easy recipes

Scallops & Shrimp In Herb and Garlic Butter, With Penne Rigate And Pangrattato

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Pangrattato you ask ? Don’ t worry, we are just talking about sautéed breadcrumbs here, nothing complicated, but oh so good.
Most cuisines which use pasta also use pangrattato in one form or another : bread crumbs sautéed in butter, in olive oil, in schmalz or just dry toasted, seasoned with anything from salt and pepper to garlic, herbs cheese, nutmeg or whatever else is traditional in your area of the woods or whatever tickles your fancy. The main task for the bread crumbs is to add texture to your pasta. And if you can add flavor on top of that, so much the better.
Sometimes, all I want for a great meal is just perfectly cooked pasta with lot’s of tasty pangrattato and a bit of grated cheese on top. Perfection for pasta lovers, right there. But today, I made a dish with even more pizzazz by adding sautéed shrimp and scallops in herb butter to an already sexy dish. Aaahhhh, Life is Good 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Long Live Good Food !
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Scallops & Shrimp In Herb and Garlic Butter, With Penne Rigate And Pangrattato

Penne Rigate With Pangrattato

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Preparation :
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saute chili flakes in butter

add panko bread crumbs, kosher salt, garlic paste

saute until golden, keep warm

melt garlic/herb butter

add scallops and shrimmp, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, add white wine and lime juice, check / adjust seasoning

plate freshly cooked, al dente penne rigate

top pasta with a generous amount of pangrattato

top with seafood, sprinkle with chopped Italian parsley

Scallops & Shrimp In Herb and Garlic Butter, With Penne Rigate And Pangrattato

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Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup With Bok Choy And Chili (Mondongo Chino) (Kuttelsuppe Mit Nudeln)

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I have taken to the habit of having Pho at “Pho 79” in Davie, while I wait for the nice Ladies at “Davie Coin Laundry” to take care of one of my lesser liked weekly chores. Both establishments are by far the best of their kind in this area (Ft Lauderdale to the Keys and across to Ft Meyers), so I am really lucky to have found both.
Now to the point :
While the Pho at Pho 79 far outshines any other Pho around here, if you eat like I do, you will pay the price. Mind you, this is in a strip mall, no decor, no service to speak of, very run down environment and I really only go there to enjoy the Pho, but if I want a decent portion my bill comes to a whopping $24.00 without tip . This includes a diet coke, a large Pho and one portion each of extra noodles, tendon and tripe. While this might sound like a lot, it really isn’t. Yes, there is a huge amount of broth, but inside is a VERY small amount of noodles, a minuscule quantity of paper thin (as it supposed to be sliced) brisket and a tiny (I guess maybe 0.5 oz of each tendon and tripe. The additional side orders are only slightly bigger. So, while all this leaves you full for about one hour, it is mostly broth you consume, excellent prepared food but at a hefty price.
Onward to the solution – making my own tripe and noodle soup, TWO large bowls of soup with LOT”S of noodles, tripe and greens for a total of about $ 8.00 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup With Bok Choy And Chili (Mondongo Chino) (Kuttelsuppe Mit Nudeln)

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Pho at PHO 79 :
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pho at PHO (great taste but as you can see, mostly broth and herbs)

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Preparation of Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup :
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blanche tripe in saltwater 3 times

beautiful 🙂

cut into stripes, not too fine so when cooked soft they retain some texture, cook until almost tender, strain

finish cooking with chilies, kosher salt, grated ginger and garlic paste, strain, keep hot

chinese egg noodles

cook in saltwater for about two minutes, strain, toss with sesame oil

place noodles in serving bowl

top with blanched bok choy

beef stock, (for recipe, click here)
fortified with star anis, garlic paste, grated ginger and seasoned with salt, pepper and fish sauce

to serve, top noodles with broth, tripe and scallions, drizzle with chili oil

Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup With Bok Choy And Chili (Mondongo Chino) (Kuttelsuppe Mit Nudeln)

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Easy does it # 19 – Cheese Sandwich (Paratha With Emmentaler, Tomato and Cucumber)

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I assume that 99 % of all adults (and many kids) have tried their hands on a cheese sandwich, some with more, some with less success 🙂 :-(.
Following is a nice cheese sandwich which can be prepared by anybody in a minimum of time, but the result will provide a maximum flavor and texture experience.
Might I add that the presentation is not too shabby either :-).
Yesterday evening was like most Friday evenings for me – end of work-week, tired, lazy, not interested in spending much time in the kitchen. Also, tomorrow, Saturday, is my day for shopping (and cleaning and laundry and bathing Bella and whatever else piles up during the week), so my fridge and cupboard were rather depleted today. What I found was the following:
Frozen paratha, emmentaler cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, pomegranate, honey and limes for the sandwich and it’s salad.
Throwing it all together resulted in a great looking, excellent tasting, quick and easy to prepare dinner.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Paratha With Emmentaler, Tomato and Cucumber

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Preparation :
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put paratha in a pan on low heat

top with emmentaler

top with sliced tomato, sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

top with pickled cucumber slices (salt, pepper, vinegar) and more emmentaler

cook slowly on both sides until cheese has melted

plate salad (romaine in honey/mustard dressing), sprinkle with pomegranate seeds

plate salad (romaine in honey/mustard dressing), sprinkle with passion fruit seeds

Paratha With Emmentaler, Tomato And Cucumber

Paratha With Emmentaler, Tomato and Cucumber

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EASY DOES IT # 18 – Fried Eggs Sunny Side Up & Fries (NOT)

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Just a little nonsense to entertain your kid’s on a rainy day :
Fried eggs sunny side up & fries – yogurt, peaches and cantaloupe melon. Have fun 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good ! (Sunny side up – even when it rains……..
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Fried eggs sunny side up & fries – yogurt, peaches and cantaloupe melon. Have fun 🙂

EASY DOES IT # 18 – Fried Eggs Sunny Side Up & Fries (NOT)

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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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Hans’ Pastrami & Sauerkraut On Chiabata

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Here you see the lunch I enjoyed today, which must be one of the most satisfying sandwiches I have ever prepared (Or maybe I was just very hungry).
In any case, I had these ingredients at home and just put together what I found in the fridge and in the larder.
However, in the future I will go out and buy these ingredients on purpose in order to recreate this lovely beast 🙂

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Hans’ Pastrami & Sauerkraut On Chiabata

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Preparation :
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toast two halves of a ciabatta roll, cover the inside of one half with mustard

cover the other half with grated horseradish

top with fine quality, cooked sauerkraut

top with finely sliced pastrami

drizzle with french cocktail sauce (mayo, ketchup, cognac, horseradish)

top with the other half of the ciabatta, slice in half

Hans’ Pastrami & Sauerkraut On Chiabata

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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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Hickory Smoked, Panko Crusted Bone-In Ham Steak

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Here we have another dish which exemplifies home cooking at it’s most simple, most tasty, most satisfying goodness.
It goes to show that you don’t have to be rich or a professional chef in order to serve excellent food. Creativity and good, simple ingredients will get you pretty far.
While I love my lobster, caviar and foie gras, food made with simple ingredients should, in my opinion, alternate with the high-end stuff which most of us could not afford on a daily basis anyway. But even back in the day’s when I ran five star operations and could have had “the good stuff” for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I always liked to mix it up with some home style cooked dishes. After all, the beauty of good food lies, among other things, in variation.
Well, there you have it : Another ChefsOpinion 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Hickory Smoked Panko Crusted Bone-In Ham Steak

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Preparation :
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mix 1/3 corn starch, 1/3 ap flour, 1/3 panko bread crumbs, season with cayenne pepper, english mustard powder and granulated garlic

dip ham steak on both sides into flour mixture, saute in butter until golden, remove ham and set aside, fry sunny side up eggs in same butter, season eggs with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

almost……

saute onions in butter until lightly caramelized, add garlic confit paste

add cabbage and peppers, saute until cabbage starts to wilt

add demi glace and grape tomatoes, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, simmer for one minute, check / adjust seasoning

plate cabbage on serving dish

top with ham steak

top with fried eggs, serve with horseradish mashed potatoes or a good rustic bread to soak up the sauce and juices

top with fried eggs, serve with horseradish mashed potatoes or a good rustic bread to soak up the sauce, egg yolks and juices

Hickory Smoked Panko Crusted Bone-In Ham Steak

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EASY DOES IT # 17 – Hans’ Homemade Buffalo Sauce

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While buffalo sauce is most famously used for chicken wings, I use my recipe for many other dishes, such as steak sauce, light coating for sautéed shrimp, sautéed vegetables, sautéed potatoes, etc, as well as fried foods such as chicken hearts, duck gizzards, chicken wings ( pictured below). I also use it as a spicy dipping sauce for french fries and whatever else needs a bit of a pick-up 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Recipe :
Melted butter 1/2 cup
Sriracha 1/2 cup
Green tabasco 1 tablespoon
Confit garlic paste 1 tablespoon
White vinegar 1 tablespoon
Honey 1 tablespoon
Maggi seasoning to taste
Kosher salt to taste
Mix all ingredients well, check / adjust taste