sun dried tomatoes

Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

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This morning for breakfast I had leftover pasta from last night, which required a much lighter lunch and no dinner (Maybe a bit of ice cream though 🙂
So, at around noon, off to the fishmonger down the road to get some fresh shrimp and to the supermarket to see what’s available that would be appealing to my desire for a tasty salad. Red pears, chicorée frisée (endive, curly endive, or frisée) and fresh lime for the salad and its dressing, and a small amount of sun-dried tomatoes and it was on. Twenty minutes after I got home, Bella and I were feasting on this superb creation, wrapped in flour tortillas and accompanied by peach ice tea. Bella ate about half the shrimp and a bit of the tortillas and graciously allowed me to enjoy the rest. Life is Good !
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Bon Appétit ! Thanks Bella, for your Generosity 🙂
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Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?))

Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: pour 2 tblsp garlic oil from your homemade garlic confit into a saute pan

: peel and devein 20 oz shrimp, remove the head and tails, marinade in 3 tblsp Thai sweet chili sauce and kosher salt to taste, add 3 stalk sliced scallions

: saute the shrimp and scallions in the garlic oil

: clean and wash 1/2 head of a medium size chicorée frisée, core and slice 1 large red pear into batons, julienne 4 oz of sun dried tomatoes; dress with juice of 2 limes, 3 tblsp olive oil, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: toast “a bunch” of flour tortillas, cover to keep warm

: Flour Tortillas

: place the salad on a serving dish

: top the salad with the shrimp and its juices; serves 2 main courses or 6 appetizers

: Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

: Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

: Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

: Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?))

: Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

: Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

: Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

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Beef Kebab With Rainbow Puree

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I was thinking of preparing beef kebab and mashed potatoes – which I did, but the name “mashed potatoes” will not do justice to this tasty and colorful potato dish.
So therefore, “Rainbow Puree” was born 🙂
The addition of the sautéed peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and freshly grated horseradish and lot’s of garlic paste lift’s this basic dish to a whole new level…….
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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More about Kebabs
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Beef Kebab With Rainbow Puree

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: Cut beef tenderloin head and tips into cubes, cut bell peppers into large dice

: skewer meat and peppers onto water-soaked bamboo skewers, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: saute kebabs in garlic oil until rare, let rest for at least five minutes

: while the kebabs are cooking, squeeze freshly cooked, drained potatoes through a potato-ricer

: chop the peppers-trimmings into coarse pieces, chop oil-preserved sun-dried tomatoes coarsely

: saute the peppers in garlic oil

: to the potatoes add the peppers, tomatoes, chopped cilantro, grated horseradish, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, cream and butter, mix all together, check/adjust seasoning,

: plate the rainbow puree

: top the rainbow puree with the kebab, serve with grated horseradish

: Beef Kebab With Rainbow Puree

: Beef Kebab With Rainbow Puree

: Beef Kebab With Rainbow Puree

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How To Turn Radiators Into A Delicious Dish…….

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“Radiatore with Salame and Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Garlic-Confit Cream”
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Pasta, garlic, cream and other “stuff” 🙂 – always quick and easy to prepare, yet very rewarding with big flavors and a lovely texture.
This is the kind of food I prepare when I “don’t feel like cooking”. After all, the whole preparation takes only a few minutes and is easy enough to be handled by a novice in the kitchen, all one needs is a few good ingredients and a passion for food, the rest will fall into place all by itself 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Radiatore with Salame and Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Garlic-Confit Cream

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: saute garlic in olive oil until just starting to change color

: add salame julienne and onion julienne, saute until onions are translucent

: add julienned sun-dried tomatoes and heavy cream, season with kosher salt and fresh-grated black pepper

: simmer until cream starts to thicken, remove from heat, add grated parmesan, check / adjust seasoning

: add fresh cooked radiatori with a bit of the cooking water, mix well

: plate on serving dish, sprinkle with freshly shredded parmesan

: Radiatore with Salame and Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Garlic-Confit Cream

: Radiatore with Salame and Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Garlic-Confit Cream

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Pasta Salad With Squid And Sun-Dried Tomatoes

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Conventional wisdom dictates that squid (Calamari) for salad should be cooked in liquid or steam.
Not so, say I 🙂
I am of the opinion that squid when done in liquid lack enough taste and texture to add interest to a salad. In my opinion, coating the squid with a mixture of corn starch and corn meal, then frying them in very hot oil to a scrumptious crisp, will give a far superior result and brings out the best of the little sea critters. Should you decide to use this method, add the squid to the top of the salad for presentation, then mix with the rest of the salad just before eating to ensure the crispness of the squid.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
When cooking pasta for salad, you should cook the pasta all the way ! Al dente is for hot dishes;
It is not a good texture for pasta salads. (This is of course my very own opinion, make your own decision according to your own preference 🙂
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Pasta Salad With Squid And Sun-Dried Tomatoes

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: remove innards and spine, cut eyes and fangs from tentacles

: cut bodies lenghtwise (or into rings if you prefer)

: season with granulated garlic, plenty of sriracha and kosher salt

: coat with a mixture of half cornstarch, half corn meal

: deepfry for a few seconds in VERY hot oil

: remove to absorbent paper, sprinkle with chopped cilantro

: capers, sun dried tomatoes, corn, grape tomatoes, peppers, scallions,

: pasta of your choice (I used casarecce), add veggies and honey/mustard dressing

: love this serving dish 🙂

: add lettuce in honey/mustard dressing

: top with pasta salad

: top with squid

: Pasta Salad With Squid And Sun-Dried Tomatoes

: Pasta Salad With Squid And Sun-Dried Tomatoes

: Pasta Salad With Squid And Sun-Dried Tomatoes

: Pasta Salad With Squid And Sun-Dried Tomatoes

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Adana Kebab (Kıyma Kebabı) (Turkish Lamb Skewer)

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In the early seventies I was lucky enough to be visiting Turkey many times ( Istanbul, Kusadasi and Izmir among other places). At that time, Turkey still had an oriental mystique to it which was incredibly fascinating and exiting to a young man like me. The sights, smells and noises were so much different from what I was used to – even after all these years, they still linger vividly in my memory
My girlfriend and I almost got stoned by an angry mob one day at the market in Izmir. (They actually threw stones and small rocks at us). We just came from the Caribbean and my girlfriend Edith was wearing the popular outfit of the day – high heels, hot pants and a thin t-shirt without a bra – not a good idea at the time in a mostly Muslim country. Only the quick help and intervention of our taxi driver who came running to rescue us (carefree idiots) prevented great harm or worse.
But beside that particular episode, I only have great memories of Turkey in the seventies. One of the highlights of our stay’s were always the great meals we had in local restaurants. We tried anything we could, from five-star restaurants in five-star hotels in Istanbul to small dives along the beaches and funky eateries in the sea port’s more seedy areas. The food was always great, fresh, spice-laden and exotic (to me at that time, most anything seemed exotic)
I remember Adana Kebab to be widely served and today I finally got around to do my own version which turned out pretty spectacular 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Afiyet Olsun !
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Turkish Adana Kebab

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: season ground lamb with sumac, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, grd coriander seeds, oregano, chili flakes, chopped onions, garlic paste, kosher salt, mix well, form into 8 oz balls, thread around skewers, grill until medium

: serve with flatbread, olives, pickled chilies, sun dried tomatoes, yogurt, hummus, onions, tomatoes, avocado, drizzle all with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with black pepper and chopped cilantro

: Turkish Adana Kebab

: Turkish Adana Kebab

: Turkish Adana Kebab

: Turkish Adana Kebab

: Turkish Adana Kebab

: Turkish Adana Kebab

: Turkish Adana Kebab

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EASY DOES IT # 22 – Quiche Lorraine

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This dish will make you the hero at the next pot luck party, office party or any other gathering where the usual (tired) contribution is chicken salad, spinach dip or potato salad (nothing wrong with those – but………..)
A properly prepared Quiche is elegant, beautiful and delicious, done with a minimum of effort, cooking skills, time and $.
It will be a guaranteed success for any occasion, because it’s easy to make, has no boundaries for your creativity and can be served cold (room temperature), warm or hot. So at a fancy or basic cocktail party, in the office, at the beach or when you bring a snack to my house – go ahead, make my day 🙂
As for creativity, step up a basic Quiche lorraine (bacon, Swiss cheese and onions) by adding / replacing the standard ingredients with the following goodies:
Roasted, small diced vegetables or potatoes, seafood (no cheese in this one please), pickled onions and feta cheese, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, sautéed ham, small diced corned beef, lots of fresh herbs, etc, etc.
The constant in any Quiche should be a great pie crust and a mixture of 3/4 whisked whole eggs / 1/4 half & half, seasoned with salt, pepper and a small amount of nutmeg, everything else is up to your fancy and willingness to experiment 🙂
As for myself, I love a warm Quiche with lots of bacon, onions and cheese when sitting in front of the TV and watching a great movie, always pairing the Quiche with a salad of simple greens and usually washing it all down with a torrent of iced peach tea.

Blind-bake the pie crust until golden.
Add dry ingredients, add egg mixture, bake until a toothpick inserted in the filling comes out clean. DONE !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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