easy recipes

” Salad Of Romaine, Salame, Gorgonzola & Pomegranate / Blueberry Dressing “

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Although I love pasta and stews of any kind more than any other food,
a close third place is definitely a nice salad. Last night the salad God’s
were knocking at my door, leaving me with this wonderful, quick and easy
concoction :
Romaine, salame, roquefort, egg, carrot, tomato, onion and
pomegranate / blueberry Dressing.
Salad Heaven, right there   🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Romaine lettuce,           cut
Tomatoes,                       sliced
Onions,                           sliced
Carrots,                           julienned
Eggs,                                made into thin crepe, julienned
Garlic,                              paste
Salame,                            thickly julienned
Gorgonzola,                   coarsely  crumbled
Dressing,                        Pomegranate / blueberry/garlic

Method :

Mix all ingredients lightly and serve with a slice of rustic bread
to mop up the dressing and bits at the bottom of the plate.

In this case I used ready made dressing ( Litehouse Pom / Blueberry),
which I enhanced a bit to my taste with garlic paste. Obviously the
choice of dressing, as well as any other ingredient to this salad is
open to change and additions. Just follow your heart, your
cravings and your phantasy  🙂

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Smoked Pig’s Tail, Bow Ties & Vegetable Stew “

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In my opinion, pig‘s tails are the second best part of the whole pig,
right after the cheek’s. I prefere them brined and simmered, served
with a good mustard and sour dough bread. However, I found those
smoked ones at my neighbor hood store and what better way to enjoy
them then in a good stew  🙂
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Ingredient‘s :

Smoked pig’s tail’s,
Bow tie pasta,                    cooked, al dente
Cauliflower,                       blanched
Broccoli,                             blanched
Carrots,                               blanched
Scallions,                            sliced
Tomatoes,                          wedges
Ginger,                                grated
Garlic,                                 paste
Cilantro,                             chopped
Cayenne pepper,               to taste
Kosher salt,                       to taste
Maggi seasoning,             to taste

Method :

Simmer pig’s tail’s in lightly seasoned water until tender.
Add all other ingredients, simmer until heated through.
Serve with rustic sour dough bread.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Salmon Parisienne, Bean & Mushroom Ragout “

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When I cooked this dish last knight I realized that I have not seen anything ” a la Parisienne ” on a menu for many years. What a shame that so many classic dishes and methods simply disappear from the repertoire of our younger chef’s. Granted, old fashioned and steeped in tradition might not be practical or popular on a daily basis. But I feel we should not completely stop to learn and enjoy the classics. How long before we all get sick and tired of the one hundred’st version of grilled fish with salsa ? Let’s mix it up a bit ! Mix the classics with the modern,  the traditional with the new, the tried and proven with the daring  🙂 I vote for a greater repertoire for our younger food enthusiasts in order to keep the spirit of our  culinary profession vibrant and alive !
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Ingredients :

Salmon filet,                     cleaned, skinless, marinated w.salt. pepper, lime juice
Whole egg,                        to dip fish
Flour,                                  to dust fish
Butter,                                 to saute fish

Baby portabellas,            quartered
White beans,                    cooked
Red peppers,                     finely diced
Garlic,                                paste
Onion,                               diced
Scallion,                            sliced
Scallion ,                           whole
Salt,                                    to taste
Cayenne pepper,             to taste
Butter,                                to saute vegetables

Method :

dredge seasoned fish in flour, coat with whisked egg, saute until
egg is tender and fish is cooked but still juicy. Remove to absorbent paper.

Saute onion and mushroom in butter until onions are translucent and
mushrooms start to brown.
Add Garlic paste, saute another minute. Add peppers, whole and sliced
scallions and seasoning.
To plate, put ragout on plate, top with salmon and garnish with whole scallion.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Dandanmian ” Chinese Noodles, Ground Pork & Vegetables

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” Dandanmian ”  or  ” Dan Dan Mian ”  or  “Dandan Noodles “. 

There are many variations of this most simple dish, which originated as
street peddlers dish. Basic ingredients are ground pork, noodles,
spicy sauce with or without peanut- or sesame – paste.
Here is the Dandan I prepared for dinner yesterday
( I too do many variations of this dish) :
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Ingredients :

Chinese egg noodles,            cooked, drained, coated with sesame oil
Ground pork,
Carrots,                                      julienned
Bell peppers,                             julienned
Silver onions,                           peeled, blanched
White cabbage,                        coarsely sliced
Garlic,                                        paste
Ginger,                                       grated
Cilantro,                                    coarsely chopped
Oyster sauce,
Soy Sauce,
Chili oil,
Sesame oil,
Salt,                                             to taste
Cayenne pepper,                       to taste
Chicken stock
Peanut oil

Method :

Saute pork in peanut oil until starting to brown.
Add garlic and ginger, saute until translucent.
Add chicken stock and all seasoning, simmer until
meat is soft. Add cabbage and peppers, simmer for
one minute. Add Noodles, mix well.
To serve, sprinkle with cilantro and drizzle with Chili oil.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Mock Pappardelle, Chorizo, Asparagus, Carrots & Gorgonzola “

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My dilemma is:
I love pappardelle, but I seldom make fresh pasta
at home and I have never seen pappardelle on a store shelf,
at least not here in South Florida. The solution?
Use lasagna sheets. Break them into irregular shapes before
you cook them. The result was very satisfying for me and I will
resort to this many times to come, if, for whatever reason, fresh
pappardelle are not available or impractical to make from scratch
at the time.  ( For whatever reason ) .
Don’t knock it before you try it !      🙂
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Ingredients :

Pappardelle,                  cooked al dente, strained  (or substitute pasta)
Chorizo,                          thinly sliced
Asparagus,                     blanched
Carrots,                           blanched
Gorgonzola,                   coarsely crumbled
Garlic,                              paste
Black Pepper                  freshly ground, to taste
Salt,                                  to taste
Olive oil

Method :

Saute garlic and chorizo in olive oil until garlic becomes translucent,
Add all other ingredients except gorgonzola,  saute until all ingredient’s
are well combined. To serve, top with crumbled gorgonzola.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Breakfast Of Champions # 6 ” Farmers Omelette

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Today I finally found time again to do a proper breakfast,
after a week of peppermint tea and bananas.
During the week I get up at 3.30am and after a usual sleep time
of 3 to 4 hours, my desire to cook a full meal is usually subdued a bit   😦
Not today ! So here we go:
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” Farmers Omelette ”
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Ingredients:

Eggs,                                whole, whisked, seasoned with salt and cayenne
Grape tomatoes,            whole
Asparagus,                      blanched
Carrots,                            blanched
Onion,                              julienned
Garlic,                              paste
Potatoes,                         blanched
Chorizo,                          thinly sliced
Chives,                             sliced  (fresh or freeze dried)
Butter                                (substitute olive oil if desired)
Parmesan,                       grated
Salt,                                   to taste
Cayenne Pepper ,           to taste

Method :

Sautee potatoes in butter (oil) until starting to change color,
add onion and saute until starting to brown.
Add garlic, saute until translucent, add all other vegetables
and seasoning and saute until heated through.
add eggs, cover tightly, lower heat and cook slowly until eggs are set.
to plate, invert onto serving dish, sprinkle generously with chives.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Three Minute “Gourmet” Meal

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I got home today totally exhausted,
deprived of sleep last night and just too bummed out
to be enthusiastic about being in the kitchen and on
my feet any more time then absolutely necessary.
The solution: My favorite three minute gourmet meal  🙂

” Octopus, mussels and romaine salad “
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The key to the success of this dish is to use the best
ingredients available. Please note that while there are a lot of
crappy canned and frozen food‘s out there, there are also some
pretty amazing items available which make it a snap to produce
a wonderful, high quality meal on the fly when, for whatever reason,
time restraints and / or other restrictions prevent you from using the
ideal fresh product.

Ingredient‘s :

Romaine lettuce,          sliced
Octopus,                         canned, drained
Mussels,                         canned, drained
Grape tomatoes,           halved
Radishes,                       sliced
Onions,                          sliced
Basil,                               freeze dried  (Litehouse)
Oregano                         freeze dried  (Litehouse)
Fuji apple dressing      bottled  (Litehouse)
Sangria dressing          bottled  (Litehouse)
Salt                                   to taste
Cayenne pepper            to taste
Granulated garlic         to taste

Method :

Mix all ingredients carefully so as not to break up the delicate mussels.
Serve with jalapeno / cheese sour dough bread.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Pepper Jack Stuffed Pierogies, Chicharrones, Corn, Radish & Peas “

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Last nights dinner took me to the polish corner of my kitchen,
where I found a modern version of a dish steeped highly in tradition   🙂

“ Pierogi “
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Ingredients :

Vegetables and Garnish :

  • kernel corn, blanched
  • green peas, frozen
  • sliced radish
  • sliced chives
  • diced onions
  • chicharrones (fried pork rind)
  • garlic paste to taste
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • butter to saute

Method :

Saute onion in butter until translucent.
Stir into the mashed potatoes, add grated cheese and yoghurt,
season with salt and cayenne pepper, mix well.To make the dough, beat together the eggs and sour cream until smooth.
Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder; stir into the sour cream mixture,
mix well and knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until firm and smooth.
Divide the dough in half, then roll out one half to 1/8 inch thickness.
Cut into 3 inch rounds using a cutter or drinking glass.Place a small spoonful of the mashed potato filling into the center of each round.
Moisten the edges with water, fold over, and press together with a fork to seal.
Repeat procedure with the remaining dough and filling.Cook in boiling saltwater until dough is done, about 4 to 5 minutes,
depending on the thickest part of the dough. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain.Saute pierogi in butter until starting to brown, add onions, and garlic, saute until
translucent, add corn, peas, radish and salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, plate pierogies, spoon vegetables on top and sprinkle with chicharrones and chives.
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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Whole Sauteed Fish & Guacamole “

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Last nights great dinner :

Whole sauteed fish & guacamole

Freshly caught fish, seasoned with salt, pepper and lime juice,
lightly dusted with a mix of AP flour and corn starch,
slowly sauteed in olive oil, some onions and garlic added towards the end.
I had some grape tomatoes laying around, so in the guacamole they went.
Three medium sized fish were just the right portion for Bella and I   🙂

Life is Good !
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” Old Fashioned Ice Cube Recipe “

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Image: Igloo Ice Bournemouth

Two day’s ago the unthinkable happened :

My ice maker went to ice makers heaven     😦
After the initial shock and the ensuing mourning,
deep panic set in. Do I have to drink warm Ice tea  (“Warm Tea”)
until the technician has fixed or replaced my old Ice Magician ?
I am very opposed to buying the bagged ice from super markets or
gas stations, somehow the price and apparent lack of sanitation
prevents me from finding any appeal in putting this stuff in my drinks.
(Boiling it to sanitize does not seem to be a solution ?)
So, I set out to re-conquer the lost art of artisanal ice making.
In the very back of the garage where we store our ancient cooking utensils
and cooking equipment I found a couple of clear plastic ice trays, obviously
never used and still in their original plastic wrapping.
So for a while, I pondered about the recipe which was locked out of sight
for so many years in the bowels of our build in electric ice maker.
After much research and experimenting, I settled for the following recipe
which I selflessly like to share with you, hoping it will give you as much
pleasure and satisfaction as it has given me during the past few day’s.
Here it goes, I present  with with unrestricted, understandable pride :

” Royal Ice Cubes “

Equipment :

Freezer or freezer part of your refrigerator
Ice tray

Ingredient’s :

Dihydrogen Monoxide,  (H2O),   sometimes also called “Water”

Method :

Fill ice tray’s to 4/5 with water, carefully transfer to freezer.  X
Freeze dihydrogen monoxide for several hours until frozen solid.
Remove ice cubes from tray as needed.

Cheers !  Life is Good !

X   Be care full not to spill water on floor, as this can result in a slip,
which can result in a fall, which can result in you hitting your head
on a hard surface, which can result in considerable damage to your brain,
which would be a shame but has probably happened to many of the folk’s
who display  increasingly strange behavior around us.
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p.s.
My handyman replaced the ice maker and thing’s are back to a less dangerous daily routine.
I do not remember if there was a slip / fall / brain damage incident         🙂
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Image: MP SOLVING

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