dinner

Salmon & Grits In Garlic/Lime Butter

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I prepare grits quite often, usually buttery cheese grits, which are so rich, so good and so bad for you-if you eat large portions (which I tend to do) 😦 .
Lately I use mostly instant grits and I am happy with the results, as long as I add enough butter (and enough grated cheese when preparing cheese grits). For me, the extra cooking time to use non-instant just does not justify the small difference in texture and taste. But today I made plain grits without cheese, just seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper and a sinful amount of unsalted butter. I also made the grits a bit more dry than usual, since there was added fat and moisture from the garlic/lime butter which I spooned over the sauteed salmon and grits at plating time. The salad dressed in yogurt gave a pleasant tang and additional texture to the dish.
While sauteing the salmon I was looking forward to the crispy skin, but Bella loves the skin even more than I do so I let her have it (along with half the salmon) 🙂
All around, a very delicious lunch, easy to prepare and full of flavor and different textures.
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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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All about Grits
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More Grits on ChefsOpinion
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Watch my friend Mark Dowling prepare “Instant Cheese Grits”
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P.S.
Notice in the pictures of the broken up salmon below how very juicy the fish is, even when cooked well done. Well done fish is never dry when properly cooked to the right temperature. Unfortunately, this is not taught anymore to our young “Chefs”, most of whom think that all fish has to be served raw in order to not be dry (Don’t even get me started on parasites…..)
But if you insist on eating raw and/or under-cooked fish, you might want to read this : About fish diseases and parasites

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Salmon & Grits In Garlic/Lime Butter

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: season salmon fillets with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, dust in flour

: saute in clarified butter until med/well, remove from pan, let rest a few minutes

: add garlic confit paste, saute until fragrant, add juice from one lime

: plate the grits

: add the salmon, skin side up

: ladle the garlic/lime butter over both the salmon and the grits, top with finely sliced iceberg and red onion, dressed with Greek yogurt, cayenne, kosher salt and lime juice

: Salmon & Grits In Garlic/Lime Butter

: Salmon & Grits In Garlic/Lime Butter

: Salmon & Grits In Garlic/Lime Butter

: Salmon & Grits In Garlic/Lime Butter

: Crispy Salmon Skin

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Beef Satay’s

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Although peanut sauce is one of my favorite condiments for grilled or broiled meat, today I opted for Thai Chili Sauce instead. The combination of the beef, rice, pickled cucumbers and chili sauce was absolutely delicious and I am sure that in the future I will be having this dish often, whenever a quick, light and tasty meal is in order 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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More Satay’s on ChefsOpinion
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Beef Satay’s

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: season finely sliced strip steak with garlic paste, soy sauce, sugar, grd coriander, grd cumin, cayenne pepper and lime juice , let marinade at least two hours

: skewer meat onto pre-soaked skewers

: grill or broil satay’s until med/well

: previously, generously salt cucumber batons, let stand for 30 minutes, squeeze out excess liquid, discard liquid

: add chili flakes, sesame oil and a spritz of lime juice

: serve satay’s with thai chili sauce, pickled cucumbers and lime/scallion rice

: Beef Satay’s

: Beef Satay’s

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Chicken Fried Steak

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The great thing about CFS is that one can utilize an economical (cheap, in plain English) cut of beef, such as top round or cube steak and still get excellent results. However, I happened to have some leftover raw strip loin left from yesterday’s dinner, which I sliced thin, then pounded it even thinner for this CFS.
Usually the traditional side dish would be mashed potatoes, but I am trying to cut down on my starch intake, so I felt the flour from the breading and the “Gravy” was enough of that for the day.
(The rendered fat from the chorizo and the chicken fat made this southern style gravy even tastier than it’s usual version made with bacon fat)
American comfort food at it’s finest ! (Just don’t tell your cardiologist) 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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All about Chicken Fried Steak
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All about Gravy
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Chicken Fried Steak

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: pound your choice of beef steak to 1/4″ thick, season with salt and cayenne pepper

: mix whole eggs with buttermilk (or substitute with yogurt)

: season flour with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, dip steak into it and shake off excess flour

: dip steak into egg/dairy mixture

: dip steak into flour again

: cook in clarified butter

: cook until golden on both sides and steaks have done-ness you desire

: remove steaks to absorbent paper

: add a spoonful of flour to the pan with the clarified butter, saute one minute until flour is “blond” in color

: add milk, chopped thyme leaves, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to the roux, whisk well to avoid lumps, simmer for five minutes, gravy should cover the back of a spoon, check / adjust seasoning

: while gravy simmers, saute diced chorizo, sliced onions and garlic paste in chicken or duck fat

: saute until onions are translucent

: add sliced white cabbage, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, add a cup of chicken stock, cover, simmer until cabbage is heated through but still crisp

: check / adjust seasoning

: plate the cabbage

: top with steaks and gravy

: Chicken Fried Steak

: Chicken Fried Steak

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Easy does it # 26 – Char Siu Bao

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Dear Friend’s,
Although most of my followers are culinary professionals, there is also a large segment of followers who are just starting to enjoy cooking on a slightly higher than basic level. I have therefore decided to publish, under the moniker “Easy Does It“, from time to time some very basic recipe variations of dishes (and even pre-cooked dishes) which otherwise might seem too complicated to some folks. I will break them down to the easiest, most simple instructions, so that those of you who are intimidated by elaborate recipes will be able to prepare these dishes properly, adjusted to your taste and liking, right from the get-go. After all, just because you are not (yet ?) a professional chef should not prevent you from enjoying great food at home. 🙂
Enjoy !
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If only Char Siu Bao (Cantonese barbecue-pork-filled buns) would be as easily available as our western buns in any restaurant, supermarket, bar and dive ! I would devour them at least once a day, everyday :-).
In the not so distant past, I have made Char Siu Bao many times from scratch. After all, over the years (decades), I was in charge of a few Chinese restaurants and even cooked in one on a daily basis (in Pakistan), so I am lucky enough to know the basics of some delicious Chinese food preparation.
However, with a great international/Asian food market close by, there is no need to do all the work by myself anymore. In fact, some of the prepared, frozen food items such as Baozi , Shumai or many other baked, steamed and boiled dumplings which are available frozen at “Foodtown Supermarket” in Davie are better than what I can get in most of the Chinese restaurants around here. And, as a quick dinner after work or a lazy lunch or just a snack in-between, these frozen marvels are unbeatable for convenience, quality and price. So I suggest that if you want to have another great standby for a rainy day, surprise guests or just a quick “different” meal, put some of these into your freezer and be prepared for anything. 🙂
“Foodtown Supermarket” has many varieties of steamed buns, filled with all kind of fillings, but I always come back to the Char Siu Bao which are my favorites.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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For more about Foodtown Market click here
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Char Siu Bao

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: fill a large pot wirh enough salted water to ALMOST reach the bottom of the first steamer basket add four FROZEN buns

: top first basket with another basket

: add another four buns

: top with the basket top

: cover the pot with a lid, bring the water to a boil, steam until the center of the dumplings reach 162F

: meanwhile, prepare the dipping sauce by mixing soy sauce with grated ginger, garlic paste, lime juice, sugar, sesame oil, chili oil and sliced scallions

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: first bite, of course….. 🙂

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Cornmeal-Dusted Sauteed Pork Ribs

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So who decided that the only good ribs are BBQ’d Ribs ?!
Once you have tried these here knock-out babies, you might be hooked on this very different spin on one of Americas favorite pork cut’s.
I for one prefer this preparation to the traditional way of barbequing ribs. This way you will actually be able to taste the rib meat, as well as enjoy the unique texture of the ribs, all of which is lost after hours of grilling, smoking and then drowning in a bucket-load of bbq sauce.
Of course, there are some great bbq’d ribs out there, but in my own humble opinion, they are few and far between.
So here we go, great ribs served with a wonderful German potato and cucumber salad.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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German Potato Salad
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Cornmeal Dusted Sauteed Pork Ribs

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: single-cut pork ribs

: simmer ribs in salted water until tender but NOT falling apart, drain

: season with dijon mustard, sriracha, kosher salt , oregano and granulated garlic

: coat with a mixture of corn starch and corn meal ( 50/50)

: saute in peanut oil until golden and crisp

: meanwhile, prepare the potato salad from cooked, warm sliced potatoes and cucumbers (see link for instructions)

: remove ribs to absorbent paper, let rest for a minute

: Cornmeal Dusted Sauteed Pork Ribs

: Cornmeal Dusted Sauteed Pork Ribs

: Cornmeal Dusted Sauteed Pork Ribs

: Cornmeal Dusted Sauteed Pork Ribs

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Tortilla Española (Tortilla De Patatas) (Spanish Omelette)

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While a Spanish tortilla is steeped in tradition and has it’s long-standing recipes (usually just thinly sliced potatoes and eggs,) I like to make my own, more elaborate versions by adding “stuff”, such as ham, bacon, vegetables, mushrooms, shrimp, or any other ingredient I find suitable to a dish I love but would find boring after a while had it only the two original ingredients. I justify calling these versions “Tortilla Española” because of the fact that while I was traveling in Spain, I encountered many such versions with different ingredients, all the same called “Tortilla Española”. As for browning the potatoes in the version containing diced potatoes instead of thinly sliced potatoes, this just seems to result in a different texture (better, in my opinion) than if using potatoes without a crispy crust.
I hope the Tortilla Española Purist’s out there will forgive me and everybody else will experiment until they find their own favorite version of this great dish 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Tortilla Española (Tortilla De Patatas) (Spanish Omelette)

Tortilla Espagnola

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: whisk whole eggs with kosher salt, granulated garlic and hot sauce

: saute diced potatoes in olive oil, season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

: when potatoes are lightly browned, add diced onions, saute until onions are translucent

: add diced chorizo and sliced scallions ( I also added a bit of leftover mortadela I had in the fridge), saute until sausages start to brown

: add egg mixture, put into 350F oven until set

: slide on a plate, flip onto other side and continue to cook in oven until set and golden brown but still moist on the inside

: to serve, sprinkle with freshly grated manchego cheese and chopped cilantro, serve hot or at room temperature

: Tortilla Española (Tortilla De Patatas) (Spanish Omelette)

: Tortilla Española (Tortilla De Patatas) (Spanish Omelette)

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Udon Noodles With Tenderloin Tips And Bell Peppers

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Udon, the Japanese noodle-love of my life !

Apparently, Alison Spiegel (and many others) caught the same love bug) :

( Excerpt from : The Huffington Post | By Alison Spiegel )
“Ramen may be everyone’s favorite Japanese noodle soup these days, but just because it’s the trendiest doesn’t mean it’s the best. We’re huge fans of ramen — don’t get us a wrong. We could eat ramen for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night snacks any day of the week, instant or otherwise. But it’s time to get to know other Japanese noodles, like soba and udon. Because they’re made with buckwheat, which is gluten free, soba noodles have gotten their due lately. Udon noodles, however, have been falling by the wayside, and we’re here to tell you why you should give them plenty of attention this winter.

Thick, chewy and ridiculously satisfying, udon noodles are in a league of their own. These long, Japanese wheat noodles are great hot or cold, and with a neutral flavor, they’re an unmatchable foundation for everything from miso soups to curry. In Japan,kake udon is one of the simplest and most common ways to eat these soft yet sturdy noodles. Udon noodles are served in hot dashi, a Japanese broth made with kombu and bonito flakes, and are topped with scallions. They might also come with tempura or fish cakes. Other popular ways to eat udon noodles include yakiudon, in which the noodles are stir-fried, and zaru udon, in which the noodles are served cold with a soy-sauce based dipping sauce. However you eat udon noodles, they will leave you feeling full but not stuffed, comforted but not sluggish, and completely nourished.”

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All about Udon
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Udon Noodles With Tenderloin Tips And Bell Peppers

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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 tenderloin tips into batons, season with oregano, chili flakes, whole chilies,and soy sauce

: stir fry in very hot peanut oil until nicely browned but still rare, remove to absorbent paper, discard most of the oil

: in the remaining oil, stir fry sliced onions and garlic paste until fragrant

: add finely sliced bell peppers, stir fry another minute

: add 4 tblsp water, 3 tblsp soy sauce, 2 tblsp oyster sauce, 2 tblsp hoi sin sauce, 1 tblsp ketchup

: simmer for one minute, remove from heat, add a few drops of chili oil and a few drops of sesame oil, check / adjust seasoning

: add cooked udon and stir fried beef tips

: mix well

: Udon Noodles With Tenderloin Tips And Bell Peppers

: Udon Noodles With Tenderloin Tips And Bell Peppers

: Udon Noodles With Tenderloin Tips And Bell Peppers

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Ahlbecker Meeresfrüchte Suppe (Ahlbeck-Style Seafood Soup)

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Back when my wife Maria and I were owners of Restaurant Gildenkeller in Neubrandenburg, (in the former East Germany), one of our short weekend trips took us to the island of Usedom, which is about an hours drive by car from Neubrandenburg, where our restaurant was located.
I remember the quaint little Inn’s and the few stately, but outdated and mostly dilapidated grand hotels of better times past (before the communists took over). However, there were also a number of small, new restaurants, run with much enthusiasm and love by their newly capitalist owners, which excelled in their standards of food and service. In one such gem in the town of Ahlbeck (I forgot the name of the restaurant but not the food we ate) Maria and I had a most wonderful lunch, consisting of an delightful appetizer of “Matjes Herring” with “Pumpernickel“, a superb main course of “Ahlbecker Meeresfrüchte Suppe” and a great dessert of “Rote Grütze“.
Today I prepared the soup as I remembered it from so many years ago and it did not disappoint 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
Check the bottom of this page for “Bella’s Salmon Stew” 🙂
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Ahlbecker Meeresfrüchte Suppe

: fresh salmon, fresh cod fillet, shrimp, chopped smoked salmon, squid (replace with mussels for more authenticity)

: simmer cut fish in water seasoned with salt, white pepper and lemon juice

: when fish is almost done, add squid (or mussels) and shrimp, remove from heat, let steep another minute

: drain seafood, save the stock

: saute onions, anchovy paste and garlic paste

: add smoked salmon, saute another minute

: add a bit of a/p flour, saute another minute

: add clam juice (there is not enough flavor from the small amount of seafood in the stock)

: add the stock, simmer for 15 minutes

: add heavy cream, check / adjust seasoning

: plate the warm seafood, sprinkle with chopped parsley or dill

: ladle the hot soup over the seafood

: Ahlbecker Meeresfrüchte Suppe

: Ahlbecker Meeresfrüchte Suppe

: Ahlbecker Meeresfrüchte Suppe

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Bellas Fish Stew
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: for your four-legged friend (dog or cat), simmer the salmon trimmings in a bit of water

: Bellas Salmon Stew 🙂

: spoil her to smithereens, 🙂

: Happy Bella 🙂

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Pasta Cacio E Pepe

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This most simple dish of pasta, black pepper and cheese confirms the genius of classic Italian cuisine once more.
Good quality pasta, cooked al dente with just the right amount of salt, fresh ground black pepper, grated caciocavallo cheese and a bit of the cooking liquid, it is pasta perfection at its finest. I enjoyed it tonight as a second course after a first course of a sexy salad of Romaine, Radiccio Rosso and Bresola with Prepared Horseradish.
A truly wonderful dinner , fit for a king.
(And a Queen – Bella couldn’t get enough of both the pasta and the bresola) 🙂
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Buon Appetito ! Life is Good !
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Pasta Cacio E Pepe

Romaine, Radiccio Rosso, Red Radish and Bresola with Prepared Horseradish In Raspberry Vinegar Vinaigrette

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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 pasta in lightly salted water until al dente

: drain, reserve some of the cooking liquid

: add fresh ground black pepper and finely grated caciocavallo cheese

: add some of the reserved cooking liquid

: mix ingredients well until a creamy sauce forms

: Pasta Cacio E Pepe

: Pasta Cacio E Pepe

: Pasta Cacio E Pepe

: Romaine, Radiccio Rosso and Bresola with Prepared Horseradish In Raspberry Vinegar Vinaigrette

: Romaine, Radiccio Rosso and Bresola with Prepared Horseradish In Raspberry Vinegar Vinaigrette

: Romaine, Radiccio Rosso and Bresola with Prepared Horseradish In Raspberry Vinegar Vinaigrette

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Carlo’s Veal & Leek Soup

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Soup……….
(Excerpt from “FoodTimeline”)
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Food historians tell us the history of soup is probably as old as the history of cooking. The act of combining various ingredients in a large pot to create a nutritious, filling, easily digested, simple to make/serve food was inevitable. This made it the perfect choice for both sedentary and travelling cultures, rich and poor, healthy people and invalids. Soup (and stews, pottages, porridges, gruels, etc.) evolved according to local ingredients and tastes. New England chowder, Spanish gazpacho, Russian borscht, Italian minestrone, French onion, Chinese won ton and Campbell’s tomato…are all variations on the same theme.
Soups were easily digested and were prescribed for invalids since ancient times. The modern restaurant industry is said to be based on soup. Restoratifs (wheron the word “restaurant” comes) were the first items served in public restaurants in 18th century Paris. Broth [Pot-au-feu], bouillion, and consomme entered here. Classic French cuisine generated many of the soups we……read more about Soup here
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Many years ago when Maria and I visited one of my friends in Germany, Carlo (better known in Germany’s food community as “Kräuter-Carlo” aus Trebenow), served us this great soup which has stayed in my repertoire for home cooked comfort food ever since. It is so tasty and the texture so pleasant that every time I prepare a large pot full in order to be able to re-heat it in batches in the next few days, I usually end up finishing most of the whole pot right then and there :-).
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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