garlic

Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup With Bok Choy And Chili (Mondongo Chino) (Kuttelsuppe Mit Nudeln)

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I have taken to the habit of having Pho at “Pho 79” in Davie, while I wait for the nice Ladies at “Davie Coin Laundry” to take care of one of my lesser liked weekly chores. Both establishments are by far the best of their kind in this area (Ft Lauderdale to the Keys and across to Ft Meyers), so I am really lucky to have found both.
Now to the point :
While the Pho at Pho 79 far outshines any other Pho around here, if you eat like I do, you will pay the price. Mind you, this is in a strip mall, no decor, no service to speak of, very run down environment and I really only go there to enjoy the Pho, but if I want a decent portion my bill comes to a whopping $24.00 without tip . This includes a diet coke, a large Pho and one portion each of extra noodles, tendon and tripe. While this might sound like a lot, it really isn’t. Yes, there is a huge amount of broth, but inside is a VERY small amount of noodles, a minuscule quantity of paper thin (as it supposed to be sliced) brisket and a tiny (I guess maybe 0.5 oz of each tendon and tripe. The additional side orders are only slightly bigger. So, while all this leaves you full for about one hour, it is mostly broth you consume, excellent prepared food but at a hefty price.
Onward to the solution – making my own tripe and noodle soup, TWO large bowls of soup with LOT”S of noodles, tripe and greens for a total of about $ 8.00 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup With Bok Choy And Chili (Mondongo Chino) (Kuttelsuppe Mit Nudeln)

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Pho at PHO 79 :
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pho at PHO (great taste but as you can see, mostly broth and herbs)

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Preparation of Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup :
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blanche tripe in saltwater 3 times

beautiful 🙂

cut into stripes, not too fine so when cooked soft they retain some texture, cook until almost tender, strain

finish cooking with chilies, kosher salt, grated ginger and garlic paste, strain, keep hot

chinese egg noodles

cook in saltwater for about two minutes, strain, toss with sesame oil

place noodles in serving bowl

top with blanched bok choy

beef stock, (for recipe, click here)
fortified with star anis, garlic paste, grated ginger and seasoned with salt, pepper and fish sauce

to serve, top noodles with broth, tripe and scallions, drizzle with chili oil

Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup With Bok Choy And Chili (Mondongo Chino) (Kuttelsuppe Mit Nudeln)

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Roasted Red Snapper

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Many folks have asked me why I don’t feature more fresh fish on my blog, since I live right by the ocean.
Well, maybe you’ll understand when I tell you that the featured snapper below has actually cost $ 24.00, head, tail and guts included! I bought it at my favorite neighborhood Asian market where all seafood is extremely fresh and at the same time much cheaper than anywhere else around here, but still…..
So, there you have it, I love fresh seafood, but with the prices nowadays, I can’t afford it as often as I wish 😦
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Expensive !
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Roasted Red Snapper

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Preparation :
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gut and scale the snapper, season inside and out with lime juice, soy sauce, sriracha and kosher salt, bake at 430F until cooked through but still moist, approximately between 40 and 60 minutes, depending on the size of the fish

gut and scale the snapper, cut off fin’s, season inside and out with garlic oil, lime juice, soy sauce, freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt, bake at 430F until cooked through but still moist, approximately between 40 and 60 minutes, depending on the size of the fish

to serve, drizzle with lime juice and accompany with roasted tomato salsa

Roasted Red Snapper

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Pork Shank’s & Lai Fen In Garlic/Ginger Broth

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Usually we use this cut of the animal to make Osso Buco (originally done with veal shanks), but I love me a hearty soup more than anything else, so I decided to prepare this dish with some pork shanks my friend Curtis dropped off last time he came to visit. Great, simple dinner, bursting with flavor and texture 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Pork Shank’s & Lai Fen In Garlic Ginger Broth

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Preparation :
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simmer pork shank’s in stock seasoned with star anis, cinnamon, garlic paste, black pepper, salt and grated ginger until tender but NOT falling apart

meanwhile, blanch green beans and cook lai fen pasta (rice flour bucatini)

add beans to soup

add diced peppers, onions and lap cheong (chinese sausage), check/adjust seasoning

add diced peppers, onions and lap cheong (chinese sausage), simmer two more minutes, check/adjust seasoning

add lai fen to serving bowl

to serve, top noodles with meat, vegetables and broth, sprinkle with chopped cilantro

Pork Shank’s & Lai Fen In Garlic Ginger Broth

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Hickory Smoked, Panko Crusted Bone-In Ham Steak

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Here we have another dish which exemplifies home cooking at it’s most simple, most tasty, most satisfying goodness.
It goes to show that you don’t have to be rich or a professional chef in order to serve excellent food. Creativity and good, simple ingredients will get you pretty far.
While I love my lobster, caviar and foie gras, food made with simple ingredients should, in my opinion, alternate with the high-end stuff which most of us could not afford on a daily basis anyway. But even back in the day’s when I ran five star operations and could have had “the good stuff” for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I always liked to mix it up with some home style cooked dishes. After all, the beauty of good food lies, among other things, in variation.
Well, there you have it : Another ChefsOpinion 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Hickory Smoked Panko Crusted Bone-In Ham Steak

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Preparation :
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mix 1/3 corn starch, 1/3 ap flour, 1/3 panko bread crumbs, season with cayenne pepper, english mustard powder and granulated garlic

dip ham steak on both sides into flour mixture, saute in butter until golden, remove ham and set aside, fry sunny side up eggs in same butter, season eggs with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

almost……

saute onions in butter until lightly caramelized, add garlic confit paste

add cabbage and peppers, saute until cabbage starts to wilt

add demi glace and grape tomatoes, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, simmer for one minute, check / adjust seasoning

plate cabbage on serving dish

top with ham steak

top with fried eggs, serve with horseradish mashed potatoes or a good rustic bread to soak up the sauce and juices

top with fried eggs, serve with horseradish mashed potatoes or a good rustic bread to soak up the sauce, egg yolks and juices

Hickory Smoked Panko Crusted Bone-In Ham Steak

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EASY DOES IT # 17 – Hans’ Homemade Buffalo Sauce

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While buffalo sauce is most famously used for chicken wings, I use my recipe for many other dishes, such as steak sauce, light coating for sautéed shrimp, sautéed vegetables, sautéed potatoes, etc, as well as fried foods such as chicken hearts, duck gizzards, chicken wings ( pictured below). I also use it as a spicy dipping sauce for french fries and whatever else needs a bit of a pick-up 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Recipe :
Melted butter 1/2 cup
Sriracha 1/2 cup
Green tabasco 1 tablespoon
Confit garlic paste 1 tablespoon
White vinegar 1 tablespoon
Honey 1 tablespoon
Maggi seasoning to taste
Kosher salt to taste
Mix all ingredients well, check / adjust taste

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Easy Does It # 17 – Hans’ Buffalo Sauce

Easy Does It # 17 Hans’ Buffalo Sauce

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Gekochtes Rindfleish In Meerettich Sauce – Boiled Chuck Roast In Horseradish Sauce

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One of the reasons I miss Europe so much is the fact that dishes like this are practically impossible to find on a restaurant menu here (or in any home, for that matter). Simple, delicious, real food one can eat with gusto. Mind you, I would not want this every day, but once in a while…….
So, as usual, if you want the best, you might as well learn to prepare it yourself 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Gekochtes Rindfleish In Meerettich Sauce – Boiled Chuck Roast In Horseradish Sauce

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Preparation :
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beef chuck roast or other braising cut root vegetables, water, bring to a simmer, cook until meat is tender, remove meat, set meat aside

beef chuck roast (or other braising cut), root vegetables, water, small amount of salt, bring to a simmer, cook until meat is tender, remove meat, set aside

strain stock through a fine sieve

skim fat from surface

make a white roux of half butter and half a/p flour, add stock, whisk to avoid lumps, simmer for 15 minutes, strain through a fine mesh strainer

add heavy cream, kosher salt and white pepper, check / adjust seasoning

add grated horseradish

start cabbage by sauteing onions in garlic oil

add diced cabbage

add red and green peppers. kosher salt, cayenne pepper, maggi seasoning, saute until cabbage softens a bit, check / adjust seasoning

saute small blanched potatoes in garlic oil until golden, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

slice beef , arrange on serving dish

nape with horseradish sauce

serve with sauteed cabbage and potatoes

Gekochtes Rindfleisch In Meerettich Sauce – Boiled Chuck Roast In Horseradish Sauce

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Cherry Tomato And Cheese “Crumble”

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The problem with cherry tomatoes is usually that their flavors do not match up with their pretty appearance. So, in order to have a satisfying cherry tomato dish, one must add a lot of flavor and texture. Here now is a recipe which does that and might just become your next tomato go-to recipe. It is easy, economic, looks great and packs a ton of flavor 🙂 It is equally suited as a side dish with a main course, (served here with a small rib eye steak with my home made buffalo sauce), or as a snack or appetizer, served cold or warm on bread (I used Wasa Light Rye Crisp Bread, which is a permanent ingredient in my cupboard)
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Cherry Tomato “Crumble”

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Preparation :
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saute onions, scallions, garlic paste (lot’s of it) and ham in olive oil (replace the ham with mushrooms for a vegetarian version)

add tomatoes, season liberally with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

add half diced swiss cheese and half diced brie cheese

add 50% diced swiss cheese and 50% diced brie cheese

add diced rustic, dry bread (I used 50% sour dough bread and 50% jalapeno/cheese bread)

mix all ingredients

sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and grated asiago cheese, bake at 390 F for 45 minutes or until top is golden and crispy

sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, grated asiago cheese and scallions, bake at 390 F for 45 minutes or until top is golden and crispy

Cherry Tomato “Crumble”

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Lamb Meat Balls In Harissa/Tomato Sauce, With Garlicky Pearl Pasta And Feta Cheese

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Last month my friend Curtis introduced me to a store which I have been missing all my cooking life. It’s the “Foodtown Supermarket” in Davie, corner sterling/dairy rd extension. Here I can find EVERYTHING my culinary cravings will ever desire as far as Asian and Latino food ingredients are concerned. EVERYTHING !!! 🙂 – Live frogs, live crabs, live shrimps, fresh fish heads, intestines, you get the idea.
(You can check it out online by clicking this link, especially read the comments) 🙂
Although Merguez sausage is neither Asian nor Latino, Foodtown has a great quality one on offer, as well as a small selection of other African/Mediterranean items.
So yesterday after work I stopped by there for a few goodies and amongst other stuff I got merguez sausage, harissa and pearl pasta (Piombi)
So here is what I had for lunch today :

Click here for more on MERGUEZ SAUSAGE

Click here for more on LAMB MEAT BALLS

Click here for more on HARISSA
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Lamb Meat Balls In Harissa / Tomato Sauce With Garlicky Pearl Pasta And Feta Cheese

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Preparation :
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cook pearl pasta in salted water, strain, reserve some of the cooking liquid in case you need to thinnen the sauce

cut mild chilies, onion and blanched carrots into triangels

cut mild chilies, onion and blanched carrots into triangles

saute carrots and onions in a generous amount of herb / garlic butter and olive oil until starting to caramelize

add chilies and sliced scallions

add pearl pasta, mix well, check / adjust seasoning

add pearl pasta, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, mix well, check / adjust seasoning

remove merguez sausage from casing, form into small balls, saute in olive oil until medium, add 1/3 of harissa and 2/3 of tomato sauce. If too thick, add some of the pasta liquid, simmer for one minute, check / adjust seasoning

plate pasta, leaving a well in the center

add lamb meatballs and harissa / tomato sauce

sprinkle with finely crumbled feta cheese and sliced scallions

Lamb Meat Balls In Harissa / Tomato Sauce With Garlicky Pearl Pasta And Feta Cheese

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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 39 – Steak & Eggs #2

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After a work week (getting up at 4.00 am daily) of two bananas and a glass of iced tea for breakfast, I always welcome the time and leisure the weekend affords me to have a more elaborate but nevertheless easy and fast to prepare meal to start off the day. So here is what I had for breakfast today 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Steak & Eggs

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Preparation :
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season rib eye with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, brush with garlic oil and grill to your desired doneness, set aside

season blanched green asparagus with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, coat in garlic oil, grill until heated through

plate asparagus

top with rib eye

top with hard boiled eggs and herb butter

top with hard boiled (waxy) eggs and herb butter, sprinkle eggs with salt and chili flakes

Steak & Eggs

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Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog,
please be so kind and click on the video below. Thank you 🙂
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Peanut Glazed Pork Medaillons With Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce

Here is a recipe sure to tempt you if you like to have a tasty and exotic meal but do not have the time nor desire to prepare an elaborate, complicated meal, which is what happened to me today. I just finished my first week of work after two months of vacation, so my spirit and energy has been slightly drained this weekend. After cleaning the apartment, taking care of Bella, doing the shopping and a bunch of other chores, cooking an elaborate meal was not exactly at the forefront of my mind. Eating a good meal on the other hand ……..
So here is what I came up with. This was very delicious, yet simple and easy to prepare. You will be able to easily knock this out in about 15 minutes 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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For Peanut Sauce Recipe Click Here
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Peanut Glazed Pork Medaillons And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce

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Preparation :
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saute onions and garlic paste in peanut oil

saute onions, grated ginger and garlic paste in peanut oil

add blanched baby bok choy and mild chilis

add blanched baby bok choy and mild chilies

add oyster sauce, soy sauce, sriracha and sesame oil, simmer until bok choy is heated through, check / adjust seasoning

meanwhile, saute pork medaillons on both sides, when almost done, add peanut sauce and a few drops of water, remove from heat, mix well untill medaillons are completely covered with sauce

meanwhile, saute salt and pepper seasoned pork medaillons on both sides, when almost done, add peanut sauce and a few drops of water, remove from heat, mix well until medaillons are completely covered with sauce