scallion

Sauteed Cod Filet & Honey-Glazed Carrots

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Cod used to be the cheapest fish you can buy – but look at it now : 4 pieces for $ 38.00 at the fishmonger ! 😦
But once in a while I have to splurge a bit and this cod just fit the bill 🙂
Tomorrow we’ll have dry bread again……
Not really, but I really wish basic food items would be priced a bit more affordable. Shops get fancier all the time, advertising cost’s millions and all these costs have to be covered by the food we consume.
But then again, we are blessed to have this abundance available to us, unlike many (most?) folks in the world who consider them self lucky just to fill their belly every (some) day with whatever scraps they can find.
So with that in mind, on to last nights feast –

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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good (For some of us at least, blessed as we are)

P.S.
if you wonder what happened to the other 3 pieces of fish – Bella had one and I had three 🙂
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Sauteed Cod Filet & Honey-Glazed Carrots

Sautéed Cod Filet & Honey-Glazed Carrots

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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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: Carrots & Scallions

: season cod filets with granulated garlic, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, dust with rice flour

: saute in butter until just done but not dry

: meanwhile, simmer carrots in perrier water and butter with a bit of sugar, kosher salt and cayenne pepper until perrier has evaporated

: saute carrots in the remaining butter until starting to caramelize, set aside

: add scallions, saute one more minute

: almost……..

: serve cod and carrots with fresh lemon wedge and thai chili sauce

: Sauteed Cod Filet & Honey-Glazed Carrots

: Sauteed Cod Filet & Honey-Glazed Carrots

: Sauteed Cod Filet & Honey-Glazed Carrots

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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 44 – Asparagus Omelette

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It’s 4.30am and I am jumping out of bed, upset that I’ll be late for work today. While walking Bella it dawns to me that it is Sunday…..
Well, the good thing is that my day will last longer,the bad thing is that I went to bed at 2.30 am in anticipation of sleeping in. Perhaps next weekend will be the time to get enough sleep…….. 🙂
So, after deciding that it’s too late to go back to bed, at 5.00 am I had my first breakfast of coffee and brownies with whipped cream, followed by a second breakfast at 7.30 am of asparagus omelette with sautéed potatoes. Lunch was a German pancake with peaches and chocolate and dinner will be a vegetarian curry with basmati rice.
Life at present is not very exciting, but at least we eat good and plenty 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Asparagus Omelette

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Preparation :
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season white asparagus spears with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (I usually don’t use black pepper on light food, but here it belongs), when warm, remove and reserve

saute blanched potatoes in garlic oil

make an omelette with four whole eggs, seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, fold asparagus into omelette

make an omelette with four whole eggs, seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, fold warm asparagus into omelette

Asparagus Omelette

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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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Salad. That’s It…….

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Today is one of the few days when I don’t feel like cooking at all. I had store-bought brownies and coffee for breakfast, I will have Brie sandwiches for dinner and my lunch was this simple, albeit delicious and sexy, salad.
Conclusion: Even without the pleasure of cooking every single day, I will survive 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Salad Is Good For You !

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P.S.
I just came across this great book which I think should be in every chef’s library:
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A Brief Art Culinary History of The Western Chef Avante-Guarde Through The 20th Century by Tony Baran
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Salad with asiago cheese and bologna in dijon vinaigrette:
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Salad with asiago cheese and bologna in dijon vinaigrette

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Preparation :
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dress grape tomatoes, small, halved potatoes, sliced onions and peppers with dijon vinaigrette

dress grape tomatoes, small, halved potatoes, sliced onions, chilies and peppers with dijon vinaigrette

season sliced cucumbers generously with salt, let sit for 15 minutes, squeeze and discard excess liquid

mix with potato salad

choose a pretty serving dish 🙂

add greens of your choice with dijon vinaigrette

top greens with potato salad

top with julienned bologna, asiago and scallions

Salad with asiago cheese and bologna in dijon vinaigrette

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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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top with mushrooms, sprinkle with scallions

Rib Eye & Mushrooms In Cream

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Preparation :
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soak cepes, shiitake and wood ears in boiling water for 20 minutes

meanwhile, season steaks with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

saute in garlic oil until cooked to your preferred doneness, remove from pan, set aside to rest

in same pan, saute onions until lightly caramelized

add drained mushrooms and garlic paste

add heavy cream, salt and pepper

simmer until cream has reduce to desired texture, add scallions, check / adjust seasoning

plate steaks and rustic bread to mop up the sauce and juices

top with mushrooms, sprinkle with more scallions

Rib Eye & Mushrooms In Cream

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Spinach Linguine With Mushrooms In White Wine And Cream

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My favorite Asian market carries about 30 different types of fresh mushrooms at all times, not to mention a myriad of dried ones. Today I bought a nice selection of different fresh ones, the whole lot was less than $ 10.00. What a great bargain . The fresh spinach linguine ran about another $ 3.00, plus the cream, butter and seasoning, so the whole lot (which feeds 3 normal people easily) came to about $ 15.00, or $5.00 per person. Not a bad deal I’d say 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Spinach Linguini With Mushrooms In White Wine And Cream

Spinach Linguine With Mushrooms In White Wine And Cream

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Preparation :
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saute finely diced onions in garlic oil

add mushrooms according to their cooking time

add white wine and heavy cream, simmer one minute, remove from heat, season with kosher salt and white pepper

cook spinach linguini al dente, drain, toss with olive oil

cook spinach linguine al dente, drain, toss with butter, plate

top pasta with mushroom ragout, sprinkle with finely sliced scallions

Spinach Linguine With Mushrooms In White Wine And Cream

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Morcilla And Garbanzos

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Friday night I had my good friend Curtis over for dinner. I made a dish which one usually would not think of serving to friends for dinner, unless they are Latino, Swabian, Austrian (or in any other way weird) 🙂
But honestly, serving Morcilla (Blutwurst, Blood pudding, Blood Sausage, Boudin Noir) to guests requires that you either know their taste in food very well or that you are silly and take a great risk and probably end up ordering take-out pizza:-)
However, Curtis was happy with the dish and so were Bella and I. I actually thought it was wonderful and very special.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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For the 1907 Movie “La Course A La Saucisse”, click here
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Morcilla And Garbanzos

Morcilla
Image property of :
La Course à la Saucisse

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Preparation :
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saute dice onions in garlic oil, add morcilla, saute until sausages disolve, add garlic paste and heavy cream, simmer for one minute, add garbanzos, grape tomatoes, chilies and scallions, simmer until heted through, remove from heat, check / adjust seasoning (if necessary add some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

saute dice onions in garlic oil, add morcilla, saute until sausages dissolve, add garlic paste and heavy cream, simmer for one minute, add garbanzos, grape tomatoes, chilies and scallions, simmer until heated through, remove from heat, check / adjust seasoning (if necessary add some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

saute blanched small potatoes in olive oil, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

add two generous slices of avocado to hot serving plate

top with morcilla ragout

top with sauteed potatoes, top potatoes with crispy onions and scallions

top with sauteed potatoes, top potatoes with caramelized onions and sliced scallions

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Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup With Bok Choy And Chili (Mondongo Chino) (Kuttelsuppe Mit Nudeln)

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I have taken to the habit of having Pho at “Pho 79” in Davie, while I wait for the nice Ladies at “Davie Coin Laundry” to take care of one of my lesser liked weekly chores. Both establishments are by far the best of their kind in this area (Ft Lauderdale to the Keys and across to Ft Meyers), so I am really lucky to have found both.
Now to the point :
While the Pho at Pho 79 far outshines any other Pho around here, if you eat like I do, you will pay the price. Mind you, this is in a strip mall, no decor, no service to speak of, very run down environment and I really only go there to enjoy the Pho, but if I want a decent portion my bill comes to a whopping $24.00 without tip . This includes a diet coke, a large Pho and one portion each of extra noodles, tendon and tripe. While this might sound like a lot, it really isn’t. Yes, there is a huge amount of broth, but inside is a VERY small amount of noodles, a minuscule quantity of paper thin (as it supposed to be sliced) brisket and a tiny (I guess maybe 0.5 oz of each tendon and tripe. The additional side orders are only slightly bigger. So, while all this leaves you full for about one hour, it is mostly broth you consume, excellent prepared food but at a hefty price.
Onward to the solution – making my own tripe and noodle soup, TWO large bowls of soup with LOT”S of noodles, tripe and greens for a total of about $ 8.00 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup With Bok Choy And Chili (Mondongo Chino) (Kuttelsuppe Mit Nudeln)

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Pho at PHO 79 :
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pho at PHO (great taste but as you can see, mostly broth and herbs)

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Preparation of Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup :
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blanche tripe in saltwater 3 times

beautiful 🙂

cut into stripes, not too fine so when cooked soft they retain some texture, cook until almost tender, strain

finish cooking with chilies, kosher salt, grated ginger and garlic paste, strain, keep hot

chinese egg noodles

cook in saltwater for about two minutes, strain, toss with sesame oil

place noodles in serving bowl

top with blanched bok choy

beef stock, (for recipe, click here)
fortified with star anis, garlic paste, grated ginger and seasoned with salt, pepper and fish sauce

to serve, top noodles with broth, tripe and scallions, drizzle with chili oil

Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup With Bok Choy And Chili (Mondongo Chino) (Kuttelsuppe Mit Nudeln)

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Chicken & Scallion Dumplings “Foo Yong”

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Ravioli, Dumplings, Maultaschen, Pierogi or whatever you call your little pasta pockets filled with a savory filling – if there are leftovers, what will be the best way to make a meal out of them ? I say, saute them with eggs and voila ! – a whole new, different, beautiful dish which, when properly prepared, will be as good as the first incarnation of your little pockets of deliciousness 🙂
So, while I would usually make this dish with leftover dumplings, today I did not even wait to have leftovers. Instead, I sautéed them right after they came out of the boiling water with some eggs, chili oil, chili flakes and cilantro and bingo ! What a great dish – perfect texture, taste and presentation
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chicken & Scallion Dumplings “Foo Yong”

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Preparation :
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saute onions in garlic oil until translucent

add garlic confit paste, saute until garlic is fragrant

add lightly whisked whole eggs, seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

add freshly boiled, drained dumplings (if using leftovers, saute after onions before adding the garlic paste)

saute one minute until eggs are set

add chopped cilantro. to serve, drizzle with chili oil and sprinkle with chili flakes and more cilantro

Chicken & Scallion Dumplings “Foo Yong”

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Lamb Meat Balls In Harissa/Tomato Sauce, With Garlicky Pearl Pasta And Feta Cheese

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Last month my friend Curtis introduced me to a store which I have been missing all my cooking life. It’s the “Foodtown Supermarket” in Davie, corner sterling/dairy rd extension. Here I can find EVERYTHING my culinary cravings will ever desire as far as Asian and Latino food ingredients are concerned. EVERYTHING !!! 🙂 – Live frogs, live crabs, live shrimps, fresh fish heads, intestines, you get the idea.
(You can check it out online by clicking this link, especially read the comments) 🙂
Although Merguez sausage is neither Asian nor Latino, Foodtown has a great quality one on offer, as well as a small selection of other African/Mediterranean items.
So yesterday after work I stopped by there for a few goodies and amongst other stuff I got merguez sausage, harissa and pearl pasta (Piombi)
So here is what I had for lunch today :

Click here for more on MERGUEZ SAUSAGE

Click here for more on LAMB MEAT BALLS

Click here for more on HARISSA
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Lamb Meat Balls In Harissa / Tomato Sauce With Garlicky Pearl Pasta And Feta Cheese

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Preparation :
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cook pearl pasta in salted water, strain, reserve some of the cooking liquid in case you need to thinnen the sauce

cut mild chilies, onion and blanched carrots into triangels

cut mild chilies, onion and blanched carrots into triangles

saute carrots and onions in a generous amount of herb / garlic butter and olive oil until starting to caramelize

add chilies and sliced scallions

add pearl pasta, mix well, check / adjust seasoning

add pearl pasta, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, mix well, check / adjust seasoning

remove merguez sausage from casing, form into small balls, saute in olive oil until medium, add 1/3 of harissa and 2/3 of tomato sauce. If too thick, add some of the pasta liquid, simmer for one minute, check / adjust seasoning