scallion

Dwaeji Bulgogi & Tteokbokki (Korean Spicy Marinated Pork & Spicy Korean Rice Cake Stew)

>
>
I often wonder why there are not more Korean restaurants around here, given the wide variety of Korean foods which should appeal to most westerners, especially the grilled dishes such as Galbi, Bulgogi and Dak Galbi. Also much liked by me are a number of pasta dishes, most of all Chap Chae, Bibim-naengmyeon and of course Tteokbokki, which appears below. A tougher sale for the uninitiated diner might be the omnipresent Kimchi, which is no doubt an acquired taste (but then, once acquired……. 🙂
So , as is so often the case when a craving for special food comes knocking, I had to start my own fires to cook the food I was longing for 🙂
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>

Dwaeji Bulgogi

Tteokbokki

Dwaeji Bulgogi, Tteokbokki And Kimchi

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: 1,5 lbs fresh bacon, thinly sliced and 1,5 lbs pork loin, thinly sliced

: fresh bacon, porkloin, onion, scallion

: marinade overnight with 3 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper paste (gochujang) 1 tablespoon Korean red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru) 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons rice wine (or mirin)2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon garlic paste, 1 tablespoon grated ginger

: soak sliced ricecake for 15 minutes in cold water, drain

: cook rice cakes in lightly salted water until done, about 15 minutes, drain, rinse

: saute finely sliced onions, garlic paste, gochujang and grated ginger in peanut oil, add soy sauce, a bit of sugar, a dash of rice vinegar, sesame oil and water

: simmer for one minute, add rice cakes, simmer for another minute, check / adjust seasoning

: grill marinated meat on very high heat

: when most of the meat is done, grill the vegetables

: done grilling……..

: Dwaeji Bulgogi, Tteokbokki And Kimchi

: Dwaeji Bulgogi, Tteokbokki And Kimchi

: Dwaeji Bulgogi

: Tteokbokki

: Kimchi

: Bella dining on Dwaeji Bulgogi

>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

>
>
While there are a million and one jerk chicken recipes out there, the basic seasoning is usually brown sugar or molasses, all spice, garlic, cinnamon, scotch bonnets (as much as you can handle), ginger, thyme, nutmeg and salt. Most folks I know also add soy sauce and scallions (I do).
Then, if you have a wood burning grill, grill very slowly, covered until the chicken is charred on the outside and juicy on the inside. Since I don’t presently have a proper grill, I started my jerk chicken in a cast iron grill pan and after a light char developed, covered it and finished cooking it in the oven. The result was a very tasty, very juicy, close to perfection jerk chicken 🙂
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is good !
>
>

P.S.
As I was cooking this inside the house, I used all dry herbs and spices.
However, for a more authentic experience, if cooking outside on a wood grill, you want to use fresh spices and herbs, minced and mixed with the soy sauce to a paste and rubbed into the chicken and its cuts. Cooking this on a covered grill will develop the flavorful smoky taste associated with authentic jerk chicken.
>
>

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: cut a fresh chicken in half

: make a few incisions all the way to the bones

: grill chicken on both sides, set on a few chopped scallions, cover

: bake in oven at 350 F until cooked through but still juicy

: Jamaican Jerk Chicken

: Jamaican Jerk Chicken

: Jamaican Jerk Chicken

>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Shrimp Sliders

>
>
After having a monstrous burger with all the trimmings at Fuddrucker for lunch, dinner was a bit more quaint.
The attraction of these sliders is the flavorful butter in which the shrimps are sauteed. Lots of garlic paste, horseradish and sriracha make these sliders exceptional and extraordinary.
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>

Shrimp Sliders

Casarecce Gorgonzola

>
>
I was going to make a quick salami and gorgonzola sandwich, when I realized that I felt I had to treat myself to a better lunch than a simple sandwich, so I checked the larder for a few available goodies and the following is what I came up with. By the time the pasta was cooked al dente, I had all the other ingredients prepped and it took only about another five minutes to complete the dish. While I love a good sandwich, this dish was a far more rewarding lunch and it took only slightly more time to prepare.
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>

Casarecce Gorgonzola

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: saute onions, salame, chillies and garlic paste in olive oil

: add gorgonzola cheese

: add heavy cream, simmer until gorgonzola is melted

: add quartered artichoke hearts

: add freshly ground black pepper and scallions

: add casarecce pasta

: mix until pasta is well coated with gorgonzola sauce, if sauce is too thick, add a bit of the cooking liquid from the pasta, check / adjust seasoning

: Casarecce Gorgonzola

: Casarecce Gorgonzola

: Casarecce Gorgonzola

>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Mushrooms And Udon Noodles In Oyster Sauce

>
>
It seems to me that the biggest return (culinary bliss and satisfaction) for the smallest investment (time, money and work) was, is and always will be, the preparation of food.
While there are of course very expensive, time-consuming, complicated and labor intensive dishes to be had, the majority of great food can be prepared in a snap. The following is just one of these dishes. All ingredients can be had for a few bucks and the actual prep and cooking time is only about 15 minutes.
So folks, please don’t say you don’t have time to cook. Just face your demon’s and admit that you don’t like to cook 🙂 😦 .
On the other hand, if you don’t know how to cook, that’s a whole different story. For you I have a simple solution to that malady : Follow my blog and get inspiration for simple dishes and instructions how to prepare them- this will be the first step to help you overcome the biggest hurdle, because most of the instructions on ChefsOpinion are dead-simple and require only the most basic culinary knowledge to produce great results.
First step – start trying………. 🙂
>
Bon Appetit ! You Can Do It !!!
>
>
More Udon dishes on ChefsOpinion
>
>

Mushrooms And Udon Noodles In Oyster Sauce

>

>

Mushrooms And Udon Noodles In Oyster Sauce

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: cook udon noodles in salted water, drain, coat lightly with sesame oil

: prepare a slurry of cornstarch and water

: stir fry sliced onions and fresh, quartered shiitake mushrooms until onions lightly caramelized

: add oyster mushrooms, saute another minute, add oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic paste, grated ginger, chili sauce and a bit of chicken stock or water

: stir-in slurry

: simmer a few seconds

: add seafood mushrooms, remove from heat, mix well, check / adjust seasoning

: 🙂

: plate udon noodles

: top with mushrooms

: for a bit of crunch, top with scallions and mung bean sprouts

: Mushrooms And Udon Noodles In Oyster Sauce

: Mushrooms And Udon Noodles In Oyster Sauce

: Mushrooms And Udon Noodles In Oyster Sauce

: Mushrooms And Udon Noodles In Oyster Sauce

: Mushrooms And Udon Noodles In Oyster Sauce

>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Filet Au Poivre Avec Pommes De Terre Lyonnaise

>
>
The plan was to prepare a traditional pepper steak when I realized that I had no demi glace in the freezer for a proper pepper sauce. I usually have demi glace, tomato sauce and curry base/sauce in the freezer, but today I was out of luck with the demi glace. So there were four options to choose from :

– sit down and cry,
– prep a new batch of demi glace which will take a couple of hours
– use the curry sauce,
– use the tomato sauce.

I decided to go with the tomato sauce and the result was excellent. Very little different from the demi glace version, just as creamy and tasty as a “proper”, traditional pepper sauce. Great lunch in no time 🙂

(Have to prepare a batch of demi glace now )
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>
Traditional Pepper Steak (Steak Au Poivre)
>
More Steak @ ChefsOpinion
>
>

>
>

Filet Au Poivre Avec Pommes De Terre Lyonnaise

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: Season a 8 oz beef tenderloin steak with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, saute in garlic oil until rare, remove from pan and let rest (carry-over heat will continue to cook the meat until medium rare)

: saute sliced blanched potatoes in duck fat until golden, add sliced onion, garlic paste, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, continue sauteeing until onions caramelize

: meanwhile, deglace pan with heavy cream, reduce until slightly thickened

: add a dollop of tomato sauce, simmer another minute, check / adjust seasoning

: plate potatoes, sprinkle with sliced chives

: drizzle with pepper sauce

: Filet Au Poivre Avec Pommes De Terre Lyonnaise

: Filet Au Poivre Avec Pommes De Terre Lyonnaise

: Filet Au Poivre Avec Pommes De Terre Lyonnaise

>
>
>
>
>
.
>

Sautéed Smoked Salmon Patty

>
>
If you love smoked salmon as I do, but are a bit weary of it on toast or bagel for the ‘thousand’s time, you might want to try this dish. Different, super easy to prepare, very tasty, great texture and not too shabby looking either. Accompanied by “simpleton potato salad”, romaine lettuce in honey/mustard dressing and a dip of spicy ranch dressing. (3/4 ranch, 1/4 sriracha and a good dose of garlic paste)
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>

Sautéed Smoked Salmon Patty

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: diced cooked potatoes, diced cucumbers, mayo, dijon mustard, sriracha, garlic paste, kosher salt

: Mix all ingredients, check / adjust seasoning

: diced smoked salmon, panko bread crumbs, mayo, sliced scallions, diced peppers, ketchup, cayenne pepper

: mix well, form patties

: coat patties in panko bread crumbs

: saute patties in olive oil

: Sautéed Smoked Salmon Patty

: Sautéed Smoked Salmon Patty

: “Simpleton Potato Salad”

>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Grilled Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Cannellini Beans

<
>
Although I have cut back on my consumption of red meat, I still crave a rare steak once in a while. Tenderloin is not usually my cut of choice (that would be bone-in rib eye), but my Argentinian butcher had a special of grass-fed, cleaned and trimmed beef tenderloin for 26.85 per pound. Who could say no to that ? – not me, since the same quality and cut runs usually a lot higher around here.
This cut and quality needs no fru fru, just some kosher salt, garlic oil and chili oil and that’s it – beef heaven 🙂
The mushrooms with cannellini beans are the perfect side dish, spicy, flavorful and hearty.
What a great dinner, Bella and myself perfectly happy and ready to plan the next meal 🙂
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>

Grilled Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Cannellini Beans

first bite for Bella, as usual 🙂

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: season tenderloin with kosher salt and rub with chili oil and garlic oil

: grill in a very hot grill pan until marked on one side, turn and finish in a 325F oven until medium rare

: saute mushrooms in olive oil

: add cannellini, garlic paste, sriracha, kosher salt, a dash of maggi and a small amount of grated asiago cheese, simmer one minute, check / adjust seasoning

: add a few scallions (seasoned with salt, garlic oil and chili oil) during the last few minutes of cooking the steak

: Grilled Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Cannellini Beans

: Grilled Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Cannellini Beans

: Grilled Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Cannellini Beans

: Grilled Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Cannellini Beans

: first bite for Bella, as usual 🙂

>
>
>
>
>
>

Curry Ribs

This recipe uses my standard curry base/sauce, of which I always have a few containers in the freezer.
You can of course make any type of curry base in which you braise your ribs, but this dish is pretty easy and fast to prepare when you start out with a great, readily prepared base/sauce and take it from there. Just remember, when you simmer the ribs, you must add the same amount of water to the base/sauce as will evaporate during the cooking process, so that you end up with the same textured sauce you had when you started. I suggest you don’t add too much water at first and add more as needed while you go.
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Hans’ “Easy Does It” Curry Recipe

.
Naan Recipe
“

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

: saute chilies, tomatoes, scallions, onions and garlic paste in butter until onions are opaque

: add curry sauce/base

: add water or stock of your choice

: add single-cut pork ribs

: cover, simmer until ribs are tender but not falling apart

: if sauce is too thick, add more liquid, if sauce is too thin, remove ribs and let sauce reduce to preferred texture

: freshly baked naan

: Curry Ribs

: Curry Ribs

: Curry Ribs

>
>

>
>
>
>

>
>
?

Creamy Potato And Carrot Soup With Salami And Shrimp

>
>
A bowl full of this delicious beauty should make you feel good and happy any time of the year, any time of the day.
If for any reason you don’t want to use heavy cream for the ultimate silkiness, you can substitute the cream with tofu and still get great results 🙂
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>