easy recipes

Parmesan Encrusted Pork Cutlet, Sauteed Potatoes & Chili Butter

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Merry X-mas Everybody 🙂

After I jumped out of bed at 3.30am, thinking I’ll be late for work and realizing only after a quick shower and an even quicker breakfast (one banana and one cup of tea) that it is sunday and x-mas to boost, I took a long walk with Bella while pondering what to have for lunch. I was so hungry by mid morning that I had an early lunch (late second breakfast ?, or as we call it in southern Germany, “Vesper”)
Wonderful tasty breaded pork cutlet with spicy sauted potatoes and Scotch Bonnet & Garlic Compound Butter.
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Ingredient’s :

Pork cutlet, seasoned with salt, cayenne pepper, roasted garlic paste and lime juice
AP flour,
Whole egg, whisked
Bread crumbs, mixed 50/50 with grated parmesan cheese
Peanut oil, to saute
Butter whole, to saute

Potatoes, sliced, blanched
Red peppers, diced
Scallions, sliced
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Peanut oil, to saute
Butter whole, to saute

Method :

Season pork cutlet, dust with flour, dip into egg wash and bread with bread crumb / parmesan mixture. Saute in oil until almost done and golden brown. Replace oil with butter and saute until pork chop reaches 162 0n the bone. Remove absorbent paper.
Saute potatoes in oil until light golden and crisp. Add diced peppers, salt and cayenne. Drain oil and replace with whole butter. Saute until butter starts to foam and slightly changes color. To serve, sprinkle potatoes with scallion and top chop with chili butter.

Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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Beef Ribs, My Way

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” Beef rib’s with fresh horseradish and cabbage, apple and avocado slaw”
Boiled (simmered, actually) beef has a long tradition in many cultures.

Usually, we boil brisket, neck. shanks, cheeks, tail, and any other part
which is rich with fat and / or connective tissue. There is only one rule :
Slowly does it ! As far as I am concerned, the best condiment to go with
boiled beef is horseradish. The German traditional dish :
“Gekochte Rinderbrust mit Meerettich Sauce”,
(Boiled Beef Breast with Horseradish Sauce ) , usually served with steamed
white cabbage and steamed or roasted potatoes, is to die for. In my opinion,
the very best part of the animal for “boiling” are the ribs. The texture when
cooked right (very slow, very tender but NOT! overcooked) is just unequaled
by any other cut for this preparation. An added bonus is the rich beef stock
you get, which I usually have for breakfast the next two or three day’s
(See also : Breakfast Of Champions # 11 ” Millefanti In Brodo Di Carne “ )

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Beef :

Ingredient’s :

Beef ribs, cleaned of excess (but not all) fat
Black pepper corn, crushed
Tomato, fresh, crushed
Star anis, crushed
Ginger, sliced
Garlic, sliced
Kosher salt,
Lime juice

Method :

Simmer all ingredients until beef is tender, but NOT overcooked.
Strain stock and reserve for other uses.

Slaw :

Ingredient’s :

Red cabbage, finely sliced
Avocado, sliced
Chilis, sliced
Apple, sliced,
Onion, sliced
Apple vinegar,
Cayenne pepper,
Kosher salt,
Lime juice
Walnut oil,

Method :

Salt the cabbage and let rest for twenty minutes.
Squeeze and discard all salty juice. Add all other
ingredients and mix carefully so as not to break
up the apples and avocados.

Horseradish :

Grate finely and mix with a bit of limejuice ans kosher salt.

To finish dish, sprinkle with scallions or chives and drizzle with chili oil.
Serve with pretzel or rustic sour dough bread.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Udon, Seafood & Bok Choy

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As far as I am concerned, all noodles could be udon noodles.
I just love them in any prep variation, be it with seafood, beef,
mushrooms, in a soup, sautéed, stir fried, any which way will do it for me 🙂
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Click here to read all about UDON
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Ingredient’s :

Udon noodles,   fresh, from your Asian market
Mixed seafood, any type you prefer
Baby bok choy,
Onion,   sliced
Cilantro,   coarsely chopped
Garlic,   paste
Ginger,   grated
Soy sauce,
Sherry,
Sriracha,
Oyster sauce,
Sesame oil,
Chili oil,
Lime juice,
Peanut oil, to saute

Method :

Saute seafood in very hot peanut oil, remove onto absorbent paper. Add onion, garlic and ginger and saute until translucent and fragrant. Add noodles, bok choy, soy sauce, oyster sayce, sriracha and a bit of sherry wine and saute until noodles are heated trough. Remove from heat, add seafood and sesame oil, mix well. To serve, drizzle with lime juice and chili oil, sprinkle with cilantro.

Note:
As you can see from the mis en place picture, I used inexpensive (but nevertheless good) mixed seafood since this was only a go-between snack. For a more elegant and important meal, use large prawns, scallops, lobster, mussels, etc. However, the taste of the dish and the texture of the noodles should be satisfying either way.

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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If Hot Dog – Good Hot Dog !

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If you do it – do it right !
Even a simple hot dog can
give tremendous culinary pleasure.

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Spicy italian sausage,
Garlic bun
Gorgonzola,
Kosher pickles,
Butter sauteed onions
Chili flakes

Pickled slaw of red and white cabbage, cucumber & onion,
Scotch bonnet sauce,
Ketchup,
Dijon mustard

= Good Hot Dog 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Breakfast Of Champions # 14 ”Ham & Cheese Sandwich”

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Sautéed Wrap With Ham, Sharp Cheddar, Pecorino Romano, Egg, Spinach & Sriracha.
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Saute spinach with onions and garlic paste in butter.
Cook eggs and ham in butter.
Sprinkle grated pecorino on wrap, top with ham,
sprinkle with sharp cheddar, top with spinach,
sprinkle with more pecorino. Top with egg.
Drizzle with sriracha. Roll into tight cylinder,
Enclose tightly with aluminium foil to prevent roll
from opening while sautéing. Cut into thick slices.
Saute slowly in butter until the cheese inside the roll
has melted and a golden, crispy crust has formed on
top and bottom. Enjoy with a glass of ice cold milk.
What a great way to start the day 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Flank On Peperonata

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“Flank On Peperonata”

Or, as you might read on a “up to date” , “modern” menu :

Tender Wagyu kobe beef, dry aged for 42 days and 7.5 hours, sautéed in extra extra extra virgin olive oil on a finely tuned $ 200k aga stove in a guy fieri designed kitchen, accompanied by farm raised baby bell peppers from a farm 370 yards away from our kitchen, perrier-washed grape tomatoes, organic grown pearl onions which were hand selected and washed by a young, 16 year old future master chef , and lightly, delicately and expertly sprinkled with cilantro which has grown undisturbed by such adversaries as snow and sandstorms on a sunny slope in the beautiful napa valley…………….blah blah blah ……

But then, to each his/her own cup of tea 🙂

Here we go :
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Read also : Food’s Biggest Scam : The Great Kobe Beef Lie !
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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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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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Arugula With Chorizo Stuffed Chilis

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A quick and tasty dinner this evening.
I had pasta for breakfast and lunch ,
so I tried to lighten it up a bit for dinner 🙂
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Prep a small salad with arugula, grape tomatoes, shaved asiago cheese, onions and raspberry vinaigrette.
Slit chilis on the side and remove ribs and seeds. Remove chorizo from casing. Stuff the chilis with the chorizo. Wrap top half of stuffed chili with bacon. Dust with cornstarch and saute until bacon is crisp and chilis are cooked. Serve with salad. Enjoy !

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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Vietnamese Ginger / Caramel Chicken ( Ga Kho )

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I remember when, many years ago, I got my first whiff of fermented fish sauce. It was one of the most disgusting smells I had ever encountered in a kitchen and there was no way I would ever put something this vile into my food !
Forward a few years. Fish sauce (and it’s cousin, shrimp paste) has become a permanent staple in my cup board. I use it for many of my favorite asian dishes, although I still don’t use it as a dipping sauce. In this dish, it is one of the three seasoning pillars . Fish sauce, caramel sauce and ginger play the major part, while garlic, salt and pepper play second fiddle. If you are not used to using fish sauce or shrimp paste, just don’t smell it before you cook it. Once you add it to your food and cook it for a while, it transforms itself into pure magic, giving the final product great flavor and debt. ( Umami, if you must 🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Chicken, thigh’s slashed to the bone
Caramel sauce, see below *
Pearl onion, blanched
Chiles, mixed colors, whole
Onions, sliced
Cilandro, coarsely chopped
Black pepper, fresh ground
Chili flakes,
Fish sauce,
Rice vinegar,
Garlic, paste
Ginger, sliced
Kosher salt,
Peanut oil, to saute

Method :

Season chicken with salt and black pepper and saute until golden brown on both sides. Remove onto absorbent paper. Saute pearl onions and chilies. Remove to absorbent paper. Saute sliced onions, garlic and ginger until translucent. Add vinegar, caramel, and all seasoning. Add chicken and slowly simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce has reduced enough to cover the chicken. If the sauce becomes too thick before he chicken is cooked all the way, add a bit of water. If the sauce is too thin when the chicken is done, remove chicken and reduce until desired texture is achieved. At this point, strain the sauce if you like it smooth, otherwise, serve it more rustic with all the bits and pieces still in the sauce. Now, return the chicken, whole chiles and pearl onions. Simmer for another minute while basting the chicken to make sure it is well covered in sauce. To serve, add chicken to plate, cover with remaining sauce, top with chilis, onions, cilantro and lime wedges.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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* Saute sugar until lightly browned. Add water. If you have not done this before – BE VERY CAREFUL ! This splashes easily and burns right throuhg your skin if you are not careful. I suggest to put the pot into the sink and open the waterspout just a bit while keeping your head as far away as possible 🙂 Stir until smooth and all sugar is desolved. You should now have a light brown liquid. If the sugar solidified, don’t worry. Just put it back on low heat, stir frequently and simmer until all solids are liquified.
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