onion

Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

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If this dish looks too spicy for you – relax 🙂
– The amount of chilies you can see in the pictures are good for my personal palette, but you should add the type (heat level) and quantity you prefer. I suggest you add chilies which are slightly milder than you can tolerate, so that you can add more of them and get that rich, fruity capsicum taste which you can only get by biting into a whole, fried or sauteed chili.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: season ground pork with five spice powder, salt and black pepper, saute in peanut oil

: add lots of sliced onions, stir fry until onions are translucent

: add chilies of your choice, garlic paste

: add ponzu seasoning, soy sauce

: add hoi sin sauce, oyster sauce

: add water, a dash of sugar, chopped cilantro, simmer for three minutes, check / adjust seasoning

: meanwhile, soak rice sticks in water for ten minutes, cook in boiling water for three minutes, drain, mix with sesame oil

: serving dish

: plate noodles

: top with chili-pork, sprinkle with cilantro

: Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

: Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

: Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

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Tostadas De Camarones

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I am not sure if I should call the this dish “Tostadas”, “Shrimp Salad” or “Shrimp Cocktail”.
It is actually all of the above, so pick the name that best suits you 🙂
All I know is that this was a great dinner after a long day at work , followed by a few hours of running errand’s.
Since I was very hungry and it was already late when I got home, something quick and light was appropriate. After all, at 3.00 am the alarm will sound again and I’ll have to be ready for another long, hard day. I already have started to have my breakfast and lunch according to the “Hans’Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food” Plan, which will start in full on Monday, January 19th. If you are interested, you might want to go to “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food” for more details. These “Tostadas”, “Shrimp Salad” or “Shrimp Cocktail” would be a typical example of a dinner Item on my monthly “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food” meal plan.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Shrimp Tostadas

Shrimp Tostada

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: Make a salad of lettuce, baby corn, chilies, radish, onion, cilantro, salt, garlic paste, olive oil and lemon juice

: Salad

: marinade cooked, shelled and deveined shrimp with garlic paste, olive oil, kosher salt and lime juice

: serve shrimp and salad with fried tortillas (totopos), sour cream Thai chili sauce

: Shrimp Tostada

: Shrimp Tostadas

: Shrimp Tostadas

: Shrimp Tostadas

: Shrimp Tostadas

: Shrimp Tostadas

: Shrimp Tostadas

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Pollo En Escabeche (Fried Chicken In Vinegar And White Wine)

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Like so many other “classical / original dishes, there is a million and one ways to prepare “en escabeche”, which in Spanish simply means marinated or pickled.
As usual, I have picked my favorite one to be featured on ChefsOpinion.
Of course you can also do vegetables, seafood, and other proteins “en escabeche”. (For my German-speaking friends, how about “Brathering 🙂
But today we are going to savor one of the goodies which I used to serve many times in our house to my family and friends in times past.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more on Escabeche
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Pollo En Escabeche

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Preparation:
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: season chicken parts with kosher salt, cayenne pepper and granulated garlic, dust in flour and fry until internal temperature reaches 165F

: when chicken is fully cooked, remove to absorbent paper

: meanwhile, mix 1/3 water, 1’3 white vinegar and 1/3 white wine, olive oil, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, garlic paste, bay leaves, sliced peppers and onions, bring to a boil, add chicken, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature

: Pollo En Escabeche

: Pollo En Escabeche

: Pollo En Escabeche

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Roast Fresh Ham With Caraway Jus (Gebratene Schweinekeule Mit Kümmelsoße)

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Like last year, this year again I celebrated Christmas eve with my dear friends Dieter and Chacha, who were gracious enough to invite me to their family celebration. As usual, the food was out of this world. This years star of the dinner was a wonderful, tasty and succulent standing rib roast with all the trimmings and for dessert we all enjoyed Dieters traditional, perfect soufflé.
After everybody ate, there was one leftover soufflé, which I bravely volunteered to put out of it’s lonely misery.
(All this great food plus two soufflé’s on one evening – no wonder my belly looks so muscular). 😦
Earlier, just before I left my home to go to dinner, my friend Curtis showed up with Christmas gifts. Among the goodies was a fresh ham of generous size, about enough to feed 7 people with a healthy appetite. In other words, enough for Bella and I to pig-out for two days 🙂 So, before I took off to Chacha’s and Dieter’s dinner, I scored the skin of the ham, salted it very generously with kosher salt and put it in the fridge to be cooked the next day. (This helps to draw the moisture from the skin and gives you a superior crackling). The next day, Thursday, I cooked the ham by starting it off at 420F for 20 minutes, then turning down the temperature to 325F for 4 hours and finishing the last twenty minutes at 420F again to crisp up the cracklings.
On this occasion I have forgone more traditional sidings such as vegetables, beans, rice, pasta or potatoes in favor of a simple guacamole, seeded rye bread, the pork jus, the onions which cooked together with the ham, grey poupon mustard and horseradish.
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Bon Appetit ! Life Is Good !
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Click here for Guacamole Recipe
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P.S.
I will post a follow-up on the dishes I prepared with the leftovers.
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P.P.S.
I believe it is time to live a bit more “light” for at least the next few months, so starting January, I will change my food (and therefore my post’s) to a bit of a lighter fare 5 days a week, while the weekend will feature the same type of food as usual, just smaller portions – and, sad to say, a drastic cutback on sweets.
Look for ” Hans’ Lighter Comfort Food “ in upcoming post’s. See you there 🙂

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Roast Fresh Ham

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over picture
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: fresh ham

: score skin, salt generously with kosher salt, rest overnight in fridge

: onions, caraway seed, granulated garlic, chili flakes

: place ham on rack over onions, place in 420F oven, add water to baking pan, roast at 420F for 20 minutes, then 4 hurs at 320F, then another 20 minutes at 420F

: remove ham from oven, let rest for 15 minutes in a warm place before cutting

: Roast Fresh Ham

: Roast Fresh Ham

: Roast Fresh Ham + MY knife 🙂

: remove shank, reserve for another meal

: meanwhile, remove and reserve onions, strain jus, remove most fat, check / adjust seasoning

: Roast Fresh Ham

: Roast Fresh Ham

: pork jus, guacamole, braised onions, horseradish, grey poupon mustard

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Curried Beef & Pasta

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Sunday lunch is supposed to be the highlight of the week, when traditionally the whole family gathers around the dining table for the culinary highlight of the week. So sad to see traditions like that slowly but surely disappear 😦
However, Bella and I keep the tradition alive as best as we can, gathering on my chaise-lounge and enjoying a great lunch while watching a good movie (the movie substituting the lively conversation which is supposed to take place among the family during Sundays lunch).
We do converse though – she begs, upon which I sternly say “don’t beg, which she follows with a moan or bark, followed by me giving her a morsel. Then I have a few bites until she begs again, which is usually as soon as she swallows her bit. And so on, until the meal is finished 🙂
So, here we go, without further ado – today’s lunch :
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Curried Beef & Pasta

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over picture
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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Click here for Garam Masala Instructions
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: skirt steak

: cut skirt into strips, season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, saute in VERY hot garlic oil until rare, remove to absorbent paper, set aside

: saute onions in garlic oil

: add sliced peppers and scallion sticks, season with one table spoon garam masala and one table spoon curry powder, add half cup of heavy cream, simmer one minute

: remove from heat, add beef, check / adjust seasoning

: add pasta of your choice (I love broken lasagna sheets)

: Curried Beef & Pasta

: Curried Beef & Pasta

: Curried Beef & Pasta

: Curried Beef & Pasta

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No Cook Octopus Salad

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Please forgive me for the slight misnomer of this dish, “No-Cook Octopus Salad”.
Of course, the potatoes have been pre-cooked and so has the octopus.
But since I had leftover potatoes from yesterday and the octopus came out of a can (Vigo Brand, which is one of my favorite canned seafood brands), all I had to do today for this quick and tasty dinner is to mix the cubed potatoes and drained octopus with sliced romaine, diced onions and a garlic/lime vinaigrette (lime juice, olive oil, garlic paste,cayenne pepper and kosher salt).
Voilà, minimum time and effort for maximum taste and satisfaction 🙂
With the salad I had a freshly baked warm french bread and a glass of iced peach tea.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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No Cook Octopus Salad

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Preparation :
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To enlarge pictures, click on pictures
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: boiled cubed potatoes, sliced romaine

: marinated octopus, diced onions, boiled cubed potatoes, sliced romaine, garlic/lime vinaigrette

: No Cook Octopus Salad

: No Cook Octopus Salad

: No Cook Octopus Salad

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Turkey Season Is Over – Let The Steak Season Begin

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Turkey anybody ? Thank you, me neither 🙂
So now that things are finally back to normal (for a short while anyway, Xmas is looming around the corner, ready to attack), I had this wonderful dinner yesterday. The only sour note was that I had no duck fat in my larder to fry the potatoes, so I had to use olive oil. Same crispness and really good taste, but not as divine as when cooked in duck fat. (Got a tub on my way home from work today) 🙂
So, without further ado, I give you :

“Broiled Flank Steak , Porcini In Cream And Pommes Frites”
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Preparation :
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To enlarge pictures, click on pictures
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: season flank steak with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and granulated garlic, broil on both sides until done to your liking, rest meat for 10 minute before slicing

: add peeled and cut potatoes to COLD oil, heat oil to 375 F

: when potatoes are golden brown, remove to absorbent paper, season with kosher salt

: soak porcini in hot water for 10 minutes, squeeze dry

: saute onions and garlic paste

: add porcini and heavy cream, add kosher salt, soy sauce and cayenne pepper, simmer until sauce thickens

: plate porcini sauce

: top porcini sauce with potatoes

: slice meat

: Broiled Flank Steak , Porcini In Cream And Pommes Frites

: Broiled Flank Steak , Porcini In Cream And Pommes Frites

: Broiled Flank Steak , Porcini In Cream And Pommes Frites

: Bella says: Thank you Lord, no turkey today 🙂

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Bragging Alert !!! Best Turkey-Leftovers Sandwich – Ever !

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It is my firm believe that leftovers should be as good as the original dish it derived from. Yesterday I prepared this sandwich and I am convinced that not only is it the best left-over turkey sandwich, but also one of the best turkey dishes overall, period 🙂
I usually prepare other dishes from leftover turkey since most turkey sandwiches I ever came across are boring and tasteless at best and at my house during times past the only leftover turkey would be white meat, which I can live without.
So, yesterday I had a nearly insatiable graving for a good sandwich, because on the previous evening I made the mistake of buying two “Vietnamese” sandwiches at a newly opened place, “546 bánh mì café” at 6461 Stirling Road, Davie. I was looking forward to a good sandwich but was bitterly disappointed. I had 3 different sandwiches with different meat fillings, all three were completely tasteless. The clerk asked me if I wanted chillies and of course I said yes. When I got home, I found one !!! thin slice of chili in one of the three sandwiches. The meat was mostly tasteless and their contribution to Vietnamese food was the addition of a few spritz of maggi seasoning. (Which I am fond of). But the most disappointing thing was the portion size. Although the bread was of a nice size and of great texture, the amount of filling was laughable small. Granted, the sandwiches are very reasonably priced, but I’d rather pay a bit more and have a decent sized sandwich.
Fazit: Once is enough 😦

But back to the sandwich at hand : After I ate my three sandwiches (shared with Bella), I was still hungry and started to fantasize about eating a “real” sandwich the next day. The featured sandwich is what I came up with. I loved it so much that I will add them to my favorite dishes 🙂
Of course, you can substitute the turkey with chicken, beef, shrimp or any other protein you fancy and happen to have at hand, but the turkey leg meat was just perfect. Also, I had a bottle of “salsa de aji amarillo” in my larder which added that special touch of flavor and spiciness.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
If you don’t have “salsa de aji amarilo”, make a substitute by blending mayo, yellow peppers, salt, garlic, scotch bonnet peppers and turmeric (for the bright yellow color). For hot dishes, replace the mayo with heavy cream. Few folks will be able to tell the difference from the original, especially the bottled stuff.

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Best Turkey Sandwich – Ever !

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Preparation :
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To see instructions, hover over picture
To enlarge pictures, click on them

: season finely sliced cabbage and carrots with rice wine vinegar, peanut oil, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: mix diced cucumbers with fresh ground black pepper, kosher salt, garlic paste, chopped dill, lemon juice and greek yogurt

: tzatziki

: open can 🙂 (or prepare fresh) yellow chili sauce

: Naan

: top naan with shredded turkey dark meat, drizzle with maggi seasoning

: top meat with slaw

: top slaw with tzatziki

: top tzatziki with finely sliced onions and chopped cilantro

: drizzle with salsa de aji amarillo – careful, this is wickedly spicy 🙂

: roll tightly in aluminium foil, heat in 420 F oven for three minutes or until naan is hot

: Best Leftover Turkey Sandwich – Ever !

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Sauteed Skirt Steak, Onion, Tomato & Peppers

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Coming home from work on a Friday afternoon and being hungry, but way too tired and listless to do much of anything (except lounging 🙂 ), the solution was this very quick, flavor- and texture bursting dish. Beginning to finish – less than 10 minutes.
Then on to enjoying a great meal and a wonderful, funny and sexy movie – John Torturros Fading Gigolo.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Fading Gigolo, with, amongst many other great actors:
Woody Allen, John Turturro, Sofía Vergara, Sharon Stone, Liev Schreiber and Vanessa Paradis

Watch the trailer here 🙂
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Sauteed Skirt Steak, Onion, Tomato & Peppers

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Preparation :
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cut trimmed skirt into squares

then cut ACROSS the grain, season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

saute in garlic oil until rare, remove meat from pan, reserve

saute onion, scallion and chilies in garlic oil, season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

add grape tomatoes, saute until tomatoes are heated through, add skirt, remove from pan

plate a thick slice of grilled sour dough bread

top with sauteed skirt and vegetables

Sauteed Skirt Steak, Onion, Tomato & Peppers

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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 43 – Rib Eye & Mushroom In Cream

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Aaaahhhhhhhh……, the bliss of being able to sleep in on a Sunday morning, amplified by the fact that summer day light saving times ended and we set back our clocks one hour before going to sleep 🙂
But, somehow, Bella was not aware (or maybe she just choose to ignore) of these little facts, so guess who was moaning in front of my bedroom for me to get up at 4.00am this morning, demanding to go for a walk?
So, when we came back at 5.00am, a decent breakfast was called for (by both of us). Steak and mushrooms pacified my shattered nerves and put both me and my lady back on good terms 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Have A Happy, Sunny, Sunday !
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