garlic

Green Lip Mussels, Lai Fen Rice Sticks And Chopped Broccoli Rabe In Red Curry / Coconut Soup

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Last night I wanted to have a spicy snack at around midnight. Had to be quick and easy. Here is what I prepared. It took about 3 minutes of actual prep time and less than 15 minutes from start to finish. (I had some blanched rapini and cooked lai fen in the fridge from yesterday’s lunch and green lips on the half shell in the freezer). What a convenient product fresh frozen seafood is. If you make sure you buy quality merchandise and handle it with care, frozen seafood will make for a great snack or quick meal in no time. This soup was just awesome 🙂
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Green Lip Mussels, Lai Fen Rice Sticks And Chopped Broccoli Rabe In Red Curry / Coconut Soup

: Green Lip Mussels, Lai Fen Rice Sticks And Chopped Broccoli Rabe In Red Curry/Coconut Soup

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Ingredient’s :
Green lip mussels, frozen, on the half shell
Lai fen rice sticks, cooked, tossed with sesame oil
Rapini, blanched, coarsely chopped
Clam juice,
Coconut milk,
Tomato, chopped
Onion, julienned
Chilis, julienned
Scallions, sliced
Almonds, slivered
Limes, juiced
Curry powder,
Turmeric,
Garlic, paste
Ginger, grated
Fish sauce,
Red curry paste, canned
Maggi seasoning,
Scotch bonnet sauce,
Kosher salt,
Peanut oil, to saute

Method :

Saute onions in peanut oil until translucent, add tomatoes and chilis, saute for one minute. Add curry paste, garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric and almonds and saute until fragrant. Add all other ingredients except mussels, noodles and cilantro and simmer for 7 minutes. Strain. Add mussels and noodles. Return to heat until heated through. Remove from heat. Add fish sauce and scotch bonnet sauce to taste (be careful with the fermented fish sauce, check HERE first). To serve, top with cilantro.
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Stew Of Split Pork Hock’s, Green Peas & Potatoes

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Last night’s late dinner was one of these “hate it or love it” dishes.
Obviously, I love my specialty cut’s and offal, realising that not everybody shares this love. On the other hand, For the folks who do love this stuff, there is never enough of it to find, neither in the supermarket, nor in the majority of restaurants. ( Sadly, most cooks these days lack the knowledge, experience and passion to prepare these dishes). So, for the benefit of my fellow offal and specialty cut’s lover’s, here is one of my more simple but, nevertheless, very satisfying concoctions.

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Stew Of Split Pork Hock, Split Green Peas & Potatoes

Simmer Split Hock’s In Salted Water

Add Onion, Garlic & Bay Leaf

After 90 Minutes, Add Slit Peas. Simmer until Hock's & Peas Are Tender

After 90 Minutes, Add Split Peas. Simmer Until Hock’s & Peas Are Tender

Remove Ans Discard Hock's & Bay Leaf, Add some Grated Asiago, Blend Soup Until Smooth

Remove And Discard Bay Leaf’s, Remove & Reserve Hock’s. Add Some Heavy Cream & Grated Asiago Cheese, Blend Soup With A stick Blender Until Smooth

Add Small Cooked Potatoes & Return Hock’s To Pot. Adjust Seasoning If Necessary

To Serve, Sprinkle With Finely Diced Chilis And Sliced Scallion

Stew Of Split Pork Hock’s, Split Green Peas & Potatoes

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Canapés

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Tv snacks at 4.00 pm.
Seafood & artichoke – canapés, iced tea and “The Great Gatsby” on the screen.
Toasted bread, garlic & herb butter, “Iberia” octopus, “Iberia” marinated mussels,
“Vigo” artichokes, “Vigo anchovies with capers and “Beach Cliff” spicy sardines.
– Sometimes, a simple sandwich just won’t do 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Canapés

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: Canapés

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Angel Burger

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If mc donald would serve this thing, I would be there twice a week.What a difference to the usual boring, crappy patty in a bun. This one was spicy, crunchy, tasty, exciting. It combines some of my favorite ingredients, all in one bite :
Noodle pillow, brie cheese, hoisin sauce, spicy italian sausage, vine ripened tomatoes, sriracha sauce and sauteed cabbage and onions seasoned with soy, garlic and ginger.
Now, if this sounds like a hodgepodge to you, you are absolutely right, but it is a hodgpodge where everything comes together just fine and forms a harmonious entity which is just wonderful in its complexity of texture and taste 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Angel Burger

: Mise En Place Angel Burger

: Saute Onions In Butter

: Add sliced Cabbage

: Season With Soy, Ginger, Garlic & Sriracha

: Saute Angel Hair

: Noodle Pillow

: Hoisin Sauce

: Vine Ripened Tomatoes

: Italian Sausage Burger

: Brie Cheese

: Top With Cabbage / Onion

: Top With Another Noodle Pillow & Scallions

: Angel Burger

: Angel Burger

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Sauted Rib Eye with Mushrooms and Taleggio Ca De Ambros stuffed Twice Baked Potato

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The steak : EXCELLENT !
The mushrooms : EXCELLENT !
The twice baked potato : OUT OF THIS WORLD !!!
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I have only recently discovered “Taleggio Cheese”, and I feel sorry for myself to have gone 62 years without enjoying this marvel of Italian cheese making. I only know of one shop around here that carries it. It is one of my least favorite stores because it tries to be everything to everybody, which just does not work. But since a friend steered me to their cheese section, I have gone there at least once a week, just to get my fill of “Taleggio Ca De Ambros”
For this dinner, I have sauteed the steak in peanut oil, sauteed the mushrooms with diced onions and garlic paste in butter. I baked the potato until cooked through, then I removed the potato flesh from the shell, added kosher salt, sriracha, butter, sliced scallions, garlic paste and a generous amount of Taleggio. Then I put the mixture for half a minute into the microwave to soften the butter and cheese, mixed it all well and stuffed it back into the potato shell. Baked it in the oven for twenty minutes and – voilà – best twice baked potato ever 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Sauted Rib Eye with Mushrooms and Taleggio Ca De Ambros stuffed Twice Baked Potato

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: Sauted Rib Eye with Mushrooms and Taleggio Ca De Ambros stuffed Twice Baked Potato

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Stew Of Black Beans, Chicken & Baby Rainbow Carrots

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After a hearty, early breakfast today, I skipped lunch, so at 4.00 pm hunger was knocking strongly and I felt like having something rustic to eat.
It was too late to soak dried beans of any kind, so I opened a can of black beans, peeled some potatoes, cleaned a few baby rainbow carrots and chopped up and seasoned a chicken I bought the day before. After only about 15 minutes prep and another 45 minutes of cooking time, this beautiful, tasty dish was on the table :
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Spicy Stew Of Black Beans, Chicken, Potato & Baby Rainbow Carrots

: Spicy Stew Of Black Beans, Chicken, Potato & Baby Rainbow Carrots

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Ingredient’s :

Chicken stock
Potatoes, cut into wedges, cooked, tossed in butter and parsley
Black beans, canned, rinsed
Chicken, cut into 16 pieces
Baby rainbow carrots,
Onion, finely diced
Scallion, sliced
Garlic, paste,
Tomato paste,
Scotch bonnet hot sauce,
Apple cider vinegar,
Red wine,
Kosher salt,
Black pepper corn, freshly ground
Thyme,
Bay leaf,
Olive oil,
Butter,
Parsley, chopped

Method :

Season chicken with salt and black pepper, saute in olive oil until golden brown, add onions and garlic, continue to saute until fragrant, add tomato paste, deglaze with wine. Add stock, thyme, bay leaf and carrots and simmer until chicken and carrots are done, about twenty minutes. Adjust salt and pepper if necessary, add a bit of vinegar and scotch bonnet sauce to taste. Finaly, add potatoes and sprinkle with scallions.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Italy Meets Sweden : “Coppa Ham & Janssons Frestelse”

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If there is one potato dish that I don’t want to live without, it is surely janssons frestelse. I can eat them for breakfast, lunch , dinner and anytime between. My version is slightly different from the traditional, since I like to use garlic paste in the mixture, as well as finely grated asiago cheese both in the mixture and sprinkled on top of the breadcrumbs. As for the fish, I use both pickled herring and / or anchovies, whatever is available from the cupboard. Frestelse can be perfectly paired with many food items, as well as eaten by them self as a solid foundation for a bit of alcohol on a party night, as I have encountered them the first time so many years ago (1973) in Torekov, Sweden.
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Coppa Ham & Janssons Frestelse

: Coppa Ham & Janssons Frestelse

: Janssons Frestelse

: Coppa Ham

Ingredient’s :

Potatoes, julienned
Onions, julienned
Pickled herring, finely diced (substitute with anchovies if preferred)
Heavy cream,
Garlic, paste
Bread crumbs,
Butter,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Asiago cheese, finely grated (optional)
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Method :

Saute onion in butter until translucent. Mix all ingredients except bread crumbs and half the cheese (if you use). Butter a baking dish, add potato mixture. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese. Add some butter cubes. Bake in 375 oven until potatoes are done and top is golden brown. Enjoy 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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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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Penne Rigate In Merlot/Vodka/Yoghurt Sauce With Pepperoni & Fresh Basil

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Fresh Basil

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My neighborhood supermarket charges $ 3.50 for a small twig of maybe 7 basil leaves.
They sell this beautiful basil plant for $ 4.50. Kind of a no-brainer, isn’t it 🙂

Penne Rigate In Merlot/Vodka/Yoghurt Sauce With Pepperoni & Fresh Basil

: Fresh Basil

: Penne Rigate In Merlot/Vodka/Yoghurt Sauce With Pepperoni & Fresh Basil

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Ingredients :

Penne rigate, al dente, reserve some of the cooking liquid
Pepperoni sausage, julienned
Grape tomatoes, quartered
Greek yoghurt,
Olive oil,
Vodka,
Merlot,
Parmigiano reggiano, grated
Garlic, paste
Basil, fresh
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper

Method :

Saute pepperoni until starting to change color, add garlic, saute until fragrant. Add merlot and vodka, simmer until most liquid has evaporated. Add yoghurt, tomatoes, a bit of the grated cheese, salt, pepper and the pasta, mix well. Adjust seasoning if necessary. If too thick, add some of the pasta cooking liquid. If too thin, ad some grated cheese.
To serve, sprinkle with more cheese and basil leaves.

Note :
I am aware that most cooks will chiffonade the basil. However, personally I don’t like the texture this will give me. It reminds me of hair in the food which is not very appealing to me 😦
Therefore I like to add whole leaves which become soft and tender immediately as they touch the hot food and give you a much more pleasant texture / mouthfeel 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Asian Inspired Duck & Udon Soup

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This soup is my “to go to” soup when I have leftover duck or goose (yesterdays roast duck) . It is quick and easy and oh so delicious. The vegetables and noodles are interchangeable with any vegetables and pasta you might have at hand, such as cabbage, bok choy, shiitake or spinach, or egg noodles, rice noodles, mung bean noodles. Use whatever is at hand and tickles your fancy 🙂
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Chop up the carcasse and other leftover bones and bits of meat and simmer with garlic, ginger, salt, lime slices, a bit of sugar and sriracha sauce for 45 minutes. Skim of all foam which rises during this time. Strain stock and discard solids. Adjust seasoning to your liking. Place hot udon noodles and blanched vegetables in a serving bowl, top with sliced duck pieces and cover with broth. Drizzle with some hot chili oil. Serve with a side dish of hoi sin sauce and sriracha sauce to dip the duck.