Food

Panko Breaded Skirt Steak & Tonkatsu Sauce ( Gyū katsu (牛カツ

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Last  night I went to sleep at 4.30 am, knowing I can sleep-in this morning for as long as I want. At 6.00am sharp the door bell rang, Bella went berserk and I run downstairs to open the front door, expecting the worst of emergencies. An elderly lady stood there with the sweetest of smiles, asking if we need a nurse in this house. I mustered all my manners to tell her in the friendliest way that no, not at this time, thank you. After that, I debated with myself if I should go back to bed or just get on with the day. In order to stay up, I had to get a decent breakfast and this is what I came up with :

“Panko Breaded Skirt Steak & Tonkatsu Sauce with romaine and tomato salad in strawberry vinegar vinaigrette”
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Link To Tonkatsu Sauce Recipe Here
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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Panko Breaded Skirt Steak & Tonkatsu Sauce

Panko Breaded Skirt Steak & Tonkatsu Sauce

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Seafood In Whole Grain Mustard Cream

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After  yesterday’s less then stellar lunch experience I needed to get something nice and satisfying for dinner. I still had some seafood from the day before, some button mushroom and small potatoes.
Now this was a dish worth paying for 🙂

Season raw seafood  with sea salt and sriracha sauce and saute in whole butter until halfway cooked,  add cooked seafood, saute until heated through, remove from pan, set aside. Add
Garlic paste, saute until fragrant. Deglaze pan with white wine,  heavy cream and juices from the sautéed seafood. Simmer and reduce until a light sauce has formed. Remove from heat, add mustard and lemon juice, check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Return seafood to the pan, return to heat until heated through. Make sure you don’t let the sauce simmer anymore or your seafood will get tough and dry. Serve with basmati rice or sautéed potatoes. (I did place sautéed parsley potatoes and garlic mushroom on the bottom of the plate but forgot to take the picture before topping them with the seafood. If you look closely, you’ll see a potato peeking out under the crayfish in the last picture) 🙂 >
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Seafood In Whole Grain Mustard Cream

Seafood In Whole Grain Mustard Cream

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Breakfast Of Champions # 26 – ” Shrimp & Bok Choy Congee “

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Here is how it’s supposed to be :

You have a big, substantial breakfast, go to your job and work hart, have a quick, light, healthy lunch, keep on working until it is time to go home, have a light, healthy dinner with a small glass of red wine, go to bed early, sleep at least 8 hours, get up and do it all over again 🙂

Here is what’s really happening :

You have a quick, sugary, unhealthy breakfast, go to your job and work hart, have a quick, unhealthy lunch, keep on working until it is time to go home, have a heavy, calorie and fat-laden dinner, with a bottle or two of red wine, go to bed late, don’t sleep enough, get up and do it all over again 😦
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So, today, after a long and deep sleep, I tried to start the right way, with a healthy, tasty, substantial breakfast.
I will keep you posted how it will develop from here for the rest of the day…………
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Ingredients :

Cooked Fan,    (steamed chines rice)
Seafood stock,   substitute with chicken stock or canned clam juice
Shrimp,   peeled and deveined
Bok choy,   blanched
Garlic,   paste
Garlic,   slivered, fried
Onions,   finely julienned, fried
Ginger,   grated,
Bean sprouts,
Scallions,   coarsely sliced
Peanut oil,
Chili oil,
Sesame oil,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,

Method :

Simmer rice with in stock, salt and pepper until a porridge like texture is achieved. In the meantime, fry onions and garlic separately until golden. Remove to absorbent paper. Reserve. Saute Shrimp, garlic paste and grated ginger until   fragrant and shrimp about halfway cooked. When congee has reached the desired texture, add the shrimp, bock choy and scallions, simmer until heated through, about one minute. Adjust seasoning if necessary. To plate, drizzle with sesame oil and chili oil, sprinkle with fried onions, fried garlic, bean sprouts and scallions.

More Congee Recipes Here

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Gnocchi, Prosciutto, Asparagus & Parmigiano Reggiano

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“Pretty”  is not usually the first thing that comes to my mind as far as food is concerned.
But looking at this dish, the thoughts were first : Pretty ! Then : Let’s eat right NOW !
Usually we saute the prosciutto lightly but in this case, it was so thinly sliced and delicate,
just adding it to the top of the dish seemed the right thing to do.
And yes, I just preferred the texture and taste this way. Good Stuff 🙂

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !

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Gnocchi Recipe Here
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Gnocchi, Prosciutto, Asparagus & Parmigiano Reggiano

Gnocchi, Prosciutto, Asparagus & Parmigiano Reggiano

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Ingredient’s :

Gnocchi,   cooked, reserve some of the cooking liquid
Asparagus,   blanched
Prosciutto,   VERY finely sliced
Parmigiano Reggiano,   finely grated
Parmigiano Reggiano,   finely sliced
Grape tomatoes,
Garlic paste,
Olive oil,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,

Method :

Saute gnocchi, asparagus and tomatoes in olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Add grated cheese and a bit of the gnocchi cooking liquid and toss until everything is lightly coated. To serve, top with prosciutto and very finely sliced cheese (use potato peeler to slice cheese).

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“Spicy Chicken Fajitas”

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Spicy  chicken fajas,
with tortillas, guacamole, vinaigrette dressed lettuce, sour cream and salsa mexicana. A couple of negra modelo beers. What other meal on a rainy Friday night at home ?
This was most enjoyable to eat and quick to prepare.

Viva Mexico ! 🙂
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Guacamole Recipe Here

"Spicy Chicken Fajas"

“Spicy Chicken Fajas”

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Ingredients :

Chicken,   legs and tights, deboned, sliced,
Onions,   sliced
Scallions,   sliced
Garlic,   paste
Guajillo pepper,   ground
Cayenne pepper,   (lot’s of it)
Cumin,   ground
Chili powder,
Kosher salt,
Lard,   to saute ( Substitute with other fat if preferred )


Method :

Saute chicken until golden brown, add onions, scallions, garlic paste and seasoning, saute until fragrant. Serving suggestion: See pictures.

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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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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

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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

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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 🙂

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Cajun Shrimp & Cheese Grits

Cajun Shrimp & Cheese Grits

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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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Breakfast Of Champions # 23 Scrambled Eggs & Caviar

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In this classic dish you should splurge  – use the best caviar you can afford !
(I used grey mullet caviar, which is pretty good, especially for this dish.
Beluga, Imperial, Ossetra, maybe next time 🙂
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Scrambled Eggs & Caviar

Scrambled Eggs & Caviar

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Ingredients :

Eggs,   Very fresh !
Heavy cream,
Caviar,   the best you can afford 🙂
Scallions,   finely sliced
Butter,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,

Method :

Whisk the eggs lightly with heavy cream, salt and pepper.
Heat a pan,
Add the butter to melt, add the eggs and cook until done to your likeness.
Pour into serving dish and top with caviar and scallions.  Enjoy !

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Sauted Strip Steak , Cauliflower Tortilla & Sriracha/Garlic Butter

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Sunday’s  late lunch / early dinner (4.00pm)
After sleeping-in late (7.30am and enjoying a big breakfast of strawberry smoothies and goose liver pate stuffed croissants, I did not feel hungry at lunch time and held out until late afternoon.
But then I knew I would have to combine lunch and dinner, so it needed to be a substantial meal, otherwise the snack monster would haunt me early in the evening. This is the first time I made a Spanish Tortilla with cauliflower and tomatoes and it made me realize what a great dish I’ve been missing all my live. What a wonderful dish. It can stand on it’s own, as breakfast, snack, even a complete meal if accompanied by a small salad, served hot or at room temperature. You can of course use different vegetables, different cheeses, add protein such as sausage, bacon, shrimp, crab meat, add different herbs, etc. The possibilities are endless and only limited by your fantasy 🙂
If you ever want to reproduce this dish, just make sure the cauliflower / vegetables are blanched  al dente, so that the tortilla has a bit of a bite to it. While I was cooking the tortilla, I also added grated parmesan cheese to the whisked eggs, (not featured in the mise en place picture). You can omit the cheese, but it definitely adds another level of depth to the dish.
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Sauted Strip Steak , CauliflowerTortila & Sriracha/Garlic Butter

Sauted Strip Steak , Cauliflower Tortilla & Sriracha/Garlic Butter

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Ingredients :

Tortilla :

Cauliflower rosettes,   blanched al dente
Eggs,  whole, whisked, seasoned with kosher salt, cayenne and grated parmesan
Grape tomatoes,
Butter,

Method :

Saute cauliflower and tomatoes briefly in butter, add egg mixture and cook covered on low heat until eggs have set but are not dry. Slide onto a dinner plate, top with the saute pan, invert and cook other side of tortilla until golden.
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Steak :

Season teak with salt, granulated garlic and freshly ground black pepper and saute both sides until desired doneness. Remember the carry over heat will cook it  one more level after you remove the steak from the pan! Let the steak rest for ten minutes before slicing !

Butter :

Mix softened butter with sriracha, roasted  garlic paste, a bit of lime juice and kosher salt.

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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Breakfast Of Champions # 21 “Shrimp, Vegetable and Potato Bowl”

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What a perfect way to start a day.
Spicy, beautiful, well rounded, rich and satisfying.
(Just like a spouse should be 🙂
Have a great weekend y’all.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Breakfast Of Champions # 21 Shrimp, Vegetables and Potato Bowl

Breakfast Of Champions # 21 Shrimp, Vegetables and Potato Bowl


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Saute  mushrooms, add potatoes,  scallions and peppers, season with (lots) of freshly ground black pepper and (not a lot) kosher salt, add garlic paste, saute until fragrant. Add blanched  broccoli  and shrimp, saute until broccoli is heated through and  shrimps are just cooked. Remove from heat, add  maggi seasoning  (or soy sauce  if you prefer), mix and serve. Goes best with a cold beer 🙂
( Relax, it’s your day off ! )
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