meat

Braised Beef Neck In Merlot/Mushroom Sauce With Bread Dumpling (Geschmorter Rindernacken In Merlot/Champignon-Soße Und Semmelknödel)

Braised Beef Neck In Merlot/Mushroom Sauce With Bread Dumpling (Geschmorter Rindernacken In Merlot/Champignon -Soße Und Semmelknödel)

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The texture of beef neck is absolutely stunning. I wish I’d be able to buy just a slab of the meat, without the bones. That would make the perfect goulash or braised roast. In the meantime, I’ll just have to make do with the neck bones and the meat on them. They are of course the same wonderful texture and flavor as a large boneless slab would be, but naturally, the presentation suffers a bit. 😦
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
These bread dumplings are a typical example of the fact that most savory recipe measurements are at best guidelines. In this case, there are too many possible variables for the ingredients to use ANY measurements. Rather, the measurements are loose guidelines. For dumplings especially, experience is the key to a successful dumpling. As I mentioned in previous posts, most young (or old) cooks and chefs have never perfected the art/craft of proper dumplings for that particular reasons – one needs experience and “feeling” to get the ratios of the ingredients just right. Dumplings of any type (fish, meat, liver, potato, bread, lobster and so forth must be very light without falling apart while cooking. By just following measurements, because of the many and large variables, this is impossible to achieve. One needs practice, practice and practice – THEN one needs feeling, feeling and feeling. I believe the reason why we hardly see dumplings on menus anymore is the same as the reason why most cooks embraced the idiotic habit of eating fish, pork vegetables and other food items “seared on the outside, raw on the inside”, – any moron can achieve that without any skills, knowledge or experience 😦
Anyway, don’t be discouraged if by the first try you don’t succeed, – just put in lots of practice, lots of love and lots of feeling, and soon you too will be able to enjoy homemade dumplings (and properly cooked protein) as often as you crave it 🙂

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Braised Beef Neck In Merlot/Mushroom Sauce With Bread Dumpling (Geschmorter Rindernacken In Merlot/Champignon -Soße Und Semmelknödel)

Semmelknödel – Bread Dumpling

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Preparation :
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: saute 20 oz beef neck bones (weight without bones) per person (this was 3.5 lbs total) until golden brown

: remove neck bones, reserve

: in the same pot, saute 2 cup carrot pieces and 2 ea onions until lightly caramelized

: add 2 cup diced tomatoes and 2 cup Merlot

: add 1 qt beef stock

: return the beef to the pot, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, simmer until meat is very tender, but NOT falling apart (2-3 hours)

: 2 hours later; check/adjust seasoning

: remove the meat to another pot, strain enough of the sauce for one portion, safe the rest of the sauce WITH the vegetables for another dish (these veggies are too delicious to discard)

: add one cup button mushrooms to the beef, cover, bring to a simmer, remove from heat, set aside

: saute 14 oz of bacon (2 oz per large dumpling)

: saute until crisp

: add 2 ea sliced onions

: saute until onions are opaque

: slice 14 kaiser rolls into quarters, then slice the quarters into 1/2 ” slices

: add 2 cups milk

: lightly mix, make sure all the bread can soak up some of the milk, let rest for 15 minutes

: after 15 minutes, squeeze out all the milk, discard

: return the bread to the bowl, add the bacon and onions, 1 cup chopped curly parsley, 4 egg yolks, 2 whole eggs, kosher salt, grated nutmeg and grd white pepper to taste

: form tennis-ball size dumplings, cook 1 ea half-size dumpling first to check on taste and texture; if falling apart. add panko bread crumbs; if to dense, add milk

: simmer in salted water until cooked through, about 25 minutes

: while the dumplings are cooking, remove the bones from the meat,, discard the bones, return the meat to the mushroom sauce

: place one dumpling into a deep plate, surround the dumpling with the meat, mushrooms and sauce (serves one)

: Braised Beef Neck In Merlot/Mushroom Sauce With Bread Dumpling (Geschmorter Rindernacken In Merlot/Champignon -Soße Und Semmelknödel)

: Braised Beef Neck In Merlot/Mushroom Sauce With Bread Dumpling (Geschmorter Rindernacken In Merlot/Champignon -Soße Und Semmelknödel)

: Braised Beef Neck In Merlot/Mushroom Sauce With Bread Dumpling (Geschmorter Rindernacken In Merlot/Champignon -Soße Und Semmelknödel)

: Braised Beef Neck In Merlot/Mushroom Sauce With Bread Dumpling (Geschmorter Rindernacken In Merlot/Champignon -Soße Und Semmelknödel)

: Braised Beef Neck In Merlot/Mushroom Sauce With Bread Dumpling (Geschmorter Rindernacken In Merlot/Champignon -Soße Und Semmelknödel)

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Frittata (Kind Of………..)

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Black beans, potatoes, mushrooms, eggs and loads of cilantro – what would serve better as proper condiments than salsa verde and salsa Mexicana ? 🙂
Ever since I have discovered authentic tasting salsa verde and salsa Mexicana at my neighborhood international food market, I have them in my larder and fridge at all times, using it to enhance breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes of all types – eggs, seafood, meat, pasta, rice, vegetables, etc, etc. Together with chili paste of all levels of hotness, Maggi seasoning and soy sauce, these are the condiments/seasonings without almost none of my meals are complete. 🙂
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Frittata (Kind Of………..)

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Preparation :
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: whisk 10 ea whole eggs with kosher salt, sriracha and a dash of maggi

: saute 16 oz cooked, large- diced potatoes in 2 tblsp EVO until golden

: add 6 oz raw botton mushrooms, saute with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste until mushrooms are cooked through, about 2 minutes,

: remove to absorbent paper

: saute 1 ea medium onion, julienned, in 1 tblsp EVO until translucent, add 16 oz cooked, drained red beans (or beans of your choice), season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: add the onion/bean mix to the potato/mushroom mix, add 1/2 cup coarse-chopped cilantro

: add 2 tblsp EVO to a medium-hot cast iron or nonstick pan, add half of the whisked eggs, cook until the bottom of the eggs has just set, turn heat to low

: add the bean mix, spread out even

: add the second half of the eggs, shake the pan to make sure everything is properly distributed and coated

: cover the pan and cook VERY slowly on the stove top until all the eggs have set; slide out to a plate, return upside down to the pan, cook another minute; alternatively, if you are using a cast iron pan, place uncovered in a 375F preheated oven until set, about 20 minutes

: to serve, slide out of the pan as is on a serving platter, or turn upside down onto a serving platter; serve hot or at room temperature, serve as snack, appetizer, or main course

: Frittata (Kind Of………..)

: Frittata (Kind Of………..)

: Frittata (Kind Of………..)

: Frittata (Kind Of………..)

: Frittata (Kind Of………..)

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Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

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“Congee With Mushrooms, Carrots & Egg (Chinese Rice porridge)“
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Excerpt from a previous post of Congee on ChefsOpinion :
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” Rice Porridge –
The first thing that comes to mind is probably baby food or hospital gruff.
Most folks would never think of ordering it from a menu in a restaurant, much less wake up and crave it for breakfast, if they hadn’t tasted or at least seen it before.

Now, let’s try again :
Congee. Lúgaw. Chok. Xifan. Juk. Okayu.
OK now, that’s better 🙂

Sounds more interesting and exotic? These are just a few names given to rice porridge around the world. If there is a country or region which traditionally eats rice, then there is some form of rice porridge eaten.
Congee can be enjoyed as breakfast, snack, lunch or dinner. Congee most often contains rice, but other grains can be used.
Ideally, it is made with strong, tasty stock that infuses great taste and debt into the dish. But from there on, let your fantasy run wild. Congee can be made with seafood, meat, vegetables or a combination thereof.
Then there are the toppings – Pickled vegetables, fried shallots, sliced scallions, any mushroom, crisp fried garlic, dried shrimps, 100-year eggs, cilantro, etc, etc.
If you like it, put it on.
Below is a version I made on Sunday for breakfast. The texture is more like a Filipino Lugaw, with the rice VERY soft but still keeping its shape. “.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Congee With Mushrooms, Carrot & Egg

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: to 1 qt chicken stock, add 2 cup cooked Fan (Chinese steamed rice) and 1 cup cleaned, sliced carrots; simmer until the rice and porridge has the desired texture and the carrots are tender (if too dry, add more chicken stock)

: meanwhile, saute 1 cup sliced mushroom of your choice in 1 tblsp peanut oil until lightly browned, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, reserve

: when the congee has the desired texture, add 4 whole whisked eggs, simmer one minute, remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning, plate in a bowl

: drizzle with chili oil (optional)

: sprinkle with 1 tblsp sliced scallions, top with the sauteed mushrooms

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushrooms. Carrots & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushrooms. Carrots & Egg

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Tostadas Al Pescado (Fish Tostadas)

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When you decide to make tostadas, the biggest decision will be if you want to prepare your own tortillas and fry them to a flat crisp or buy packaged tostada shells, which you can buy in any supermarket nowadays’, most of excellent quality. After that, the most sensible thing is to put the tostadas on a platter in the center of the table, arrange all the toppings in bowls around them and let everybody assemble their own favorite. Traditionally, refried beans, cotija cheese, a simple salsa and sometimes seafood are the main ingredients/toppings.
But, as you can imagine, tostadas, like most other dishes with a long culinary history, have evolved and advanced to be more adventurous and varied. Anything you fancy is allowed to grace your tostada, as long as it is delicious and makes you smile 🙂
Refried beans, shredded lettuce, sour cream, any cheese, any seafood, sausage, meat, grilled vegetables, any salsa, guacamole, etc, etc.
I happened to have some fresh Swai fillets at hand as well as white cabbage for a tasty cabbage slaw. Added some guacamole, salsa Mexicana and a bit of sour cream and BINGO ! – exiting lunch served in a snap 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Salsa Mexicana Recipe:
2 medium tomatoes- diced; 1 med white onion- diced, 3 jalapeños- chopped, 1/3 cup cilantro- chopped; lime juice and kosher salt- to taste; combine, check/adjust seasoning.
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Tostadas Al Pescado (Fish Tostadas)

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: combine 3 cups finely sliced white cabbage, 1/2 cup sliced red onion, 1/4 cup sliced scallion, sliced red chillies to taste with1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tblsp lemon juice, 1 tsp garlic paste, kosher salt to taste

: cabbage slaw

: cut 2 swai filets into 3 or 4 strip’s each (depending on size of fillets), season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: dredge fillets in A/P flour

: saute fillets in vegetable oil until golden and cooked through

: ahhhh…..

: Tostadas Al Pescado (Fish Tostadas)

: ready to assemble…..

: top fried tortilla with slaw

: top with fish fillet, drizzle with lime juice

: top with guacamole

: top with salsa Mexicana

: top with sour cream and chili (chili optional)

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Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

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Soup! – God’s gift to comfort food 🙂
I wonder how many different soups I have eaten in my life and how many different noodle soups in particular. And still, I never get tired of preparing and eating yet another version of this wonderful food category. Soup, to me, never get’s old. To the contrary, I can never get enough of it, be it cream soup, purred soup, clear soup, soup made of meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit or any combination thereof, hot or cold. So without further ado, here is my latest concoction:
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Bon Appetit ! Life is good !
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Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Ginger/Garlic Broth

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: cover short ribs with cold water, bring to a boil

: let boil for a few seconds

: drain ribs, rinse, discard liquid. This will ensure a clearer broth

: start ribs again with cold water, bring to a slow simmer, during simmering skim of foam and scum frequently

: after one hour, add kosher salt, chili flakes, cinnamon stick, garlic paste and grated ginger, simmer until ribs are tender but NOT falling apart

: done…

: remove ribs, strain broth through fine mesh or cheese cloth, add a few drops of sesame oil, check / adjust seasoning

: remove and discard bones, cut meat into bite-size cubes

: to serve, place cooked noodles, blanched bok choy, finely sliced cooked shiitake and beef in serving bowl, sprinkle with more chili flakes and fill with beef broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

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“Milanesa” – Breaded Pork Cutlet, Bucatini & Hans’ Special Pasta Sauce

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When I was an apprentice in the black forest in the sixties, “Veal Chop Milanese” (Kalbskotelett Mailänder Art), a slightly different version of the milanesa on this post, was a very popular dish. It was one that I was hoping to be able to afford to eat when I finally became a cook and earned a bit of money. It was a bread and parmesan breaded, ham and cheese stuffed chop of milk-fed veal, typically served on top of spaghetti with tomato sauce. However, while still an apprentice, a veal chop was out of my financial reach and so I had to wait a few years before I could actually afford to dig into one. In the meantime, the far more affordable version was made of a breaded pork chop instead of milk-fed veal. Great food too, but not exactly the real thing 😦
Here now is my own version of a “Schweinesteak Mailänder Art” :
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Breaded Pork Chop “Milanese”

Breaded Pork Cutlet, Bucatini & Hans’ Special Pasta Sauce

Milanesa

Ham& Cheese Stuffed Pork Cutlet

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: mise en place

: cut a large pocket into cutlet

: roll one slice of swiss with one slice of ham

: ham& cheese

: stuff into cutlet, bread with flour, egg wash and half breadcrumbs, half grated parmesan

: meanwhile, saute grape tomatoes and garlic in butter

: deglaze with red wine, reduce to almost dry

: add heavy cream, oregano, sea salt and cayenne pepper, simmer until reduced by half

: add freshly cooked bucatini and a small amount of grated parmesan, mix well, check/adjust seasoning

: saute cutlets in peanut oil until almost done, discard oil, finish with fresh butter

: Milanesa

: Schweinesteak Mailänder Art

: Breaded Pork Cutlet, Bucatini & Hans’ Special Pasta Sauce

: Breaded Pork Chop “Milanese”

: Ham& Cheese Stuffed Pork Cutlet

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Hoisin Grilled Chicken Leg’s

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Many a cook tries desperately and forever to find a great seasoning for a simple grilled chicken when the answer to the search is so simple:
Lime juice, sea salt, soy sauce, sriracha, granulated garlic and hoisin sauce. It really does not get much better and easier than that. If you’ve never tried it, go ahead and do and you will have arrived 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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hoisin grilled chicken leg’s with simple salad in white balsamic vinaigrette

grilling chicken

hoisin grilled chicken leg’s

simple salad in white balsamic vinaigrette

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Spicy Lamb Tortilla Wraps

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These lamb wraps are even tastier than they look.
Twice ground lamb, lots of seasoning and good salsa, a few squirts of lime and fresh guacamole made this a great, quick, economic ( we don’t say cheap 🙂 ) lunch.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Guacamole Recipe

Salsa Mexicana Recipe
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serve with guacamole and salsa mexicana

Spicy Lamb Tortilla Wraps

: saute onion and garlic. Add ground lamb, saute while getting rid of all lumbs

: Add finely diced celery, peppers, chilies, five spice powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, tomato sauce

: add a bit of red wine, simmer until most liquid has evaporated. Check/adjust seasoning

: hot tortilla

: spread a good amount of meat

: add white cabbage and red onions

: sprinkle diced peppers and chilies

: add freshly grated extra sharp cheddar, top with sour cream

: roll into tight wrap

: serve with guacamole and salsa mexicana

: Spicy Lamb Tortilla Wraps

: Spicy Lamb Tortilla Wraps

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Crispy Fried Duck With Dirty Rice Sticks

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Some of you might remember the roasted ducks I have prepared in the past. This recipe for a fried duck gives you a completely different texture, just as good but very distinct from a roasted duck. The texture of the skin is much more like that of chicharrones, since it puffs up during the frying process. It was a recipe I have tried to teach my students countless times over the years, but very few have actually been able to prepare it during class.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Link to Dirty Rice Sticks Recipe

Link to Whole Roast Duck Recipe # 1

Link to Whole Roast Duck Recipe # 2
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Crispy Fried Duck With Dirty Rice Sticks

put whole duck onto a upside down bowl, add water, cinnamon stick, five spice powder, chilies, star anise and sea salt

cover tight and steam for 2,5 hours

strain stock, reserve for suck soup. let duck dry for one hour

strain stock, reserve for duck soup. Let duck dry for one hour

fry whole duck at 390 F until very crisky

fry whole duck at 390 F until very crispy

Crispy Fried Duck

Crispy Fried Duck With Dirty Rice Sticks

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Gratinated Rib Eye With Straw Mushrooms & Great Northern Beans

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After two days of turkey, tonight’s dinner required something more beefy. Only a large rib eye with lot’s of other goodies would do, so this is how I rolled:
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Gratinated Beef Rib Eye With Straw Mushrooms & Great Northern Beans

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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: season rib eye with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Grill until done to your liking

: meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in butter

: add straw mushroom, saute until heated through

: add great northern beans, salt and sriracha, saute until heated through

: Remove rib eye from grill, place on a baking tray

: top steak with bean/mushroom mixture

: add spicy tomato salsa

: top with appenzeller cheese

: gratinate, sprinkle with scallions

: Gratinated Rib Eye With Straw Mushrooms & Great Northern Beans

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