great taste

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
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on 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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Salad With Irish Cheddar

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The other day I came across this cheese and thought I’ll give it a try. Turns out that this is my new favorite semi-hard cheese. It is simply delicious and, because of its sharpness and strength, ideal to pair with salad, which of course I did at once. Here is the result:
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Salad And Irish Cheddar

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Preparation :
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: the good stuff…..

: fresh herbs, always at hand…..

: rainbow tomatoes, radish. mild chilies

: sliced cucumbers, onions, radish. mild chilies, halved rainbow tomatoes, dressed in honey/mustard vinaigrette

: lettuce julienne with honey/mustard vinaigrette

: to serve, add vegetables and shaved cheddar, sprinkle with fresh basil, fresh cilantro and fresh ground black pepper

: Salad And Irish Cheddar

: Salad And Irish Cheddar

: Salad And Irish Cheddar

: Salad And Irish Cheddar

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“Eggs And Potato” (Baked Potato And Caviar)

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Ok friends, here is my opinion about “Caviar with all the trimmings” : It sucks !
In my humble opinion, only folks who don’t love caviar water down the pleasure of eating it by adding a mountain of other “stuff” to stretch it (lots of chopped onions, chopped eggs, sour cream, chopped chives, capers, lots of toast or other bread, mountains of blinis, etc.
I understand that it is not everybody’s kick to pay a few hundred $ for an ounce of caviar. But to stretch it with condiments means to just water down the pure pleasure, so you actually get less bang for your money. (Think of the best cognac you can lay your hands on – then stretching it with ice and water – Brrrrr 😦
All you should add to your caviar (in my own, humble opinion) to enjoy it to the fullest, is a bit of good, buttered bread, a tiny bliny or a bit of potato and top it with a generous amount of caviar. One ounce – two bites maximum WITH the bread or potato. Or, if you want to enjoy the caviar to the max – eat it neat, sit back, enjoy ! Life is good ! (I used one small potato and 4 oz of caviar for this dish – what the heck, I’ll only be 62 once)
As usual, use the best caviar you can afford – quality over quantity !
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I am probably a bit spoiled with my taste for caviar because back in the mid- and late seventies I spend a lot of time in Russia.
During that time we were able to exchange one pair of used jeans on the black market for one kilo of the best caviar. We ate the stuff on buttered bread like other folk eat marmalade on bread – good sourdough bread with unsalted butter, piled high with caviar, probably 6 to 8 ounces per sandwich 🙂
Imagine to be able to do this nowadays, my oh my…………
Some of my friends who were with me during those trips and who read this post –
Yalta, Odessa, Leningrad, Sochi…….Aaahhhhhh, the good old day’s !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

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Preparation :
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: bake potato at 425 F until very soft

: mix with butter, finely sliced scallions, a bit of greek yogurt and a tiny dash of sriracha

: mix ingredients, (the potato should be very light and almost neutral in taste), fill back into potato shell to serve

: Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

: eat most of the potato before you start with the caviar

: hit me………

: Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

: Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

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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

: mix all ingredients well, add a dash of sesame oil, check / adjust seasoning

: add bean sprouts and scallions

: almost there………..

: plate noodles on a deep plate or bowl

: sprinkle with more scallions

: add onions

: sprinkle with crispy garlic

: Chili/Duck Rice Sticks

: Chili/Duck Rice Sticks

: Chili/Duck Rice Sticks

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Buttermilk Pancakes With Caramelized Black Plums

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I am supposed to eat as much fresh fruit as possible, so here we go with a wonderful way of preparing fresh plums.
The pancakes? Not using refined sugar in the batter helps me feel less guilty than otherwise…….. 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
Usually I use whipped egg white and a/p flour for my pancakes, but because I had some self rising flour in the cup board, I skipped the extra step of whisking the egg whites separately and used whole eggs. Almost same results 🙂
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Buttermilk Pancakes With Caramelized Black Plums

Dutch Pancakes With Caramelized Black Plums

Buttermilk Pancakes With Caramelized Black Plums

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: fresh black plums

: remove pits by cutting along for sides

: melt a generous amount of butter

: add plums and honey

: saute until caramelized and released juices have formed a syrup

: ahhhh……

: whisk self rising flour, whole eggs, honey, buttermilk and a drop of vanilla extract into a smooth batter

: cook pancake in clarified butter

: flip and cook on other side

: to serve, sprinkle pancakes with castor sugar, serve with caramelized plums and unsweetened whipped cream

: Buttermilk Pancakes With Caramelized Black Plums

: Buttermilk Pancakes With Caramelized Black Plums

: Buttermilk Pancakes With Caramelized Black Plums

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Chicken In A Nest

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Chicken Salad is probably one of the most abused dishes out there. Ever more complicated and pompous, it has lost its original appeal for me a long time ago in it’s present form which is more likely than not a bunch of mostly outer salad leaves (I call that rabbit food 😦 , some obscure bottled dressing and a few slices of tomato and cucumber – $ 17.50 please! – plus tip and a diet coke or water and you will leave the restaurant with a bill of at least $ 25.00 for a mediocre meal you could prepare at home for a fraction of the price, much faster and most of all – much more delicious, healthy and appetizing !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chicken In A Nest

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: dress grape tomatoes, baby arugula, romaine hearts and mung bean sprouts in honey mustard vinaigrette

: arrange salad on serving platter

: slice half an avocado, reserve shell

: place avocado shell on salad nest

: saute chicken in very hot peanut oil, add scallions

: add chicken to avocado shell, sprinkle with black sesame seeds

: add avocado slices, drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil

: Chicken In A Nest

: Chicken In A Nest

: Chicken In A Nest

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Shrimp And Lap Cheong Fried Rice

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Leftover rice –
soup, congee or fried rice ? – that was the question ! 🙂
Well, this time the decision came easy because I also had a few slices of cooked ham and a few small shrimp in my fridge, along with some peppers and fresh eggs. And besides, I’ll have a good fried rice anytime 🙂
This version is very simple and only takes a couple of minutes to prep and execute. Just make sure you use day-old rice – fresh cooked rice is too moist and will not result in good fried rice !
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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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Shrimp And Lap Cheong Fried Rice

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: shrimp, lap cheong, peppers

: stir fry finely diced onions, grated ginger and garlic paste in peanut oil

: add shrimp, lap cheong and peppers, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, remove from oil, set aside

: add day-old cooked rice to oil, stir fry until rice makes popping sound

: move rice to one side of wok / pan, add more peanut oil, stir fry whisked eggs until scrambled

: mix rice and eggs, season with salt, pepper

: mix all previously stir fried ingredients with rice / egs, add sesame oil and a few drops of chili oil

: add sliced scallions, stir fry for another few minutes, check / adjust seasoning

: Shrimp And Lap Cheong Fried Rice

: Shrimp And Lap Cheong Fried Rice

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$ 90 Salad Splurge …………….

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How do you justify an $90 salad for one?
I do by arguing that if I go to a restaurant and spend the same amount or even more, especially here in South Florida, my food will most likely not be as good and most certainly not as ample and luxurious. Three lbs of stone crab claws ($75) is a generous portion but not excessive. Add the shrimp, avocado and the other ingredients and you reach an eye-watering $90 bucks- definitely not something you want to do often, but once in a while for a special occasion …………. so today I was celebrating my upcoming birthday (December 2nd !) 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Live a Little ! 🙂
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Stone Crab And Shrimp Salad

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: Stone Crab Legs & Shrimp

: mix endive, tomato, cucumber and ranch dressing

: plate salad and avocado wedges

: sprinkle salad with pomegranate seeds, top with crab meat and shrimp, drizzle with fresh lemon juice

: Stone Crab And Shrimp Salad

: Stone Crab And Shrimp Salad

: Stone Crab And Shrimp Salad

: Stone Crab And Shrimp Salad

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Mama Tilly’s “Quer Durch Den Garten” Eintopf

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Link to “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food”
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I wish I could sit one more time at my parents dinner table and be served my moms “Quer Durch Den Garten” eintopf. Of course, as a child, veggies and stews were not exactly big time favorites, but, as with so many memories, decades later all we usually remember are the good parts of our experiences and so it is with this dish – so, one more time please 🙂
This dish shows up in many homes nowadays but its new name is usually “clear out the fridge”.
But, what was then, way back, poetically called “quer durch den garten” (across the garden) was literally just that – everything that was ripe in the vegetable garden and had to be used up before it spoiled. Therefore, during harvest time in our back of the house small veggie garden, “quer durch den garten” was a dish that showed up a bit too often. Always a bit different, sometimes added pasta or rice instead of potatoes, usually different vegetables (whatever was ready for consumption) and most always a different protein – bacon, sausage, chicken, beef, or a combination of whatever was available. Obviously, this is one of my favorite dishes now, but back then…….. 😦
So here it is, in honor of my mom’s “Quer Durch Den Garten” eintopf:
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Bon Appetit ! Hans, you are not allowed to go outside before you finish your plate !!!
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Link to ” Eintopf ”
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Link to ” Gnocchi ” Recipe