tasty

Killer LO

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( Killer left overs 🙂
Yesterdays leftover potatoes from the Spatchcocked Chicken “Nilda’s Way” made for a terrific breakfast this morning. The potatoes were super flavorful from all the chicken fat / juices and the liver gave it some extra debt. All in all a dish wich is great without the special potatoes, but outstanding if you have special ones on hand as I did from yesterday’s leftovers 🙂

Saute your leftover potatoes and thinly sliced Argentinian Sopresata until sausage start’s to lightly brown at the edges, add whisked eggs, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and cook until eggs are set to your liking. To serve, sprinkle with cilantro and finely grated parmigiano reggiano.

Bon Appetit ! Have a great Day !
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Enjoy Spatchkocking ! Life is Good !
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Spatchcocked Chicken “Nilda’s Way”

Spatchcocked Chicken

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When my mother in law , Nilda, was still healthy and living with us, she made roast chicken over potatoes and onions at least once a month. She did not spatchcock (what a funny word to say and write) the chicken, but rather left it whole to cook on top of the potatoes. I on the other hand, feel that to spatchcock the bird will give a superior result, both for the chicken and the potatoes. It will allow the potatoes to soak up all the juices and flavor from the chicken during the cooking process and at the same time it allows the chicken to cook very evenly, cooking all the way through but leaving both the legs and breast’s very juicy. Since the coarse salt will not all run down the side of the chicken as when you roast it whole, it will give the skin a unique texture, rather like a chinese style pepper & salt preparation. I used the same spice mix for the chicken and the potatoes / vegetables – kosher salt, sriracha, melted butter, granulated garlic. Mix the seasoning and butter with the potatoes and vegetables. Rub the chicken on both sides with a generous amount of butter and seasoning. Place the potato / vegetable mix on a rack which sit’s on a baking sheet, filled with half water and half red wine. Cook in the center of the oven at 390 F for approximately two hours. My chicken was VERY big, so it took two hours to reach a internal temperature of 16o F. After removing the chicken from the oven and letting it rest for another 15 minutes, the carry-over heat will take the temperature to a safe 165. This will leave the chicken safe to eat and the meat, including the breast, very moist and tender.
Finally, strain the jus from the sheet pan and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serving suggestion : See pictures 🙂
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Marc Osten on culinary-compass : Spatchcooking
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Frisée Salad, Coppa Ham & Gorgonzola Cheese

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Lately, more and more often, I fancy to having just a nice salad for dinner. With a glass (or two) of your favorite merlot. Of course the salad must be substantial and can not be boring, otherwise I will raid the fridge two hours later. This salad however did not make me go back for more food and it definitely did note bore me. On the contrary, what a great combination of flavors and textures, completely satisfying as a full meal.
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Ingredient’s:

Frisse salad, dark green parts removed
Coppa ham, thinly sliced
Gorgonzola, wedges
Avocado, wedges
Tomatoes, wedges
Great northern beans, canned, rinsed
Onions, finely sliced
Radishes, finely sliced
Dijon vinaigrette –
( Raspberry vinegar, olive oil, kosher salt, freshly grated black pepper, dash of lime juice, dijon mustard, roasted garlic paste )

Method :

Mix all ingredients except ham and gorgonzola with the vinaigrette. Plate, drape with the coppa and gorgonzola, garnish with fresh basil. Serve with your favorite wine and bread 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Cheers ! Life is Good !
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Potato Stuffed Pasta In Red Wine Cream

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Sunday lunch should be special. I feel that this dish did the trick 🙂
“Potato & Cheese Stuffed Pasta, Carrots, Tomato, Salame And Red Wine Cream”
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Potato & Cheese Stuffed Pasta

: Potato & Cheese Stuffed Pasta

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Ingredient’s:

Pasta: Flour, Egg, Salt

Filling: Boiled mashed potatoes, cream, egg, grated cheese, salt, cayenne pepper, roasted garlic paste

Sauce: Butter, diced onions, garlic paste, finely chopped tomato, julienned salame, red wine, heavy cream, blanched baby carrots, salt, black pepper

Method:

Pasta: Mix all ingredients, then knead into a pasta dough.

Filling: Mix ingredients lightly without overworking the filling or it will become gooey.

Sauce: Saute onions in butter until translucent. Add Salame and garlic, saute until fragrant. Add chopped tomatoes, and cream. Simmer until reduced and starting to thicken. Add wine, a bit of grated cheese and carrots, simmer for another few minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Add pasta, carefully mix. To serve, sprinkle with grated cheese and chopped parsley.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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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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Sexy Legs

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Who needs a side dish with this stuff ?
Not me, that’s for sure.
Prep time : 3 minutes
Cooking time : 50 – 70 minutes, depending on size of legs.

Season with kosher salt, sriracha sauce, granulated garlic and soy sauce.
Roast on rack at 390 ” until temperature on bone has reached 160 “.
Let rest for 10 minutes. Enjoy with a couple of cold beers while watching tv 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Roasted Chicken Legs

Sexy Legs

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So Loaded

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” Twice baked potato and the kitchen sink ”
This hit the spot perfectly at the right time,
11.30 pm, accompanied by a couple of glasses
of merlot and good company.

Bake the potatoes, remove the flesh, mash it coarsely. Saute finely diced chicken, salame, chilis and scallions in butter, add to the potatoes. Add egg yolk, greek yoghurt and grated asiago cheese. Season with roasted garlic paste, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, mix well without mashing the potatoes too smoothly. Fill into potato skins, drizzle with butter and grated asiago and bake until golden brown. To serve, add a dollop of greek yoghurt and sprinkle with scallions.
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Twice Baked Potatoes

: Twice Baked Potatoes

: Twice Baked Potato

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Life is Good ! (Especially fully loaded…….
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Obatzter

Here is a new take on ” Obatzter “, ” Illustrierter Camembert “, ” Verruehrter ” :
” Spicy Brie On Pear ”

Obatzter (Obatzda) is a traditional spread which is usually served as a snack, most famously at the Munich Octoberfest. It has it’s origin in the south of Germany, where it was a way to use leftover bit’s of cheese, which were given a new live after being mashed with butter, finely diced onions, beer and seasoning. The version below uses chicharones and pears instead of the more traditional bread as accompaniment.
( It’s still not exactly diet-fare 🙂
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Obatzter

: Obatzter

Ingredient’s :

Pears, thick slices, core removed
Brie, substitute with any soft cheese you might prefer
Pork rinds, (chicharones)
Butter, softened
Onions, finely diced
Beer,
Caraway, ground
Paprika,
Cayenne pepper,

Method :

With a dinner fork, mash the cheese coarsely. Add the soft butter , beer and seasoning and mash all together until smooth. Fold in the diced onions and scallions.
Serving suggestion : See pictures.

Bon Appetit! Life is Good !
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Breakfast Of Champions # 17 Farmers Eggs

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When a wimpy breakfast just isn’t good enough, try something like this:
Roasted potatoes, roasted garlic paste, straw mushrooms, eggs, chives, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, butter.
Bring it on, Day !
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Breakfast of Champions # 17

: Breakfast of Champions # 17

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Gizzard Adobo

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Although I tremendously enjoy Philippine style adobo served the traditional way with steamed rice, I enjoy my adobo even more with pasta and creamed spinach. Served seperate, then all mixed together on the plate, what a great, simple, tasty meal 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Kainan na!

Chicken Gizzard Adobo

: Chicken Gizzard Adobo

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Ingredients :

Chicken Gizzards,
Onions,   large dice
Garlic,   paste
Bay leaves,
Chicken stock,
Fish sauce,  substitute with oystersauce if preferred
Soy sauce,
Sugar,
Beer,
Kosher salt,
Black Pepper,   freshly ground
Peanut oil,   to saute

Method :

Saute gizzards until nicely browned, add onions and garlic and saute until onions start to brown. Add all other ingredients and simmer until gizzards are tender. At this point, the sauce should be reduced so it covers the back of a spoon (nappe). Traditionally, adobo is served with steamed rice. However, in this version I served it with creamed spinach and pasta.

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Mabuhay ! Life is Good !
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