kosher salt

Corkscrews, Shrimp, Bok Choy and Eggs

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I recently came across an article which proclaimed “Pasta actually makes you lose Weight”.
Unfortunately, I don’t believe that ANY food I love (I love most 🙂 ) will make me loose weight, especially pasta. Why? Because if I love something, I consume it in excess quantities.
But then, a lot of food which falls into the category of “food I love”, will never make me fat, for the simple reason that it is too expensive to become fattening – caviar, lobster, fresh stone crab claws, foie gras, chanterelle, matsutake, wagyu (the real McCoy), and a bunch of other stuff I had the privilege to eat plenty of in the 70’s, when most of these delicacies were still affordable in their countries of origin.
I used to have a few cans of caviar in my fridge when we did black sea cruises in the mid-seventies, when one was able to exchange a pair of used jeans in St Petersburg’s black market for 1 kg of caviar. Matsutake and wagyu was expensive in Yokohama and Kobe, but not excessively so. Chanterelles in Germany in the 70’s and 80’s when I went home on vacation – same thing, not cheap but affordable. And so it was with most of these specialties at the time – not cheap but within reach, at least for me and my friends who traveled the world, loved good food and after visiting a place a couple of times, knew where to get a bargain.
But now let me get back to pasta.
Fortunately, pasta is one of the most affordable food stuffs which have a special place in my heart (and stomach).
Consequently, I eat it too often, and usually way too much, packing 2 or 3 portions into one meal – which is good for my happiness 🙂 , bad for my weight 😦 .
So there you have it – while pasta “does not actually make me lose weight”, it does actually makes me happy .
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
All the food you see on ChefsOpinion is cooked and served in my home, usually just for myself and Bella. I like to pick and hold the shrimp by their tail (Bella just eats the whole shrimp, tail and all, including the tails from my shrimps). If you are not comfortable with the tails on the plate, just remove them before adding the shrimp to the dish 🙂
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Corkscrews, Shrimp, Bok Choy and Eggs

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Preparation :
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: saute 1 tblsp garlic paste in 1/3 stick butter until fragrant

: add 12 oz head-less, butterflied shrimp, season with fresh-ground black pepper, saute 1 minute

: add 12 oz blanched baby bok choy, saute another minute

: add one 8 oz pack cooked corkscrew pasta, season all with kosher salt to taste

: add 4 whole whisked eggs, seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, cook until eggs have set but are still moist; serves 2

: Corkscrews, Shrimp, Bok Choy and Eggs

: Corkscrews, Shrimp, Bok Choy and Eggs

: Corkscrews, Shrimp, Bok Choy and Eggs

: Corkscrews, Shrimp, Bok Choy and Eggs

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Grilled Chicken Salad – Grilled Chicken On A Higher Level

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I believe this salad does not need a fancy introduction – just look at it and plan when, not if, you will prepare this beauty 🙂

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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !

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Grilled Chicken Salad

juicy perfection……..

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Preparation :
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: Bone-in chicken thighs

: remove bones from thighs, season with granulated garlic, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: SLOWLY grill chicken on both sides until cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on size / thickness of thighs

: clean peppers, remove ribs

: cut into VERY fine julienne

: add 1 cup tightly packed julienned white cabbage,1 cup tightly packed julienned white onions and 1 cup grape tomatoes, dress with 1/3 cup ranch dressing

: when chicken is fully cooked, remove from grill (or grill pan), let rest for 10 minutes before cutting

: cut to your preference, – thick/thin/strips or cubes

: divide salad between 2 plates

: sprinkle ea salad with 2 tblsp bbq kernel corn or grilled kernel corn

: top ea salad with 1 chicken thigh

: Grilled Chicken Salad

: Grilled Chicken Salad

: Grilled Chicken Salad

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Spicy Sausage And Spinach Congee

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English – Rice Porridge; Japanese – Okayu; Korean – Jukin; Thai – Jok; Tagalog – Lugao, Burmese – Hsan Pyok.

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In my own experience, there’s no food more simple and more comforting than a bowl of congee, which is basically just rice cooked with a lot of liquid until it forms a soft porridge.
Congee can be enjoyed any time of the day (or night 🙂 and there are as many recipes and methods for making congee as there are restaurants, homes, mothers and grandmothers to prepare them. However, the basics are just water and rice, cooked until thickened to the texture you prefer, anywhere from very liquid to quite thick.
In this basic form, congee has provided a full belly as well as help against minor ailments since ancient times.
Additional ingredients and condiments for congee are limited only to ones fantasy, taste and wallet. (Lobster anyone?)
For some of the more adventurous variations of congee click HERE
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Spicy Sausage And Spinach Congee

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Preparation :
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: cook 2 cup rice of your choice in lightly salted water until it has the texture of thin porridge and the rice is VERY soft

: meanwhile, saute 12 oz spicy sausage cut into thick slices and 1 medium size onion cut into julienne in 1 tblsp peanut oil until sausage and onion start to brown

: just about………

: add the rice porridge to the sausage/onions

: add 2 cup tighly packed fresh spinach, remove from heat

: mix all ingredients; to serve, sprinkle with fried scallions; serve with sesame oil, chili paste and soy sauce; season to your own preference; serves 4

: Spicy Sausage And Spinach Congee

: Spicy Sausage And Spinach Congee

: Spicy Sausage And Spinach Congee

: Spicy Sausage And Spinach Congee

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Lazy Udon

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Throughout all the years I have spent in the food-industry, I came across many folks who proclaimed their jealousy about the fact that I, as a chef, eat better than anybody else they know.
Reading private food blogs, one would assume that this might be the case not only for chefs, but also for food bloggers, since most of the food published at least looks better than what shows up daily on the average household’s table.
While some bloggers are fortunate enough to eat the high level food they publicize on their sites at all times, most of us less fortunate bloggers neither have the time,the money nor the desire to eat gourmet meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In my own case, I usually prepare food that is (in my opinion) fit to publish about every other or every third day, including down to earth comfort food. The rest of the time, I eat the same simple food as most other folks do, although probably prepared with a bit more love and interest in the end result as most home cooks (or chefs at home) will muster day-in and day-out. This however does not mean that the food I don’t publish is poor or crappy.
The meal I had for lunch today is just such an example. I prepare similar noodles quite often, using slightly different ingredients such as different pasta, different veggies and different seasonings (although the seasoning used here is pretty standard for my “Lazy Noodles” dishes). At once extremely simple, easy to prepare and cheap, it is at the same time pretty to look at and super yummy. If prepared with love and attention to detail, food like this does not have to hide itself behind any “gourmet” food 🙂
Not that I want to eat like this all the time, but in reality, food like this makes perfect sense as alternative to the high-end stuff.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for Kecap Manis Recipe on ChefsOpinion
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Lazy Udon

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Preparation :
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: udon noodles, scallions. preserved chilies, kecap manis, garlic paste

: cook 8 oz fresh udon noodles until done but still chewy, drain, toss with 1 tblsp sesame oil

: stir fry 1/2 tblsp garlic paste in 1 tblsp peanut oil until fragrant, add 5 ea whole chilies and 3 ea sliced scallions, stir fry another minute

: add the udon noodles and 1 cup kecap manis

: stir fry another minute, remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning

: Lazy Udon

: Lazy Udon

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Beef Medallions, Gnocchi And Truffled Eggs

Raw Bubenspitzle

Cooked And Sauteed Bubenspitzle

Raw Gnocchi

Cooked And Sauteed Gnocchi

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Gnocchi, in a slightly different shape as the Italian version, are very popular in Germany, especially in the south – namely, in Baden-Württemberg and Bayern.
Our “Gnocchi” consist of the same basic ingredients, potatoes, flour and egg, but they are slightly different in shape -more elongated than the Italian version.
We prepare them savory or sweet. We use rye or wheat flour, add eggs or not, add potatoes or not, fry them or simmer them, saute them after simmering or not, and do basically whatever we want to do with them 🙂 (Unlike our Italian friends, who are pretty set on how to do their own gnocchi).
As for the name given to our versions, we are pretty flexible as well: Schupfnudel, Fingernudel, Baunzen, Dradewixpfeiferl, Erdepfebaunkerl, Schopperla, Bauchstecherla, and even “Bubenspitzle“, which literally translates into “little boys’ willies” – look at the pic and you’ll understand 🙂
Btw- If you wonder about the rather unrefined addition of a couple of slices of tomatoes- the texture and fresh taste of the tomatoes compliment the gnocchi, eggs and beef perfectly.
The entire recipe below serves 2 big eaters, or 4 with a smaller appetite…..
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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P.S.
Jamaican Dumplings – Sinkers (round) or Spinners (bubenspitzle shape) are another, even more distant version -made mostly of flour and water; they are fried (Jonny Cakes), simmered, or first simmered and then fried. Add cornmeal, baking powder and sugar, then fry them and you have Festival.
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Click here for Jamaican Dumplings on ChefsOpinion
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Gnocchi Recipe:
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Ingredients:
1 lb Russet potatoes,   cooked, peeled, mashed
A/P flour,   sifted – as needed
2 Eggs,  whole, whisked
Kosher salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
1 0z Butter
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Method :
Add egg, seasoning and flour to potatoes, mix lightly until smooth.
Shape into gnocchi.
Make light indentations with a fork.
Cook a sample in simmering salted water. If too soft, add flour. If too dense, add egg.
Cook gnocchi in simmering water until gnocchi float. Remove with slotted spoon into strainer. Saute in melted butter.
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Beef Medaillons, Gnocchi And Truffled Eggs

Beef Medallions, Gnocchi And Truffled Eggs

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Preparation :
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: clean a beef tenderloin from fat and silver skin

: cut 4 ea 5 oz medallions

: season with kosher salt and fresh-cracked black pepper

: saute madallions in Very hot garlic oil to your preferred temperature (I love mine rare/med rare, depending on the thickness of the beef

: remove from pan, reserve

: whisk 4 whole eggs with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, add 4 ea stalks finely sliced scallions and truffle oil to taste (a few drops are enough for me)

: cook gnocchi in salted water until floating; drain, saute in 3 oz butter

: add eggs, saute until eggs are set

: almost………..

: place two thick slices of tomato on the serving plate, salt generously; add the scrambled gnocchi, sprinkle with grated Parmegiano Reggiano

: Beef Medaillons, Gnocchi And Truffled Eggs

: Beef Medaillons, Gnocchi And Truffled Eggs

: Beef Medaillons, Gnocchi And Truffled Eggs

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Bulalo (Kansi) Beef Marrow Bone Soup

Beef Marrow Bone

The first time I had the pleasure to eat this soup I fell in love with it. It was at “Pistang Filipino”, an open air arts and craft center in Manila. (Little did I know then (1974), that a few years later I would be living next door for nearly five years). However, during my first visit, a couple of friends and I went there to have a proper, traditional “Pinoy” dinner. It turned out to be one of the best meals in my entire life. Pancit sotanghon and pancit bihon, huge grilled prawns for $1 a piece, kare kare, adobo, lechon, sisig, sinigang, bulalo and a whole lot of other wonderful dishes, all spread out on a huge buffet. There were woven bamboo plates with palm leaves to put your food on and coconut shell spoons for the soups. Most of the food was eaten using one’s fingers as utensils. Lined up along one wall were water containers with spouts to facilitate hand washing before and after the meal. The food and entertainment (tinikling , traditional Philippine folk dancing) was superb and to this day I remember almost every minute of that evening. Years later when I lived next door, I went there once or twice a month, mainly for the bulalo . However, I quickly became less enthusiastic about the tinikling. While beautiful to watch, its accompanying music, which was always played at maximum levels, kept me awake many a night until the wee hours 😦
Such is my love for bulalo that until this day I prepare it at least once a month. I mostly use thick sliced shank (osso buco), but when available, I buy a whole leg bone and have the butcher cut it into 4 pieces, 2 of which I use at once and 2 which I freeze for the next going of bulalo or any other beef soup.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here to watch a video of Tinikling
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Bulalo

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Preparation :
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: 2/4 of a whole beef leg bone

: blanch the bones once in plain water, drain, cover again with cold water, bring to a slow simmer, season lightly with kosher salt and black pepper

: simmer bones until meat and collagen are very tender but NOT falling apart, you should have about 2 qt stock (if not enough, add water; if too much, simmer until 2 qts remain

: remove bones from stock, strain stock

: remove all meat, collagen , and bone marrow, set aside

: add 1 small head of quartered white cabbage, simmer for 4 minutes

: add 3 bunch baby bok choy, 5 ea halved cherry tomatoes, 2 ea quartered corn on the cob, 4 ea stalks of sliced scallions, simmer 2 more minutes, remove from heat

: add 1 tblsp patis (Fish Sauce), check/adjust seasoning

: to serve, sprinkle with fried shallots (optional) serves 2

: serve bulalo with plain steamed rice

: top rice with veggies, beef, collagen and marrow

: top with beef stock

: Bulalo

: bulalo – madam’s favorite too………

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Cucumber And Carrot Slaw In Greek Yogurt Dressing

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It’s BBQ time ! The perfect opportunity to shine with your favorite home made salads, sauces and condiments.
This salad is one of my BBQ standby’s, a perfect side dish to accompany hot meat just off the grill.
“Cucumber and carrot slaw in Greek yogurt dressing” is full of flavor and crunchy texture, looks great and can be made hours in advance, which makes it well-suited to take to potlucks, or before friends and family show up for a BBQ at your house.
Actually, I sometimes enjoy a large bowl of it just by itself as a light and tasty lunch on a hot summer day (As I did yesterday) 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Cucumber Carrot Slaw In Greek Yogurt Dressing

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Preparation :
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slice 1 lb of cucumbers into thin slices

season generously with 2 tblsp kosher salt, mix well, set aside for 15 minutes

after 15 minutes, squeeze all excess water/juices from the cucumbers, discard the liquid (or add vodka and ice for a great cocktail 🙂

add 1 lb freshly shredded raw carrots

add 1 tsp sriracha, 1 tblsp garlic paste, 2 cup Greek yogurt, mix all together

add 1 tsp sriracha, 1 tblsp garlic paste, 2 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup ranch dressing,, mix all together

check/adjust seasoning

Cucumber Carrot Slaw In Greek Yogurt Dressing

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A Pig And A Hoagie

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There you have it – a pig at it’s finest……..

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This meal started out to become a traditional Asian-style braised pork belly dish, served with steamed rice and some kind of green vegetables.
However, after starting the belly, I changed my mind and decided to go with another sandwich, because…….why not ? 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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A Pig And A Hoagie

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Preparation :
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: season a 20 oz piece of pork belly with kosher salt, saute until browned on all sides

: add 3 large sliced onions, 1 tblsp five spice powder, 2 tblsp garlic paste, 1 tblsp chili paste, 2 tblsp kecup manis, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1/2 cup soy sauce and 3 cup chicken or pork stock

: bring to a slow simmer, cover and cook until very tender but NOT falling apart, about 2 hours

: remove belly to a cutting board, with a slotted spoon remove braised onions, reserve; keep sauce for another dish (great to mix with noodles)

: there you have it ……..

: slice belly into 6 thick pieces

: meanwhile, make a salad from 8 ea halved cherry tomatoes, 3 tblsp marinated banana peppers, 1/3 bunch chives and 2 tblsp simple vinaigrette; make a salsa from 3 ea sliced scallions, 3 ea chopped chilies, 1/2 tsp garlic paste, lime juice and kosher salt to taste

: cut 2 day-old hoagies lenghtwise (there are a lot of juices, so you don’t want the bread to be too soft), reserve the top halves

: drain the salad, divide between the 2 bottom-halves of the hoagies

: top each hoagie with half the sliced pork

: top each hoagie with half the braised onions

: top ea hoagie with half of the salsa

: top ea hoagie with the reserved top halves of the hoagies

: A Pig And A Hoagie

: A Pig And A Hoagie

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Ox Tripe Two Way’s

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: Creamy Ox Tripe Stew

: Clear Oxtripe Stew

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Even though ox tripe is not everybody’s cup of tea, I myself am an incurable fan of it.
Originally classified as “Poor Man’s Food”, it has lately become more widely used, especially since the “Head To Tail” movement has become popular and it is now “in” to classify former “Poor Man’s Food” as “Comfort Food 🙂 .
Well, I grew up loving this type of food, so for today’s lunch, I made two versions, one for lunch and one to be re-heated at dinner.
Of course, there are a million recipes for ox tripe from around the world and I love most of them. But these two versions of (almost) the same recipe are without a doubt on the very top of my list. Great looks, super taste and outstanding texture lift them to the level of excellence the humble ox tripe deserves.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Oxtripe recipes on ChefsOpinion ( Mondongo/ Beef Tripe/ Kutteln/ 牛百叶/ 牛百葉/ Goto/ Tripa/ требуха/ أمعاء, شىء تافه )
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Clear Ox Tripe Stew

Creamy Ox Tripe Stew

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Preparation :
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: blanch 2 lbs tripe in lightly salted and vinegared water (one tblsp ea salt and vinegar per qt of water), repeat

: drain, rinse

: cut into thick strips, simmer in lightly salted and vinegared water (one tblsp ea salt and vinegar per qt of water) until soft but not mushy, drain, set aside

: drain one 14 oz can diced tomatoes, one 14 oz can drained northern beans, one 14 oz can red kidney beans, one 14 oz can kernel corn

: saute julienne of 2 med sized onions in 1 tblsp olive oil until translucent, add 1 tblsp garlic paste, saute until fragrant

: add the diced tomatoes, northern beans, red kidney beans, kernel corn, 8 oz shredded carrots, 1 bunch chopped cilantro and 1 qt beef stock, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: simmer stew for 2 minutes, check/adjust seasoning, divide stew in half, reserve one half for recipe # 2

: add 1 half of the tripe to the stew; to serve, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, finely sliced scallions and grated parmesan cheese (optional)

: Clear Oxtripe Stew

: for second recipe, blend 1/4 of reserved stew with 1 tblsp grated parmesan until smooth

: add 1 cup heavy cream, mix

: return mixture to the remaining 3/4 of the reserved stew, mix well, add reserved tripe, check/adjust seasoning

: to serve, drizzle with chili oil and sprinkle with finely sliced scallions and chopped cilantro

: Creamy Ox Tripe Stew

: Creamy Ox Tripe Stew

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SINGAPORE NOODLES (SINGAPORE MEI FUN) 新洲米粉, 星洲炒米, 星洲米粉)

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Having traveled the world long before I moved to Singapore to live and work there in the early 80’s, I remember how much I was looking forward to finally learn how to prepare “real” Singapore Noodles. By then I had enjoyed them in many Chinese restaurants all over the world and they had become a trustworthy (most of the time, anyway) shoe-in if nothing else appealed on the menu to my at that time still rather newfound love of Chinese food . Much to my surprise, there were no Singapore Noodles to be found anywhere 😦
It then did not take me long to find out that Singapore Noodles are NOT a Singaporean dish but have probably been invented years earlier in Hong Kong.
(As far as I know, the verdict of its true origin is still not entirely agreed upon) 🙂
While there are many different variations, the most common one I have encountered in my travels and here in the USA contain rice sticks, curry, scallions, soy, garlic, ginger, vegetables, shrimp and chicken or pork.
The following version is more or less the one I have cooked for many years, only making slight changes to the ingredients if something is not readily available or leftovers beg to be utilized, such as roast pork, squid, bok choy, celery, etc.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Singapore Noodles

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Preparation :
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: julienne of 1 medium onion, 1/2 small head white cabbage, 2 ea medium-hot chilies, 3 stalks scallion

: for the seasoning/sauce, mix 1 cup chicken stock, 3 tblsp soy sauce, 1 tblsp oyster sauce, 1 tblsp hoi sin sauce, 1 tblsp chili paste, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1/2 tsp grated ginger

: whisk 4 eggs, season with kosher salt to taste

: season 6 oz shrimp and 8 oz sliced chicken with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: add 1 tblsp corn starch to the shrimp and 2 tbls corn starch to the chicken, mix well

: stir fry chicken and shrimp in 1 tblsp peanut oil until 3/4 done

: remove chicken and shrimp from the pan, set aside (the carry-over heat will continue to cook them through)

: stir fry the onions in ame pan/wok until translucent

: add the cabbage, chillies and scallions, saute another minute

: remove veggies from pan, set aside

: in 1 tblsp peanut oil, stir fry 1 pck soaked rice sticks for two minutes soak according to your preference, I like to soak them for 10 minutes)

: move rice sticks to one side of the pan, add 1 tblsp peanut oil to the empty side of the pan

: scramble the eggs until set

: mix the eggs and rice sticks well, stir fry another two minutes, add 3 tblsp good quality curry powder, stir fry for another minute until well mixed