Grab Bag

Stir Fried Chicken, Mandarins, Walnuts & Bok Choy

.
.
Usually I am not a big fan of fruit in my savory dishes,
but here it just seemed to be the right thing to add, and
it made the taste so much more rounded.
The mandarins were a bit on the acidic side, not very sweet,
I think that’s what made it at the end. Very enjoyable dish 🙂
.

.

.
Ingredient’s :

Chicken Breast, wing separated, cut into large strips
Bok choy, cut on the bias
Mandarines, peeled, segmented
Walnuts, shelled, halved
Chilies, finely sliced
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Sesame seeds, toasted,
Chicken stock,
Kosher salt,
Corn starch,
Garlic paste,
Ginger, grated
Soy sauce,
Sriracha,
Oyster sauce,
White wine,
Sesame oil,
Peanut oil, to saute

Method :

Silken chicken by mixing corn starch,
egg white and water with seasoning and chicken.
Saute chicken wings until almost done, add breast
strips and cook until golden and 3/4 cooked.
Remove chicken, set aside. Sautee bok choy,
add garlic, ginger, chilies, walnuts and mandarines.
Deglaze with a bit of chicken stock and white wine,
simmer for one minute only. Remove from heat,
add the chicken, sprinkle with sesame seeds and
serve with soy sauce and chili sauce.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
.
.

Breakfast Of Champions # 13 ” Poached Egg’s Florentine “

.
.
5.00am . Sunday.
The choice : Breakfast or go back to sleep :-0
Breakfast won 🙂
.

.

Have a great sunday ! Life is Good !
.
.

Scotch Bonnet & Garlic Compound Butter

.
.
Here is one of my “go to” items that will improve just about any dish for me and gives it the extra kick I like in most food. I usually have some in the freezer available at all times. Add to cream soups and eggs, mount into sauces, mix into pasta and vegetables or use as spread for a tasty sandwich. If the scotch bonnet’s are too deadly for you, replace part of them or all with jalapeno’s.
Enjoy.
.
Blend chilies of your choice with roasted garlic, sea salt and butter. Shape into little dollops. Freeze on plate or tray until solid. Remove into sealable plastic bag or container.

Spice up your life 🙂
.

.

.

.

>
Life is Good when it’s Spicy ! 🙂
.
.

Guacamole, Salame & Pita

.
.
Yesterday after work I did not feel like cooking,
so I made do with a little snack and a bit of merlot in the back by the lake.
Life could be a lot worse 🙂
>

.

.
Ingredients :

Mini pita breads,
Salame, finely diced
Olive oil, to saute

Avocado, diced
Chilis, finely diced
Red radish, finely diced
Lime, juiced
Garlic, paste
Cilantro, chopped
Kosher salt,
Olive oil,
Sour cream,

Method :

Saute the salame in a bit of olive oil .
Fill a teaspoon full into the pita pockets.
Mix the guacamole ingredients, season with salt.
To serve, place the guacamole in center of plate,
surround with the stuffed pita pockets, top with
sour cream and sprinkle with cilantro.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
.
P.S.
While I was eating I watched these two guy’s.
They did not move for about an hour, until the sun was down.
Not very exciting, but pretty and nice to see 🙂
.
.
.
.

>
.

Spicy Coconut Soup With Chicken, Rice & Vegetables

.
.
Yesterday evening I was going to make an authentic Thai or Indian dish,
but then I realized that I did not have some of the ingredients I needed in
my cupboard, so I came up with this beauty. While it is not authentic Thai
nor Indian, Malay, Indonesian, etc, etc, I can proudly inform you that is
100% authentic ” Hans “.
I could not have eaten better last night, so it goes to show once more that
love for food and cooking, a bit of imagination and a little bit of skill’s can
many times replace the biggest, best, most expensive recipe book 🙂
.

.
.
.
<

<
Ingredients :

Chicken, your choice of cut or boneless
Broccoli rabe, blanched
Grape tomato, whole
Green peas, blanched
Corn, blanched
Mini peppers, finely sliced
Scotch bonnet, seeds removed, finely sliced
Ginger, grated
Garlic, paste
Sweet chili sauce,
Coconut milk,
Limes, juiced
Cumin, ground
Fish sauce,
Curry powder,
Kosher salt,
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Peanut oil, to saute

Method :

Saute garlic and ginger until fragrant, add curry and cumin, deglaze with sherry.
Add chicken, salt and and stock and simmer until chicken is tender but not
overcooked – (please, no “falling of the bone” here). When chicken is almost done,
stir in coconut milk. Slowly simmer for another five minutes., Add all vegetables,
seasoning and lime juice and let it all heat through.
To serve, sprinkle with cilantro and accompany with basmati rice.
To eat, mix rice into soup, small amounts at a time.

Bon Appetit! Life is Good !
.

.
.

Vegetables In Fermented Black Bean Sauce

.
.
By now my readers will have discovered that I am not exactly a vegetarian.
I love my meat and seafood and can’t imagine how one can miss this exciting
part of our culinary world.
However, once in a while, I have a sudden urge for rice and vegetables.
The first thing that usually comes to my mind during such a rare moment is
soup or fried rice of some sort. What usually makes me especially look forward
to a vegetable dish is the inclusion of fermented bean paste.
It gives the food such a special flavor that it is, in my opinion at least, the one
seasoning which can bring a vegetable dish to a whole other level of goodness 🙂

Here is what I have concocted for dinner today :
.
.

.

.

.

.

.
.
Ingredients :

Asparagus, blanched
Snow peas, blanched
Mushroom, sliced thick
Grape tomatoes, whole
Onion, sliced
Scotch bonnet, thinly sliced –
( Careful !!! Extremely spicy ! Omit if you can’t stand the heat )
Mini Peppers, thinly sliced
Scallion, thinly sliced
Ginger, grated
Garlic, paste
Bean paste,
Oyster sauce,
Soy sauce,
Kosher Salt,
Vegetable stock,
Corn starch, slurry
Peanut oil,

Method :

Saute onion, garlic and ginger until fragrant,
deglaze with stock, add seasoning, add slurry.
Simmer for one minute, add all vegetables and heat through.
To serve, sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallion.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
.
>
.
.
.

” Zuppa Pavese “

.
.
There was a time when this was on nearly every Italian restaurant’s menu.
Unfortunately, over time, it was watered down at most places to a thin,
packaged chicken broth with a thin slice of white bread, an egg yolk and
a bit of crappy cheese sprinkled on top. Of course people stayed away from that crap.
However, when properly done, with love ( and a good appetite ), this soup is
pure soup-heaven.
.

.

.
All about Zuppa Pavese
.
.
Ingredients :

Chicken stock, seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg (or beef stock if you prefer)
Sour dough bread, thick sliced
Roasted garlic paste,
Whole egg, very fresh
Pecorino romano, (or parmigiano reggiano if you prefer)
Italian parsley, chopped

Method :

Spread some roasted garlic paste on bread, saute or grill on one side until golden.
Remove, sprinkle finely grated cheese on the other side, gratinate until golden.
Meanwhile, heat your serving dish until very hot. Heat your broth until simmering.
Place bread in serving dish, individual portion or family style, one large slice per person.
Carefully crack one egg on each slice.Ladle soup over eggs, careful not to break them.
The eggs should be covered by the broth. Sprinkle cheese and parsley on top.
The soup is now ready to serve, but if you like your eggs more done, bake in oven a few
minutes until the eggs are done to your liking.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
.
.

Breakfast Of Champions # 11 ” Millefanti In Brodo Di Carne “

.
.
Usually I have peppermint tea and bananas for breakfast,
but today that did not tickle my fancy at all. So I took refuge
in another one of my favorite breakfast (and late night snack )
standby’s : An Italian variation of egg drop soup.
I fortified some great beef stock I had in the fridge by simmering
it for fifteen minutes with a good amount of garlic and ginger and seasoning
it with freshly grated nutmeg, kosher salt, cayenne and maggi seasoning.
The eggs I whisked with parmesan cheese, flat leave parsley, chives and nutmeg.
I fished out the sliced ginger and slivered garlic after simmering them for
15 minutes, then whisked in the eggs, immediately removing it from the heat
and drinking it as hot as possible.
Voilà ! Instant satisfaction 🙂
Remember, sometimes the simple things………

Have a great day ! Life is Good !
.

>
<

” Canton Noodles, Beef & Vegetables In Ginger/Garlic Broth “

I know these are great pictures, but boy o boy, the fragrances from this dish 🙂
Yesterday I made a great beef stock in order to have a rich soup today.
This soup was just so flavorful and the different textures made it one of my
favorite asian dishes in a long time.
.

Ingredient’s :

Beef stock,
Flank steak, sliced into baton
Broccoli rabe, blanched
Canton noodles, cooked, drained
Bamboo shoots, sliced
Radish, sliced
Black mushroom, soaked in hot water, quartered
Garlic, paste
Ginger, grated
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Sesame oil, to taste
Sherry, to taste
Oil, to saute

Method :

Saute steak until nicely browned but still medium on the inside.
Remove, set aside. Saute garlic and ginger until fragrant,
add mushroom and radish, deglaze with sherry, add stock and
simmer for one minute. Add bamboo shoots and rabe and bring
back to simmer. Remove from heat, add beef, sesame oil and salt
and pepper. To serve, sprinkle generously with cilantro and
soy sauce and chili sauce on the side.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
.
.

” Tandoori Inspired Baked Chicken “

.
.
Many years ago when Maria and I lived in Karachi, Pakistan, we developed a deep passion for Indian and Pakistani Food. The chicken I made for dinner tonight was not cooked in a tandoori, nor was it seasoned with the “proper” spice blend a cook wood actually use to make a traditional tandoori chicken.
Nevertheless, this dish came out of the oven smelling, tasting and looking like the best of them 🙂
.

.

.
.
All about Tandoori Chicken

All about Tandoor

Ingredients :

Chicken, Breast and legs, cut in half
yoghurt,
Garlic, paste
Ginger, grated
Turmeric,
Hot sauce, preferably scotch bonnet
Kosher salt,
Butter, melted, in a spray bottle
Scallions, sliced fine, for garnish
Chili, roasted, for garnish

Method :

Cut deep slits into the chicken, about 1/2 inch apart.
Mix all seasonings with the yoghurt, rub onto chicken
and into the cut’s until well covered. Marinate overnight.
Bake in a 410 F oven until done. During baking, spray often
with the melted buter.
To serve, top with roasted chili and sprinkle with scallions

.
.