recipes

“ Vietnamese Pork & Mushroom Dumpling Soup “ ( NẤM RƠM & THIT HEO )

.
.

Yesterday’s light and healthy dinner :
” Vietnamese pork & mushroom dumpling soup “.
I made twenty two dumplings,  could not stop eating,
ate all of them at once ( Bella helped a bit. )
.

.

.
Dumplings:
.
Won ton wrappers, roundPork, very finely chopped or ground
Shiitake mushrooms, chopped
Scallions, very finely sliced
Egg white
Ginger, grated
Garlic, grated
Sesame oil
Fish sauce  (Nuoc Mam)
Salt, cayenne pepper
.
Soup:
.
Chicken broth
Baby bok choy, blanched
Straw mushrooms
Ginger, grated
garlic, grated
Scallions, sliced
cilantro, coarsely chopped
Fish sauce  (Nuoc Mam)
Sesame oil
Chili oil

.
.
Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
.
.

” Bibimbap “

Tonight’s wonderful. simple dinner,
shared with my friend Leo and my baby Bella     🙂
.
.
.

>

“


.
.
Korean mixed rice bowl / mixed meal.

Koreans love bibimbap, and this simple rice dish is often used as a tasty way of
using up leftovers.
A generous helping of steamed rice is placed in serving bowls, topped with a
variety of meat and vegetables and topped with a strong fermented soybean paste
called gochujang.
Just prior to eating, you mix everything together —
bibimbap means roughly “mixed up rice” or ” mixes meal”,  and the whole,
wonderful mess is eaten with gusto. Gochujang paste can be found online
and in Korean and other Asian markets.
Season with soy sauce  if you can’t find gochujang.

 

Ingredients:

  • Steamed sticky rice
  • Prepared meat, beef,seafood or poultry
  • Seasoned vegetables
  • Eggs, cooked sunny-side up
  • Gochujang paste (optional)

Condiments:

Kimchi
Sesame oil
Tangy chili sauce

Bon Appettit !   Life is Good !
.
.

” Healthy Food: 50 Of The Best In The World “

.
.

.

Originally posted by:
The Huffington Post
By 
‘

Each month at HuffPost Healthy Living, we compile lists of the most in-season, fresh superfoods — this June, for instance, we celebrated figs, zucchini and apricots, among others. But these monthly articles got us thinking — what are some of the healthiest foods generally, despite the season?

And so we turned to some of our favorite medical and nutritional experts to come up with this list of 50 of the healthiest foods, presented alphabetically. Pad your grocery list with these and you’ll be on your way to a healthier, more vibrant diet. Of course, even as we editors finished the list, we started thinking of more (“How could carrots not be on the list?” “What about black pepper?”). So we plan to follow up with a second list of healthy foods. Let us know in the comments which of your favorites we skipped and they could appear soon.

Read more and see a slideshow of all 50 food’s HERE
.
.

.
.

” Flank Steak & Gorgonzola-Gratinated Vegetables “

.
.
Yesterday’s Dinner .
The gorgonzola elevated the whole dish     🙂
.
.

 .

 

.

Bon Appetit !     Life is Good !
.
. 

Happy Bastille Day France ! (Coq au Vin )

.
.
Let’s celebrate the day with a classic  ” Coq Au Vin “.
But first :
.
” Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on the 14th of July each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale (The National Celebration) and commonly Le quatorze juillet (the fourteenth of July). It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution. Festivities and official ceremonies are held all over France. The oldest and largest regular military parade in Europe is held on the morning of 14 July, on the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris in front of the President of the Republic, French officials and foreign guests.”
.
.
To help you celebrate at home (or just to have a great meal because it is saturday
or whatever day     🙂 ,
here is one of my old standby’s for a hearty meal.  And just because there is a lot
of wine in the marinade and sauce does not mean you should not make the meal
even better with another bottle of grat red wine.
.
.
                                                          Photo Credit: Hans D. Susser

.

. 

Marinade :

Chicken 1200 gr , 8 cut, Bone in
Bay Leaves                                    5 ea
Thyme Sprig                                 2 ea
Rosemary Sprig                           1 ea
Cloves                                            5 ea
Mirepoix                                       1 lb
Garlic chopped                            5 Gloves
Burgundy Red                              1 ½ qt

Preperation:

Olive Oil                                       2 oz
Tomato Paste                              2 oz
Sweet  Paprika Powder             1 oz
AP Flour                                       3 oz
Salt & Black Pepper                   to Taste

For the Garnish :

Butter                                             1 oz
Bacon                                             3 oz
Button Mushrooms                     5 oz
Silver Onions, parboiled           3 oz
Parsley, chopped                         1 oz
Salt & Black Pepper                     to Taste
Heart shaped toasted bread wedges

Method :

In a stainless steel container combine the chicken and the marinade
ingredients for 24 hours.
Remove the chicken, pat dry and season liberally with salt and freshly
ground black pepper.
In a heavy cast iron pan, sauté the chicken in the olive oil until mahagony brown.
Remove the chicken, add flour and sauté until dark brown roux forms.
Return the chicken together with the stock, mirepoix , cloves, bay leaves, herbs and cover.
Place in a 300* oven until chicken is tender, approx. 30-40 minutes.
Remove chicken and strain the sauce in a saucepan. If necessary,
simmer and reduce the sauce until it reaches the desired consistency.

Garnish:

Render the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon , add the butter, mushroom and onion and sauté for one minute. Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

To serve :

Place the chicken on a platter, cover with sauce , garnish with mushroom and onion and top with toast’s.
.
.

” Matzo Ball Soup, Chicken & Root Vegetables “

.
.
” During My Time “ ,

– Chicken soup cured all “weh weh’s”
If I had a runny nose, slightly elevated temperature,
a lowdown of any sort, or just pretended I was not fit for school that day,
the first order of help from my mother was usually  “Chicken soup”
Whatever vegetables and starch was available in that moment went into
a pot with whatever part of chicken was available right then and there and
in no time was transformed into a bowl of comfort and goodness.
And YES ! There where fat-eyes swimming on top of the broth –
And NO- we did not die from them   🙂

Chicken Soup ! Memories !
.
.


.
. 

” For Offal Lover’s Only ! “

.
.
Friend’s, by now you have probably realized that some of my recipes and / or pictures
are of food which is a bit outside the mainstream. ( Some of my articles as well ? )
Yesterday I came across this article in the huffpost which reminded me again how
far most of our young “colleagues” and their guest’s / client’s in the culinary world
have moved away from the well rounded professionals we oldtimers were trained to be.
It praised the new generation of inventive and adventurous and oh so clever chef’s for
using the whole animal. WOW!
When I apprenticed in the sixties back in Germany, we were used to getting delivered
the whole animal, or if this was impractical because of it’s size and weight, a half  (veal,
pig, stag, boar) or a quarter (beef). Fresh game was always  dropped off whole by
the village hunter, and two four times a year we slaughtered our own pig’s which we
raised mostly on food scrap’s from the restaurant. So, on most restaurant’s menu’s
you wood find cut’s from ALL part of the animals. From snout to huff and tail and just
about  anything in between was used for a well rounded menu, at small country inn’s
all the way up to five star restaurants.
So,  in this spirit, here is my take on Gizzards :

” Fried Spicy Gizzard’s, Guacamole & Totopos ”
.


.
.
Simmer the cleaned gizzards in red wine, garlic, salt and cayenne pepper until tender. Strain, dry.
Season with salt, cayenne pepper and garlic powder and fry until the edges become crisp.
Don’t fry too long or they become dry and tough. Season and fry the onions the same way.
To serve, sprinkle with cilantro and chili flakes.

Because I served these with guacamole, I did not need a dipping sauce .
If you want to use a dipping sauce, try this:
Soy sauce with scallions, lime juice, sriracha and a bit of rice wine and sugar.     🙂
.
. 

” Asian Garlic Noodles “
.        

Although when we hear  Asia  we don’t automatically think of
Parmesan Cheese  and  Maggi Seasoning, you would be surprised
how many of our western ingredient’s have found their way to Asia
for the asian version of fusion cooking.
Especially  Malaysia  and the  Philippines  have become culinary melting
pot’s, not only in restaurants in business and tourist areas, but also
in ordinary homes. You can omit the cheese and maggi in this dish to
be more authentic asian, but you will miss out on a lot of flavor and texture.
There are a million variations of this dish, this is one of my favorites  🙂

It’s your call, maggi & parmesan, or not   🙂
 .
.

Ingredient’s :

  • Salt
  • Chili pepper,  flakes or ground
  • Garlic  (2 heaping tablespoons)
  • Fish sauce  (1 tablespoon)
  • Maggie sauce  (1 tablespoon)
  • Oyster sauce  (1 tablespoon)
  • Sugar  (1 tablespoon)
  • Pasta,  your favorite type (20 oz)
  • Water,  reserved from cooking pasta
  • Butter,  unsalted (1 stick)
  • Parmesan cheese, grated  (1 heaping tablespoon)
    .
    >
    Method :Boil pasta i salted water, strain, reserving some of the pasta water.
    Melt butter, sautee chili flakes, add pasta, add all other seasoning and cheese.
    If texture is too dry, add pasta water ’til you reach the proper consistency
    >
    >
    Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
    .
    .
    .

“ Red Lentils & Bell Pepper Burgers “

.
.
Red Lentils & Bell Pepper Burgers,
Served With Raita

For one of those meatless, healthy day’s  🙂

Ingredients

2 lbs red lentils, cooked until tender

2 lg egg

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

1 med green bell pepper, diced, sautéed

1 med red bell pepper, diced, sautéed

1 med onion, finely diced, sautéed

Garlic, minced, to taste, sautéed

2 tblsp Cilantro,  coarsely chopped

Cumin, to taste

Curry powder, to taste

Kosher salt, to taste

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Oil to sauté


Method

Mix all ingredients except the tofu and oil. Shape into ball’s, make an indent and fill with tofu.
Sprinkle lightly with additional bread crumb’s and sauté until golden and heated through

Raita

Grated cucumbers greek yoghurt, garlic powder, cilantro, salt, pepper.
Use quantities according to your preferences.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
.
.
 

” Rose Petal Ice Cream “

.
.

 by  on July 5 2012 in Desserts, Featured, Recipe

While not a prevalent flavor in the United States, rose is fairly common elsewhere. Across the Middle East, particularly Iran, it is used to flavor all manner of sweets. Ice cream is the only use of rose in food that I have found palatable. Rose candy tastes like grandma’s perfume to me, and rose scones just taste wrong. But the ice cream gives a nice rounded sweetness that is just right for such a delicate flavor. The rose petals themselves are not really potent enough to stand up to the amount of sugar and cream that ice cream requires, so it’s fleshed out with rose water.

Rose water can be found at most Middle Eastern grocery stores and at specialty stores. The potency of the rose water will vary from brand to brand, so you may want to start of by whisking in one teaspoon at a time until you are satisfied with the flavor. I used Nielson-Massey, which is pretty strong.

Rose petals should be unsprayed, or organic. The best would be from a friend or neighbor, as they would be the freshest. Otherwise try natural foods stores or a florist/nursery specializing in organic flowers.

Rose Petal Ice Cream

Using the method found in Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams 

Makes about 1 quart

Ingredients

  • 1 cup packed  petals from organic or unsprayed roses (30g)
  • 2 cups milk (475ml)
  • 2/3 cup sugar (150g/5.5oz)
  • 4 tsp corn or tapioca starch
  • 1 tsp beet powder (optional—this will give it a nice light pink color)
  • 3 tbs cream cheese, room temperature (1.5 oz/45g)
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tbs corn or tapioca syrup (30ml)
  • 1 1/4 cup heavy cream (300 ml)
  • 2-4 tsp rose water (10-20ml)

Method

  1. First, get your bowls ready. In a small bowl, whisk the corn or tapioca starch (and the beet powder if using) with 2 tablespoons of the milk until a smooth slurry is formed. In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese and salt until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and a small amount of cold water. Place a mesh sieve over an empty medium bowl.
  2. Coarsely chop the rose petals. In large saucepan, toss in the petals, the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn or tapioca syrup. On medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Set a timer for 4 minutes (timing is very important). After the four minutes, remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour the mixture through the sieve and press against the rose petals to extract as much milk as possible. Discard the petals.
  3. Ladle a bit of the hot milk into the cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in the rest of the hot milk. Whisk in the rose water one teaspoon at a time, adjusting to taste.
  4. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon freezer Ziplock bag and seal. Plunge this into the ice water bowl and knead gently until the mixture is well chilled. Churn according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Spread into a shallow container, cover with plastic wrap, and seal with an air-tight lid. Freeze until firm, about 3 hours. This will keep in the freezer for up to two weeks.