surprising

Meat Ball Sandwich – Merguez Meatballs In Harissa/Tomato Sauce On Garlic Bread

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My neighbor and friend Sami is from Egypt. He sometimes gives me some Egyptian, Middle Eastern and/or Mediterranean food to taste, usually about once a month.
Normally it is fully cooked and nicely presented, but yesterday morning he gave me some Merguez stuffing he had just prepared and asked me to “make something different with it”.
Here is what I came up with. I enjoyed it a lot and so did he 🙂

For the sauce, I mixed 2/3 tomato sauce with 1/3 of harissa.
(This sauce was so good, I think I will use it for other dishes or as dipping sauce in the future)

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Meat Ball Sandwich – Merguez Meatballs In Harissa/Tomato Sauce On Garlic Bread

Garlic bread, hard boiled eggs, romaine, radish, pickled chilies, drizzled with lemon vinaigrette

Garlic bread, hard boiled eggs, romaine, radish, pickled chilies, sprinkled with sea salt and drizzled with lemon vinaigrette

Lamb meatball sandwich with buttered corn and “stuff”

Meat Ball Sandwich – Merguez Meatballs In Harissa/Tomato Sauce On Garlic Bread

Bella’s version, without the spicy sauce 🙂

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Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video below. ( You don’t have to watch it, just click once ) Thank you 🙂
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“Apollodoros” Steak Sandwich

Just look at the ingredients and you’ll understand why I prefer this to another famous steak sandwich, named after a city I will not mention here.
Maybe it’s just me, but shredded “Real” steak, pita bread, greek yoghurt, fresh vegetables, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and lot’s of roasted garlic puree !
Tell me if I am wrong, but in my opinion, this sandwich just rocks !

P.S.
Apollodoros means “gift of Apollo” from the name of the God APOLLO combined with Greek δωρον (doron) “gift”. Hey, I created it, I’ve got to name it 🙂
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“Apollodoros” Steak Sandwich

: “Apollodoros” Steak Sandwich

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Port Wine & Beaujolais Poached Bartlett Pears

Hard to believe, but many folks have never come across a poached pear on a restaurant menu, much less eaten one. What a shame, since this is such a versatile culinary gem. In classic restaurants you would come across them as part of different dishes often, be it by them self with a bit of Creme Chantilly or vanilla sauce, or part of a cheese course, maybe part of a dessert , or served as garniture to a savory dish such as pork, poultry, game or pork. But now I suspect it has become old-fashioned? For me however, if it looks good and tastes good it will never be out of fashion, so yesterday I treated myself to this beautiful, decadent and luxurious dish. Later in the evening I added a good shot of “Schladerer Zwetschgen Schnaps” to the remaining spiced wine and enjoyed it hot as a night cup.

Life is Good !
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Port Wine & Beoujolais Poached Pears

: Port Wine & Beoujolais Poached Pears

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Ingredient’s :

Bartlett pears, peeled
Port wine,
Beaujolais
Cinnamon stick,
Sugar,
Star anise,

Method :

Mix port wine and red wine 50/50. Add a bit of orange juice, cinnamon, sugar and star anise , bring to a simmer and reduce by half. Let cool to room temperature. Add the pears,(they must be covered by the liquid), bring to a slow simmer for one minute. Remove from heat and let cool down to room temperature. Serve with chocolate dusted whipped cream.

Bon Appetit !

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“Green Goddess” – A Healthy Dinner ?

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After all, cantaloupe and yoghurt is good for you and makes for a light, healthy meal 🙂

This is all I needed to finish up this day. It’s a gorgeous evening, light breeze, no humidity and the temperature just right.”Kashmir” playing on the radio while I am having this drink. Life is Good !
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Green Goddess Cocktail:
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1/2 large cantaloupe melon,
3 cups creme de menthe,
2 cup vanilla yoghurt,
2 cup champagne,
2 cup ice,
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Blend in mixer until smooth. Cheers !
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“When I was 5 years old my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life.
When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.
I wrote down, ‘happy’.
They told me I didn’t understand the assignment.
I told them they didn’t understand life”.
– John Lennon

More Led 🙂
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Green Goddess Cocktail

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Too Much “Freshness” ???

Watch the VIDEO HERE
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When is too much too much ?
Do you think this is eaten in this way because of the ultimate freshness ?
Or for the novelty effect ? ( Probably)

You’ll be the judge 😦 🙂
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Mee Noodles, Straw Mushroom & Chicken In Curry/Coconut Soup

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At first I was going to do a “authentic” Malay, or Burmese ,or Thai, or Indonesian, or Indian, or whatever “authentic” coconut / curry / noodle / chicken dish. But then, for what ? There is a million and one recipes (more or less “authentic”) out there in the internet and book world available to anyone. But by now I believe (hopefully) that most of my readers subscribe to “ChefsOpinion” because of my interpretations of dishes and the ease of which they can be duplicated more ore less closely (adjust to whatever tickles your fancy). So here we go, Hans’ authentic 🙂 version of : Mee Noodles, Straw Mushroom & Chicken In Curry/Coconut Soup. Enjoy. Don’t break a leg running for authentic ingredients. Use what you’ve got available, what you like and what you can afford. The single most important authentic ingredient required for most dishes is love and passion. If you cook it and folk’s and you yourself love it – Voilà ! Success !
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Mee Noodles, Straw Mushroom & Chicken In Curry/Coconut Soup

: Mee Noodles, Straw Mushroom & Chicken In Curry/Coconut Soup

Ingredient’s :

Chicken legs, deboned, cubed
Mee noodles, cooked, tossed with sesame oil
Chicken stock,
Coconut milk,
Straw mushroom,
Tomato, seeded, julienned
Avocado, diced
Onion, julienned
Chilis, julienned
Scallions, sliced
Almonds, slivered or crashed
Limes, wedges
Curry powder,
Turmeric,
Garlic paste,
Ginger, grated
Fish sauce,
Maggi seasoning,
Scotch bonnet sauce,
Kosher salt,
Peanut oil, to saute

Method :

Saute chicken, add vegetables and garlic, saute for one minute. Add garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric and almonds and saute until fragrant. Add coconut milk, chicken stock and salt and simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat. Add fish sauce and scotch bonnet sauce to taste (careful with the fermented fish sauce, check HERE first). To serve, sprinkle with scallions and/or cilantro.

Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !

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Poached Chicken, Arugula, Strawberry & Pomegranate

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This dish was a bit unusual for me to prepare for myself, (fru fru ? 🙂 , but I had this craving for poached chicken with a twist. I really enjoyed the combination of chicken with: spicy (chili oil, green peppercorn), sweet (strawberries, pomegranate), slightly bitter ( arugula) and acidic (lime juice). All in all, a successful dish which I will surely prepare again 🙂
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Poach the chicken in seasoned water until just done, still very juicy but cooked through. ( Remove from simmering liquid at 162F. Cover loosely and let chicken rest for 10 minutes. The carry-over heat will take it to a safe 165F without giving it a chance to dry out ). Drizzle with chili oil mixed with a bit of soy sauce and lime and sprinkle with sauteed green peppercorn. Serve with salad and fruit of your choice .

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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” The Classic American Diner – Does It Still Have A Place In Our Heart ? ”

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Dear friend’s of ChefsOpinion :

I would like to share this with all of you in order to :

a) Help my friend Daryl to get more opinions about his new project.
b) Find out how popular traditional diners are?
c) Find out what attracts today’s customers to a traditional diner?

Please, instead of commenting on the individual group pages, go to “ChefsOpinion”
and post all your comments directly in the comment box and / or participate in the poll.

Thank you all 🙂

Image Source: Alta CollectiblesVintage Reproduction

Hello Hans,

I like to hear what your followers think about American Diners.

My next location is an all stainless-steel diner built in 1950 in Elizabeth, NJ by the O’Mahoney company. It’ll be attached to new-construction that will house the kitchen and a second dining room. The menu will be built on New England and American cookery with a high comfort-factor, but, leaning on contemporary taste and sensibilities for quality and flavor.

My question is in two parts:
1. Location – This is a question asked as work on this project progressed: how does the location of a vintage diner impact or limit the curb-appeal of the restaurant. In our opinion, traditional pre-fab diners are deeply perceived by the public as stand-alone operations. With this in mind, a vintage diner can be positioned in a strip-mall/plaza development in such a way connects it to be connected to the new construction and allows the vintage diner to stand proud of the new construction, giving it the appearance of a stand-alone.
2. Menu – Diners, in their time, offered food that was highly contemporary. Their ingredients and methods were of the essence of their age and, in the process, a style was born. The strength of diner’s cookery style heritage is so strong that to open a diner without including some of that style is commercially risky. So, if you had a vintage diner on your hands, what would you do to bring the classic dinner menu into the 21st centaury to meet the expectations of today’s guests?

I’d also like the leave open the topic of “Diners” in general. I’ve been working on this project for about 8-eight months and I have yet to talk to anyone, another professional or a novice, who does have a reaction to the idea of a Diner. So, let me know your thoughts!

Thanks!
Daryl
D.T. Mc Gann
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” Dave Arnold And Harold McGee Do Cool Stuff To Eggs At Harvard “

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Dear Friend’s
I came across this on cookingdistrict.com and thought you might enjoy this as much as I did.
Take a few minutes time out and have Fun 🙂

Image Source: Crazy Chefs

” Dave Arnold And Harold McGee Do Cool Stuff To Eggs At Harvard ”
By Lisa McLaughlin on September 12, 2012

The new school year has begun and with it comes the first lecture of the 2012 Food and Science Lecture Series at Harvard. The first installment featured Dave Arnold, the uber creative Director of Culinary Technology at the International Culinary Center and Dave Arnold and gastronomic guru Harold McGee talk about soft matter science, explosions, mayonnaise making, haute cuisine, make some dragon’s beard, and do some super cool stuff with eggs.

See the video HERE
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” About My Recipes “

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Dear Friend‘s,

Here is my answer to a question some of my new readers have once in a while :

I love the dish! But where is the recipe ?

To answer those questions :
The ingredient’s (except most standard seasonings) are usually pictured in the first (the Prep) picture..
The idea is to have you add as much / little of one ingredient as you like :
Don’t like much garlic? Add less! Love garlic? Add more.
In savory cooking, recipes are usually just guidelines, which you should interprete
according to your taste , preferences and availability. (Don’t like butter? Use olive oil !
Don’t like butter nor olive oil? Use Canola oil or peanut oil or whatever fat you like !
Prefer your soup / sauce thicker or thinner ? Add more or less thickener !
Don’t want fat in your food? Leave it out!
Most reader like this format, especially the once who have fallen on their butt
by following “EXACT” recipes to the dot, just to find out they don’t give you the pictured result : -(

And yes, many of my recipes have the approximate amounts printed 🙂

So please remember :
To truly learn a dish, one must understand what the temperature, moisture and time does to the ingredients. (Amongst many other things).

To quote Alton Brown:
“A home cook who relies too much on a recipe is sort of like a pilot who reads the plane’s instruction manual while flying.”
– Alton Brown

Cooking is a labor of love.
Do what makes you happy, as long as you understand the guidelines. :-)