Olive oil

” Bok Choy, Gnocchi & Spicy Italian Sausage “

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Today’s fusion confusion dinner 🙂
Whatever you want to call it, this is a wonderful concoction, worthy of an original name.
How about ” Boknocchi ” or ” Gnocchibok “? Gnocchoy ? 🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Bok Choy
Gnochi
Spicy italian sausage
Scallion
Oregano
Red bell pepper
Onion
Garlic paste
Olive oil
White wine
Cayenne pepper
Salt

Method :

Sautee sausage in oil until starting to brown, add onion and garlic,
sautee until translucent, add peppers and bok choy, saute one minute,
add gnocchi, wine and seasoning and – Voila !

This recipe lends itself for you to be creative !

Asian style : Substitute gnocchi with rice or egg noodles and
add asian seasoning such as soy, sesame oil, ginger, etc.

Indian style : Substitute gnocchi with diced potatoes and
add indian seasoning such as garam masala, lots of fresh coriander etc.
Use your imagination !

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Tomato Bisque

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This is one of those soups where I have to make enough for two day’s,
because one meal of it’s goodness is just not enough to satisfy the quarterly
craving that is nagging me 🙂

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Ingredients :

Tomatoes, 15 lbs
Onions, 1 lb
Celery, 1 lb
Garlic, 8 oz coarsely chopped
Rice, 4 oz uncooked
Olive oil, 1/2 cup
Heavy cream, 2 cup
Chicken stock 1 gall
Oregano, 1 bdl
Basil, 1 bdl
Cayenne, to taste
Salt, to tase

Method :

Add all Ingredients except cream to a large stock pot and simmer for about 2,5 hours.
Blend until VERY smooth. Add cream and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Adjust seasoning and serve.

Note :
Bisques were originally thickened with rice.
This made the bisque smoother and silkier than using flour or other thickeners.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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” Spaghetti With Beef, Veggies & Brie “

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Today’s lunch combined, amongst other goodies, two of my favorite food items :
Pasta and brie cheese 🙂
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Ingredients :

Spaghetti, cooked al dente, some cooking water reserved
Beef, finely julienned
Bell peppers, finely julienned
Onion, finely julienned
Tomatoes, thin wedges
Garlic, paste
Brie cheese, sliced
Butter, substitute with olive oil if prefered
Salt & cayenne pepper to taste

Method :

Saute beef in very hot fat for a few seconds, remove and reserve.
Saute veggies and garlic until garlic is opaque but still light in color.
Add pasta, half of the brie and a bit of the cooking water, salt and pepper.
Mix well until the cheese is melted.

Plate and garnish with more brie and some herbs.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

” Butterflied Breaded Pork Chop “

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Sometimes a very simple dish does very satisfying things to you.

Last night that’s exactly what happened to me when I had this dish of simple comfort food :
Instant happyness and warmt in the belly that said : Life is Good !
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Butterflied Breaded Pork Chop with Lettuce and crispy bacon in Dijon vinaigrette.
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” Tacos Al Camaron “

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These tacos are in no way authentic Mexican 😦

But they are are in every way delicious 🙂
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” Tacos Al Camaron “

Shrimp salad:

Cooked schrimp’s, tail removed, diced, except one for each taco for decoration
Avocado, diced
Red onions, julienne
Tomatoes, de-seeded, diced
Chilis, julienne
Yellow peppers julienne
Cilantro chopped
Lime juice,
Olive oil,
Salt,
Scotch bonnet hot sauce,
Salt,

Blend all ingredients, season to taste.

Lettuce salad :

Lettuce, julienne
Red onion, julienne
Yellow peppers julienne
Chilis, julienne
Cilantro chopped
Mayo
Greek yoghurt
Salt,
Scotch bonnet hot sauce

Blend all ingredients, season to taste.

Assembly :

Fill tacos ¾ with lettuce salad. Top with shrimp salad.
Garnish each taco with one whole shrimp.
Drizzle with yoghurt / mayo / hot sauce mix, Sprinkle with Cilantro.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Mafaldine Primavera “

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, the true “parmesan” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Whenever I come across fresh mini veggies I tend to buy them and use them in a simple pasta dish such as this one.
No need for heavy sauce or other distraction from the freshness of the vegetables and the goodness of the pasta.
Pasta, vegetables, butter and / or olive oil, garlic, cheese and herbs all come together to be enjoyed in this simple yet most delicious dish.
Replace vegetables with any fresh vegetables you find at the market or whichever ones you might prefer.

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Mafaldine Primavera:

Ingredients:

Mafaldine, cooked al dente, strained, some of the cooking water reserved
Rainbow carrots, simmered until done but still crispy
Pearl onions, simmered until done but still crispy
Cherry tomatoes,
Butter, can be substituted with 50 or 100% olive oil
Parmigiano reggiano, grated
Fresh herbs, parsley / cilantro / basil / oregano, all or your preference only
Garlic, paste
Salt, pepper, to taste

Method:

Cook Mafaldine in boiling water until al dente, strain, reserve some of the water.
Saute garlic, carrots and pearl onions and garlic in butter or olive oil until garlic becomes fragrant but without changing color.
Add pasta, tomatoes, more butter or olive oil, most of your cheese, half of the herbs, some of the pasta water and salt and pepper.
Toss carefully so not to break up the vegetables or Mafaldine.
If consistency is to watery, add more cheese and toss again. If consistency is to heavy, add more of the pasta water.
Plate and sprinkle with more herbs and cheese.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

” Watermelon Salad “

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In yesterday’s heat,
this was the most refreshing snack I could think of :
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Watermelon, diced
Mint, chiffonade
Lime, juiced
Raspberry vinegar,
Olive oil,
lime zest, micro planed
Black Pepper, freshly ground
Salt, kosher

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Porcini Crusted Pork Chop “

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Yesterday’s dinner – simple, yet soooo satisfying.
Pork & Porcini, a match made in food lover’s haven
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Season pork chop with salt and cayenne pepper,
Dip into finely chopped dry porcini, sautee in olive oil on
low heat until center reaches 162 F.
Let chop rest for five minutes before serving.
Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in olive oil, add broccoli, tomatoes and chili.
Season with salt, pepper and a dash of Maggi.

” No Frikadelle Tonight – It’s Beef Burger Time ! “

Tonight I will hopefully convince everybody that you can love
both, a good frikadelle and a good beef burger.
As usual, I will put my own twist on it.
Here we go :
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“ Cheeseburger My Way “
As you know, in order to get all the benefits of good quality ground beef, you must choose the best quality meat and handle it as little as possible. In this case I took two 14 oz striploin and grinded them at home with my cuisine art. In order to keep the meat from drying out, I made a pepper jack cheese and butter sandwich, which I then encased with the meat and shaped it loosely, avoiding to press it too much as to keep the texture of the meat loose and tender. The flavor added by the melting butter and cheese to the beef while it cooks takes the whole thing up three notches.

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Cut hoagie rolls or bun of your choice in half, spread generously with Butter and broil cut side until golden. Set aside.
Carefully spread the beef out on a cutting board in a ¾ # layer without squeezing it.
Sprinkle with kosher salt, black pepper and a dash of garlic powder.
Lightly mix without squeezing it.
Divide into four parts.
Put one part of the beef on a cutting board, top with the cheese / butter sandwich,
cover with another part of beef and form a loose patty.
Repeat with rest of ingredient’s.
Sautee in olive oil until it almost reaches the required doneness.
Discard oil, add two tablespoon of butter and sautee until butter starts to brown.
Let rest on absorbent paper for five minutes before serving.
Use garnish of your choice. For dipping I use ketchup, dijon and sriracha.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Conchiglie A La Mode Du Hans “

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Last night’s midnight snack.
I guess that was one pound straight to the rib’s 😦
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Boil pasta shell’s until al dente, drain, reserve some of the cooking water.
Sautee steak cubes in very hot oil until still rare in center. Remove from pot, reserve.
Sautee vegetables in olive oil very briefly. Remove from pot, reserve.
Deglaze pot with red wine and let it slightly reduce.
Add pasta, beef, veggies, all the accumulated juices from the beef and veggies, a good amount of soft (not melted) butter, plenty of grated parmesan cheese and some of the cooking water from the pasta. Mix all until the sauce coats the pasta lightly.
If consistency seems too thin, add more cheese. If consistency seems too thick, add more pasta water.
To serve, sprinkle with crumbled gorgonzola and scallions.
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