great taste

Morcilla And Garbanzos

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Friday night I had my good friend Curtis over for dinner. I made a dish which one usually would not think of serving to friends for dinner, unless they are Latino, Swabian, Austrian (or in any other way weird) 🙂
But honestly, serving Morcilla (Blutwurst, Blood pudding, Blood Sausage, Boudin Noir) to guests requires that you either know their taste in food very well or that you are silly and take a great risk and probably end up ordering take-out pizza:-)
However, Curtis was happy with the dish and so were Bella and I. I actually thought it was wonderful and very special.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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For the 1907 Movie “La Course A La Saucisse”, click here
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Morcilla And Garbanzos

Morcilla
Image property of :
La Course à la Saucisse

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Preparation :
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saute dice onions in garlic oil, add morcilla, saute until sausages disolve, add garlic paste and heavy cream, simmer for one minute, add garbanzos, grape tomatoes, chilies and scallions, simmer until heted through, remove from heat, check / adjust seasoning (if necessary add some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

saute dice onions in garlic oil, add morcilla, saute until sausages dissolve, add garlic paste and heavy cream, simmer for one minute, add garbanzos, grape tomatoes, chilies and scallions, simmer until heated through, remove from heat, check / adjust seasoning (if necessary add some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

saute blanched small potatoes in olive oil, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

add two generous slices of avocado to hot serving plate

top with morcilla ragout

top with sauteed potatoes, top potatoes with crispy onions and scallions

top with sauteed potatoes, top potatoes with caramelized onions and sliced scallions

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Scallops & Shrimp In Herb and Garlic Butter, With Penne Rigate And Pangrattato

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Pangrattato you ask ? Don’ t worry, we are just talking about sautéed breadcrumbs here, nothing complicated, but oh so good.
Most cuisines which use pasta also use pangrattato in one form or another : bread crumbs sautéed in butter, in olive oil, in schmalz or just dry toasted, seasoned with anything from salt and pepper to garlic, herbs cheese, nutmeg or whatever else is traditional in your area of the woods or whatever tickles your fancy. The main task for the bread crumbs is to add texture to your pasta. And if you can add flavor on top of that, so much the better.
Sometimes, all I want for a great meal is just perfectly cooked pasta with lot’s of tasty pangrattato and a bit of grated cheese on top. Perfection for pasta lovers, right there. But today, I made a dish with even more pizzazz by adding sautéed shrimp and scallops in herb butter to an already sexy dish. Aaahhhh, Life is Good 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Long Live Good Food !
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Scallops & Shrimp In Herb and Garlic Butter, With Penne Rigate And Pangrattato

Penne Rigate With Pangrattato

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Preparation :
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saute chili flakes in butter

add panko bread crumbs, kosher salt, garlic paste

saute until golden, keep warm

melt garlic/herb butter

add scallops and shrimmp, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, add white wine and lime juice, check / adjust seasoning

plate freshly cooked, al dente penne rigate

top pasta with a generous amount of pangrattato

top with seafood, sprinkle with chopped Italian parsley

Scallops & Shrimp In Herb and Garlic Butter, With Penne Rigate And Pangrattato

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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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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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Easy does it # 19 – Cheese Sandwich (Paratha With Emmentaler, Tomato and Cucumber)

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I assume that 99 % of all adults (and many kids) have tried their hands on a cheese sandwich, some with more, some with less success 🙂 :-(.
Following is a nice cheese sandwich which can be prepared by anybody in a minimum of time, but the result will provide a maximum flavor and texture experience.
Might I add that the presentation is not too shabby either :-).
Yesterday evening was like most Friday evenings for me – end of work-week, tired, lazy, not interested in spending much time in the kitchen. Also, tomorrow, Saturday, is my day for shopping (and cleaning and laundry and bathing Bella and whatever else piles up during the week), so my fridge and cupboard were rather depleted today. What I found was the following:
Frozen paratha, emmentaler cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, pomegranate, honey and limes for the sandwich and it’s salad.
Throwing it all together resulted in a great looking, excellent tasting, quick and easy to prepare dinner.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Paratha With Emmentaler, Tomato and Cucumber

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Preparation :
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put paratha in a pan on low heat

top with emmentaler

top with sliced tomato, sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

top with pickled cucumber slices (salt, pepper, vinegar) and more emmentaler

cook slowly on both sides until cheese has melted

plate salad (romaine in honey/mustard dressing), sprinkle with pomegranate seeds

plate salad (romaine in honey/mustard dressing), sprinkle with passion fruit seeds

Paratha With Emmentaler, Tomato And Cucumber

Paratha With Emmentaler, Tomato and Cucumber

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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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Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog,
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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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Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog,
please be so kind and click on the video below. Thank you 🙂
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Pasta With Smoked Salmon In Horseradish/Mustard Cream

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Rigatoni rigate, smoked salmon and a creamy velouté – nearly impossible not to like this combination ! 🙂
After we have learned how to make a velouté in my last post, (click here for recipe), and hopefully have a few small containers in the freezer to use at short notice (just defrost in the microwave), wonderful dishes like this one take only a few minutes from start to finish.
The reward for this relatively small effort is a dish which oozes flavor, presentation, elegance and class 🙂 All in a mere few minutes of preparation and cooking time.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Pasta With Smoked Salmon In Horseradish/Mustard Cream

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Preparation :
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Heat velouté (preferably fish velouté, but seafood velouté, chicken velouté or veal velouté will be just fine), add cooking liquid from pasta if too thick

add diced smoked salmon and grated horseraddish

add diced smoked salmon and grated horseradish

add dijon mustard

simmer for one minute

add freshly cooked, al dente pasta and sliced scallions

mix well, careful not to mash-up the salmon, check seasoning

to serve, sprinkle with more diced salmon and sliced scallions

Pasta With Smoked Salmon In Horseradish/Mustard Cream

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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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ChefsOpinion’s Sabbatical

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Dear Friend’s,

Due to personal circumstances I have to take a break from ChefsOpinion for the next four to six weeks.
This is mostly because next week I will move from the home I shared for fifteen years with my beloved wife Maria into a small (but very nice) apartment. During the move I will for some time be without internet access and it will also take me a while to set up my new kitchen. As you can imagine, there are many things involved with a life changing move like that, especially when one has to do it all by oneself.
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Anyway, I will try to get everything sorted out as soon as possible and hope to be back again during the middle or end of July 🙂
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In the meantime, you can go back to earlier post’s to get inspiration for your daily meals or to simply drool over some mouthwatering food pictures –
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simply click on this link :

ChefsOpinion Archive

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or simply click on this link :
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ChefsOpinion Pictures

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I am hoping to see you all back soon on ChefsOpinion so we can continue our journey through real food and real opinions 🙂
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Ciao ! Life is Good !

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Coconut Soup With Silkened Chicken & Snow Peas

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While a genuine Thai, Indonesian, Indian or any other “genuine” coconut soup can be wonderful if properly prepared, sometimes it is impractical to go to the full length of dozens of ingredients just to have a quick, flavorful and economic soup. If you find yourself in such a situation, you might want to try this simple preparation, which can be enjoyed after no more than fifteen minutes from start to finish. Of course, I am all for authentic recipes and I believe we must make an effort to make sure that under normal circumstances and whenever practical, we don’t make unnecessary short cuts because we are lazy. But sometimes, if you want something tasty and can’t do the big production for whatever reason ………., well, I am sure you’ve got the point 🙂

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Coconut Soup With Silkened Chicken & Snow Peas

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Coconut Soup With Silkened Chicken & Snow Peas

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Preparation :
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marinade diced chicken breast in soy sauce, lime juice, kosher salt, five spice powder, grated ginger and garlic paste, add corn starch, mix well

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cook pasta of your choice, drain, blanch snow peas, shock in ice water, drain, heat chicken stock seasoned with kosher salt, cayenne, garlic paste, grated ginger

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