as often as I wish, without going broke 🙂
This preparation looked and tasted particularly yummy. It’s economical and a snap to prepare, so there is no excuse not to indulge in this beauty once in a while.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Grilled Pork Tenderloin With Portobello, Broccoli And Tomato

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Preparation :
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: clean the fillet of all skin

: season fillet with kosher salt, cayenne and granulated garlic, sear on a very hot grill on all sides

: finish in a preheated oven at 350F until cooked to your preferred temperature, remove from pan, let rest for 10 minutes

: toss sliced portabellos with kosher salt, cayenne pepper and olive oil, grill ontil lightly browned

: blanche, shock and drain 10 oz fresh broccoli

: saute broccoli and 1 ea diced, seeded tomato in 2 oz whole butter until heated through, season with kosher salt and grated nutmeg to taste, add 1 tblsp grated asiago