leftover

Perfection In A Bowl – Leftover Veggies Soup

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Some of my favorite dishes are the ones that come together without set ingredients, without planning and without recipes.
I just go to the fridge and/or cupboard, look what’s available and what needs to be used, and just throw together what I think will fit and taste delicious. Such was the case with this soup. I had some krakauer sausage, leftover cooked broccoli, leftover cooked cauliflower and leftover fresh leek from previous dishes, and of course there are always onions in the cupboard and at least 2 or 3 types of cheese in the fridge. Throw it all together and in a few short minutes – a dish as good as can be 🙂 Life is Good !
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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transfer to soup bowl or soup plate, sprinkle ea bowl with 1/2 tblsp grated asiago and drizzle with 1 tblsp EVO

Perfection In A Bowl – Leftover Veggies Soup

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: 2 cup leftover cauliflower, 2 cup leftover broccoli, 2 stalks leeks

: saute 1 ea medium size julienned onion in 1 tblsp EVO until translucent

: cut the leeks in julienne, add to the onions, saute 2 more minutes

: add 2 cups chicken stock, simmer until leek is soft but not mushy

: add 3 cup chicken stock to the broccoli/cauliflower, mix in a blender or with a hand mixer until very smooth, simmer for 2 minutes

: transfer the mix to a pot, season with garlic paste, dried oregano. 3 ea basil leaves, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, simmer for 2 minutes

: stir in 2 tblsp finely grated asiago cheese, simmer for 2 more minutes while constantly stirring

: add the leek with it’s stock

: add 6 oz sliced smoked sausage. simmer 2 more minutes

: add 1 cup heavy cream, check/adjust seasoning

: transfer to soup bowl or soup plate, sprinkle ea bowl with 1/2 tblsp grated asiago and drizzle with 1 tblsp EVO

: Perfection In A Bowl – Leftover Veggies Soup

: Perfection In A Bowl – Leftover Veggies Soup

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Faux Chicken Biryani

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It looks like biryani.
It tastes like biryani.
It smells like biryani.
Alas, it’s not biryani.
As usual when I cook for Bella and myself, a few days ago I cooked too much jasmin rice. The next day, my usual train of thought at first led me to either one of two leftover dishes – fried rice or congee. But I did not really feel like either one of those, so my next choice was this very easy to prepare “faux biryani”.
While a “real biryani is easy enough to prepare, this one was even easier and of course, with the pre-cooked rice at hand, this was the perfect way to utilize the rice and at the same time get a dish that is wonderful, flavorful and beautiful. Naturally, the texture of the rice was different from the real deal, (not inferior, just different), but nevertheless, the dish was a great success, fully enjoyed by Bella and myself 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
Usually, one would steep the saffron in ghee, but because of the relatively high-fat content of the chicken skin which will render into the dish, I replaced the ghee with milk.
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Faux Chicken Biryani

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Preparation :
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: marinade 8 ea chicken thighs in 1 cup yogurt, 1 tblsp garam masala and 1 tsp turmeric overnight

: steep 1 gram of “superior Spanish saffron” treads in 1/4 cup warm milk

: marinade julienne of 1/4 large red onion and slices of 1/2 medium size cucumber in 1 tblsp cider vinegar and kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: saute julienne of 1 large white onion in 2 tblsp ghee or peanut oil

: add 8 oz diced tomatoes, 1/2 cinnamon stick, 3 ea chilies, 1 ea bay leaf, 1 tblsp grd cumin, 1 tblsp grd coriander, saute until fragrant

: add the chicken, season with kosher salt to taste

: cover and cook SLOWLY for 15 minutes

: turn the chicken

: cover, cook SLOWLY for another 15 minutes

: at this point, check the chicken for doneness, the temperature should be at 155F on the bone

: top with 2 cups cooked rice

: drizzle with half the saffron milk, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1 tblsp chopped cilantro and 1/2 tsp chopped mint leaves, repeat with another 2 cups of cooked rice, the other half of the saffron milk, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1 tblsp chopped cilantro and 1/2 tsp chopped mint leaves

: cover and cook SLOWLY for another 5 minutes or until the rice is heated to proper temperature, let the dish rest, covered, for another 5 minutes before serving

: plate the rice on a serving platter

: top the rice with the chicken, garnish with the cucumber and red onions, lemon wedges (optional) and more chillies (optional)

: Faux Chicken Biryani

: Faux Chicken Biryani

: Faux Chicken Biryani

: Faux Chicken Biryani

: Faux Chicken Biryani

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Tacos De Pescado (Grilled Fish Tacos)

I just realized that lately, I prepare tacos at least ones a week, sometimes even more often.
Of course, this makes perfect sense, since they are very tasty, easy to prepare and the possible variations are endless. I have them for any meal of the day, breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack.
My favorite taco is……..always the one I presently prepare and eat, no matter if they are soft or crisp, contain lots of “stuff” or just a few basic ingredients. They can contain beef, pork, fish, crab, shrimp, chicken, duck, chorizo, egg, guacamole, refried beans, shredded lettuce, shredded cabbage, onions, chiles, cheese, salsa Mexicana, salsa verde, black beans and a myriad of other stuff. As long as it is tasty, anything (well, almost anything), goes. 🙂
For today’s tacos, I used fresh cod fillets I got this morning at the “International Market”, a lonely Haas Avocado which was sitting all but forgotten by herself on a shelf in the pantry, and leftover red cabbage slaw, to which I added a bit of kernel corn . The result was, dare I say, as with all my tacos, smashing 🙂

Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !

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Tacos De Pescado (Grilled Fish Tacos)

Preparation :
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: cabbage slaw with corn

: cut skinless cod fillets into 4 oz pieces, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, grill until cooked through but not dry

: grilled cod fillets

: warm flour tortillas until puffed

: tortillas, grilled cod, sour cream, sliced avocado, lime

: place tortilla on serving plate

: top tortilla with avocado and slaw

: top with cod, add 1 dollop of sour cream, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and squeeze fresh lime over all

: Tacos De Pescado (Grilled Fish Tacos)

: Tacos De Pescado (Grilled Fish Tacos)

: Tacos De Pescado (Grilled Fish Tacos)

: Tacos De Pescado (Grilled Fish Tacos)

Piri Piri Chicken With Portuguese Fried Rice

Piri Piri Chicken

Here we have two beloved Portuguese dishes which are not typically recognized as Portuguese staples (rice) and chicken (piri piri chicken).
Piri piri chicken is a favorite way of preparing chicken/poultry in most parts of Portugal, especially in Lisbon. I remember eating grilled chicken brushed with a spicy sauce in Lisbon way back in the seventies and then twenty five years later again, when I lived on Madeira with Maria, although I did not recall the “piri piri” part until I came across this video on my Portuguese friend’s Peter a few weeks ago (see link below) .
As for “Portuguese fried rice”, any cuisine in which rice features as a staple also has at least a few fried rice recipes, since everybody is used to reheat the leftover rice in a pan and adding “stuff” to it, usually in the form of other leftovers and/or veggies, seasoning, eggs, protein etc.
Grilling over an open fire is, of course, one of the best ways to cook chicken (or most other protein, no matter the country, style of cuisine or occasion. Brushing the meat when it almost ready to be served with a savory, spicy sauce and a squirt of fresh lemon or lime is all one needs to lift said protein (or vegetables) one more step up to reach culinary heaven 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for a short video about Piri Piri Chicken
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Pls note :
Piri piri sauce is prepared in a myriad of different ways, depending on the country, region, family preference, etc. The one essential common ingredient is the use of piri piri peppers. Also, the amount of piri piri you brush onto your food depends on your own preference. As you can see in the picture, I love to be generous with my thicker than usual piri piri 🙂
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Hans’ Piri Piri Sauce Recipe :
4 tablespoons lemon juice, 5 tablespoons olive oil, ¹⁄₄cup vinegar, 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce (optional), 1 tablespoon garlic, minced, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon piri piri peppers ;
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

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Piri Piri Chicken And Portuguese Fried Rice

Portuguese Fried Rice

Piri Piri Chicken And Portuguese 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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: wash and pat dry 1 ea cornish hen per person (or half a chicken)

: cut through back of the hen (or chicken), season with kosher salt; for a formal dinner, remove back bone and wing tips

: grill poultry on both sides, finish by roasting in a 375F oven until about 3/4 cooked, about 20 to 25 minutes for a small hen, longer for a chicken, depending on size

: saute 4 oz diced onions and 4 oz diced linguiça (or other hard sausage such as chorizo or salami) in 2 tblsp olive oil

: when the onions are translucent, add 1 cup diced bell peppers, saute 1 minute

: add 4 cups of day-old rice and 1 tblsp garlic paste, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: saute until the rice “pops”, move the rice to one side of the pan, add two more tblsp olive oil, scramble 4 whisked eggs until set

: mix the eggs with the other ingredients, saute until the eggs are dry

: check/adjust seasoning; to serve, top with black olives; serves 4

: Portuguese Fried Rice

: Portuguese Fried Rice

: when the poultry is about 3/4 cooked, brush generously with piri piri sauce and 1 tblsp fresh lemon juice, return to oven; repeat this step every 5 minutes until poultry is cooked through