garlic paste

Tostadas De Chorizo

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These sexy babies served me perfectly today for my late breakfast by the pool. I love the way I can assemble each one just the way I like it, choosing as many or as few condiments as fit the mood of the moment. My choice of drink was iced tea as usual, but I remember well when nothing but a couple of Negra Modelo would do the trick. (Those were the days) 😦 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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Salsa Mexicana
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Guacamole
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More Tostadas on ChefsOpinion
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Tostadas De Chorizo

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Preparation :
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: remove casing from chorizo, break into small pieces, saute with garlic paste and garlic oil until browned

: serve fried tortillas with sauted chorizo, shredded iceberg, salsa mexicana, guacamole, sour cream and finely sliced red onions

: top fried tortilla with shredded lettuce

: top with guacamole

: top with chorizo

: top with onion

: top with salsa mexicana

: top with sour cream and cilantro

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Chicken-Noodle Soup With Spicy Sausage And Napa Cabbage

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So now that summer is finally over (at least according to the calendar), soups will be on the menu more often to warm our frozen bones (or we could turn the A/C from 72F to 78F ?) 🙂
Anyway, I myself never need an excuse to prepare myself a pot of soup, especially any variation of chicken-noodle soup, which I eat as often as twice a week. Following is today’s version :
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chicken-Noodle Soup With Spicy Sausage And Napa Cabbage

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Preparation :
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: saute diced chicken in garlic oil until lightly browned

: add diced spicy Italian sausage and chicken stock, season with grated ginger, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, simmer until sausage and chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes

: meanwhile, saute finely sliced onions with garlic paste in olive oil until onions are caramelized, reserve

: add shredded carrots to the soup, simmer one minute, remove from heat

: add sliced napa cabbage, finely sliced peppers and chopped cilantro, check / adjust seasoning

: plate freshly cooked casarecce pasta to soup plate, sprinkle with chopped cilantro

: top with the soup, top with the caramelized onions, sprinkle with more cilantro

: Chicken-Noodle Soup With Spicy Sausage And Napa Cabbage

: Chicken-Noodle Soup With Spicy Sausage And Napa Cabbage

: Chicken-Noodle Soup With Spicy Sausage And Napa Cabbage

: Chicken-Noodle Soup With Spicy Sausage And Napa Cabbage

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Pa Amb TomÃ quet

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While “Tomato Bread” or “Pan de Tomate” is well know around the world, the similar dish “pa amb tomÃ quet” is less known and slightly different in its preparation.
Usually, (but not always), pan de tomate is done with pureed tomatoes, olive oil and garlic on grilled bread, while the authentic Catalan “pa amb tomÃ quet” has the tomato cut in half, then rubbed on the bread. Granted, the difference is subtle, but I personally prefer the the Catalan version to the one with the (too much for me) pureed tomatoes.
Either way, thank you Spain for another wonderful, simple dish that makes our life a better one 🙂
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Que vagi de gust ! El meu aerolliscador està ple d’anguiles ! (Just Kidding) 🙂
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sour dough bread, vine-ripened tomatoes, garlic-confit paste in olive oil

rub tomato on freshly grilled bread

drizzle with garlic and oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and basil chiffonade (optional)

“pa amb tomÃ quet”

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Gochujang Blade Steaks With Musaengchae (Spicy Korean Radish Salad)

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While I prepare blade steaks often, musaengchae is not so common on my dinner table, simply because I usually don’t find Korean radish on my regular shopping-runs, so when I do find them, musaengchae it is.
You could substitute the Korean radish with daikon, but for this particular dish, daikon will be inferior and should only be a last resort.
If you love spicy – this salad is it !
If you love radish – this salad is it !
If you are tired of run of the mill salads – this salad will come to the rescue !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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More Blade Steaks On ChefsOpinion
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P.S.
These blade steaks were very thin, so the amount pictured (6 steaks) were just enough for one meal for Bella and I 🙂
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Musaengchae

: korean radish (pic source: maangchi)

: peel radish, then cut into fine julienne, season with kosher salt, let stand for 10 minutes, squeeze out excess water

: toast sesame seeds until golden

: add black sesame seeds, white toasted sesame seeds, gochujang, garlic paste, ginger paste, white vinegar and scallions, mix carefully in order to not break-up the radish julienne

: Musaengchae

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Gochujang Blade Steaks

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: marinade pork-blade steaks overnight with gochujang, ginger paste, garlic paste, kosher salt, scallions, peanut oil, mirin and sake

: grill or broil until pork skin is very crispy

: Gochujang Blade Steaks

: Gochujang Blade Steaks

: Gochujang Blade Steaks

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Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

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Today I had a craving for really spicy food and I answered the call with this dish. I made it very spicy, but at the same time it was also very flavorful, thank’s to the addition of hoi sin sauce, soy sauce and lots of ginger and garlic. ( If you prefer less spicy, just tone down on the chili paste)
Fabulously tasty and satisfying, this was the perfect Sunday early-dinner dish, tasty, pretty and quick to wrestle-up 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is good !
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Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

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P.S.
In order to be able to throw together these quick meals, I always have an assortment of blanched, frozen veggies in the fridge, ready to go at a moments notice.
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: blanch vegetables in salted water

: shock vegetables in ice water

: shock vegetables in ice water, drain

: shock vegetables in ice water, drain

: shock vegetables in ice water, drain

: squeeze out excess water, wrap airtight, freeze for up to 10 days

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Also always in my fridge are grated fresh ginger (commercial, good quality) and garlic confit paste (home made, usually once a week)
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On to today’s dinner:
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Preparation :
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: slice skinlesss chicken breast into bitesize slivers

: marinade chicken with garlic paste, lime juice, soy sauce, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, add a few drops of peanut oil, mix well

: stir fry chicken on VERY high heat until lightly browned but still juicy

: remove chicken to a plate, set aside

: add a bit more oil, saute beans until lightly browned in spots

: add 2 tblsp chili/ bean paste, 2 tblsp soy sauce, 1 tblsp hoi sin sauce, 1 tblsp water, 1 tsp garlic paste, add corn, stir fry until corn is heated through, remove from heat

: add seafood-mushrooms

: return chicken to wok (or pan), mix well, check / adjust seasoning

: Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

: Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

: Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

: Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

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P.P.S.
I used Chor’s Food USA “Black Bean Chile Sauce” in this dish.
If not available in your neck of the woods :-(, substitute with equal parts of fermented black beans and chili paste 🙂
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Easy does it # 26 – Char Siu Bao

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Dear Friend’s,
Although most of my followers are culinary professionals, there is also a large segment of followers who are just starting to enjoy cooking on a slightly higher than basic level. I have therefore decided to publish, under the moniker “Easy Does It“, from time to time some very basic recipe variations of dishes (and even pre-cooked dishes) which otherwise might seem too complicated to some folks. I will break them down to the easiest, most simple instructions, so that those of you who are intimidated by elaborate recipes will be able to prepare these dishes properly, adjusted to your taste and liking, right from the get-go. After all, just because you are not (yet ?) a professional chef should not prevent you from enjoying great food at home. 🙂
Enjoy !
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If only Char Siu Bao (Cantonese barbecue-pork-filled buns) would be as easily available as our western buns in any restaurant, supermarket, bar and dive ! I would devour them at least once a day, everyday :-).
In the not so distant past, I have made Char Siu Bao many times from scratch. After all, over the years (decades), I was in charge of a few Chinese restaurants and even cooked in one on a daily basis (in Pakistan), so I am lucky enough to know the basics of some delicious Chinese food preparation.
However, with a great international/Asian food market close by, there is no need to do all the work by myself anymore. In fact, some of the prepared, frozen food items such as Baozi , Shumai or many other baked, steamed and boiled dumplings which are available frozen at “Foodtown Supermarket” in Davie are better than what I can get in most of the Chinese restaurants around here. And, as a quick dinner after work or a lazy lunch or just a snack in-between, these frozen marvels are unbeatable for convenience, quality and price. So I suggest that if you want to have another great standby for a rainy day, surprise guests or just a quick “different” meal, put some of these into your freezer and be prepared for anything. 🙂
“Foodtown Supermarket” has many varieties of steamed buns, filled with all kind of fillings, but I always come back to the Char Siu Bao which are my favorites.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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For more about Foodtown Market click here
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Char Siu Bao

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: fill a large pot wirh enough salted water to ALMOST reach the bottom of the first steamer basket add four FROZEN buns

: top first basket with another basket

: add another four buns

: top with the basket top

: cover the pot with a lid, bring the water to a boil, steam until the center of the dumplings reach 162F

: meanwhile, prepare the dipping sauce by mixing soy sauce with grated ginger, garlic paste, lime juice, sugar, sesame oil, chili oil and sliced scallions

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: first bite, of course….. 🙂

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Fresh Corn And Arugula Salad With Chorizo

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sauteed fresh corn with garlic paste and cracked black pepper

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When I sautéed the corn in preparation for this salad, I could hardly resist to eat the corn just of the cob, it smelled and looked so appetizing. But alas, I was able to resist and finish the salad first, then enjoyed the whole concoction together.
Great salad, great lunch 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Fresh Corn And Arugula Salad With Chorizo

Naan

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Preparation :
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: Saute fresh corn slowly in garlic oil with garlic paste

: season with fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt

: prepare sliced red onions, baby arugula, red peppers, yellow grape tomatoes and finely sliced iceberg

: cut kernels off the cob

: add to salad, add honey mustard vinaigrette

: plate the salat

: top with avocado and finely sliced chorizo, garnish with fresh basil and pickled chili

: Fresh Corn And Arugula Salad With Chorizo

: serve with hot naan

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Shrimp Sliders

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After having a monstrous burger with all the trimmings at Fuddrucker for lunch, dinner was a bit more quaint.
The attraction of these sliders is the flavorful butter in which the shrimps are sauteed. Lots of garlic paste, horseradish and sriracha make these sliders exceptional and extraordinary.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Shrimp Sliders

Casarecce Gorgonzola

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I was going to make a quick salami and gorgonzola sandwich, when I realized that I felt I had to treat myself to a better lunch than a simple sandwich, so I checked the larder for a few available goodies and the following is what I came up with. By the time the pasta was cooked al dente, I had all the other ingredients prepped and it took only about another five minutes to complete the dish. While I love a good sandwich, this dish was a far more rewarding lunch and it took only slightly more time to prepare.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Casarecce Gorgonzola

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Preparation :
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: saute onions, salame, chillies and garlic paste in olive oil

: add gorgonzola cheese

: add heavy cream, simmer until gorgonzola is melted

: add quartered artichoke hearts

: add freshly ground black pepper and scallions

: add casarecce pasta

: mix until pasta is well coated with gorgonzola sauce, if sauce is too thick, add a bit of the cooking liquid from the pasta, check / adjust seasoning

: Casarecce Gorgonzola

: Casarecce Gorgonzola

: Casarecce Gorgonzola

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The Bollywood

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During the year I was living in Karachi, Pakistan, a large part of the TV programming besides the national programming were Indian music shows and Indian movies of the “Bollywood” Variety, which I came to appreciate and like, so much so that I actually miss it sometimes. So, in honor of the great “Bollywood” shows and movies, I name this sandwich “The Bollywood” 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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naan, tandoori chicken, tomato/cucumber/yogurt salad

The Bollywood

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Preparation :
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: marinade boneless chicken tighs overnight in a paste of ghee, garam masala, cumin, allspice, lemon juice, yogurt, paprika, cinnamon, grated ginger, garlic paste, black pepper and kosher salt

: bake chicken on a rack at 425F until cooked through (165F in the center on the bone)

: meanwhile, make a salad with halved grapetomatoes, diced seeded cucumbers, diced chillies, chopped parsley, garlic paste, yogurt, kosher salt and cayenne pepper