dinner

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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Pork Shank’s & Lai Fen In Garlic/Ginger Broth

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Usually we use this cut of the animal to make Osso Buco (originally done with veal shanks), but I love me a hearty soup more than anything else, so I decided to prepare this dish with some pork shanks my friend Curtis dropped off last time he came to visit. Great, simple dinner, bursting with flavor and texture 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Pork Shank’s & Lai Fen In Garlic Ginger Broth

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Preparation :
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simmer pork shank’s in stock seasoned with star anis, cinnamon, garlic paste, black pepper, salt and grated ginger until tender but NOT falling apart

meanwhile, blanch green beans and cook lai fen pasta (rice flour bucatini)

add beans to soup

add diced peppers, onions and lap cheong (chinese sausage), check/adjust seasoning

add diced peppers, onions and lap cheong (chinese sausage), simmer two more minutes, check/adjust seasoning

add lai fen to serving bowl

to serve, top noodles with meat, vegetables and broth, sprinkle with chopped cilantro

Pork Shank’s & Lai Fen In Garlic Ginger Broth

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Chicken & Scallion Dumplings “Foo Yong”

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Ravioli, Dumplings, Maultaschen, Pierogi or whatever you call your little pasta pockets filled with a savory filling – if there are leftovers, what will be the best way to make a meal out of them ? I say, saute them with eggs and voila ! – a whole new, different, beautiful dish which, when properly prepared, will be as good as the first incarnation of your little pockets of deliciousness 🙂
So, while I would usually make this dish with leftover dumplings, today I did not even wait to have leftovers. Instead, I sautéed them right after they came out of the boiling water with some eggs, chili oil, chili flakes and cilantro and bingo ! What a great dish – perfect texture, taste and presentation
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chicken & Scallion Dumplings “Foo Yong”

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Preparation :
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saute onions in garlic oil until translucent

add garlic confit paste, saute until garlic is fragrant

add lightly whisked whole eggs, seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

add freshly boiled, drained dumplings (if using leftovers, saute after onions before adding the garlic paste)

saute one minute until eggs are set

add chopped cilantro. to serve, drizzle with chili oil and sprinkle with chili flakes and more cilantro

Chicken & Scallion Dumplings “Foo Yong”

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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 40 – Fruit & Dairy

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I woke up this morning with a huge craving for fruits and sweets.
Found the perfect ingredients in the fridge and cupboard. Lucky me.
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(Of course, this would also serve, lunch, dinner, snack or dessert) 🙂
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Happy Sunday ! Life is Good !
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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 40 – Fruit & Dairy

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Ingredients :
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plum

plum & banana

plum, banana & cantaloupe

plum, banana, cantaloupe & raspberry

plum, banana, cantaloupe, raspberry & strawberry

plum, banana, cantaloupe, raspberry, strawberry, strawberry yogurt, whipped cream, cinnamon & milk

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 40 – Fruit & Dairy

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Lamb Meat Balls In Harissa/Tomato Sauce, With Garlicky Pearl Pasta And Feta Cheese

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Last month my friend Curtis introduced me to a store which I have been missing all my cooking life. It’s the “Foodtown Supermarket” in Davie, corner sterling/dairy rd extension. Here I can find EVERYTHING my culinary cravings will ever desire as far as Asian and Latino food ingredients are concerned. EVERYTHING !!! 🙂 – Live frogs, live crabs, live shrimps, fresh fish heads, intestines, you get the idea.
(You can check it out online by clicking this link, especially read the comments) 🙂
Although Merguez sausage is neither Asian nor Latino, Foodtown has a great quality one on offer, as well as a small selection of other African/Mediterranean items.
So yesterday after work I stopped by there for a few goodies and amongst other stuff I got merguez sausage, harissa and pearl pasta (Piombi)
So here is what I had for lunch today :

Click here for more on MERGUEZ SAUSAGE

Click here for more on LAMB MEAT BALLS

Click here for more on HARISSA
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Lamb Meat Balls In Harissa / Tomato Sauce With Garlicky Pearl Pasta And Feta Cheese

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Preparation :
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cook pearl pasta in salted water, strain, reserve some of the cooking liquid in case you need to thinnen the sauce

cut mild chilies, onion and blanched carrots into triangels

cut mild chilies, onion and blanched carrots into triangles

saute carrots and onions in a generous amount of herb / garlic butter and olive oil until starting to caramelize

add chilies and sliced scallions

add pearl pasta, mix well, check / adjust seasoning

add pearl pasta, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, mix well, check / adjust seasoning

remove merguez sausage from casing, form into small balls, saute in olive oil until medium, add 1/3 of harissa and 2/3 of tomato sauce. If too thick, add some of the pasta liquid, simmer for one minute, check / adjust seasoning

plate pasta, leaving a well in the center

add lamb meatballs and harissa / tomato sauce

sprinkle with finely crumbled feta cheese and sliced scallions

Lamb Meat Balls In Harissa / Tomato Sauce With Garlicky Pearl Pasta And Feta Cheese

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Peanut Glazed Pork Medaillons With Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce

Here is a recipe sure to tempt you if you like to have a tasty and exotic meal but do not have the time nor desire to prepare an elaborate, complicated meal, which is what happened to me today. I just finished my first week of work after two months of vacation, so my spirit and energy has been slightly drained this weekend. After cleaning the apartment, taking care of Bella, doing the shopping and a bunch of other chores, cooking an elaborate meal was not exactly at the forefront of my mind. Eating a good meal on the other hand ……..
So here is what I came up with. This was very delicious, yet simple and easy to prepare. You will be able to easily knock this out in about 15 minutes 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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For Peanut Sauce Recipe Click Here
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Peanut Glazed Pork Medaillons And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce

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Preparation :
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saute onions and garlic paste in peanut oil

saute onions, grated ginger and garlic paste in peanut oil

add blanched baby bok choy and mild chilis

add blanched baby bok choy and mild chilies

add oyster sauce, soy sauce, sriracha and sesame oil, simmer until bok choy is heated through, check / adjust seasoning

meanwhile, saute pork medaillons on both sides, when almost done, add peanut sauce and a few drops of water, remove from heat, mix well untill medaillons are completely covered with sauce

meanwhile, saute salt and pepper seasoned pork medaillons on both sides, when almost done, add peanut sauce and a few drops of water, remove from heat, mix well until medaillons are completely covered with sauce

ready to plate…

plate bok choy and a small side dish with peanut sauce for dipping

arrange glazed pork medaillons on bok choy

Peanut Glazed Pork Medaillons And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce

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Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog,
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ChefsOpinion’s Sabbatical

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Dear Friend’s,

Due to personal circumstances I have to take a break from ChefsOpinion for the next four to six weeks.
This is mostly because next week I will move from the home I shared for fifteen years with my beloved wife Maria into a small (but very nice) apartment. During the move I will for some time be without internet access and it will also take me a while to set up my new kitchen. As you can imagine, there are many things involved with a life changing move like that, especially when one has to do it all by oneself.
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Anyway, I will try to get everything sorted out as soon as possible and hope to be back again during the middle or end of July 🙂
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In the meantime, you can go back to earlier post’s to get inspiration for your daily meals or to simply drool over some mouthwatering food pictures –
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simply click on this link :

ChefsOpinion Archive

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or simply click on this link :
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ChefsOpinion Pictures

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I am hoping to see you all back soon on ChefsOpinion so we can continue our journey through real food and real opinions 🙂
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Ciao ! Life is Good !

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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THE ULTIMATE! Fried Chicken & Angry Potatoes (Papas Bravas)

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Let me warn you – if you don’t like spicy food………. ahhh, don’t worry, if you don’t like spicy, just replace all the cayenne pepper with mild smoked paprika and you’ll be fine.
But if you do like spicy, this recipe is addictive, especially if you combine the Papas Bravas (my own version of this Spanish classic) with the chicken as I have done here. It might take a bite or two to get used to the heat, but then……Heaven 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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The Ultimate Fried Chicken & Angry Potatoes (Papas Bravas)

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The Ultimate Fried Chicken & Angry Potatoes (Papas Bravas)

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juicy lucy…….

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Preparation :
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chicken tighs and breast

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add peeled, raw potatoes, season with kosher salt, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika and granulated garlic

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eggwash : whole eggs, greek yougurt, sriracha, cayenne pepper, granulated garlic

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whisk eggwash until smooth

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seasoned flour : a/p flour, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, kosher salt

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dredge chicken in seasoned flour

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coat floured chicken with eggwash

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dredge flour dredged, eggwash coated chicken once more in seasoned flour, shake off excess flour, fry at 325F for about 20 minutes, depending on size of chicken

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after 10 minutes frying the chicken, add the seasoned totatoes, fry until soft on the inside, crispy and golden on the outside Bout 15 more minutes, during the last 5 minutes, ingrease the temperature of the oil to 375F

after 10 minutes frying the chicken, add the seasoned totatoes, fry until soft on the inside, crispy and golden on the outside, about 15 more minutes; during the last 5 minutes, ingrease the temperature of the oil to 375F

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when potatoes and chicken are done, remove to absorbent paper

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seasoning dip : cayenne pepper, scotch bonnet hot sauce, garlic paste, lime juice, kosher salt, garlic oil

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ready to add the fried chicken and potatoes to seasoning dip

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toss chicken and potatoes in seasoning dip

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The Ultimate Fried Chicken & Angry Potatoes (Papas Bravas)

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The Ultimate Fried Chicken & Angry Potatoes (Papas Bravas)

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The Ultimate Fried Chicken & Angry Potatoes (Papas Bravas)

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Juicy Lucy …….

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Breakfast Of Champions # 38 – Croissant, Ham, Spicy Chorizo & Soft Boiled Egg

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Got up late today, so a substantial breakfast and no lunch will be the order of the day 🙂
Later an early dinner and to bed early, 3.30am the new work week starts 😦
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Breakfast Of Champions
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Breakfast Of Champions # 38 – Croissant, Ham, Spicy Chorizo & Soft Boiled Egg

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Breakfast Of Champions # 38 – Croissant, Ham, Spicy Chorizo & Soft Boiled Egg

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Preparation :
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fresh croissant

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cut croissants in half

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saute ham in garlic oil, top two croissant halves with ham

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top with sliced spicy chorizo

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top remaining two croissant halves with sweet chili sauce

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grate asiago cheese on top of chorizo

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top with two soft-boiled eggs each

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top with arugula in french dressing

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Breakfast Of Champions # 38 – Croissant, Ham, Spicy Chorizo & Soft Boiled Egg

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Breakfast Of Champions # 38 – Croissant, Ham, Spicy Chorizo & Soft Boiled Egg

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Breakfast Of Champions # 38 – Croissant, Ham, Spicy Chorizo & Soft Boiled Egg

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Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog,
please be so kind and click on the video below. Thank you 🙂
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Polpi In Umido – Italian Style Octopus Stewed In Wine And Tomatoes

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Octopus is one of my favorite seafood. Unfortunately, fresh octopus is not usually available around here. I sometimes order it online, but for the spur of the moment, I usually fall back to canned octopus. I have tried many different brands over the years and my favorite is the Vigo brand in garlic/olive oil. I usually prepare a salad by mixing it with peppers, herbs, potatoes and vinaigrette. Once in a while I mix it in a mixed seafood stew. However, for the dish at hand it was the perfect taste and texture. I even added the garlic oil from the can since it has a strong taste of the sea. A quick, easy and very affordable seafood recipe. If you are not a fan of octopus, replace it with shrimp, just simmer the shrimp and sauce for less time in order to keep the shrimp succulent and moist.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more about Octopus
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Polpi In Umido – Italian Style Octopus Stewed In Wine And Tomatoes

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Polpi In Umido – Italian Style Octopus Stewed In Wine And Tomatoes

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Preparation :
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saute finely diced onions and garlic paste in olive oil

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when onions are translucent add tomato paste, saute another minute

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deglaze with red wine, add octopus with it's canned oil, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, simmer fr three minutes, check/adjust seasoning

deglaze with red wine, add octopus with its canned oil, finely chopped tomatoes, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, simmer for three more minutes, check/adjust seasoning

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