Cucumber

Easy does it # 19 – Cheese Sandwich (Paratha With Emmentaler, Tomato and Cucumber)

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I assume that 99 % of all adults (and many kids) have tried their hands on a cheese sandwich, some with more, some with less success 🙂 :-(.
Following is a nice cheese sandwich which can be prepared by anybody in a minimum of time, but the result will provide a maximum flavor and texture experience.
Might I add that the presentation is not too shabby either :-).
Yesterday evening was like most Friday evenings for me – end of work-week, tired, lazy, not interested in spending much time in the kitchen. Also, tomorrow, Saturday, is my day for shopping (and cleaning and laundry and bathing Bella and whatever else piles up during the week), so my fridge and cupboard were rather depleted today. What I found was the following:
Frozen paratha, emmentaler cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, pomegranate, honey and limes for the sandwich and it’s salad.
Throwing it all together resulted in a great looking, excellent tasting, quick and easy to prepare dinner.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Paratha With Emmentaler, Tomato and Cucumber

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Preparation :
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put paratha in a pan on low heat

top with emmentaler

top with sliced tomato, sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

top with pickled cucumber slices (salt, pepper, vinegar) and more emmentaler

cook slowly on both sides until cheese has melted

plate salad (romaine in honey/mustard dressing), sprinkle with pomegranate seeds

plate salad (romaine in honey/mustard dressing), sprinkle with passion fruit seeds

Paratha With Emmentaler, Tomato And Cucumber

Paratha With Emmentaler, Tomato and Cucumber

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Steak Salad

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Usually, part of the enjoyment of eating steak is cutting into a nice chunk of glistening meat and seeing it slowly but surely disappearing from the plate.
But for yesterday’s dinner, I just wanted to have some nice “finger food” to pick of a plate and sharing with madame while reclining on my chaise lounge, watching a great movie (The Grand Budapest Hotel).

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Steak Salad

Steak Salad

Bella say’s:
“Time to eat ! “

Bella say’s:
“Maybe not enough for the two of us ?! “

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Preparation :
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cut cucumbers and radishes into bite-sized pieces, season with plenty kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, let marinade for 20 minutes, discard liquid, add garlic oil and cider vinegar to taste

meanwhile, season striploin steaks or other steaks of your choice with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, saute in garlic oil until done to your liking, set aside

let steaks rest at least 10 minutes before cutting

plate salad on vinaigrette dressed romaine

top with steak, drizzle with chimichurri

top with steaks, drizzle with chimichurri

Steak Salad

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Pig’s Tail Souse

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How many folks have actually tried pig’s tails? Not many in this part of the world I assume. In my opinion, pigs tails are one of the best parts of the pig, but sadly underutilized in the “civilized world”, were we tend to discard secondary cuts or feed them to the animals (lucky dogs 🙂 ).
Thankfully, lately some of these special cuts have found new fans and pigs tails are now widely available again at your favorite butcher and even in supermarkets.
Buy them fresh, smoked or salted (dry or in brine) for a variety of wonderful dishes. For the following dish I used pigs tails in brine.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Pig’s Tail Souse

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Preparation :
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remove tails from brine, rinse under running water for 15 minutes, cover with cold water, season with cider vinegar, garlic paste and hot sauce, simmer until tender but not falling apart, about two hours

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cooked, tender pigs tails

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for the dresing, slice onions, cucumbers and radishes into fine julienne, add kosher salt, cayenne pepper, garlic paste, cider vinegarand a few drops of olive oil

for the dressing, slice onions, cucumbers and radishes into fine julienne, add finely sliced chives, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, garlic paste, cider vinegar and a few drops of olive oil

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pour over tails, let stand at room temperature for about one hour, serve with rustic bread

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Pig’s Tail Souse

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Pig’s Tail Souse

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Pig’s Tail Souse

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this weeks herb bush : Chives

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Links to more pig’s tails on ChefsOpinion:

PIG’S TAIL AND POTATO CURRY, NAAN AND CUCUMBER RAITA

CONGEE WITH SMOKED PIG’S TAILS & VEGETABLES

SMOKED PIG’S TAIL, BOW TIES & VEGETABLE STEW

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Malay-Inspired Shrimp & Salad

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Last night’s light dinner had most of the ingredient’s of a typical satay dinner – shrimp, cucumbers, onions, garlic, peanut sauce and chili. I did not attempt to go “authentic”, but rather enjoy great food with as little fuss as possible. The whole thing did not take more than fifteen minutes to prepare, but it tasted like a million bucks and reminded me of the sometimes simple, but alway’s wonderful meals my friend’s and I had so many times, so many years ago in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and other places in South East Asia and the Pacific / South Pacific. Sometimes, when I have a meal like this and I am in the mood and have the time to reflect, it connect’s me vividly to people, times and places in my distant past 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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The Good Stuff 🙂

Mise En Place

Season Shrimp With Granulated Garlic, Kosher Salt And Ground Chili, Saute Or Grill

Dice Onion, Tomato, Cucumber, Slice Scallions. Dress With White Balsamic Vinegar, Oil, Salt , Chili and Roasted Garlic Puree.

Sprinkle Salad With Salted Cashew Nuts

Serve Shrimp Over Salad, Accompany With Lime, Peanut Sauce And Sweet Chili Sauce

Malay-Inspired Shrimp & Salad

The Good Stuff 🙂

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Chinese Pickled Cucumber

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Chinese cucumber salad. 涼拌黃瓜 (liáng bàn huáng guā)
This is a dish I make often at home. It is easy to prepare, economical , (say cheap if you want :-). It holds up well in the fridge for a few day’s and I use it as appetizer, side dish or snack during any time of the day, but mostly late at night when I want something tasty, fresh and spicy.

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Ingredients :

Cucumbers, cut into batons
White rice vinegar,
Garlic, paste
Ginger, grated
Chili , diced (substitute peper flakes if you must)
Soy sauce, just a small amount, so as not to discolor cucumbers
Sesame oil,
Kosher salt,
Sugar,

Method :

Salt the cucumbers, cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Discard the salty juices which have collected. Ad all other ingredients, adjust seasoning if necessary.

Note: For a variation add a teaspoon of finely diced ginger. You can substitute the cucumber with another vegetable such as radish, jicama, cabbage or Chinese cabbage.
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” Seafood Salad “

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“CANNED” seafood you ask ?

If it is not fresh it doesn’t hit my plate you say ?

Of course, I agree that fresh seafood is heaven on earth
when properly prepared, But sometimes in the real world
you come home late and want something tasty and don’t
feel like cooking. Here is what I did last night :
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The result ?
A great salad done in 10 minutes ( Hard boiled egg‘s take their time )

Ingredients:

Fresh / canned seafood of your liking (What’s in your cupboard)
Cucumber, salted for 5 minutes, rinsed
Hard boiled egg’s, diced
Radish, julienned
Bell peppers, julienned
Chilies, julienned
Garlic, paste
Parsley, chopped