tasty

” Veal Broth With Matzoh Ball’s & Veal Rib’s “

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For many year’s I buy most of my beef, morcilla and chorizo from an Argentinian butcher in Hialeah who sometimes calls me for “specials”.
Usually those are offal and other cuts he has difficulty selling to his American customers, but which he knows I treasure. His older Latino and Haitian customers are also not afraid of that stuff, but the younger crowd usually prefers more mainstream cuts. Wednesday he called me because he had some “specials”. To my surprise, when I got there the specials were veal ribs. It is beyond me why he called me for these, because clearly everybody loves ribs. ( Maybe he was just trying to be nice, not usually one of his outstanding attributes 🙂 Anyway, for $4.50 a pound I did not complain and came home with 10 pound of them (Plus some other goodies)
So here we go :
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Soup:
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Simmer ribs with celery, carrots, onions, leek, garlic, ginger, star anise and chopped tomatoes until ribs are tender, about 2 hours.
Remove ribs, set aside. Strain broth, season with salt, cayenne pepper, lime juice and maggi seasoning.
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Matzo Balls Recipe:

1 cup matzo meal
3 eggs

3 tblsp oil or rendered chicken fat

1/4 cup seltzer (exact amount depends on the size of the eggs and the coarseness of the matzo meal)
3 tblsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste

Mix all wet ingredients together, then fold in matzo meal, salt and pepper and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Shape into golfball sized balls, drop into boiling water, cover, turn down to a simmer and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until fully cooked (cut one in half to check if it’s done).

To serve, combine ribs, broth and matzo balls , sprinkle with
chopped cilantro or sliced chives. Grated parmesan optional.
(Not kosher, but I use it anyway)
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Es gezunterheyt ! עס געזונטערהײט ! Life is Good !
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” Penne Rigate alla Contadino ”

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Last nights dinner, rigate alla contadino,
a rich concoction you might find at a poor farmers table.
Even at a simple farmers dinner table you can find pasta,
sausage, cheese, cream and vegetables.
With a little imagination and love for food, you can turn these
simple ingredients into a dish fit for a king 🙂
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Ingredients :

Penne Rigate, cooked al dente, strained, reserve some of the cooking liquid
Morcilla, thinly sliced
Chorizo, thinly sliced
Peppers, julienned
Onion, julienned
Garlic, paste
Tomato, wedges
Scallions, sliced
Parmesan, grated
Hot sauce, to taste
Salt, to taste
Cream,
Olive oil,

Method :

Saute onions and garlic until translucent, add chorizo and peppers and saute one more minute.
Add pasta,cream, cheese, morcilla and seasoning, simmer and mix well for another minute.
If texture becomes too thick, add some cooking liquid until you have the desired texture.
To serve, sprinkle with scallions and more parmesan.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Moqueca de Frutos do Mar “

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Another 10 minute meal that looks and tastes like a thousand bucks 🙂
When I worked at the Intercontinental in Rio de Janeiro,
I had this for lunch at least twice a week at the pool restaurant.
Last night when I made this, I felt transported back in time to Rio
and it’s many beautiful treasures, the food, the caipirinhas,
the vistas, the beaches and,most of all, the beautiful people who live life to it’s fullest.
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Ingredients :

2 lbs of mixed seafood
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
6 onions, chopped
2 green peppers, de-seeded and chopped
2 red peppers, de-seeded and chopped
2 bunch spring onions spring onions, finely sliced
6 limes, halved
2 tbsp light olive oil
1 pint coconut milk
3 tablespoons light olive oil _ *
1/2 ladle dende oil (substitute with annatto oil) _
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method :

Heat a large sauté pan with the olive oil.
Saute the onion and garlic until opaque.
Add the sea food, saute for two minutes.
Add the coconut milk and bring to a gentle bubble.
After 2 minutes, carefully stir the seafood.
Slowly simmer until the seafood is almost done.
Add the remaining vegetables and half the
herbs and simmer for two minutes.
Transfer to a large serving dish and sprinkle with
remaining herbs and spring onions.
Drizzle lime juice and dende oil (if available) over the top.

*Cook’s Note: Dende Oil is an African palm-oil,
widely used in the Brazilian state of Bahia.
If not locally available, substitute with annatto oil.

Bom apetite ! Vida é boa !
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” Breakfast Of Champions ” # 7 Hearty Sandwiches

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School was cancelled today,
Although the message did not reach me, so I got up at 3.00am anyway.
I got to the school at 5.00am. Around 6.00am I was wondering why nobody
showed up, so I called my boss. I was back home at 6.30am, HUNGRY !
So there I was, hungry and ready for a good breakfast and a movie 🙂

Hot peppermint tea, , yoghurt, vanilla ice cream;
Grilled rye bread, spicy guacamole, tomato, brie with black pepper;
Grilled rye bread, spicy guacamole, tomato, aged asiago, chili flakes;
Grilled rye bread, spicy guacamole, tomato, genoa salame, chives;

Life is Good !
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” Healthy Mac & Cheese and Guacamole “

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“Healthy” mac & cheese ? Why not, it’s got veggies 🙂
Well, there you have it. It all depends on how you look at things.
But honestly, what’s wrong with a good meal of pasta, cheese, cream
and vegetables ? Nothing ! Just don’t do what I did :
Eating too much of it at one time. ( The pic’s of the individual portion
should indicate a proper portion for the health- and weight- conscious).
Everybody else : Just dig in and enjoy.

Life is too short to feel miserable about thing’s that make you feel good!
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Ingredient‘s :
Pasta:

Ziti, cooked al dente
Carrots, blanched
Broccoli, blanched
Celery, finely diced
Garlic, paste
Whip cream,
Whole egg, whisked
Salame, diced
Sharp cheddar, shredded
Parmesan, shredded
Brie, finely diced
Salt, to taste
cayenne, to taste
Chili flakes, to taste
Maggi, to taste
Butter

Guacamole :

Avocado, diced
Lime, juiced
Fresh chilis, finely sliced
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Garlic, paste
Salt, to taste
Cayenne, to taste

Method :
Pasta :

Butter a ovenproof casserole generously with butter.
Mix all ingredients except the chili flakes and half the parmesan.
Fill casserole to the rim, sprinkle with parmesan and chili flakes.
Bake until set and crust is golden. Serve with Guacamole.

Guacamole :

Mix all ingredients until guacamole has the texture you desire.
The more you stir, the more the avocado breaks down and the
guacamole becomes smoother, less chunky.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Salad Of Romaine, Salame, Gorgonzola & Pomegranate / Blueberry Dressing “

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Although I love pasta and stews of any kind more than any other food,
a close third place is definitely a nice salad. Last night the salad God’s
were knocking at my door, leaving me with this wonderful, quick and easy
concoction :
Romaine, salame, roquefort, egg, carrot, tomato, onion and
pomegranate / blueberry Dressing.
Salad Heaven, right there 🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Romaine lettuce, cut
Tomatoes, sliced
Onions, sliced
Carrots, julienned
Eggs, made into thin crepe, julienned
Garlic, paste
Salame, thickly julienned
Gorgonzola, coarsely crumbled
Dressing, Pomegranate / blueberry/garlic

Method :

Mix all ingredients lightly and serve with a slice of rustic bread
to mop up the dressing and bits at the bottom of the plate.

In this case I used ready made dressing ( Litehouse Pom / Blueberry),
which I enhanced a bit to my taste with garlic paste. Obviously the
choice of dressing, as well as any other ingredient to this salad is
open to change and additions. Just follow your heart, your
cravings and your phantasy 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Salmon Parisienne, Bean & Mushroom Ragout “

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When I cooked this dish last knight I realized that I have not seen anything ” a la Parisienne ” on a menu for many years. What a shame that so many classic dishes and methods simply disappear from the repertoire of our younger chef’s. Granted, old fashioned and steeped in tradition might not be practical or popular on a daily basis. But I feel we should not completely stop to learn and enjoy the classics. How long before we all get sick and tired of the one hundred’st version of grilled fish with salsa ? Let’s mix it up a bit ! Mix the classics with the modern, the traditional with the new, the tried and proven with the daring 🙂 I vote for a greater repertoire for our younger food enthusiasts in order to keep the spirit of our culinary profession vibrant and alive !
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Ingredients :

Salmon filet, cleaned, skinless, marinated w.salt. pepper, lime juice
Whole egg, to dip fish
Flour, to dust fish
Butter, to saute fish

Baby portabellas, quartered
White beans, cooked
Red peppers, finely diced
Garlic, paste
Onion, diced
Scallion, sliced
Scallion , whole
Salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Butter, to saute vegetables

Method :

dredge seasoned fish in flour, coat with whisked egg, saute until
egg is tender and fish is cooked but still juicy. Remove to absorbent paper.

Saute onion and mushroom in butter until onions are translucent and
mushrooms start to brown.
Add Garlic paste, saute another minute. Add peppers, whole and sliced
scallions and seasoning.
To plate, put ragout on plate, top with salmon and garnish with whole scallion.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Dandanmian ” Chinese Noodles, Ground Pork & Vegetables

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” Dandanmian ” or ” Dan Dan Mian ” or “Dandan Noodles “.

There are many variations of this most simple dish, which originated as
street peddlers dish. Basic ingredients are ground pork, noodles,
spicy sauce with or without peanut- or sesame – paste.
Here is the Dandan I prepared for dinner yesterday
( I too do many variations of this dish) :
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Ingredients :

Chinese egg noodles, cooked, drained, coated with sesame oil
Ground pork,
Carrots, julienned
Bell peppers, julienned
Silver onions, peeled, blanched
White cabbage, coarsely sliced
Garlic, paste
Ginger, grated
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Oyster sauce,
Soy Sauce,
Chili oil,
Sesame oil,
Salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Chicken stock
Peanut oil

Method :

Saute pork in peanut oil until starting to brown.
Add garlic and ginger, saute until translucent.
Add chicken stock and all seasoning, simmer until
meat is soft. Add cabbage and peppers, simmer for
one minute. Add Noodles, mix well.
To serve, sprinkle with cilantro and drizzle with Chili oil.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Mock Pappardelle, Chorizo, Asparagus, Carrots & Gorgonzola “

My dilemma is:
I love pappardelle, but I seldom make fresh pasta
at home and I have never seen pappardelle on a store shelf,
at least not here in South Florida. The solution?
Use lasagna sheets. Break them into irregular shapes before
you cook them. The result was very satisfying for me and I will
resort to this many times to come, if, for whatever reason, fresh
pappardelle are not available or impractical to make from scratch
at the time. ( For whatever reason ) .
Don’t knock it before you try it ! 🙂
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Ingredients :

Pappardelle, cooked al dente, strained (or substitute pasta)
Chorizo, thinly sliced
Asparagus, blanched
Carrots, blanched
Gorgonzola, coarsely crumbled
Garlic, paste
Black Pepper freshly ground, to taste
Salt, to taste
Olive oil

Method :

Saute garlic and chorizo in olive oil until garlic becomes translucent,
Add all other ingredients except gorgonzola, saute until all ingredient’s
are well combined. To serve, top with crumbled gorgonzola.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Breakfast Of Champions # 6 ” Farmers Omelette

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Today I finally found time again to do a proper breakfast,
after a week of peppermint tea and bananas.
During the week I get up at 3.30am and after a usual sleep time
of 3 to 4 hours, my desire to cook a full meal is usually subdued a bit 😦
Not today ! So here we go:
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” Farmers Omelette ”
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Ingredients:

Eggs, whole, whisked, seasoned with salt and cayenne
Grape tomatoes, whole
Asparagus, blanched
Carrots, blanched
Onion, julienned
Garlic, paste
Potatoes, blanched
Chorizo, thinly sliced
Chives, sliced (fresh or freeze dried)
Butter (substitute olive oil if desired)
Parmesan, grated
Salt, to taste
Cayenne Pepper , to taste

Method :

Sautee potatoes in butter (oil) until starting to change color,
add onion and saute until starting to brown.
Add garlic, saute until translucent, add all other vegetables
and seasoning and saute until heated through.
add eggs, cover tightly, lower heat and cook slowly until eggs are set.
to plate, invert onto serving dish, sprinkle generously with chives.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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