garlic

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

: toast naan, brush with butter or ghee, sprinkle with kosher salt

: naan, tandoori chicken, tomato/cucumber/yogurt salad

: naan, tandoori chicken, tomato/cucumber/yogurt salad

: naan, tandoori chicken, tomato/cucumber/yogurt salad

: The Bollywood

: The Bollywood

: The Bollywood

: The Bollywood

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Curried Lentil Salad With Tandoory-Style Chicken

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Today, let’s make a salad that is both full of flavor and easy to prepare.
Curried lentils are of course one of my favorite lentil recipes, served either hot or cold (vinaigrette added), by them self as salad or as a sexy side dish (again, either hot or as salad). And tandoori chicken?- well, anytime, please 🙂
While I don’t have a tandoori oven in my kitchen (neither do you, I guess), cooking the chicken without fat in a VERY hot cast iron pan will give satisfying, similar results.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Tandoori Chicken Salad

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

: cook lentils by slowly simmering in salted water until soft, but not falling apart

: mix greek yogurt, mayo, mustard, curry powder, turmeric powder, rice vinegar, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: add lentils, chopped cilantro, diced radish, diced cucumbers and sliced chilies, mix well, check / adjust seasoning

: add chicken to VERY HOT cast Iron pan, cook for about 3 minutes on one side

: turn chicken, turn down temperature a bit, cook until cooked through

: dress lettuce with vinaigrette of your choice

: add lentil salad

: top with chicken breast

: top with a dollop of greek yogurt, sprinkle with chopped cilantro

: Tandoori Chicken Salad

: Tandoori Chicken Salad

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Steak And Pasta Salad With Pickled Onions

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Some of us “Tough Guy’s” might feel a bit dainty when out with our buddies and would like to actually have “just a salad, please” 😦
Well, boys and girls, not with this baby, I’ll guarantee ! Here we have “just a salad” for every real man and every real woman, anytime and anyplace. Buhaaa ! Enjoy ! 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life (and salad) is Good !
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Steak And Pasta Salad With Pickled Onions

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Preparation :
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: onions, chilies, chili flakes, rice vinegar, kosher salt, peanut oil, cilantro

: mix ingredients and let marinade for at least 2 hours

: marinade sliced striploin with soy sauce, garlic oil and sriracha

: sear in a VERY hot pan on both sides (no additional oil required) until browned but still rare

: plate vinaigrette-dressed iceberg salad

: top with vinaigrette-dressed pasta and cucumber salad

: top with steak

: top with onions

: Steak And Pasta Salad With Pickled Onions

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Easy Does It # 23 – Pickled Cauliflower And Pickled Broccolini

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Pickled vegetables are so easy to prepare, they stay fresh in the fridge for day’s and they come in handy any time of the day as a snack, or just as an refreshing side dish.
While you can pickle just about anything with great results, cauliflower and broccolini are my favorites, closely followed by mushrooms and cabbage.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to more “Easy Does It”
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Link to “Pickled Cabbage Rolls”
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Link to “Chinese Pickled Cucumbers”
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Link to “Pickled Chicken” (Pollo En Escabeche)

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Pickled Cauliflower

Pickled Broccolini

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Preparation :
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: blanched broccolini, garlic paste, pickled chilies, sliced onions, shredded carrots

: add kosher salt, cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, mix well, marinade at least 24 hours in fridge, serve at room temperature

: Pickled Broccolini

: Pickled Broccolini

: Pickled Broccolini

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: raw beauty…………

: cut into florettes

: blanche in salted water, shock in ice water, drain

: add sliced scallions, diced onions, fresh cracked black pepper, kosher salt, olive oil, garlic pasteapple cider vinegar, mix, marinade at least 24 hours

: Pickled Cauliflower

: Pickled Cauliflower

: Pickled Cauliflower

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Bombay Vegetable Omelette

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Although most egg dishes which I have encountered in India and Pakistan use hard-boiled eggs, this dish, which I make often when I have some leftover curry sauce in the fridge, seems to capture (for me) the spirit of Indian and Pakistani breakfast dishes I had in hotels and private homes while living (Pakistan) and traveling (India) in both countries 🙂
Serve with naan and / or rice
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Bon Appetit ! कृपया भोजन का आनंद लीजिये ! (kripyā bhojan kā ānnaṅd lijīyai)
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Link to “EASY DOES IT # 11 – CURRY”

Link to Naan Recipe
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Link to Chelo / Polo
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Link to Rice
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Bombay Vegetable Omelette

Bombay Vegetables

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Preparation :
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: saute botton mushrooms in clarified butter until starting to brown

: add diced onions, saute until opaque

: add diced peppers, blanched broccoli and blanched cauliflower

: add curry sauce (see link to”easy does it – curry)

: add spinach leaves and a dollop of greek yogurt

: add plenty of chopped cilantro, check / adjust seasoning

: plate veggie-curry

: whisk whole eggs with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: transform eggs into omelette 🙂

: place egg atop of veggie-curry, add a small dollop of greek yogurt and more chopped cilantro

: Bombay Vegetable Omelette

: Bombay Vegetable Omelette

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Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

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If you’ll have a sandwich, you might as well make a good one ! This one certainly qualifies 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

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P.S.
You might want to stop after step 3 – “gratinate until golden” and just enjoy one of the best garlic breads you’ll ever find 🙂
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Preparation :
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: mix finely grated parmesan, garlic paste and garlic oil

: spread generously on two slices of sour dough bread

: gratinate until golden

: top both slices of bread with sharp cheddar, then top one slice with sliced cucumbers , season with kosher salt and chili flakes

: top with sliced mortadella

: top with sliced tomato, add horseradish to other slice of bread

: put both breads together, brush both slices with garlic oil

: saute or griddle bread on both sides until golden

: cover sandwich , keep cooking SLOWLY until cheese starts to melt. Meanwhile, make a salad with tomato, cucumber and vinaigrette, serve with sandwich

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

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Salade De Pâtes

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A simple pasta salad will, more often then not, hit the spot for a simple yet satisfying meal.
And if you add some fruits to it, culinary bliss will be achieved with a minimum of fuss and expense 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is good !
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P.S.
Use any protein or vegetable to replace the bologna and Swiss cheese, such as shrimp, crab meat, chicken, roast beef and/or any vegetable and cheese at hand.
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More Pasta Salad
Even more Pasta Salad
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Pasta Salad. Salade De Pâtes

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Preparation :
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: blanche asparagus in salted water

: shock asparagus in ice water, drain

: cook pasta, drain

: slice bologna and swiss cheese into julienne(or other protein / cheese of your choice)

: radish, cucumber, asparagus, swiss, bologna

: add COLD pasta, garlic paste, apple cider vinegar, mayo, mustard, ketchup, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: serve with carambola and kiwi (or other fruit of your choice)

: mix all ingredients, check / adjust seasoning

: Pasta Salad. Salade De Pâtes

: Pasta Salad. Salade De Pâtes

: Pasta Salad. Salade De Pâtes

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Chicken Noodle Soup With Broccoli Rabe & Tomatoes

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My very own preference for chicken to use in a soup are the wings, which makes for a bit of messy eating at the dinner table. (Bella does not mind 🙂 )
So, if this is an issue for you, you might want to replace the wings with boneless diced chicken leg.
On the other hand, chicken noodle soup was never meant to be an elegant dish, so what the heck, use whatever makes you happy!
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Simmer wings with water, sliced ginger, sliced garlic, kosher salt and cayenne pepper until wings are cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove wings, set aside. Meanwhile, cook pasta, strain, toss with a bit of sesame oil. Strain soup, return to simmer, add chilies, broccoli rabe, tomatoes, scallions, hot sauce, soy sauce and wings, simmer another minute. Check / adjust seasoning. To serve, add pasta to serving dish, top with soup, wings and veggies, sprinkle with more scallion.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: wings, garlic, ginger, blanched broccoli rabe, mild chilies, scsllions, whole grain spaghetti, hot sauce, say sauce, sesame oil

: Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

: Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

: Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

: Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

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Mondongo

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Even if you never had mondongo (tripes, kutteln) before, this variation should help you overcome your resentment easily because it is eye-appealing, tastes mild and best of all, it smells great, which you can’t say of some recipes utilizing tripe. The secret here is to blanch the tripe 3 times in salted, vinegared water, so that the typical smell of tripe has disappeared and you have an odorless piece of offal which should please you with its great taste and unique texture 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to more Mondongo Recipes
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All about Tripe
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Mondongo

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Preparation :
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: blanch tripe in salted, vinegared water

: rinse, cut into strips

: blanche 2 more times, drain, rinse

: saute onions, garlic paste and bay leaves in olive oil

: add chicken stock, simmer for 10 minutes

: add heavy cream, kosher salt, cayenne pepper and tripe, simmer for 10 minutes

: add cooked potatoes, corn, chick peas, chives and white beans, simmer another 5 minutes

: add grape tomatoes, check / adjust seasoning

: Mondongo

: Mondongo

: Mondongo

: Mondongo

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Chili/Duck Rice Sticks

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The other day I roasted a whole duck to have for dinner but when it was almost done a friend called me to invite me for dinner, so I put the whole shamuckus in the fridge for the next day to be used. The following dish was the result and I must say – what an extraordinary satisfying result it was, both visual and taste-wise, which just goes to show (again) that sometimes leftovers are better than the original. (Mind you – not alway’s – but often enough)
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chili/Duck Rice Sticks

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Preparation :
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: soak rice sticks in water for five minutes, drain

: remove all bones from duck,, discard bones

: saute slivered garlic in peanut oil until crisp and golden, set aside

: saute sliced onions in peanut oil until caramelized but not crisp, set aside

: pure goodness………

: saute duck in very hot peanut oil until skin is crisp but meat still juicy

: add chilies and grated ginger, saute a few seconds until chilies blister

: add rice sticks, equal parts of hoi sin sauce, chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sweet thai chili sayce and ketchup )don’t scoff on the ketchup, it adds acidity and sweetness as well as richness to the dish