dinner

Schwäbischer Zwiebelrostbraten Mit Bratkartoffeln

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There are two way’s of preparing the onions for a traditional Schwäbischer Zwiebelrostbraten : Dusted with flour, then deep-fried until crisp (click here to see that version), or sautéed in the pan without the flour. While both versions are excellent, the one with the flour-dusted onions is usually prepared when larger quantities are required (the onions keep well when kept in a sealed container and are ready when needed). On the other hand, when preparing at home one usually sautés the onions in order to be more efficient. So as a rule of thumb, when I cook for guests, I fry my onions; when I just cook for myself (and Bella), I usually sauté the onions. Decisions, decisions :-). When I was preparing the potatoes I pondered about the fact how we are always looking for more complicated, prettier and more exclusive food, while something as simple as these Bratkartoffeln can be wonderfully beautiful and delicious in their simplicity.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Schwäbischer Zwiebelrostbraten Mit Bratkartoffeln

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: simmer potatoes until done, drain

: peel potatoes, cut into thick slices

: saute potatoes in duckfat, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: trim strip steak of all outer fat and silver skin

: butterfly steak twice

: cover with plastic film, pound until evenly ca 1/3 inch thick

: season with dijon mustard, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: dust both sides in a/p flour

: saute in clarified butter until medium, remove to absorbent paper

: in same pan, saute finely sliced onions, seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, until crisp and golden

: remove to absorbent paper

: Bratkartoffeln

: top with rostbraten

: napé steak and potatoes with red-wine sauce

: top with onions

: Schwäbischer Zwiebelrostbraten Mit Bratkartoffeln

: Schwäbischer Zwiebelrostbraten Mit Bratkartoffeln

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Executioners Stew

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Of course you will wonder what possessed me to name this stew Executioners Stew – well, my thinking goes that if I would have one last meal before the executioner would step in, this would be the last supper I would request. While there are many things I would like to have for that macabre occasion, this one combines five of my favorite foods in one single dish :
Soup, chili-peppers, chicken-gizzards, pigs-feet and ox-tripe.
Certainly not worth dying for, but as a last supper – yes sir, please !
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Anyway, here is to many more years of living the Good Life 🙂
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Link to Green Sofrito Recipe
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All about Sofrito
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Link to Pa Amb TomÃ Quet (Tomato Bread)
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Executioners Stew With “Pa Amb TomÃ Quet”

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: add the pigs feet to cold water, bring to a boil

: strain the pigs feet, rinse

: add the o-tripe to cold, vinegared water, bring to a boil, strain, rinse, repeat two more times, third time cook until tender

: a thing of beauty

: add pigs-feet to cold, salted water, bring to a simmer, cook until tender but not falling apart

: during simmering, remove all impurities that rise to the surface with a small mesh-strainer

: when pigs-feet are almost tender, add chicken gizzards, simmer until gizzards are tender but still possess a bit of a bite

: add green sofrito, cayenne pepper, garlic paste

: add chillies, carrot julienne, white cabbage and chorizo, simmer for three more minutes

: add diced tomatoes, sliced cooke potatoes, cooked white beans and plenty of chopped cilantro

: check / adjust seasoning

: Executioners Stew With “Pa Amb TomÃ Quet”

: Executioners Stew With “Pa Amb TomÃ Quet”

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Gochujang Blade Steaks With Musaengchae (Spicy Korean Radish Salad)

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While I prepare blade steaks often, musaengchae is not so common on my dinner table, simply because I usually don’t find Korean radish on my regular shopping-runs, so when I do find them, musaengchae it is.
You could substitute the Korean radish with daikon, but for this particular dish, daikon will be inferior and should only be a last resort.
If you love spicy – this salad is it !
If you love radish – this salad is it !
If you are tired of run of the mill salads – this salad will come to the rescue !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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More Blade Steaks On ChefsOpinion
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P.S.
These blade steaks were very thin, so the amount pictured (6 steaks) were just enough for one meal for Bella and I 🙂
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Musaengchae

: korean radish (pic source: maangchi)

: peel radish, then cut into fine julienne, season with kosher salt, let stand for 10 minutes, squeeze out excess water

: toast sesame seeds until golden

: add black sesame seeds, white toasted sesame seeds, gochujang, garlic paste, ginger paste, white vinegar and scallions, mix carefully in order to not break-up the radish julienne

: Musaengchae

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Gochujang Blade Steaks

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: marinade pork-blade steaks overnight with gochujang, ginger paste, garlic paste, kosher salt, scallions, peanut oil, mirin and sake

: grill or broil until pork skin is very crispy

: Gochujang Blade Steaks

: Gochujang Blade Steaks

: Gochujang Blade Steaks

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Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

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Today I had a craving for really spicy food and I answered the call with this dish. I made it very spicy, but at the same time it was also very flavorful, thank’s to the addition of hoi sin sauce, soy sauce and lots of ginger and garlic. ( If you prefer less spicy, just tone down on the chili paste)
Fabulously tasty and satisfying, this was the perfect Sunday early-dinner dish, tasty, pretty and quick to wrestle-up 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is good !
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Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

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P.S.
In order to be able to throw together these quick meals, I always have an assortment of blanched, frozen veggies in the fridge, ready to go at a moments notice.
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: blanch vegetables in salted water

: shock vegetables in ice water

: shock vegetables in ice water, drain

: shock vegetables in ice water, drain

: shock vegetables in ice water, drain

: squeeze out excess water, wrap airtight, freeze for up to 10 days

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Also always in my fridge are grated fresh ginger (commercial, good quality) and garlic confit paste (home made, usually once a week)
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On to today’s dinner:
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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: slice skinlesss chicken breast into bitesize slivers

: marinade chicken with garlic paste, lime juice, soy sauce, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, add a few drops of peanut oil, mix well

: stir fry chicken on VERY high heat until lightly browned but still juicy

: remove chicken to a plate, set aside

: add a bit more oil, saute beans until lightly browned in spots

: add 2 tblsp chili/ bean paste, 2 tblsp soy sauce, 1 tblsp hoi sin sauce, 1 tblsp water, 1 tsp garlic paste, add corn, stir fry until corn is heated through, remove from heat

: add seafood-mushrooms

: return chicken to wok (or pan), mix well, check / adjust seasoning

: Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

: Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

: Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

: Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

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P.P.S.
I used Chor’s Food USA “Black Bean Chile Sauce” in this dish.
If not available in your neck of the woods :-(, substitute with equal parts of fermented black beans and chili paste 🙂
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Chipotle-Chicken Quesadilla

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We owe Mexico a lot for its invention of the quesadilla. It would be difficult to find another dish as addictive yet comes together so quickly with so little effort. Quesadillas are highly adaptable:
Make them a meal with large flour tortillas, or gluten-free with corn tortillas. A little low-fat cheese and a lot of vegetables, and they could almost pass for a health food; on the flip side, a generous pile of shredded pepper-jack could be the remedy for a bad hangover. A good quesadilla is a thing of beauty. It’s crispy and golden brown at the edges, but a bite quickly reveals a soft interior with gooey melted cheese. For this quesadilla I used chicken , which you can replace with other proteins of your choice, such as shrimp, beef, chorizo, etc. For a vegetarian alternative, just omit the animal-protein and add more vegetables.
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P.S.
As you can see, I dug in with my hands. However, if your boss shows up for dinner, you might want to get out forks and knifes 🙂
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Provechito ! Viva Mexico !
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Chipotle-Chicken Quesadilla

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures

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: Guacamole, Sour Cream, Pickled Onions With Peppers & Mini-Corn

: marinade vegetables with lime juice, finely chopped jalapenos, kosher salt and chopped cilantro

: marinade diced chicken for at least 2 hours with kosher salt, lime juice, garlic paste and finely chopped canned chipotles in adobo

: saute chicken until done but still juicy

: remove chicken from pan, set aside

: toast flour tortilla on one side, flip

: top with mexican style shredded cheese mix

: top with chicken

: top with chopped tomatoes and chopped cilantro

: top with more cheese and mashed avocado

: top with another one-side-toasted tortilla, toasted side down

: top tortilla with a plate, invert,

: slide back into pan (or comal), cook very slowly to give the cheese time to melt without burning the tortilla

: Chipotle-Chicken Quesadilla

: Chipotle-Chicken Quesadilla

: Chipotle-Chicken Quesadilla

: Chipotle-Chicken Quesadilla

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Bucatini alle Acciughe

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You could go to the extra length of using fresh anchovies and home made pasta for this dish, but I can assure you that even if you don’t and you decide to use canned anchovies and dried pasta, you will still have a wonderful meal, provided you source the best quality of anchovies and pasta and prepare the dish with the love it deserves 🙂
Your reward will be a dish that is quick and easy to prepare, very light on the wallet and at the same time a culinary giant far beyond the sum of it’s ingredients !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Bucatini alle Acciughe

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: cook 1/2 lb bucatini al dente, strain

: meanwhile, saute 1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs in 4 oz butter until golden, season with kosher salt, cayenne pepper and garlic paste

: schmelze…..

: chop 6 med size anchovies, reserve 4 whole ones for garnish

: saute anchovies in olive oil with equal amount of garlic paste until fragrant and anchovies disintegrated

: season with cayenne pepper

: add bucatini, mix well. check / adjust seasoning

: add schmelze and chopped italian parsley

: to serve, top with whole anchovies, fresh ground black pepper corn, more chopped parsley and a sprig of fresh basil

: Bucatini alle Acciughe

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Jerk Chicken-Stuffed Matzo Ball Soup

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My love for matzo ball (Knaidlach) soup should surprise no one at this point, since I have posted quite a few different post’s with this marvel of traditional comfort food at Chefsopinion.
As for Jerk Chicken – WHO doesn’t love that ??!
Now, I have to confess that the chicken I used here was not a real jerk chicken, but rather diced chicken leg seasoned with jerk-seasoning and then sautéed. However, this “jerk chicken”served its purpose as a filling for the matzo balls perfectly, so I will not nit-pick about it 🙂
Both Bella and I were enamored with this soup and will no doubt have it again and again 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Matzo Ball Recipe
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More Jerk Chicken on ChefsOpinion
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More Matzo Balls on ChefsOpinion
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More Chicken Soup on ChefsOpinion
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Jerk Chicken-Stuffed Matzo Ball Soup

Jerk Chicken-Stuffed Matzo Ball Soup

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: chicken tights

: remove bones, dice meat and skin into small pieces

: add large diced onions, season liberally with jerk seasoning

: fry in vegetable oil until cooked just through but still juicy

: done…

: see link above for matzo ball recipe

: form matzo into balls

: flatten into disc

: add chicken filling

: cover filling completely with matzo, shape into ball again

: simmer in lightly salted water until cooked through and trippled in size, about 40 minutes

: almost……

: serve matzo ball in chicken soup, sprinkle with finely sliced scallion or chopped parsley

: Jerk Chicken-Stuffed Matzo Ball Soup

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Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

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Soup! – God’s gift to comfort food 🙂
I wonder how many different soups I have eaten in my life and how many different noodle soups in particular. And still, I never get tired of preparing and eating yet another version of this wonderful food category. Soup, to me, never get’s old. To the contrary, I can never get enough of it, be it cream soup, purred soup, clear soup, soup made of meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit or any combination thereof, hot or cold. So without further ado, here is my latest concoction:
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Bon Appetit ! Life is good !
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Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Ginger/Garlic Broth

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: cover short ribs with cold water, bring to a boil

: let boil for a few seconds

: drain ribs, rinse, discard liquid. This will ensure a clearer broth

: start ribs again with cold water, bring to a slow simmer, during simmering skim of foam and scum frequently

: after one hour, add kosher salt, chili flakes, cinnamon stick, garlic paste and grated ginger, simmer until ribs are tender but NOT falling apart

: done…

: remove ribs, strain broth through fine mesh or cheese cloth, add a few drops of sesame oil, check / adjust seasoning

: remove and discard bones, cut meat into bite-size cubes

: to serve, place cooked noodles, blanched bok choy, finely sliced cooked shiitake and beef in serving bowl, sprinkle with more chili flakes and fill with beef broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

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Fried Tomato-Noodles Pillow

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I did not intend to post this dish when I started preparing it. After all, what can be so special about some re-heated leftover tomato pasta. But then I thought maybe I am on to something. So, instead of just re-heating the pasta with a bit of butter and a few drops of stock or cream (or both), I proceeded to make a non-traditional noodle pillow. Noodle pillows are of course widely eaten in Asian cuisine, but the pasta is never mixed with tomato sauce before frying/sautéing. I am happy to report that this version was super delicious and the tomato taste added to the overall flavor and gave a hint of Unami. Absolutely a new addition to my repertoire of simple comfort food, either eaten as a snack by itself with the addition of a bit of sauce drizzled over it as shown here, or as tasty side dish which will add extra flavor and texture to a variety of dishes.
Next noodle pillow up: Noodle pillow made from curried noodles. I’ll let you know of the result 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Fried Tomato-Noodles Pillow

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More “Noodle Pillow’s” on ChefsOpinion
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: leftover pasta with tomato sauce

: spread pasta in hot peanut oil to even thickness, saute on both sides until crisp and golden

: dipping sauce: mix 2 tblsp soy sauce, 2 tblsp hoi sin sauce, 2 tblsp water, 1 tblsp ketchup, 1 tsp lime juice, season with grated ginger, garlic paste, sesame oil and chili oil, to serve, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and sesame seeds

: Fried Tomato-Noodles Pillow

: Fried Tomato-Noodles Pillow

: Fried Tomato-Noodles Pillow

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Burritos De Carne De Res

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It can be hard to cook REAL Mexican food outside of Mexico because of the difficulty of sourcing authentic ingredients and because preparing AUTHENTIC cuisine is something which usually requires a lot of effort , time and money to duplicate in a foreign land.
Tex-Mex to the Rescue !!!
Tex-Mex is not only easier to prepare but also more acceptable to the typical “Gringo’s” palate than some of the more exotic offerings of real Mexican fare.
So, as usual, I am not trying to be the master of the ethnic cuisine I am preparing, but trying to be as close and simple to the ideas, taste and charm of the ethnic food that inspires me to cook certain dishes.
In this spirit, I prepared these Burritos, which were very plain with just two ingredients for the filling and accompanied by the most basic condiments.
It is not at all close to the food which I have enjoyed traveling in Mexico, living there and actually cooking Mexican food of the highest quality on many occasions, but it satisfies my craving for the food I love so much and remember fondly.
My earliest memory of a Burrito takes me back much further, to the first vacation I spend in Puerto Vallarta in the mid-70’s. It was late at night and after many drinks, lots of dancing and a few puffs of the funny stuff, enormous hunger had me ready for anything. Although this was in a disco, food was available at the bar. I did not know Mexican food (yet) and ordered what, by it’s description on the menu, seemed to be the biggest bang for the buck. I was not at all disappointed, neither with the size, the taste, nor the condiments it came with, especially the spicy sauces. Memories……..
Truth be told, it amazes me how many details I remember about food, places and the people I shared them with, after all these years (Decades, actually) 🙂
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Viva Mexico ! Live is Good !
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Read more of my memories of Puerto Vallarta
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All about Mexican Cuisine

All about Tex-Mex
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Burritos De Carne De Res

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: cubed flank steak, diced onions, chopped cilantro

: heat flour tortillas to make them pliable

: season beef with kosher salt, cayenne papper, garlic paste, cumin and oregano, saute in very hot corn oil until browned but sill rare, add onions, saute until translucent, remove from heat, add chopped cilantro