dinner

Chicken In Saffran Broth, Vegetables & Cream Biscuits

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Sunday dinner was simple today. I did not feel like spending too much time in the kitchen cooking and cleaning up, so it was a simple stew with biscuits. Nevertheless, it tasted and looked wonderful and the chicken was especially well received by Bella 🙂
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Chicken In Saffran Broth, Vegetables & Cream Biscuits

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: Chicken In Saffran Broth, Vegetagles & Cream Biscuits

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Ingredient’s :

Chicken drumsticks,
Corn on the cob, shucked, cut into pieces
Cauliflower, rosettes, blanched
Potatoes, peeled, diced
Shiitake mushrooms, stem removed, quartered
Leeks, sliced
Onions, diced
Chilis, select for your favorite heat level
Garlic, paste
Ginger, grated
Cilantro, chopped
Saffran threads,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Chicken stock,

Method :

Simmer chicken, garlic, and ginger in lightly seasoned stock for 10 minutes. Add corn and simmer for another 15 minutes, Add all other vegetables and potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add saffran and let steep for another 20 minutes. Return to heat until hot. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with cream biscuits on the side.
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Cream Biscuit Recipe Click Here
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Bon Appetit ! La vie est bien !

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Gorgonzola Gratinated Skirt Steak, Tomato & Aparagus On Naan

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Friday night’s dinner is one of these typical dishes that are only concocted when the hunger for a BIG dinner is already gnawing in our gut’s and nothing small and simple will satisfy the hunger disturbed imagination of what the next meal must be like. So here we go, a dinner that will satisfy even the biggest craving for hearty food 🙂
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Gorgonzola Gratinated Skirt Steak, Tomato & Aparagus On Naan

: Gorgonzola Gratinated Skirt Steak, Tomato & Aparagus On Naan

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Ingredient’s :

Skirt steak, marinated overnight in soy sauce, sriracha, & garlic paste
Naan, (substitute with bread of your choice)
Asparagus spears, (white or green, depending on availability and your preference), buttered and seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper
Tomatoes, sliced thick, seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper
Scallions, buttered and seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper
Asiago cheese, finely grated
Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Kosher salt,
Peanut oil,

Method :

Season steak with kosher salt, dust with a mixture of ap flour, cornstarch, cayene and garlic powder , saute in oil until bloody rare (or your preference. (See note below). Place naan on a baking rack. Top with steak. Sprinkle with asiago. Top with tomato. Sprinkle with asiago . Top with asparagus. Top with gorgonzola. Top with scallions. Broil until gorgonzola is melted and get’s a few golden spots. Remove from broiler, sprinkle with chili flakes. Enjoy a great meal ! 🙂

Note :
Remember the carry-over heat and the step of gratinating. Both will further cook your steak. Since I like most of my beef and lamb steaks to be medium rare, I removed it at bloody rare. By the time it was gratinated and ready to eat, it was a perfect medium rare.

Bon Appetit Life is Good !
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Whole Roasted Duck

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Don’t get me wrong!
I do love a rare duck breast with crisp skin . But, that is definitely not the end of all great duck dishes. Of course it is so much easier to cut off the breast’s and saute them separate, leaving the center rare and declaring that a master piece and the fine art of cooking. Then cut off the legs and braise them until tender. Wow, how difficult is that ! I have enjoyed both these dishes often ( If ! properly done. More often than not, some “chef’s” are able to even screw that up) . But, in my humble opinion, nothing can beat a whole roast duck, legs and breast perfectly tender and juicy, full of flavor. Maybe it takes a bit more knowledge, experience and feeling to accomplish, but a successful result is certainly worth the extra effort.
This duck was beautifully tasty, juicy and tender, with a great skin, served with its own, red wine fortified jus. Any other preparation will surely come in second place, way behind this beauty 🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Duck, whole, marinated for two days with merlot, soy sauce, sriracha, granulated garlic
Merlot, substitue with wine of your preference
Kosher salt,
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Method :

Turn duck in it’s marinade often, so as to evenly marinade on all sides, inside and out. After two day’s remove from marinade and pat dry. Season with kosher salt, inside and out. Set on a rack in a roasting pan above the remaning marinade and red wine. Cook for 30 min at 420F.Turn heat to 275 F and cook, loosely covered with aluminium foil, for 4,5 hours. Remove foil, turn heat back up to 400F and roast for another 30 min or until skin is crisp and golden. Strain the jus, serve apart. Accompany with starch and vegetables, or do as I did – eat the whole thing at once and just have some bread with it to dunk in the jus.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Whole Roast Duck

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Whole Roast Duck

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Spinach, Potato, Sausage & Cheese Casserole

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This is such a versatile dish. Every ingredient can be replaced with a substitute without losing any of the complexity of texture and taste.

Spinach : Asparagus, cabbage, corn, broccoli, carrots, beets, etc.
Potato : Sweet potato, mashed potato, pasta, rice, etc.
Asiago : Gorgonzola, parmesan, cheddar, brie, pepper jack, stilton, etc.
Sausage : Bacon, chicken, seafood, beef, lamb, game, etc.

Saute onion, garlic and sausage in butter, add spinach, wilt. Add blanched potatoes, cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Bake at 375 F until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let set for 30 minute before serving.
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Spinach, Potato, Sausage & Cheese Casserole

: Spinach, Potato, Sausage & Cheese Casserole

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Drunken Turkey Drum Stick

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Usually when I walk into a store to buy food, turkey does not stand in the forefront of my mind. Today I was looking for something like gizzards, trotters, necks, etc. But when I saw this beautiful piece of poultry, my mind was made up, decision made :
Braised Turkey 🙂

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Turkey drums stick, onion diced, garlic paste, tomato chopped, chilis chopped, basil, peppers chopped, celery chopped, red wine, beer, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, butter

Saute drum stick in butter until golden, remove. Saute vegetables, add wine and beer (no stock needed), return drum stick , season with salt and pepper, simmer until tender but not falling apart. Remove 1/3 rd of the vegetables and blend until smooth. Return to stock to lightly thicken. Serve with any starch, such as pasta, potatoes, rice. I used a nice italian white bread which I sautéed in butter with roasted garlic paste. The best way to soak up the sauce and scoop up the vegetables. Simple food at it’s best 🙂

Drunken Turkey Drum Stick

Drunken Turkey Drum Stick
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Link To Beer Braised Turkey Leg’s
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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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Spinach Pappardelle, Ham & Bell Pepper Ragout

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What a great meal a bit of ham, peppers, pasta
and a good amount of love for all things pasta can make.
( As you can see, Madam agrees 🙂

Sharing a meal with a loved should count as one of life’s most precious moment’s. Even if not all of them can be there physically, they are alway’s there in spirit.
All my loved ones love food, – coincidence ?
And not all are as big-bellied as I am, thankfully 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Spinach Pappardelle & Ham And Bell Pepper Ragout

: Spinach Pappardelle & Ham And Bell Pepper Ragout

Spatchcocked Chicken “Nilda’s Way”

Spatchcocked Chicken

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When my mother in law , Nilda, was still healthy and living with us, she made roast chicken over potatoes and onions at least once a month. She did not spatchcock (what a funny word to say and write) the chicken, but rather left it whole to cook on top of the potatoes. I on the other hand, feel that to spatchcock the bird will give a superior result, both for the chicken and the potatoes. It will allow the potatoes to soak up all the juices and flavor from the chicken during the cooking process and at the same time it allows the chicken to cook very evenly, cooking all the way through but leaving both the legs and breast’s very juicy. Since the coarse salt will not all run down the side of the chicken as when you roast it whole, it will give the skin a unique texture, rather like a chinese style pepper & salt preparation. I used the same spice mix for the chicken and the potatoes / vegetables – kosher salt, sriracha, melted butter, granulated garlic. Mix the seasoning and butter with the potatoes and vegetables. Rub the chicken on both sides with a generous amount of butter and seasoning. Place the potato / vegetable mix on a rack which sit’s on a baking sheet, filled with half water and half red wine. Cook in the center of the oven at 390 F for approximately two hours. My chicken was VERY big, so it took two hours to reach a internal temperature of 16o F. After removing the chicken from the oven and letting it rest for another 15 minutes, the carry-over heat will take the temperature to a safe 165. This will leave the chicken safe to eat and the meat, including the breast, very moist and tender.
Finally, strain the jus from the sheet pan and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serving suggestion : See pictures 🙂
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Marc Osten on culinary-compass : Spatchcooking
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Gizzard Adobo

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Although I tremendously enjoy Philippine style adobo served the traditional way with steamed rice, I enjoy my adobo even more with pasta and creamed spinach. Served seperate, then all mixed together on the plate, what a great, simple, tasty meal 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Kainan na!

Chicken Gizzard Adobo

: Chicken Gizzard Adobo

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Ingredients :

Chicken Gizzards,
Onions,   large dice
Garlic,   paste
Bay leaves,
Chicken stock,
Fish sauce,  substitute with oystersauce if preferred
Soy sauce,
Sugar,
Beer,
Kosher salt,
Black Pepper,   freshly ground
Peanut oil,   to saute

Method :

Saute gizzards until nicely browned, add onions and garlic and saute until onions start to brown. Add all other ingredients and simmer until gizzards are tender. At this point, the sauce should be reduced so it covers the back of a spoon (nappe). Traditionally, adobo is served with steamed rice. However, in this version I served it with creamed spinach and pasta.

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Mabuhay ! Life is Good !
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Late Night Snack: Romaine, Tomatoes, Eggs & Seafood

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What a great, tasty snack last night at 1.00 am.
Just about three minutes of preparation,
but a great, very enjoyable meal 🙂
If you use canned food, just make sure it is of
very good quality, a few extra $ will make a
big difference in taste, texture and appearance.

I used a simple Dijon mustard vinaigrette,
grape tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, romaine
lettuce, octopus, mussels, sesame grissini
and sprinkled some Chili flakes on top.
Voila ! Good eat’n !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Foie De Veau “Berlinoise”

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Kalbs Leber “Berliner Art”, Sauted Veal Liver “Berlin Style”,
with Brussel sprouts and potato gnocchi in asiago cream.
I know, I know- Offal again . But, I just love that stuff 🙂
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Ingredient’s :
Liver:
Veal liver, trimmed, thinly sliced
Coating mixture, flour, cornmeal, cayenne pepper, kosher salt
Oil to saute,
Butter to saute,

Gnocchi:
Russet potatoes,   cooked, peeled, mashed
A/P flour,   sifted
Eggs,  whole, whisked
Heavy cream,
Tomato sauce,   very small amount
Asiago cheese,   grated
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Butter,   to saute

Brussel Sprouts:
Brussel sprouts,   outer leaves removed, halved, blanched
Onions,   fine brunoise
Bacon,   fine julienne
Roasted garlic paste,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
nutmeg,   grated
Butter,   to saute

Garnish:
Onions,   finely sliced
Fiji apples,   sliced, cored
Oil,   to saute
Butter,   to saute

Method :

Liver:
Dredge liver in coating mixture, shake off excess. Saute in hot oil until golden brown, discard oil. Add butter and saute on both sides until butter is foamy. remove to absorbent paper.

Gnocchi:
Add egg, seasoning and flour to potatoes, mix lightly until smooth. Shape into gnocchi. Cook a sample. If too soft, add flour. If too dense, add egg. Cook in boiling water until gnocchi float. Remove with slotted spoon into strainer. Saute in melted butter, add heavy cream, a small amount of tomato sauce and seasoning. Reduce until texture is creamy, remove from heat and add grated cheese.

Brussel Sprouts:
Saute bacon until fat has rendered and bacon is crispy. Add onions and saute until onions are translucent. Add butter, Brussel sprouts, garlic and seasoning. Saute until sprouts are heated through.

Garnish:
Dredge onions and apples in coating mixture, shake off excess. Saute in hot oil until golden brown, discard oil. Add butter and saute until butter is foamy. Remove to absorbent paper.
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Serving suggestion: See pictures.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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