garlic paste

Enjoy A Super-Delicious Dish For $ 1.00 !

Chicken Liver Mousse

No, this was not at a hawker cart in Singapore, nor was it on the side of the road in Manila, it was not in the bush in Zanzibar and certainly not on the beach in Goa. This was in Miami, at “Chez Bella”.
All the ingredients for 4 portions came to about $ 4.00, which, yes, I carefully and meticulously calculated it, comes to about a buck a portion. 🙂
In all my years living in America, I have realized that the majority of Americans say they don’t like liver or any other dish prepared with offal. However, serve them a slice of “Foie Gras” in a fancy restaurant where they are too shy to ask what they are being served, and all of a sudden you get all ahhh’s and ohhh’s. And it’s usually the same with chicken liver mousse, terrine or pate. Serve it on little canapes, put a cherry or grape on top and all of a sudden it becomes great.
Speaking of chicken liver mousse and parfait. Sadly, most of what’s being served in restaurants these days can at best be described as utter garbage. I know, because I love chicken liver mousse and have tried it a hundred times, in fact, I almost always order it if I come across it on a menu. Low-quality liver, too many distracting ingredients, overseasoned, underseasoned, grainy, broken, too long in the fridge, off-putting color, you name it.
So then, for those of my readers who share the love with me, I give you a recipe which is pretty much foolproof, as long as you use top quality liver.
Of course, you can use this recipe to make any other liver mousse. Pork liver, veal liver, duck liver, game liver. You can also, if you must, add a few additional flavors, as long as you take it easy and don’t overpower the fine taste of the liver. Armaniac, calvados, grand marnier, cognac, diced apples, garlic, herbs, sauteed shallots, orange essence, etc. You can even call it a parfait if you want to, since this recipe provides a mousse so fine, it appears to have been strained through a fine hair sieve.
All in all, a spectacular tasty dish, easy to prepare, ~~cheap~~ economical, and definitely better than most of the stuff you can buy ready-made or in most restaurants.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
This amount of mousse serves 4 main courses or 8-12 snacks/appetizers
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Chicken Liver Mousse

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: 18 oz thoroughly cleaned, VERY fresh liver, 3/4 cup WARM half&half, 3/4 lb cold butter

: saute liver in 1 tblsp clarified butter until medium well

: at once, put into a blender together with the half&half, blend at medium speed for 1 minute, keep running at medium speed while adding 1 tsp sweet paprika and kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, add the butter piece by piece until very smooth; check/adjust seasoning

: done…..

: fill mousse into a container, cover airtight, chill in refrigerator overnight

: voilà………

: laugen broetchen (pretzel rolls)

: slice pretzel rolls or other bread of your choice, brush lightly with garlic paste (or plain butter if you prefer), toast one side only until golden; serve with condiments of your choice

: Chicken Liver Mousse

: Chicken Liver Mousse

: Chicken Liver Mousse

: Chicken Liver Mousse

: Chicken Liver Mousse

: Chicken Liver Mousse

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Grilled Veal Breast, Sauteed Potatoes, Chimichurri

Grilled Veal Breast, Sautéed Potatoes And Chimichurri

Sliced veal breast is a cut I use often at home, mainly for these three reasons:
1.- It’s cheap. 1 lb costs around $2.50.
2.- It tastes great.
3.- I love the texture.
Since veal breast is not a very tender part of an animal to begin with, most folks would braise it for a couple of hours to reach the tenderness they are accustomed to. While this will produce a great dish if properly done, it will lose most of that special veal flavor that some of us cherish. But if you prefer to grill or saute the veal breast, you must make sure that you do it right, otherwise, it will end up being dry and tough.
However, if you sear the meat at high heat, then cook it VERY ! slowly for the rest of the cooking process, you will be rewarded with a very fine piece of veal, full of flavor, juicy and tender. The veal breast slices I used for this dish cooked on each side for about 35 minutes until they were medium-well, then I let them rest another 10 minutes before cutting into them. They were perfect and an absolute delight 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Grilled Veal Breast, Sautéed Potatoes, And Chimichurri

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Preparation :
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: 4 ea slices of veal breast at $ 2.50 a lb 🙂

: season with kosher salt, sear on both sides on high heat, as soon as grillmarks apear, turn down heat to very low

: SLOWLY grill on both sides for about 35 min ea side or until medium well, remove from heat, let rest loosely tented, at least 10 minutes before cutting

: while the meat is cooking, cook 4 medium size potatoes in salted water until done, drain

: let potatoes dry a few minutes, cut into slices

: season potatoes with kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper, saute in duck fat or clarified butter until golden and crisp;

: place potatoes on serving dish, top with the veal

: drizzle veal generously with chimichurri, serve with grilled chillies (optional)

: Grilled Veal Breast, Sautéed Potatoes And Chimichurri

: Grilled Veal Breast, Sautéed Potatoes And Chimichurri

: Grilled Veal Breast, Sautéed Potatoes And Chimichurri

: Grilled Veal Breast, Sautéed Potatoes And Chimichurri

: Grilled Veal Breast, Sautéed Potatoes And Chimichurri

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Pork Ribs And Lotus Roots In Tamarind Broth (Sinigang Na Baboy)

At least once a month it’s sinigang-time at my house. The protein I use most often is pork, but sometimes I use shrimp (Sinigáng na Hipon), fish (Sinigáng na Isdâ), beef (Sinigang na Baka) or chicken (Sinampalukang Manók). One can use any part of the pig for sinigang, but my personal favorite cuts are the ribs and/or tails. This morning I found fresh ribs at my butcher, which I turned into this not-so-ordinary sinigang (chard and lotus roots are not commonly used in sinigang).
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Pork Ribs And Lotus Roots In Tamarind Broth (Sinigang Na Baboy)

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Preparation :
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: to 1,5 qt of water add 2 lb single-cut pork ribs, 1 large onion cut into large dice, 2 ea scallion, 1 large tomato cut into thin wedges, add kosher salt, tamarind paste and hot chilies to taste (if you cook this dish for guests, you might want to blanch the pork first in order to have a cleaner broth)

: simmer until ribs are tender but NOT falling apart, you should have about 1/2 qt of liquid left – add a bit of water if you don’t

: add 4 oz blanched chard, 4 oz cooked/sliced lotus root and 6 oz blanched green beans, simmer 1 minute, remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning, serve with a bowl of steamed rice and fish sauce and/or soy sauce to season the rice

: Pork Ribs And Lotus Roots In Tamarind Broth (Sinigang Na Baboy)

: Pork Ribs And Lotus Roots In Tamarind Broth (Sinigang Na Baboy)

: Pork Ribs And Lotus Roots In Tamarind Broth (Sinigang Na Baboy)

: Pork Ribs And Lotus Roots In Tamarind Broth (Sinigang Na Baboy)

: Pork Ribs And Lotus Roots In Tamarind Broth (Sinigang Na Baboy)

: Pork Ribs And Lotus Roots In Tamarind Broth (Sinigang Na Baboy)

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Spinach Tagliatelle With Crayfish In Garlic/Chili Butter

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Crayfish must be one of the most under-appreciated seafood on the market. I assume it has to do with the fact that it takes a while and a bit of practice to peel them efficiently. There is also the misconception that they are expensive, which, in my opinion, they are not. One pound costs about $ 5.00 and is enough for a generous portion).
Another sad fact is that outside of their harvesting areas and outside of harvesting season, it is not easy to come by great quality crayfish. The reason for this is mostly bad handling, so in order to ensure good quality, make sure the fishmonger lets you stick your nose into (or at least close to) 🙂 the ice box in which they are kept, and always ask to give you the bottom layer, closest to the ice.
This, of course, is an important step in buying any seafood, including frozen or “previously frozen”! Please remember – expertly flash-frozen seafood can be as good as fresh seafood, provided it is handled, stored and defrosted properly.
Much seafood which is labeled fresh or never frozen is, in fact, inferior to properly preserved seafood, due to the length of transport, lack of proper or inconsistent cooling and general lack of proper handling.
But as I wrote earlier, the smell test will easily reveal if you should buy or forget 🙂
Needless to say, the little beauties I used for this meal were fresh, yummy and pretty, so this dish was an all around success 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Spinach Tagliatelle With Crayfish In Garlic/Chili Butter

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: great quality dried spinach pasta

: remove the tails from the shells of 1 lb cooked crayfish (this is 1 generous potion), reserve 5 whole crayfish for garnish

: simmer the shells and legs in 1 qt water, 1/2 tsp garlic paste and 1/2 tsp sweet chili paste until reduced to 1/2 cup

: add 6 oz whole butter, simmer until liquid has evaporated

: strain butter into another pot

: add the whole crayfish and the tails to warm

: add 1 portion (4 oz raw) freshly cooked, drained tagliatelle together with 4 tblsp of the cooking water, mix, check/adjust seasoning; see pictures for serving suggestion

: Spinach Tagliatelle With Crayfish In Garlic/Chili Butter

: Spinach Tagliatelle With Crayfish In Garlic/Chili Butter

: Spinach Tagliatelle With Crayfish In Garlic/Chili Butter

: Spinach Tagliatelle With Crayfish In Garlic/Chili Butter

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Crappy Weather Food – Beef, Beans And Other Stuff

Meanwhile, in Florida…….

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Hurricane season has finally arrived in Florida, and boy, has it ARRIVED 😦
While God has spared us a hurricane so far, we had constant rainstorms for the past two weeks, resulting in extensive flooding, turning many streets into rivers and parking lots into lakes.
Hearty food is the partial answer to that misery, making up for the fact that outside grilling and outside cooking in general, is suspended for the moment.
This beef stew with potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garbanzos, white beans, red beans and black beans is the perfect food to enjoy while looking out the window, watching the world drowning in rain and misery 😦
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Crappy Weather Food – Beef, Beans And Other Stuff

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: 2 lbs beef ribs

: blanche ribs for one minute, drain, rinse

: to 3 qt water add the ribs, 2 med white onions, large dice, 1 tblsp garlic paste, 1 pinch grated nutmeg, kosher salt and grd black pepper to taste, bring to a simmer

: simmer slowly until ribs are very tender but NOT falling apart

: remove ribs from stock, let cool enough to handle

: remove and discard bones, cut meat into bite size pieces

: the stock should be reduce to about 1 qt; if too much, simmer until 1 qt remains, if there is not enough, add some more water to reach 1 qt

: cut 1/2 ea red pepper, 1/2 ea yellow pepper and 1/2 ea green peppers into large dice; drain and rinse 10 oz kernel corn, 10 oz black beans, 10 oz white beans, 10 oz red beans, 10 oz diced tomatoes, 10 oz small cooked potatoes

: add the beef, all the veggies, 1 lb finely sliced beef sausage and 1/2 cup sliced scallions to the stock, simmer for 3 minutes

: check/adjust seasoning

: to serve, sprinkle with fresh grated Asiago cheese and 1/2 cup finely diced raw white onion, red pepper, green pepper, yellow pepper and scallion (optional, but in my opinion the raw veggies add a great “freshness” and texture)

: Crappy Weather Food – Beef, Beans And Other Stuff

: Crappy Weather Food – Beef, Beans And Other Stuff

: Crappy Weather Food – Beef, Beans And Other Stuff

: Crappy Weather Food – Beef, Beans And Other Stuff

: Crappy Weather Food – Beef, Beans And Other Stuff

: Meanwhile, in Florida…….

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Shrimp & Egg Fried Rice

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This is one of these dishes which, at least in my humble opinion, actually benefits from the usage of smaller shrimp, compared to the larger shrimp we usually prefer for a great dish. While you can make a perfectly wonderful fried rice with large shrimp, the smaller ones can be used in abundance for the same price as a few large ones will cost. The mouth-feel is just better when the ratio of shrimp to rice is 50/50 🙂
In the past, when the only shrimp available to me were large ones, I actually cut them into smaller pieces to get that specific mouth-feel. (For a more impressive presentation, you can always put a few uncut biggies on the top) 🙂
I enjoyed today’s fried rice as my breakfast, although it is an appropriate meal for any time of the day. I love rice for breakfast, usually in the form of congee with whatever is available, a tasty rice bowl (with whatever is available) or, as today, fried rice (with whatever is available) 🙂
“Whatever is available” can range from meats, seafood, fresh or pickled vegetables, eggs of any type, or – you guessed it – whatever else is in the fridge, freezer or cupboard 🙂
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to serve, sprinkle with more scallion, add fried shallots and pickled mild chillies

Shrimp & Egg Fried Rice

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Preparation :
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: stir fry fine julienne of 1 med onion in 1 tblsp peanut oil until translucent

: add 2 cup small shrimp and stir fry until pink

: remove shrimp and onions, reserve

: stir fry 2 cup day old rice in 1 tblsp peanut oil until the rice make a popping sound, add 1/2 tsp garlic paste, 1/8 tsp ginger paste, chili paste and kosher salt to taste, mix well

: remove rice from pan, reserve

: season 3 whisked eggs with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, scramble in 2 tblsp peanut oil until set

: return the rice, onion and shrimp to the eggs, add 1 tsp sesame oil and 2 tblsp finely sliced scallions and stir fry until heated

: check/adjust seasoning

: serve as a main dish for one or divide for two smaller portions

: to serve, sprinkle with more scallion, add fried shallots and pickled mild chillies

: Shrimp & Egg Fried Rice

: Shrimp & Egg Fried Rice

: Shrimp & Egg Fried Rice

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Another Day, Another Wonderful Salad (Plus A Great Grilled Chicken Breast)

Grilled Chicken Breast With Red Beet/Broccoli Salad And Chimichurri

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In my ongoing (and admittedly, so far not very successful) quest for a more healthful lifestyle, I do eat a lot more vegetables and salads.
Unfortunately, most of the time when I choose a healthy dish for one meal, I offset the good effect with a not so healthy dish for the following meal. But, I keep trying………
Today’s lunch was a rather salubrious choice, grilled lean meat, accompanied by a delicious vegetable salad with olive oil dressing and, for a bit of extra zing, a few pickled chilies and a herb-laden chimichurri.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Grilled Chicken Breast With Red Beet/Broccoli Salad And Chimichurri

Red Beet/Broccoli Salad

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Preparation :
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: cut 8 oz of cooked red beets, 6 oz of blanched broccoli, 1 small onion and 2 yellow mild chillis according to the pic

: dress with 2 tblsp olive oil, 2 tblsp white balsmic vinegar and kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: Red Beet/Broccoli Salad

: season 2 ea chicken breasts and some scallions with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, cook on a lightly oiled grill until cooked through

: Grilled Chicken Breast With Red Beet/Broccoli Salad And Chimichurri

: Grilled Chicken Breast With Red Beet/Broccoli Salad And Chimichurri

: Grilled Chicken Breast With Red Beet/Broccoli Salad And Chimichurri

: Grilled Chicken Breast With Red Beet/Broccoli Salad And Chimichurri

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Salad & Bread

Spinach Salad with Grapefruit Filets, Shrimp, Avocado and Grape Tomatoes, dressed with Honey/Citrus Vinaigrette, accompanied by Garlic/Chili Pita Bread

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“Spinach Salad with Grapefruit Filets, Shrimp, Avocado and Grape Tomatoes, dressed with Honey/Citrus Vinaigrette, accompanied by Garlic/Chili Pita Bread”
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Once in a while, “just” a salad is all I want for lunch. Today was such a day and this salad satisfied all the needs and wishes I had for such a lunch.
Light, refreshing, pretty and very flavorful, I recommend this for anybody who “just” wants a salad as a wonderful meal 🙂
As an added bonus, the garlic/pita bread was exceptional and I added it to my regular repertoire.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Spinach Salad with Grapefruit Filets, Shrimp, Avocado and Grape Tomatoes, dressed with Honey/Citrus Vinaigrette, accompanied by Garlic/Chili Pita Bread

Garlic/Chili Pita Bread

Spinach Salad with Grapefruit Filets, Shrimp, Avocado and Grape Tomatoes, dressed with Honey/Citrus Vinaigrette, accompanied by Garlic/Chili Pita Bread

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: brush 2 ea pita bread on both sides generously with garlic oil and chili paste

: toast the bread on both sides until it becomes golden brown

: Garlic/Chili Pita Bread

: peel 2 ea grapefruits and 1 ea haas avovado, remove pit from avocaddo, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

: fillet the grapefruits, collect juice from core for the dressing

: add grapefruit and avocado to 8 oz spinach, 8 ea grape tomatoes and 8 oz salad shrimp

: prepare a dressing from the collected grapefruit juice, 2 tblsp olive oil, 1 tblsp organic honey, 1 tblsp lime juice, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: mix the salad with the dressing; serves 1 main course or 2 to 4 appetizer

: Spinach Salad with Grapefruit Filets, Shrimp, Avocado and Grape Tomatoes, dressed with Honey/Citrus Vinaigrette, accompanied by Garlic/Chili Pita Bread

: Spinach Salad with Grapefruit Filets, Shrimp, Avocado and Grape Tomatoes, dressed with Honey/Citrus Vinaigrette, accompanied by Garlic/Chili Pita Bread

: Spinach Salad with Grapefruit Filets, Shrimp, Avocado and Grape Tomatoes, dressed with Honey/Citrus Vinaigrette, accompanied by Garlic/Chili Pita Bread

: Spinach Salad with Grapefruit Filets, Shrimp, Avocado and Grape Tomatoes, dressed with Honey/Citrus Vinaigrette, accompanied by Garlic/Chili Pita Bread

: Spinach Salad with Grapefruit Filets, Shrimp, Avocado and Grape Tomatoes, dressed with Honey/Citrus Vinaigrette, accompanied by Garlic/Chili Pita Bread

: Spinach Salad with Grapefruit Filets, Shrimp, Avocado and Grape Tomatoes, dressed with Honey/Citrus Vinaigrette, accompanied by Garlic/Chili Pita Bread

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Best ! Ribs ! Ever !

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Here is a rib recipe that will take your Memorial Day BBQ (or any other BBQ day) to the highest level 🙂
While the marinade consists of a whole bunch of ingredients, there is nothing exotic or unusual about them and most of us who like to cook have these sauces/seasonings already in their cupboard. If not, just buy small amounts so you have no waste.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
If you like to cook the ribs outside on the grill, follow the same procedure as outlined below, but once they are tender from cooking them sealed in the pan on the grill, remove them from the braising pan and cook them on both sides on a very low-heat grill for another 30 minutes or so, until the ribs have nicely caramelized but are not burned 🙂
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Best ! Ribs ! Ever !

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Preparation :
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: saute 2 oz of white sesame seeds until golden

: season a whole slab of pork ribs with kosher salt on both sides

: mix 1 cup soy sauce, 2 tblsp peanut butter, 3 tblsp honey, 3 tblsp hoisin sauce, 2 tblsp plum sauce, 1 tblsp fermented beans, 1 tblsp sambal olek, 1 tblsp sesame oil and (not in Pic – 1 tblsp garlic paste and 1 tsp grated ginger)

: rib marinade

: put ribs a in a braising pan, add 1 qt of water, pour marinade over the ribs

: cover braising pan air tight, bake at 375F until ribs are very tender but NOT falling apart, 2-3 hours, depending on the ribs

: when the ribs are tender, remove the cover, raise the temperature to 400F and cook the ribs until nicely caramelized, about 15-20 minutes (save any leftover braising liquid for your next stir fry)

: cut the slab into individual ribs, sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and serve with pickled sweet and spicy chilies

: Best ! Ribs ! Ever !

: Best ! Ribs ! Ever !

: Best ! Ribs ! Ever !

: Best ! Ribs ! Ever !

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Shrimp And Ricotta Ravioli With Pangrattato

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Preparing your own ravioli might be a bit work-intensive, but if one put’s a little effort and love to the process, it’s well worth the trouble. The actual prep is not so bad, what takes the most time is the clean-up (at least for me, since my counter space is tiny and the flour usually goes everywhere where it is not supposed to).
But as I said, the delicious result makes up for the extra bit of time and effort 🙂
Also, if you frequently prep your own ravioli and/or vareniki, it will be wise to invest a few dollars in a ravioli mold/press/cutter, which will cut down considerably on the time and mess it takes to prepare good-looking ravioli or vareniki. I have a bunch of them, and they always come in handy.
As for the filling, a general rule is usually not to combine cheese and seafood, but in this case, the ricotta goes perfectly with the shrimp (that’s why in cooking, the word “usually” is vital). We “usually” do things this way or that way, but………..
For my personal taste, a complicated or dominating sauce would take away from the delicate taste of the ravioli, so the richness of the butter and the crispness of the crumbs is all this dish needs to shine brightly.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Pasta Dough :
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Ingredients :
2 ¹⁄₂cups A/P flour
3 -4 eggs (depending on size)
Kosher salt to taste>
Method :
Sift the flour onto the work surface, make a well in the center
Add the eggs, one at a time, add the salt.
Mix the eggs, then add a little flour at a time from the well, until all the flour has been used.
Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, adding flour if dough is too sticky.
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Filling :
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Ingredients :
1 cup ricotta cheese, softened
8 oz peeled, tailless cooked small shrimp
1 tbsp fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 whole egg, beaten
fresh-grated nutmeg, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste
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Method :
Coarsely chop the shrimp, add all other ingredients, mix well
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Shrimp Butter :
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Ingredients :
8 oz peeled, tailless cooked small shrimp
4 oz whole butter
1 tblsp chopped Italian parsley
garlic paste to taste
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Method :
Saute shrimp in butter until heated, remove from heat, add parsley, season with garlic paste, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
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