tasty

Seafood Fried Rice

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Excerpt from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

“Fried rice is a dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or a frying pan and is usually mixed with other ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, seafood, or meat. It is often eaten by itself or as an accompaniment to another dish. Fried rice is a popular component of East, Southeast and certain South Asian cuisines. As a homemade dish, fried rice is typically made with ingredients left over from other dishes, leading to countless variations. Being an economical hodgepodge, the same approach is often taken with fried noodles or pyttipanna as well. Fried rice first developed during the Sui Dynasty in China and as such all fried rice dishes can trace their origins to Chinese fried rice.

Many popular varieties of fried rice have their own specific list of ingredients. In Greater China, the most famous varieties include Yangzhou fried rice and Hokkien fried rice. Japanese chāhan is considered a Japanese Chinese dish, having derived from Chinese fried rice dishes. Korean bokkeum-bap in general is not, although there is a Korean Chinese variety of bokkeum-bap. In Southeast Asia, similarly constructed Indonesian, Malaysian, and Singaporean nasi goreng and Thai khao phat are popular dishes. In the West, most restaurants catering to vegetarians have invented their own varieties of fried rice, including egg fried rice. Fried rice is also seen on the menus of American restaurants offering cuisines with no native tradition of the dish. Additionally, there are variations of fried rice in Middle and South Americas. Some of these variations include Ecuadorian chaulafan, Peruvian arroz chaufa, Cuban arroz frito, and Puerto Rican arroz mamposteao.

Fried rice is a popular street food in Asia. In some Asian countries, small restaurants, street vendors and traveling hawkers specialize in serving fried rice. In Indonesian cities it is common to find fried rice street hawkers moving through the streets with their food cart and stationing it in busy streets or residential areas. Many Southeast Asian street food stands offer fried rice with a selection of optional garnishes and side dishes”.

P.S.
If you ever wonder why fried rice in some chinese restaurants is so beautifully golden in color, here is the answer: Add a pinch of turmeric 🙂
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Seafood Fried Rice

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: 4 cups day-old rice, 6 ea large shrimp. 20 ea cooked mussels, 12 oz large cubes of firm fish fillet, 8 oz scallops, 4 stalks of scallion, 10 oz white cabbage

: season 4 large whole eggs with kosher salt and chili paste to taste, whisk

: heat 2 sblsp peanut oil

: cook the eggs until just set, remove

: season the seafood (without the mussels) with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, stir fry until cooked halfway through, remove

: keep warm

: stir fry 1 ea large, finely diced onion 1/2 tsp grated ginger and 1 tblsp garlic pasete in 2 tblsp peanut oil until translucent

: add the diced cabbage, stir fry 1 minute

: add the rice, stir fry until the rice sterts to “pop”

: add 1 tblsp chili paste, 2 tblsp soy sauce, 1 tblsp toasted sesame oil, 1 pinch of sugar, 1 pinch turmeric, kosher salt to taste

: stir fry another minute

: add the seafood, scallions and the eggs, stir fry another minute

: check / adjust the seasoning, add the mussels, mix carefully one more time

: Seafood Fried Rice

: Seafood Fried Rice

: Seafood Fried Rice

: Seafood Fried Rice

: Seafood Fried Rice

: Seafood Fried Rice

: Seafood Fried Rice

: Seafood Fried Rice

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Curried Beef And Mushroom Buddha Bowl

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Named for its big, round Buddha belly shape, a “Buddha bowl” can mean different things to different people, but here I am talking about the culinary meaning, which is a one-dish meal consisting of rice or pasta, whole grains, veggies, protein (by way of meat or seafood, beans, tofu, lentils) and a dressing or sauce, even hot or cold cereals, savory with meat and veggies, or cold with fruits or jello.
What they all have in common is that since the name contains the word “Bowl”, it usually features uncomplicated, tasty, satisfying comfort food that is eaten unceremoniously, with just a spoon or fork.
Like so many other foods, because of its simplicity, it usually contains quality ingredients and is highly seasoned, anywhere from very mild to fiery hot.

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Click here for a list of  Rice Dishes from around the World
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Click here for a list of  Pakistani Rice Dishes

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Curried Beef And Mushroom Buddha Bowl

boneless chicken – 35 cents each

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Preparation :
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: 4 oz quartered botton mushrooms

: saute the mushrooms in 1 tblsp ghee or EVO

: 16 oz cleaned and trimmed beef tenderloin, cut into 4 medallions

: cut the medallions into cubes, season with kosher salt and black pepper

: saute beef cubes in 2 tblsp ghee or EVO until nicely browned but still very rare

: add 1 ea sliced med size onion, 2 tblsp curry pwd, 1 tblsp turmeric, 2 tblsp garam masala,2 tblsp chopped cilantro, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic paste, kosher salt to taste

: saute until fragrant (about one minute)

: add the mushrooms, 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/2 cup beef or chicken stock, bring to a simmer, remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning, spoon over rice, sprinkle with fried onions and chopped cilantro; serves 4

: Curried Beef And Mushroom Buddha Bowl

: Curried Beef And Mushroom Buddha Bowl

: Curried Beef And Mushroom Buddha Bowl

: Curried Beef And Mushroom Buddha Bowl

: Curried Beef And Mushroom Buddha Bowl

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Tomato, Gorgonzola, Anchovies And Onion Salad In White Balsamic Vinaigrette (Ensalada alla Via Candia)

Tomato, Gorgonzola, Anchovies And Onion Salad In White Balsamic Vinaigrette

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And suddenly,  Ensalada Caprese has strong competition …….. !!!
(The clear winner in my book :  Ensalada alla Via Candia ) 🙂
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White Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe And Serving Suggestion:
Mix 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup EVO, 1/2 tsp grey poupon, 1/4 tsp garlic paste, a dash of Maggi seasoning, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, whisk until emulsified, check/adjust taste.

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Tomato, Gorgonzola, Anchovies And Onion Salad In White Balsamic Vinaigrette

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Preparation :
Please follow the visual instruction.
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures.

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: tomato

: tomato & onion

: tomato, scallion, onion & dressing

: mix all, top with gorgonzola, anchovies, scallion and basil

: Tomato, Gorgonzola, Anchovies And Onion Salad In White Balsamic Vinaigrette

: Tomato, Gorgonzola, Anchovies And Onion Salad In White Balsamic Vinaigrette

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P.S.
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This dish is part of my upcoming meal plan # 2 –
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH TWO
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Click here for
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH ONE

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Cork Screw Pasta With Chicken And Vegetables In Curried Coconut Cream

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Leftover pasta. What to do with it ?
Usually, most folks just pop it in the microwave with a bit of sauce (or ketchup?? ) 🙂
Or maybe cook it up in a pan with some eggs ?
How about doing this easy, sexy beauty next time !
I had some left over pasta and roast chicken in the fridge from the previous day, and of course there is always some type of veggie in the fridge and coconut cream in the larder, so this wonderful tasty and pretty dish basically crawled together by itself 🙂
It took a mere few minutes to prepare and was truly delicious and satisfying. Definitely better than “microwaved leftover pasta with ketchup” ! 🙂
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Cork Screw Pasta With Chicken And Vegetables In Curried Coconut Cream

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: saute julienne from 1ea large onion and 4 ea large scallions, cut into 2 inch stick, in 2 tblsp ghee

: add 3 tblsp curry powder, 1 tsp granulated garlic, 1 tsp cumin, a pinch of grated ginger,1 tblsp garam masala and kosher salt to taste, leftover cooked chicken, about 1 leg or one breast per person (this was a whole chicken, so this whole dish will serve 4) ,saute until fragrant

: add 1 can coconut cream

: bring to a simmer

: add 1 medium head of cooked, cut into large roses cauliflower and 20 ea grape tomatoes, simmer until veggies are heated

: (this could be eaten as is, served over rice)

: add 1/2 lb cooked pasta. simmer until pasta is hot, check/adjust seasoning; (if the texture is too thisk at this point, thin with milk or yogurt)

: Cork Screw Pasta With Chicken And Vegetables In Curried Coconut Cream

: Cork Screw Pasta With Chicken And Vegetables In Curried Coconut Cream

: Cork Screw Pasta With Chicken And Vegetables In Curried Coconut Cream

: Cork Screw Pasta With Chicken And Vegetables In Curried Coconut Cream

: Cork Screw Pasta With Chicken And Vegetables In Curried Coconut Cream

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Pasta Pearls, Bok Choy, Mollejas And Chillies In Ginger/Tamarind Broth

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Before you make a long face at the Mollejas (Chicken Gizzards), pls know that you can easily replace them with any other part of the chicken, such as breast, wings, tighs, etc. If you are not in the mood for chicken, many other proteins will work just as well, such as beef, pork, shrimp, or any other seafood, or just add more veggies of your choice.
However, if you love mollejas as much as I do, this soup will surely find a special place in your heart 🙂
In my opinion, the mollejas fit perfectly with the other ingredients, but as usual, use what you prefer, what you can afford or whatever you have in your larder that seems to fit the dish.
If you look at the pictures and try to immagine the taste of it, you’ll know that the main attraction is the Ginger/Tamarind Broth, the pasta pearls and the bok choy, everything else is just icing on the cake 🙂

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Pasta Pearls, Bok Choy, Mollejas And Chillies In Ginger/Tamarind Broth

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

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: cook the bok choy in salted water with 1 tsp chili flakes – submerge the stems first for 1 – 2 minutes (depending on the size), then turn on its side to simmer the leaves as well

: simmer for 30 seconds more, drain and discard the water, place bok choy into ice water

: in 2 qt of chicken stock, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1/2 tsp grated ginger, 1/2 tblsp sugar and 5 to 10 scallions (depending on the size), seasoned lightly with kosher salt and chili flakes,simmer 2 lbs mollejas until tender but still with a slight bite, ca 2 hours (some mollejas are tougher than others), remove and discard the scallions, (there should be about 1 qt remaining, otherwise adjust by reducing or adding more stock), season soup with 1 tblsp toasted sesame oil and chili oil to taste

: remove the bok choy from the water, sqeeze out as much water as possible

: cut bok choy lengthwise into quarters

: add the boc choy to the soup, bring to a simmer, remove from heat at once, check/adjust seasoning

: bok choy……..

: bok choy and mollejas……

: add feshly cooked pasta pearls (Israeli couscous), add the broth and a few finely sliced chillies

: Pasta Pearls, Bok Choy, Mollejas And Chillies In Ginger/Tamarind Broth

: Pasta Pearls, Bok Choy, Mollejas And Chillies In Ginger/Tamarind Broth

: Pasta Pearls, Bok Choy, Mollejas And Chillies In Ginger/Tamarind Broth

: Pasta Pearls, Bok Choy, Mollejas And Chillies In Ginger/Tamarind Broth

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Butter Lettuce & Marinated Octopus

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Butter lettuce has to be my all time favorite lettuce – perfect texture, a color that can only be described as translucent and pearly, and a delicate flavor that is heavenly. While I love all leaf salads, especially frisee and baby arugula, butter lettuce is always at the forefront of my mind when I lust for salad 🙂
I eat it as often as possible, but unfortunately, most of the time the quality available around here is very low, and in case there is good quality available (as when I found the one for this meal), the price is usually at least quadruple the price of iceberg, romaine or frisee. 😦
As with so many other foods, when I grew up, I could not stand butter lettuce, because it was the cheapest salad available and therefore it showed up during many meals, at least three or four times a week. My Mom used to dress it with a simple vinaigrette with onions, which made the whole affair even more disgusting for me. Since my Dad did not allow us to remove items from our plated food, my Mom used to give me (secretly from my Dad) 10 Pfennig, which was but a few cents in today’s money, to ease my pain eating the onions in my salad. 🙂 How times have changed…………..
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Butter Lettuce & Marinated Octopus

Butter Lettuce

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: wash and drain lettuce, pat dry with papertowels, dress with a simple lemon vinaigrette

: make a dressing with lemon vinaigrette, green peas, chopped cilantro, red onions and chopped yellow bell peppers, add the cooked octopus, mix well

: plate the dressed lettuce, top with the marinated octopus

: Butter Lettuce & Marinated Octopus

: Butter Lettuce & Marinated Octopus

: Butter Lettuce & Marinated Octopus

: Butter Lettuce & Marinated Octopus

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Vacio (Beef Loin Flap), Sauteed Banana Peppers, Cherrie Peppers Relish and Mashed Avocado With Peruvian Salsa Ají Amarillo

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Vasio. This is yet another cut of beef which is not usually utilized for steaks outside of South America. Yet, if you visited South America and had a chance to sample it, you might agree with me that this is one of the best steaks in regards to texture and flavor.
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Vasio, (Flap steak, or flap meat) (French-Bavette), comes from a bottom sirloin butt cut of beef, and is generally a very thin steak. Flap steak is sometimes called sirloin tips in New England.
The flap steak is sometimes confused with hanger steak as both are usually cut thin. Skirt steak is a cut of beef steak from the plate. It is long, flat, and prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. It is not to be confused with flank steak, a generally similar adjacent cut nearer the animal’s rear quarter.

Related image
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P.S.
Cherrie Peppers Relish is my new go-to condiment/sandwich spread.
You can prepare it yourself, but it is widely available in stores and online in good quality and various spice-levels, from mild to burning hot 🙂
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Click here to see another South American favorite of mine, the Picanha
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Click here for an extensive list of Beef Cuts from around the World
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Click here for Salsa Aji Amarillo Recipe on Chefsopinion
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Mashed Avocado with Salsa Aji Amarillo Recipe :
Mash the flesh of one ripe avocado with 1 tblsp chopped cilantro, 1/4 tsp garlic paste and kosher salt and salsa aji amarillo to taste
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Vacio (Beef Loin Flap), Sauteed Banana Peppers, Cherrie Peppers Relish and Mashed Avocado With Peruvian Salsa Ají Amarillo

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

: cut 2 ea 8 oz steaks, season with kosher salt, cayenne pepper and granulated garlic, season 2 ea large banana peppers the same way

: saute steaks and peppers in 2 tblsp peanut oil until peppers are blistered and steaks are cooked according to your liking, serve with amashed avocados on the side, top the steaks with the cherrie peppers relish

: Vacio (Beef Loin Flap), Sauteed Banana Peppers, Cherrie Peppers Relish and Mashed Avocado With Peruvian Salsa Ají Amarillo

: Vacio (Beef Loin Flap), Sauteed Banana Peppers, Cherrie Peppers Relish and Mashed Avocado With Peruvian Salsa Ají Amarillo

: Vacio (Beef Loin Flap), Sauteed Banana Peppers, Cherrie Peppers Relish and Mashed Avocado With Peruvian Salsa Ají Amarillo

: Vacio (Beef Loin Flap), Sauteed Banana Peppers, Cherrie Peppers Relish and Mashed Avocado With Peruvian Salsa Ají Amarillo

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Beef Neck And Vegetables Soup

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Beef Neck – probably the most underrated cut of beef overall. Simmered for soup or braised in red wine sauce, the texture and taste of this cut is only surpassed by beef shank. On top of that, since few people use it, it is the cheapest of all beef cuts, pound for pound. I hope it stays under-appreciated by most folks for much longer, so I can buy it often and in large quantities without breaking the bank 🙂
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Beef Neck And Vegetables Soup

Bella’s Portion

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Preparation :
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: simmer 3 lbs of beef neck in 4 qt of lightly salted water

: simmer until the meet is tender

: remove the beef from the soup, remove and discard the bones (at this point, there should be about 1 qt of stock left, if not, adjust by reducing the liquid or adding water

: cut the meat into bite size pieces

: add 4 small sliced carrots, simmer until the carrots are soft, add 1 ea diced avocado and 1 ea diced tomato to the soup, simmer for 1 minute, remove from heat, season with cayenne pepper and grated nutmeg to taste; check/adjust seasoning

: add blanched broccoli to a soup plate

: top with blanched cauliflower

: top with 1/4 of the meat, sprinkle with sliced scallions and grated parmesan (optional), place the plate with in a 200F degree oven to warm everything through (or use Microwave); to serve, add the piping hot soup; serves 4

: Beef Neck And Vegetables Soup

: Beef Neck And Vegetables Soup

: Beef Neck And Vegetables Soup

: Beef Neck And Vegetables Soup

: Bella’s Portion

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Baked Atlantic Cod Fillet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

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When I was growing up in the Black Forest in Germany, there were only two species of fish I experienced – the native Trout ( Bach Forelle ), which was available fresh in nearly every single restaurant, and Cod , which was the most affordable ocean fish, available fresh at most fish shops in the bigger towns and cities. Since trout was local and inexpensive, it was not really a treat for the kids, also, because it was usually served whole, head, skin and bones, it was something the parents ate, while the kids sticked to fish fingers made of cod fillet, served with plenty of sauce remoulade. 🙂
Once I became an apprentice and then during my many years of cooking (and eating) around the world, fish and seafood in it’s endless varieties became some of my favorite food.
For years, Turbot and Chilean Sea Bass (“Pacific Sea Bass” / “South American Sea Bass” / Merluza Negra / Patagonian Toothfish) , topped the list of my most beloved fish species. Then, surprise surprise, slowly but surely my preference wandered back to the simple Cod, where is stayed until today. Sadly, because it has lost it’s “inferior” reputation, the once very reasonably priced cod now costs the same prohibitive $-amount as any other good quality fish on the market.
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Baked Atlantic Cod Fillet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

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

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: blanche and drain one cleaned, quartered head of cauliflower

: season 1 ea 20 oz fillet of cod with sriracha, lemon juice and kosher salt to taste, dip both sides in panko crumbs

: place the fish and the cauliflower on a rack, brush cauliflower with melted butter, sprinkle with kosher salt and grated parmesan to taste, bake in a pre-heated oven (400 F) until fish is cooked through (turn fish once), ca 15 – 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet

: meanwhile, saute 8 ea peppers, 2 tblsp capers, 1/2 tsp garlic paste, 4 oz whole butter and kosher salt until heated through

: plate the fish and the cauliflower

: top with a few sprigs of fresh cilantro, top with the hot peppers, capers and butter (serves 2)

: Baked Atlantic Cod Filet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

: Baked Atlantic Cod Filet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

: Baked Atlantic Cod Filet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

: Baked Atlantic Cod Filet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

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Sautéed Chicken Thighs

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Sometimes when I think long enough about a certain dish, I can hardly wait to have it in front of me and to dig in.
Many times, my craving is so strong that I just want to have that particular item, with no “distraction” from side dishes, sauce or condiments. Such was the case with these chicken thighs, which madam and I nearly finished in one sitting.
Aaahhhh, gluttony…………. 😦 🙂
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season chicken with sriracha, granulated garlic, dried oregano, soy sauce and kosher salt for at least 6 hours, better yet, overnight

pat the chicken dry, saute in peanut oil on both sides until golden and crisp (about 12 minutes on each side, depending on the size of the thighs); the temperature on the bone, at the thickest part of the meat should reach 162 F; remove from pan to absorbent paper, the carry-over heat will take the chicken to a safe and juicy 165F (any more and the chicken will be dry) !!!!!

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Sautéed Chicken Thighs

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P.S.
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This dish is part of my upcoming meal plan # 2 –
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH TWO
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Click here for
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH ONE
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: Season Chicken with sriracha, granulated garlic, dried oregano, soy sauce and kosher salt for at least 6 hours, better yet overnight

: pat the chicken dry, saute in peanut oil on both sides until golden and crisp (about 12 minutes on each side, depending on the size of the thighs); the temperature on the bone, at the thickest part of the meat should reach 162 F; remove from pan to absorbent paper, the carry-over heat will take the chicken to a safe and juicy 165F (any more and the chicken will be dry) !!!!!