ethnic recipes

Lunch At The China Pavillion

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One should think that living in a city like Miami will offer the opportunity for endless good food. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. Good restaurants are hard to come by around here, especially on a down to earth budget. ( Say $50 Per person for lunch, food only). While some (few) great restaurants and a bunch of acceptable joints do exist, sadly, most folks around here still think seared mahi mahi with mango salsa or a breaded fish sandwich with coleslaw and fries is on the forefront of culinary innovation. Therefore, I usually stick to the handful of great ethnic restaurants I have grown to love and enjoy over the years. I know where to find great portuguese, italian, korean, vietnamese, russian and chinese food.
Last sunday I went to my favorite dim sum place, “China Pavillion ” in Pembroke Pines.
On weekends during lunch time the place is frequented by mostly chinese customers, which is usually an indicator of authentic food. Maria and I have been going there for many years, sometimes three times a week. The decor is your standard crappy shabbiness and most of the waitresses would not win awards for friendliness. But here is where “the bad” ends.
The food is extremely reasonable and very good, the service usually is fast and efficient. All in all a great lunch experience when the craving for authentic dim sum at a reasonable price level wins out on your lunch choice. I usually order ten to twelve portions for me, but that will then be my only meal for the day.
Great place to meat with friends and share the menu up and down again until somebody finally moans “enough” 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Steamed Honey Comb Tripe , Ginger, Scallions

Braised Veal Ribs, Fermented Black Beans

Fried Crab Balls

Steamed Crab Dumplings

Roast Pork “Paste”

Steamed Buns With BBQ’d Pork

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Chicken, Bok Choy & Rice In Spicy Coconut Broth

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Usually I prefer rice sticks or mung bean noodles in this kind of soup,
but last night rice seemed to tickle my fancy even more.
Quick and easy to prepare and oh so delicious 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Ingredient’s :

Chicken Drumsticks, (use any part of chicken you prefer)
Chicken stock,
Bok choy, blanched
Coconut milk,
Chili flakes,
Rice, cooked
Lemon grass, pounded
Scallions, finely sliced
Ginger, grated
Garlic, paste
Kosher salt,

Method :

Simmer chicken, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, chili and salt in chicken stock until tender but not falling appart. Remove chicken, set aside. Strain broth, add coconut milk and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. add bock choy and rice to heat through. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
To serve, add chicken to serving bowl, ladle sou on top. Sprinkle with and sliced scallions and more chili.
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Chicken, Bok Choy & Rice In Spicy Coconut Broth

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Egg Salad With Shrimp & Caviar

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Last night I dreamed of the time when as kid’s my brother and I were eating egg salad, which at that time (50+ years ago) was a great treat for us because of the shrimp or crayfish and trout or lump fish caviar my mom used to add to the salad. So after I woke up, during the whole morning I kept thinking about those happy times and although I can not re-create the happiness of a mostly carefree child hood, I can most certainly re-create the dish that reminds me of it. So here we go, “Tilly’s egg salad with shrimp and caviar” 🙂
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Egg Salad With Shrimp & Caviar

: Egg Salad With Shrimp & Caviar

: Egg Salad With Shrimp & Caviar

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Ingredient’s :

Eggs, hardboiled, peeled, quartered
Shrimp, cooked, peeled
Caviar, your preferred type
Tomatoes, seeds removed, diced
Mayonnaise, preferably home made
Sriracha,
Lemon juice,
Mustard,
Kosher salt,
Capers,
Scallions, finely sliced
Butter lettuce,
Mustard vinaigrette,
Bread, toasted and buttered bread of your choice

Method :

Mix the eggs, shrimp, mayo, capers, scallions, tomatoes, sriracha and salt. Line a serving bowl with vinaigrette dressed butter lettuce , top with egg/shrimp salad. Top salad with caviar.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Cajun Shrimp & Cheese Grits

Totally had a craving for Cajun shrimp on my way home, so I stopped at the whole food market to get two pounds of these beauties. Expensive but so worth the dough 🙂

Cajun Shrimp & Cheese Grits

: Cajun Shrimp & Cheese Grits

Ingredients Shrimp :

Shrimp, peeled and deveined
Clam juice,
Tomato Paste,
Paprika,
Thyme,
Oregano,
Garlic, paste
Oregano,
Cayenne pepper,
Kosher salt,
Butter,

Method :

Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Saute in butter until halfway done. Remove shrimp, reserve. Saute more garlic in butter, add thyme, oregano, cayenne. Add tomato paste, saute another minute. Add clam juice and simmer until slightly thickened. A the reserved shrimp and heat through. Adjust the heat to your liking, adding as much hot sauce as you can muster.

Ingredients Cheese Grits :

Chicken stock,
Milk, (about 1/3 the amount of the stock)
Corn meal, coarse ground
Sharp cheddar, grated
Kosher salt,
Scotch bonnet sauce, (substitute with tabasco if you can’t stand the heat)
Butter, (splurge)

Method :

Bring the milk and stock to a boil and gradually whisk in the corn meal. lower the heat to a slow simmer and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is creamy.
Remove from heat, add the hot sauce, cheese and butter, and whisk to combine.

To serve, top the grits with the shrimp and sprinkle with cilantro.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Cantaloupe Melon & Barceló Añejo Rum Smoothie

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I was able to enjoy most of this before the rain hit and I had to move inside.
Now it’s fiesta time 🙂
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Ingredients :

Cantaloupe melon, vanilla yoghurt, ice, milk, barceló añejo rum (the more the merrier 🙂

Cheers !

Cantaloupe Melon & Barceló Añejo Rum Smoothie

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Spaghetti With Walnut, Cashew & Cilantro Pesto, Dried Cranberries And Pecorino Romano

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Dear Friends,

I had to think long and hard what I’ll do without Maria. I came to the conclusion that she would not have wanted me to give up life at this point (I was close, but thanks God for Bella…).
I am aware that the pain of losing her will never go away, but I will have to take care of Bella and myself in order to honer the memory of Maria.
Since Maria was the biggest fan of “ChefsOpinion”, I have decided to start posting again and hope that she still enjoys reading it wherever she is and sharing the dishes with me in spirit.
I hereby dedicate all future posts to Maria and our love for each other, our love for sweet Bella and our love for good food everywhere 🙂

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Todays lunch had all the usual ingredients of my cooking style :
Lot’s of taste, texture and simplicity.
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Spaghetti With Walnut, Cashew & Cilantro Pesto, Dried Cranberries and Pecorino Romano

: Spaghetti With Walnut, Cashew & Cilantro Pesto, Dried Cranberries and Pecorino Romano

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Ingredient’s :

Spaghetti, cooked al dente, some cooking liquid reserved
Walnuts, shelled
Cashew nuts, shelled
Olive oil,
Cilantro,
Cranberries, freeze dried
Pecorino romano, finely grated
Kosher salt,
Black pepper,

Method :

In a blender blend nuts, olive oil, cilantro, salt, pepper and cheese until your preferred texture is reached, If too thick, add more oil, if too thin, add a bit more cheese. Remove from blender and add the cranberries. Let steep for at least two hours.
Mix with freshly cooked and drained spaghetti and a small amount of the cooking liquid. If required, add more cheese and/or cooking liquid.
To serve, sprinkle with more cheese and freshly grated black pepper.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good ! (Mostly, Sometimes 🙂

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“Apollodoros” Steak Sandwich

Just look at the ingredients and you’ll understand why I prefer this to another famous steak sandwich, named after a city I will not mention here.
Maybe it’s just me, but shredded “Real” steak, pita bread, greek yoghurt, fresh vegetables, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and lot’s of roasted garlic puree !
Tell me if I am wrong, but in my opinion, this sandwich just rocks !

P.S.
Apollodoros means “gift of Apollo” from the name of the God APOLLO combined with Greek δωρον (doron) “gift”. Hey, I created it, I’ve got to name it 🙂
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“Apollodoros” Steak Sandwich

: “Apollodoros” Steak Sandwich

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Chickenbreast & Zitoni Tagliati In Spicy Red Wine & Mascarpone Cream

Sitting outside in the fresh air the whole evening and most of the night, having good conversations, listening to good music, drinking good wine and just having a great time for many hours has usually different results. Some folks get tipsy, some get tired, some get overly excited about the topics of the night. However, my friends and I usually can agree to one thing around the time midnight strikes: Time to eat ! And no matter how many times my buddies find their way to the fridge and the bar to get more drinks, somehow they always forget where I keep the raw food and the pots and pans.
So, as usual, friday night we all decided we had to have a substantial midnight snack.
Also, as usual, everybody decided that the only one “qualified and sober enough” to do the job of feeding us all would be me 🙂
Here is the crowd pleaser we wolfed down last night:
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Chickenbreast & Zitoni Tagliati In Spicy Red Wine & Mascarpone Cream

: Chickenbreast & Zitoni Tagliati In Spycy Red Wine & Mascarpone Cream

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Ingredients :

Chicken breast, cut into large “chunks”
Zitoni tagliati, cooked al dente, some cooking liquid reserved
Broccoli florettes, blanched
Onions, sliced (lots of them)
Tomatoes, sliced
Scallions, finely sliced
Pecorino romano, finely grated
Mascarpone,
Red wine, (use the one you are drinking)
Butter,
Kosher salt,
Sriracha, (lots of it)
Roasted garlic paste, (lots of it)

Method :

Saute chicken in butter until 160 F, remove , set aside (The carry-over heat and re-heating will take it to a safe 165F). Saute onions and garlic until onions are golden and garlic is fragrant. At this point your butter will have turned into “buurre noisette”, light brown with a nutty flavor. Add red wine and let reduce by half. Add chicken with its juices, vegetables, pasta and seasoning, saute until heated through. Add mascarpone and pecorino romano. Mix until a creamy sauce develops. If the sauce is too thin, add more cheese, If too thick, add some of the reserved cooking liquid and / or red wine. To serve, sprinkle with more pecorino and the sliced scallions.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Always value good friends, good conversations, good food, and good wine 🙂

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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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Pigs Tail And Potato Curry, Naan & Cucumber Raita

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Some folks are probably scratching their head, going “WTF” (what he food 🙂 ) when reading this. But hey, I love pigs tail and curries of any style.

Pigs tails – not everybody’s cup of tea read about Pigs Tail
Real curries – everybody loves those read about Real Curries
European style curries – if you grew up with them…….. read about “European Style” Curries

The good thing is that if you don’t love pig’s tails, you can replace them with any other protein or vegetables.
However, here is what went on in my kitchen for today’s lunch:
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Pigs Tail And Potato Curry, Naan & Cucumber Raita

: Pigs Tail And Potato Curry, Naan & Cucumber Raita

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Curry :

Pigs tails, cut into pieces
Potatoes, peeled, cut into wedges
Bananas, sliced,
Baby carrots,
Peppers, diced,
Celery, sliced
Tomato, diced
Ginger, grated
Garlic, paste
Cilantro, chopped
Vegetable stock,
Coconut milk,
Turmeric,
Curry powder,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Butter,

Saute pigs tails in butter until lightly browned, add vegetables, banana, garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant. Add curry and turmeric, saute for another minute. Add stock, salt and pepper and very slowly simmer until pigs tails are tender. Add coconut milk and potatoes and simmer until potatoes are done but still firm. Adjust seasoning if necessary. To serve, sprinkle curry with plenty of coarsely chopped cilantro.

Naan :

1/2 cup water,
1 pck yeast
2.5 cup a/p flour,
1/4 cup vegetable oil,
1/3 cup greek yogurt,
1 lg egg
Salt

Combine yeast, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve, let sit for a few minutes or until it is frothy on top. At that point, stir in the oil, yogurt and egg until evenly combined.

In another bowl, combine the flour with the salt. Add the bowl of wet ingredients to the flour/salt mixture and stir until well mixed. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).

Turn the ball of dough out onto a well floured counter top. Knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky.

Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 45 minutes). After it rises, gently flatten the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball by stretching the dough back under itself until the top is smooth and round.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the under side is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface (see photos below). Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well. Serve plain or brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with herbs!
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For Raita Recipe, click here
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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