dinner

Poached Chicken, Arugula, Strawberry & Pomegranate

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This dish was a bit unusual for me to prepare for myself, (fru fru ? 🙂 , but I had this craving for poached chicken with a twist. I really enjoyed the combination of chicken with: spicy (chili oil, green peppercorn), sweet (strawberries, pomegranate), slightly bitter ( arugula) and acidic (lime juice). All in all, a successful dish which I will surely prepare again 🙂
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Poach the chicken in seasoned water until just done, still very juicy but cooked through. ( Remove from simmering liquid at 162F. Cover loosely and let chicken rest for 10 minutes. The carry-over heat will take it to a safe 165F without giving it a chance to dry out ). Drizzle with chili oil mixed with a bit of soy sauce and lime and sprinkle with sauteed green peppercorn. Serve with salad and fruit of your choice .

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Roast Pork Butt, Fries & Porcini Sauce

Lunch.

Definitely not “food porn”
Definitely a wonderful lunch.

Life is Good ! Pork is Good !
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Geroestete Semmelknoedel Mit Ei

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A few weeks ago I posted :

Rinds Rouladen & Semmel Knoedel ( Beef Roulade & Bread Dumplings )

in response to a request. I mentioned in the post that one can not re-heat bread dumplings in water, as they would become very dense. I promised to post another post soon to explain what to do with leftover bread dumplings. Here are two very delicious recipes.

A ) ” Semmelknoedel Salat ”
Dice the cooled dumplings, add diced red onions, diced radish, diced tomatoes, diced cucumbers, diced peppers, sliced chives and dijon mustard vinaigrette and mix all into a Panzanella – like salad. Beautiful and delicious 🙂

B ) ” Geroestete Semmelknoedel mit Ei ”
Quarter the cooled dumplings, then slice into quarter inch slices. Whisk whole eggs with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Saute dumpling slices in butter until lightly browned. Add eggs and sliced chives, saute until eggs start to set. To serve, sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Serve with tomato / cucumber salad.
Note : During the sauteing the dumplings will become crispy on the outside while they aquire a wonderful creamy texture on the inside.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Teriyaki Beef Ribs

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Rarely, if ever, have I had the audacity to pronounce any dish I created “perfect”
Great – yes; superb – yes; my absolute favorite – yes; outstanding – yes;
But to say one can not improve upon a dish usually indicates stupidity,
arrogance, ignorance or all of the above.
However, the ribs I cooked last night – absolutely perfect !
In my own, personal, humble opinion, these were the ultimate, best,
top of the line beef ribs. Perfect texture, perfect taste, perfect presentation.
If you don’t agree after you have recreated them, you can call me stupid if you want,
but I will always know that these are the perfect beef ribs 🙂
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Ingredients :

Beef ribs,
Teriyaki sauce,
(I sometimes make my own, here is a good recipe) : Teriyaki Sauce
Oyster sauce,
Soy sauce,
Chili oil,
Chili pepper,
Sweet chili sauce,
Wasabi,
Kosher salt,

Method :

Simmer ribs in water for two to three hours,
until very tender, but not ” falling of the bones”
(That would be over cooked 🙂 )
Season the water with slices of ginger and garlic, onion, kosher salt, soy sauce and chili pepper. When tender, remove ribs, pad dry and brush with basting liquid made with teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, wasabi, chili oil, sweet chili sauce and salt. Place on baking rack and bake in oven at 375 F for 45 minutes. While baking, baste again every ten minutes. When done, remove from oven, sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallion. Let rest for fifteen minutes before cutting into individual ribs.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Ziti In Wodka Sauce

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If you love pasta, this dish is for you.
The only, important, vital thing to take into consideration :
Butter, butter, butter.! Olive oil just does not cut it here.
I know butter has gone out of fashion with many folk’s,
but here is the time and occasion when you have to leave
your healthy pad for a moment and indulge in the goodness of
butter. Not butter substitute, not clarified butter, just plain,
rich, good tasting butter 🙂

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Ingredient’s

Ziti, cooked, drained, some cooking water reserved
Tomato sauce, canned
Wodka,
Garlic, paste
Peperoncino romano, finely grated
Butter,
Sriracha,
Maggi seasoning,
Kosher salt,
Chili flakes,
Italian parsley,

Method :

Saute garlic in butter until fragrant, deglaze with wodka.
( Careful with the flame, you don’t want to set your eyebrows
or your kitchen on fire ). Add tomato sauce, cooking water,
sriracha and pasta, heat to a simmer. Remove from heat,
add more butter, cheese, maggi and salt and mix well. Adjust
texture with cooking water if necessary. Adjust seasoning to
your liking. To serve, sprinkle with more cheese, chili flakes
and italian parsley.

Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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” Rigatoni Rustica “

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Last night’s dinner was a perfect example of tasty comfort food,
simple, tasty, pretty, easy, and satisfying.
(Sounds like a wish list for a spouse 🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Chicken, cut into one inch pieces
Rigatoni, cooked al dente, strained, reserve some of the cooking water
Bok choy, cut into one inch pieces
Onions, julienned
Kernel corn,
Grape tomatoes, whole
Chilies, sliced
Garlic, paste
Ginger, grated
Kosher salt, to taste
Cayenne, to taste
Butter, to saute
Red wine, to deglaze

Method :

Season chicken and saute until golden brown and cooked through.
Remove and reserve. Saute onions, corn, garlic, ginger, bok choy and chili,
deglaze with red wine and a small amount of the cooking water from the pasta,
add pasta and tomatoes, season with salt and cayenne.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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” Naan, Veal Ribs & Other Stuff “

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Last night’s dinner made me realize that I eat a lot of comfort food which does
not necessarily fall into a specific group or cuisine. Sometimes, just raiding the
fridge without a grand plan and simply putting some stuff together on the fly
does produce some great dishes. This was one of them :
” Naan with ribs, chilies, onions and yoghurt ”
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Ingredients :

Veal ribs, simmered, bones removed
Naan, Generously buttered and sprinkled with sea salt
Greek yoghurt,
Chilies, finely diced
Lime, juiced
Garlic, paste
Scallion, sliced
Onions, rings
Sesame seeds,
Oyster sauce,
Sriracha,
Soy sauce,
Teriyaki sauce,
Kosher salt,

Water,

Method :

Blend all ingredients except ribs and half of the chilies.
Put a bit of water into a small, rimmed pan, into which
the ribs just fit, one layer only. Add the ribs.
Cover ribs with the sauce, (the sauce should be very watery
at this point) cover airtight and bake in
a low heat oven until very tender, about 3.5 hours.
When the ribs are tender, the sauce should have thickened
and cling nicely to the ribs.
Arrange rib meat on hot naan, drizzle with yoghurt, add onion rings,
sprinkle with chilies, sesame seeds and scallions and serve with a
garnish of spinach salad and sliced lime.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

” Breakfast Of Champions ” # 10 – Tortilla Española

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This is without doubt one of my favorite potato dishes
and the good thing about it is that it tastes even better when you re-heat the leftovers.
Serve it as a substantial breakfast, as a snack, lunch, dinner or part of a buffet.
As for the ingredients, use potatoes and eggs for sure. Everything else is up to your fancy.
I have used seafood, chicken, ham, braised pork, any kind of sausage, mushroom, cheese,
any kind of vegetables, you name it. Just make sure that if you plan to serve it
at room temperature, season it stronger as when you plan to serve it hot,
since the seasoning is not as prominent at lower temperatures.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Tilapia Meuniere & Sauteed Asparagus

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If prepared with love and passion,
what a wonderful fish Tilapia can be 🙂
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Heat a sauté pan over medium heat for a minute, then add a couple of tablespoons of clarified butter.
Season the fish fillet to taste with kosher salt and cayenne pepper.
Dredge the fish in flour and shake off any excess.
Sauté fish for 2 to 3 minutes or until there’s a nice golden-brown color, then carefully flip it over.
Cook for another couple of minutes or until this side is golden-brown, too.
Remove fish from pan and place it on a warm plate.
Add a chunk of whole butter to the pan and cook until it turns slightly brown.
Now top the fish with few tablespoons of lemon juice and some chopped parsley , pour the hot butter onto the fish and serve right away.
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Sauteed Chicken, Potatoes & Vegetables “

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Today’s lunch 🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Chicken, boneless, diced
Asparagus, blanched, halved
Potatoes, turned, blanched
Red peppers, cut into triangles
Onions, diced
Garlic, paste
Scallions, sliced
Peanut oil, to saute
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, freshly ground

Method :

Saute chicken until golden brown but still juicy.
Remove to absorbent paper, reserve. Saute potatoes
until lightly browned, add garlic, onions, peppers and
scallions and saute until garlic becomes fragrant.
Remove from heat, add chicken and seasoning, mix well.
To serve, sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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