Grab Bag

Last Of The Turkey – See You Again Next Year

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Turkey Salad Crostini
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Here we go, the last of the leftovers. Hallelujah ! 🙂
But the best part of this dish is that you can make it during the whole year, just replace the turkey with chicken or shrimp and you will have a quick and easy party snack standby, or maybe just for you in front of the TV while watching your favorite movie 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good ! (- and thanksgiving is finally over!)
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Turkey Salad Crostini

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To enlarge picture, click on picture
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: cucumber, peppers, eggs, cornichons

: diced turkey, cucumber, cornichons, peppers, boiled eggs, dijon mustard, mayonnaise, sriracha, kosher salt, garlic paste

: turkey salad

: Turkey Salad Crostini

: Turkey Salad Crostini

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Bragging Alert !!! Best Turkey-Leftovers Sandwich – Ever !

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It is my firm believe that leftovers should be as good as the original dish it derived from. Yesterday I prepared this sandwich and I am convinced that not only is it the best left-over turkey sandwich, but also one of the best turkey dishes overall, period 🙂
I usually prepare other dishes from leftover turkey since most turkey sandwiches I ever came across are boring and tasteless at best and at my house during times past the only leftover turkey would be white meat, which I can live without.
So, yesterday I had a nearly insatiable graving for a good sandwich, because on the previous evening I made the mistake of buying two “Vietnamese” sandwiches at a newly opened place, “546 bánh mì café” at 6461 Stirling Road, Davie. I was looking forward to a good sandwich but was bitterly disappointed. I had 3 different sandwiches with different meat fillings, all three were completely tasteless. The clerk asked me if I wanted chillies and of course I said yes. When I got home, I found one !!! thin slice of chili in one of the three sandwiches. The meat was mostly tasteless and their contribution to Vietnamese food was the addition of a few spritz of maggi seasoning. (Which I am fond of). But the most disappointing thing was the portion size. Although the bread was of a nice size and of great texture, the amount of filling was laughable small. Granted, the sandwiches are very reasonably priced, but I’d rather pay a bit more and have a decent sized sandwich.
Fazit: Once is enough 😦

But back to the sandwich at hand : After I ate my three sandwiches (shared with Bella), I was still hungry and started to fantasize about eating a “real” sandwich the next day. The featured sandwich is what I came up with. I loved it so much that I will add them to my favorite dishes 🙂
Of course, you can substitute the turkey with chicken, beef, shrimp or any other protein you fancy and happen to have at hand, but the turkey leg meat was just perfect. Also, I had a bottle of “salsa de aji amarillo” in my larder which added that special touch of flavor and spiciness.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
If you don’t have “salsa de aji amarilo”, make a substitute by blending mayo, yellow peppers, salt, garlic, scotch bonnet peppers and turmeric (for the bright yellow color). For hot dishes, replace the mayo with heavy cream. Few folks will be able to tell the difference from the original, especially the bottled stuff.

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Best Turkey Sandwich – Ever !

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Preparation :
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To see instructions, hover over picture
To enlarge pictures, click on them

: season finely sliced cabbage and carrots with rice wine vinegar, peanut oil, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: mix diced cucumbers with fresh ground black pepper, kosher salt, garlic paste, chopped dill, lemon juice and greek yogurt

: tzatziki

: open can 🙂 (or prepare fresh) yellow chili sauce

: Naan

: top naan with shredded turkey dark meat, drizzle with maggi seasoning

: top meat with slaw

: top slaw with tzatziki

: top tzatziki with finely sliced onions and chopped cilantro

: drizzle with salsa de aji amarillo – careful, this is wickedly spicy 🙂

: roll tightly in aluminium foil, heat in 420 F oven for three minutes or until naan is hot

: Best Leftover Turkey Sandwich – Ever !

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Korv Med Potatis Mos (Swedish Sausage & Potato Puree)

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One of the most satisfying meals I had in my entire life I had in 1973 at around 3.00 am in Gothenborg, Sweden.
It was certainly not the fanciest or the most beautiful meal, but it was the first food I had in three days and I was starving…….. It was also the first time I ever saw sausage and mashed potatoes served at a roadside kiosk (everywhere else it was sausage and fries) The combination of sausage, mashed potatoes, ketchup and mustard on that cold winter night, together with the satisfaction of a hot meal after nearly starving and the even greater satisfaction of impending hot sex made for a truly exceptional and, as you can see, unforgettable meal 🙂
My friend Heinz and I had finished a short summer season in Torekov, Sweden. After that, we went to Gothenborg, being sure to be able to secure a job working for “Swedish American Line“, which at the time was one of the most famous and luxurious cruise lines in existence. After a few wild weeks enjoying Gothenborgs nightlive, we finally applied for a job at their office.
The HR manager, Helge Swenson, took one look at us and then laughed us out of his office. (Sweden being one of the most conservative countries at the time, I did not look suitable with my shoulder length hair, high platform shoes, skin tight pants and mirrored hippy t-shirt)
So Heinz and I left his office a bit worried, since we had no money left and a hotel bill of considerable heft. (There was money for beer and smoke, but not for food). As we walked down the hallway toward’s the elevator, a very beautiful, sexy brunette passed us. I made some remarks to Heinz in German of the adventures I’d like to have with her. After a few seconds and steps had passed, she turned around and said in perfect German: “Do be careful, you never know who speaks your language in a foreign land”. Turned out she was a manager at the HR office. We started talking and I gave her the address of our hotel. Heinz made fun of me, being sure a hot woman like that would not bother to call a penny-less punk. But low and behold, when we got back to the hotel late that night, there were at least ten messages. I called her back the same night at 2.00 am and invited her out. She said yes and I said wonderful, just one problem: I have no money and if I go out, so does my friend. Well, she agreed, and that’s how Heinz and I finally got food in our belly that night – Korv med Mos.
Needless to say, I held on to that great gal for a while. She got jobs for both Heinz and I on the MS Gripsholm, and so started a long career on cruise ships for me. Unfortunately the stint on the MS Gripsholm lasted only about one month for Heinz, after which he became very ill. He never recovered and was never able to work again. Myself, I lasted about six months before I broke my spine and was unable to work for about a year. After surgery in Germany, I spend most of the year at Bitte’s house in Sweden, a beautiful house on a lake in the woods near Gothenborg, which she shared with her even more beautiful female friend. Great house, fireplaces all over, sauna, right on the lake. These were the wild 70’s, so we all shared a lot more than the roof we lived under. Life certainly was good 🙂
I slowly recovered while she was still working at the HR office of Swedish American Line. She eventually got jobs for both of us at Royal Viking Line, where we soon split up and went our own ways…………
Nevertheless, that first Korv med Mos that night was one of the best meals I ever had 🙂
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Smaklig måltid ! Livet är bra !
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Korv Med Mos – Original Version (Image Property: Peter Linquist)

Korv Med Mos – My Version

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Preparation :
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cook diced potatoes in saltwater until tender, drain, mash

add garlic paste, horseradish, heavy cream, kosher salt, cayenne pepper and lots of butter, wisk

add garlic paste, horseradish, heavy cream, kosher salt, cayenne pepper and lots of butter, mix well

saute onions and sausage, remove sausage when done

saute onions and sausage in garlic oil, remove sausage when done

add soy sauce, garlic paste, cayenne pepper and a bit of chicken stock to caramelized onions

add peppers and cabbage

saute until heated through but vegetables are still crispy

saute until vegetables are heated through but still crisp

plate mashed potatoes, make indention in the center

fill indention with vegetables, top with sausage, drizzle liquid from vegetables over sausage

Korv Med Mos

final inspection…..

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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 44 – Asparagus Omelette

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It’s 4.30am and I am jumping out of bed, upset that I’ll be late for work today. While walking Bella it dawns to me that it is Sunday…..
Well, the good thing is that my day will last longer,the bad thing is that I went to bed at 2.30 am in anticipation of sleeping in. Perhaps next weekend will be the time to get enough sleep…….. 🙂
So, after deciding that it’s too late to go back to bed, at 5.00 am I had my first breakfast of coffee and brownies with whipped cream, followed by a second breakfast at 7.30 am of asparagus omelette with sautéed potatoes. Lunch was a German pancake with peaches and chocolate and dinner will be a vegetarian curry with basmati rice.
Life at present is not very exciting, but at least we eat good and plenty 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Asparagus Omelette

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Preparation :
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season white asparagus spears with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (I usually don’t use black pepper on light food, but here it belongs), when warm, remove and reserve

saute blanched potatoes in garlic oil

make an omelette with four whole eggs, seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, fold asparagus into omelette

make an omelette with four whole eggs, seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, fold warm asparagus into omelette

Asparagus Omelette

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Sauteed Skirt Steak, Onion, Tomato & Peppers

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Coming home from work on a Friday afternoon and being hungry, but way too tired and listless to do much of anything (except lounging 🙂 ), the solution was this very quick, flavor- and texture bursting dish. Beginning to finish – less than 10 minutes.
Then on to enjoying a great meal and a wonderful, funny and sexy movie – John Torturros Fading Gigolo.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Fading Gigolo, with, amongst many other great actors:
Woody Allen, John Turturro, Sofía Vergara, Sharon Stone, Liev Schreiber and Vanessa Paradis

Watch the trailer here 🙂
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Sauteed Skirt Steak, Onion, Tomato & Peppers

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Preparation :
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cut trimmed skirt into squares

then cut ACROSS the grain, season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

saute in garlic oil until rare, remove meat from pan, reserve

saute onion, scallion and chilies in garlic oil, season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

add grape tomatoes, saute until tomatoes are heated through, add skirt, remove from pan

plate a thick slice of grilled sour dough bread

top with sauteed skirt and vegetables

Sauteed Skirt Steak, Onion, Tomato & Peppers

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Salad. That’s It…….

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Today is one of the few days when I don’t feel like cooking at all. I had store-bought brownies and coffee for breakfast, I will have Brie sandwiches for dinner and my lunch was this simple, albeit delicious and sexy, salad.
Conclusion: Even without the pleasure of cooking every single day, I will survive 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Salad Is Good For You !

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P.S.
I just came across this great book which I think should be in every chef’s library:
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A Brief Art Culinary History of The Western Chef Avante-Guarde Through The 20th Century by Tony Baran
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Salad with asiago cheese and bologna in dijon vinaigrette:
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Salad with asiago cheese and bologna in dijon vinaigrette

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Preparation :
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dress grape tomatoes, small, halved potatoes, sliced onions and peppers with dijon vinaigrette

dress grape tomatoes, small, halved potatoes, sliced onions, chilies and peppers with dijon vinaigrette

season sliced cucumbers generously with salt, let sit for 15 minutes, squeeze and discard excess liquid

mix with potato salad

choose a pretty serving dish 🙂

add greens of your choice with dijon vinaigrette

top greens with potato salad

top with julienned bologna, asiago and scallions

Salad with asiago cheese and bologna in dijon vinaigrette

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Steamed Cod Filet With Red Beet Risotto And Sugar Peas

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Risotto is such a delicious, easy preparation of rice that I am amazed it does not show up more frequently in homes and restaurants. Maybe because it has a stigma of being difficult to prepare and labor intensive, which is far from being the truth. While it does take time to prep and simmer for ca 25 minutes while stirring constantly, it might be called tedious but hardly labor intensive. It also has the advantage of being the perfect dish for a dinner party if done by the “restaurant method” – cooking the risotto about 2/3’s and then cooling off, later finishing the cooking process for just a few more minutes right before service time. (That’s how you get your risotto served on time in restaurants, otherwise too much time would pass from the time you order to the time you get served). Just remember to have the texture of your risotto slightly more liquid when you remove it from the stove top then you actually prefer the risotto when eating it, since the rice will continue to cook and absorb liquid between the time you stop cooking and the time you’ll have your first spoonful.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Steamed Cod Filet With Red Beet Risotto And Peas

Bella say’s : Let’s dig in…

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Preparation :
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season cod with kosher salt and white pepper, steam covered very slowly in butter and white wine, when cooked about halfway, set aside on a warm plate to slowly cook through

simmer cleaned red beets in salted water until cooked, reserve cooking liquid,peel and dice beets

set diced beets aside, return beet stock to a simmer, season with garlic paste and cayenne pepper

saute onions and garlic paste in butter

add arborio rice and saute another minute

add beet stock to the rice, enough to just cover, stir constantly, keep adding beet stock as it is being absorbed by the rice, constantly stirring

almost……..

when rice is almost al dente, add the diced beets and heavy cream, simmer while stirring until rice is al dente

add blanched green peas to the poaching liquid of the fish, let heat through for another minute

add blanched green peas to the poaching liquid of the fish, cover again, let heat through for another minute

add parmigiano-reggiano, check / adjust seasoning

add parmigiano-reggiano to the risotto, check / adjust seasoning

plate risotto

top risotto with steamed cod

top cod with green peas

Steamed Cod Filet With Red Beet Risotto And Peas

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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 43 – Rib Eye & Mushroom In Cream

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Aaaahhhhhhhh……, the bliss of being able to sleep in on a Sunday morning, amplified by the fact that summer day light saving times ended and we set back our clocks one hour before going to sleep 🙂
But, somehow, Bella was not aware (or maybe she just choose to ignore) of these little facts, so guess who was moaning in front of my bedroom for me to get up at 4.00am this morning, demanding to go for a walk?
So, when we came back at 5.00am, a decent breakfast was called for (by both of us). Steak and mushrooms pacified my shattered nerves and put both me and my lady back on good terms 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Have A Happy, Sunny, Sunday !
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top with mushrooms, sprinkle with scallions

Rib Eye & Mushrooms In Cream

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Preparation :
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soak cepes, shiitake and wood ears in boiling water for 20 minutes

meanwhile, season steaks with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

saute in garlic oil until cooked to your preferred doneness, remove from pan, set aside to rest

in same pan, saute onions until lightly caramelized

add drained mushrooms and garlic paste

add heavy cream, salt and pepper

simmer until cream has reduce to desired texture, add scallions, check / adjust seasoning

plate steaks and rustic bread to mop up the sauce and juices

top with mushrooms, sprinkle with more scallions

Rib Eye & Mushrooms In Cream

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Spicy Octopus And Rice Noodles In Peanut Sauce

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Yesterday, on my way home from work , I told myself that under no circumstance will I cook and clean up the kitchen, I was just too tired and a bit under the weather.
So, while driving along university drive and contemplating where to stop for a bite or some take out, evaluating the choices a I checked out the restaurants along the way, I crossed off one after the other, knowing that none of them would be able to satisfy my craving for real, good, tasty food for a decent price. Eventually, as I drove by my favorite Asian Market, I made a quick stop to buy some octopus sashimi. I was not sure at this point what I would prepare with it, but I usually have enough stuff at home to fix a couple of good meals. When I got home, rice noodles, peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic paste, grated ginger, chili oil, sesame oil, red chilies, green peppers and onions were the usual suspects. Together with the octopus they became a great and perfect dinner.
As usual, more often than not, if I want to eat exactly what I want, I have to prep it myself (and clean up the kitchen afterward 😦 ).
But as always, it was well worth the time and effort and I’ve saved a bunch of good dollars doing it 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Spicy Octopus And Rice Noodles In Peanut Sauce

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Preparation :
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mix soy sauce, water, peanut butter, sriracha, sesame oil, lime juice, chili oil, simmer for one minute, if too thick, add water, if too thin, add peanut butter

season octopus with kosher salt and chili oil, saute in VERY HOT pan with garlic oil for about 3 seconds, remove from pan, set aside

saute onion, green peppers and red chilies in garlic oil

add rice noodles which you had soaked in warm water for 10 minutes then drained, add a small amount of soy sauce and water, cook until liquid has evaporated

add rice noodles which were soaked in warm water for 10 minutes, then drained, add a small amount of soy sauce and water, cook until liquid has evaporated

put noodles to one side of the pan, add some more garlic oil, add whisked eggs, scramble, cook until eggs are dry

add peanut sauce, mix well

stir fry for another minute, check / adjust seasoning

plate noodles on serving dish, top with octopus, sprinkle with chives and sesame seeds

Spicy Octopus And Rice Noodles In Peanut Sauce

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Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Caramelized Apples And Walnuts

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Last night’s dinner was very atypical for me, since I usually don’t like nuts and/or fruits in my savory dishes.
However, in cooking, as in most other things, there is sometimes an exception to the rule, so this is one of the few exceptions where I actually like to add fruit and nuts to a savory dish for my own consumption 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !

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