kosher salt

Chicken-Noodle Soup With Spicy Sausage And Napa Cabbage

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So now that summer is finally over (at least according to the calendar), soups will be on the menu more often to warm our frozen bones (or we could turn the A/C from 72F to 78F ?) 🙂
Anyway, I myself never need an excuse to prepare myself a pot of soup, especially any variation of chicken-noodle soup, which I eat as often as twice a week. Following is today’s version :
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chicken-Noodle Soup With Spicy Sausage And Napa Cabbage

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Preparation :
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: saute diced chicken in garlic oil until lightly browned

: add diced spicy Italian sausage and chicken stock, season with grated ginger, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, simmer until sausage and chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes

: meanwhile, saute finely sliced onions with garlic paste in olive oil until onions are caramelized, reserve

: add shredded carrots to the soup, simmer one minute, remove from heat

: add sliced napa cabbage, finely sliced peppers and chopped cilantro, check / adjust seasoning

: plate freshly cooked casarecce pasta to soup plate, sprinkle with chopped cilantro

: top with the soup, top with the caramelized onions, sprinkle with more cilantro

: Chicken-Noodle Soup With Spicy Sausage And Napa Cabbage

: Chicken-Noodle Soup With Spicy Sausage And Napa Cabbage

: Chicken-Noodle Soup With Spicy Sausage And Napa Cabbage

: Chicken-Noodle Soup With Spicy Sausage And Napa Cabbage

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Meat And Potatoes

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Many a person declares them self to be a “Meat and Potato Person“, meaning no fancy concoction, just the basics without a fuss.
After looking at these pictures, most of us will probably concur, at least some of the time 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Umph !

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Meat And Potatoes

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Preparation :
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: simmer potatoes in saltwater until tender but still firm, drain

: peel potatoes

: put potatoes through a ricer

: bring cream, butter and garlic paste to a simmer

: remove from heat, add potatoes, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, mix well

: put potato puree on serving plate

: meantime, season steak of your choice with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, cook to the doneness you prefer, remove steak, set aside to rest in a warm place

: in same pan, add mushrooms, saute until lightly browned

: add tomatoes ans scallions, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, saute until heated

: top potato puree with the sauteed veggies

: arrange sliced steak on top of veggies and puree

: Meat And Potatoes

: Meat And Potatoes

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Salade Lyonnaise

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Here we have another classic that shows and proofs why the classics don’t die: They are simply the best !
When all the pretty (and sometimes not so pretty) newfangled high flyers have simply faded away because of lack of substance, practicality and being too heavy on looks and too light on taste and texture, out come the classics again to remind us why they were our favorites in the first place : Taste, texture and simple, appetizing presentation, free from superficial nonsense. What better dish to proof my point than with this wonderful salad which will be equally good as appetizer, side dish, snack or even main course (See below )
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P.S.
Usually the poached egg is served liquid in the center, but, while I love eggs prepared this way, for my salad I prefer them a bit more waxy (depending on the size of the egg, add about 1 to 1,5 minutes to the cooking time of soft-poached egg)
P.P.S.
Although smoked bacon is widely used, I prefer the taste and texture of fresh bacon for this dish. If you choose to use smoked bacon, you can forgo the step of simmering the bacon before sauteing.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Salade Lyonnaise

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: fresh bacon

: cut bacon into lardons

: simmer bacon in salted water until tender

: drain bacon

: saute bacon until crisp

: drain bacon, reserve fat for other use (pommes lyonnaise)

: saute croutons in garlic oil, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: saute until golden, set aside

: poach eggs to your preferred doneness

: marinade frisée (endive) with a simple vinaigrette

: arrange salad on serving dish

: top salad with croutons

: top with bacon lardons

: top with poached eggs

: Salade Lyonnaise

: Salade Lyonnaise

: Salade Lyonnaise

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Schwäbischer Zwiebelrostbraten Mit Bratkartoffeln

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There are two way’s of preparing the onions for a traditional Schwäbischer Zwiebelrostbraten : Dusted with flour, then deep-fried until crisp (click here to see that version), or sautéed in the pan without the flour. While both versions are excellent, the one with the flour-dusted onions is usually prepared when larger quantities are required (the onions keep well when kept in a sealed container and are ready when needed). On the other hand, when preparing at home one usually sautés the onions in order to be more efficient. So as a rule of thumb, when I cook for guests, I fry my onions; when I just cook for myself (and Bella), I usually sauté the onions. Decisions, decisions :-). When I was preparing the potatoes I pondered about the fact how we are always looking for more complicated, prettier and more exclusive food, while something as simple as these Bratkartoffeln can be wonderfully beautiful and delicious in their simplicity.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Schwäbischer Zwiebelrostbraten Mit Bratkartoffeln

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: simmer potatoes until done, drain

: peel potatoes, cut into thick slices

: saute potatoes in duckfat, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: trim strip steak of all outer fat and silver skin

: butterfly steak twice

: cover with plastic film, pound until evenly ca 1/3 inch thick

: season with dijon mustard, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: dust both sides in a/p flour

: saute in clarified butter until medium, remove to absorbent paper

: in same pan, saute finely sliced onions, seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, until crisp and golden

: remove to absorbent paper

: Bratkartoffeln

: top with rostbraten

: napé steak and potatoes with red-wine sauce

: top with onions

: Schwäbischer Zwiebelrostbraten Mit Bratkartoffeln

: Schwäbischer Zwiebelrostbraten Mit Bratkartoffeln

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Breakfast Of Champions # 48 – Egg-Quesadilla With Boursin

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While the some of the most traditional condiments to quesadillas are being served again and again for a reason (best fit), I would like to introduce a new, a bit unusual condiment which will be knocking your breakfast quesadilla out of the ball park – Herb & Garlic Boursin. It gives the dish such additional debt and flavor that it has become my standard addition to breakfast quesadillas (I still stick with the traditional condiments for non-breakfast quesadillas ) 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to more Quesadillas on ChefsOpinion
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Breakfast Of Champions # 48 – Egg-Quesadilla With Boursin

Breakfast Of Champions # 48 – Egg-Quesadilla

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: herb & garlic boursin

: whisk whole eggs with cayenne pepper, kosher salt and granulated garlic

: add to melted butter in a med-hot pan, cook until set

: flip egg and cook on other side until egg is well-done

: add a tortilla to a lightly oiled, warm pan (or comal)

: sprinkle generously with grated cheese of your choice (I used four-cheese mix), top with crumbled avocado

: top with egg patty

: top with more cheese

: top with another tortilla, cook until bottom-tortilla is lightly browned and crisp

: top with a plate, invert

: slide back into pan and cook again until bottom tortilla is lightly browned and crisp and cheese has melted

: slide onto cutting board, cut into wedges

: Breakfast Of Champions # 48 – Egg-Quesadilla

: Breakfast Of Champions # 48 – Egg-Quesadilla With Boursin

: Breakfast Of Champions # 48 – Egg-Quesadilla With Boursin

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Executioners Stew

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Of course you will wonder what possessed me to name this stew Executioners Stew – well, my thinking goes that if I would have one last meal before the executioner would step in, this would be the last supper I would request. While there are many things I would like to have for that macabre occasion, this one combines five of my favorite foods in one single dish :
Soup, chili-peppers, chicken-gizzards, pigs-feet and ox-tripe.
Certainly not worth dying for, but as a last supper – yes sir, please !
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Anyway, here is to many more years of living the Good Life 🙂
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Link to Green Sofrito Recipe
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All about Sofrito
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Link to Pa Amb TomÃ Quet (Tomato Bread)
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Executioners Stew With “Pa Amb TomÃ Quet”

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Preparation :
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: add the pigs feet to cold water, bring to a boil

: strain the pigs feet, rinse

: add the o-tripe to cold, vinegared water, bring to a boil, strain, rinse, repeat two more times, third time cook until tender

: a thing of beauty

: add pigs-feet to cold, salted water, bring to a simmer, cook until tender but not falling apart

: during simmering, remove all impurities that rise to the surface with a small mesh-strainer

: when pigs-feet are almost tender, add chicken gizzards, simmer until gizzards are tender but still possess a bit of a bite

: add green sofrito, cayenne pepper, garlic paste

: add chillies, carrot julienne, white cabbage and chorizo, simmer for three more minutes

: add diced tomatoes, sliced cooke potatoes, cooked white beans and plenty of chopped cilantro

: check / adjust seasoning

: Executioners Stew With “Pa Amb TomÃ Quet”

: Executioners Stew With “Pa Amb TomÃ Quet”

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Gochujang Blade Steaks With Musaengchae (Spicy Korean Radish Salad)

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While I prepare blade steaks often, musaengchae is not so common on my dinner table, simply because I usually don’t find Korean radish on my regular shopping-runs, so when I do find them, musaengchae it is.
You could substitute the Korean radish with daikon, but for this particular dish, daikon will be inferior and should only be a last resort.
If you love spicy – this salad is it !
If you love radish – this salad is it !
If you are tired of run of the mill salads – this salad will come to the rescue !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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More Blade Steaks On ChefsOpinion
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P.S.
These blade steaks were very thin, so the amount pictured (6 steaks) were just enough for one meal for Bella and I 🙂
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Musaengchae

: korean radish (pic source: maangchi)

: peel radish, then cut into fine julienne, season with kosher salt, let stand for 10 minutes, squeeze out excess water

: toast sesame seeds until golden

: add black sesame seeds, white toasted sesame seeds, gochujang, garlic paste, ginger paste, white vinegar and scallions, mix carefully in order to not break-up the radish julienne

: Musaengchae

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Gochujang Blade Steaks

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: marinade pork-blade steaks overnight with gochujang, ginger paste, garlic paste, kosher salt, scallions, peanut oil, mirin and sake

: grill or broil until pork skin is very crispy

: Gochujang Blade Steaks

: Gochujang Blade Steaks

: Gochujang Blade Steaks

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Tandoori-Style Chicken Drumsticks With Pickled Onions And Naan

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Some of my favorite food-memories from my time living in Karachi, Pakistan, were the many wonderful dinners Maria and I had at the rooftop restaurant of our hotel, the ” Avari Towers,Karachi“.
Sadly, I understand that this restaurant has been converted into a steak restaurant by now ( after all, its been nearly 20 years since Maria and I lived there).
However, at the time, the roof top was a very exclusive local-fare only restaurant with a tandoori oven right there on the rooftop.
Benazir Bhutto, who a few years later became prime minister of Pakistan, resided in a house just next to our hotel and came to eat at the roof top a few times while we were there, which got Maria excited each time and she actually asked Mrs.Bhutto for an autograph (which she got, despite the incredible security), which made Maria happy and embarrassed me 🙂 .
Anyway, as far as the food was concerned, the restaurants at the Avari were in my opinion by far the best and safest places to enjoy a meal in all of Karachi and the tandoori dishes at the rooftop topped it all !
I had many a good tandoori dish while traveling in Pakistan and of course in India, but never did I find a good one in Florida in all the years I have resided here. While they might exist, so far they have eluded me. So, whenever I lust for tasty, well prepared tandoori-style food that rekindles my memories of times past, I usually have to take matters in my own hands. Such was the case again yesterday, when I prepared these delicious chicken drumsticks.
For the lack of an tandoori oven, I cooked the drumsticks under high heat under the broiler, which resulted in acceptable taste and texture.
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مزےکری ! maze karein ! زندگی اچھی ہے !
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Tandoori–Style Chicken Thighs With Pickled Onions And Naan

Tandoori-Style Chicken Tighs With Pickled Onions

Tandori-Style Chicken Tighs With Pickled Onions

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: cross-score each drumstick through the flesh, all the way to the bone, marinate overnight in a paste of ghee, garam masala, cumin, allspice, lemon juice, yogurt, paprika, cinnamon, grated ginger, garlic paste, black pepper and kosher salt

: mix onions, peppers, garlic paste, scallions, white vinegar, kosher salt and garlic oil, let marinade at least 2 hours

: remove chicken from marinade, simmer remaining marinade for 3 minutes, use to baste chicken during broiling

: place chicken on wire rack

: broil chicken on one side for 15 minutes

: turn chicken, brush generously with more of the marinade, cook until cooked through, about another 15 – 20 minutes, depending on the size of the drumsticks

: done…..

: plate chicken with freshly baked naan and crisp iceberg

: top chicken with the marinated onions

: Tandoori-Style Chicken Drumsticks With Pickled Onions And Naan

: Tandoori-Style Chicken Drumsticks With Pickled Onions And Naan

: Tandoori-Style Chicken Drumsticks With Pickled Onions And Naan

: Pickled Onions

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Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

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Today I had a craving for really spicy food and I answered the call with this dish. I made it very spicy, but at the same time it was also very flavorful, thank’s to the addition of hoi sin sauce, soy sauce and lots of ginger and garlic. ( If you prefer less spicy, just tone down on the chili paste)
Fabulously tasty and satisfying, this was the perfect Sunday early-dinner dish, tasty, pretty and quick to wrestle-up 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is good !
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Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

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P.S.
In order to be able to throw together these quick meals, I always have an assortment of blanched, frozen veggies in the fridge, ready to go at a moments notice.
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: blanch vegetables in salted water

: shock vegetables in ice water

: shock vegetables in ice water, drain

: shock vegetables in ice water, drain

: shock vegetables in ice water, drain

: squeeze out excess water, wrap airtight, freeze for up to 10 days

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Also always in my fridge are grated fresh ginger (commercial, good quality) and garlic confit paste (home made, usually once a week)
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On to today’s dinner:
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Preparation :
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: slice skinlesss chicken breast into bitesize slivers

: marinade chicken with garlic paste, lime juice, soy sauce, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, add a few drops of peanut oil, mix well

: stir fry chicken on VERY high heat until lightly browned but still juicy

: remove chicken to a plate, set aside

: add a bit more oil, saute beans until lightly browned in spots

: add 2 tblsp chili/ bean paste, 2 tblsp soy sauce, 1 tblsp hoi sin sauce, 1 tblsp water, 1 tsp garlic paste, add corn, stir fry until corn is heated through, remove from heat

: add seafood-mushrooms

: return chicken to wok (or pan), mix well, check / adjust seasoning

: Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

: Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

: Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

: Stir Fried Chicken And Vegetables In Black-Bean Chile Sauce

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P.P.S.
I used Chor’s Food USA “Black Bean Chile Sauce” in this dish.
If not available in your neck of the woods :-(, substitute with equal parts of fermented black beans and chili paste 🙂
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Chipotle-Chicken Quesadilla

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We owe Mexico a lot for its invention of the quesadilla. It would be difficult to find another dish as addictive yet comes together so quickly with so little effort. Quesadillas are highly adaptable:
Make them a meal with large flour tortillas, or gluten-free with corn tortillas. A little low-fat cheese and a lot of vegetables, and they could almost pass for a health food; on the flip side, a generous pile of shredded pepper-jack could be the remedy for a bad hangover. A good quesadilla is a thing of beauty. It’s crispy and golden brown at the edges, but a bite quickly reveals a soft interior with gooey melted cheese. For this quesadilla I used chicken , which you can replace with other proteins of your choice, such as shrimp, beef, chorizo, etc. For a vegetarian alternative, just omit the animal-protein and add more vegetables.
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P.S.
As you can see, I dug in with my hands. However, if your boss shows up for dinner, you might want to get out forks and knifes 🙂
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Provechito ! Viva Mexico !
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