texture

Breakfast Of Champions # 63 – Veal Blade Steak With Poached Eggs, Tzatsiki & Pita

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The beautiful 2 lbs veal blade steak on this page cost all of $ 5.00. As soon as I got home, I felt like kicking myself not to have bought a few more to keep in the freezer to serve in the coming few weeks. While not the most tender of steaks, veal blade bursts with flavor and has a wonderful texture (think of strip loin cap).
Anyway, I did not go back to the store since I know that it features this cut as a special often, so there will be no problem to repeat the wonder of this superb breakfast 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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sauteed blade steak

Breakfast Of Champions # 63 – Veal Blade Steak With Poached Eggs, Tzatsiki & Pita

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Preparation :
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: peel 4 ea mediun size cucumbers halfway

: grate cucumbers, salt generously, mix well, let stand for 15 minutes

: squeeze most moisture from cucumbers

: add 1 cup Greek yogurt, 1 pinch cayenne pepper, 1 pinch ground cumin juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 tsp garlic paste , mix well; check/adjust seasoning (chopped mint and finely sliced dill optional – I personally prefer without)

: tzatziki

: 2 lbs bone-in veal blade steak

: season with kosher salt, cayenne pepper and sweet paprika powder to taste, dust in a/p flour

: saute on both sides until medium well, remove to serving plate, top with poached eggs, serve with tzatziki (drizzled with plenty EVO) and warm pita

: while the steak cooks, poach 3 eggs for 3 minutes, remove to absorbent paper

: sauteed blade steak

: Breakfast Of Champions # 63 – Veal Blade Steak With Poached Eggs, Tzatsiki & Pita

: Breakfast Of Champions # 63 – Veal Blade Steak With Poached Eggs, Tzatsiki & Pita

: Breakfast Of Champions # 63 – Veal Blade Steak With Poached Eggs, Tzatsiki & Pita

: Breakfast Of Champions # 63 – Veal Blade Steak With Poached Eggs, Tzatsiki & Pita

: Breakfast Of Champions # 63 – Veal Blade Steak With Poached Eggs, Tzatsiki & Pita

: Breakfast Of Champions # 63 – Veal Blade Steak With Poached Eggs, Tzatsiki & Pita

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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 :
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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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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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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 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 :
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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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Parmesan Crusted Sautéed Pork Medallions, With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

Parmesan Crusted sautéed Pork Medallions, With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

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Pork tenderloin – so versatile, tasty and wonderfully textured. What’s not to love about this “other white meat” 🙂
However, make sure you cook it to a safe temperature without overcooking it. Frankly, I don’t understand the trend to cook pork medium or even medium rare.
Besides the obvious health risk, medium or rare-cooked pork has a horrible texture. But then, maybe that’s just old-fashioned me ?
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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(The National Pork Board recommends cooking pork chops, roasts, and tenderloin to an internal temperature between 145° F. (medium rare) and 160° F. (medium), followed by a 3 minute rest.
Since large cuts increase approximately 10° F. while resting, remove them from the heat at 150° F. followed by a 10 minute rest).
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top the potatoes with the medallions

add 2 tblsp of tomato sauce to each medallion, top with the sautéed veggies

Parmesan Crusted sautéed Pork Medallions, With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

Parmesan Crusted Sautéed Pork Medallions, With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

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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 the head and the tip off of 2 ea porktenderloin. (Reserve the heads and tips for another dish), flatten the remaining 4 pieces into madaillons

: mix 1/2 cup shredded parmesan and 1/4 cup of corn starch, season with cayenne pepper and granulated garlic to taste

: dip and press both sides of the medaillons into the mixture

: saute the medaillons together with 16 ea small, blanched potatoes in EVO until the pork is cooked to your liking and the potatoes are golden and crisp

: plate the potatoes on a serving dish, reserve the pork on a warm plate

: saute 1/4 red/green/ and red pepper julienne together with 1/2 medium sliced onion and 6 ea small crimini in 1 tblsp EVO, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: top the potatoes with the medallions

: add 2 tblsp of tomato sauce to each medallion, top with the sauteed veggies

: Parmesan Crusted Sautéed Pork Medallions, With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

: Parmesan Crusted Sautéed Pork Medallions, With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

: Parmesan Crusted Sautéed Pork Medallions With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

: Parmesan Crusted Sautéed Pork Medallions, With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

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Black Pepper & Soy Chicken Wings

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If you think one more post about chicken wings is redundant, I do understand you 🙂
Just move on, don’t get upset, bored or annoyed. I will see you at my next post…….
However, realize this: You’ll miss a chance to look at one of the prettiest, tastiest, no-fuss to prepare chicken wings you will ever come across 🙂
So, if you decided to read on and look on – enjoy, take the time to replicate these babes and be the master of your own future-favorite chicken wings 🙂 Cheers !
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P.S.
If you can not obtain anatto powder (Annatto/Achiote/Roucou ), you can substitute red food coloring (In my humble opinion, this is more of a “pride-issue”, rather than a quality-issue) 🙂
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P.P.S.
I did no include measurements in this recipe because I believe they are not necessary.
If you want to add any more or any less of any seasoning, just do so according to your own taste.
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Black Pepper & Soy Chicken Wings

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Preparation :
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: season chicken wings with peanut oil, freshly-cracked black pepper, soy sauce, kosher salt, lemon juice, chili oil, granulated garilc, hoisin sauce and annatto powder to taste, cook on a rack in a pre-heated oven at 400F until cooked through, about 45 minutes, depending on the size of the wings

: Black Pepper & Soy Chicken Wings

: Black Pepper & Soy Chicken Wings

: Black Pepper & Soy Chicken Wings

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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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Grilled Shrimp And Peppers-Brochette With Red Wine-Bucatini And Pangrattato

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While grilled shrimp is a dish that is well known to most of us, pasta cooked in red wine is probably less known/experienced by most folks, even those who are fans of pasta in all shapes and tastes 🙂
I for one have cooked pasta in red wine a few times, many years ago, but had forgotten about it since, until I came across it while browsing through some of my (very) old menus, notes, and pictures.
I have cooked this now twice in the past couple of weeks, and it has become one of my absolute favorite side – and even main-dish. The secret to preparing this pasta successfully lies in the red wine. Please, don’t even consider to use an inferior bottle of wine. Of course, you also don’t want to break the house, but, as with all very simple dishes, your success lies squarely on the quality of the ingredients. Also, it is my opinion that this pasta works best with butter instead of olive oil, since a really good EVO would, in my humble opinion, overpower the flavor of the wine. Again, this pertains to my very own taste preference and might work differently for yours 🙂
Also, panko in the pangrattato is a better choice for me than regular breadcrumbs 🙂

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P.S.
Before somebody gets’ their knickers in a twist about the pangrattato – there is no ONE way of preparing it. Pangrattato simply means “grated bread”.
It can be toasted, cooked in a dry pan until golden, sautéed in butter or olive oil. It can be highly seasoned or just a little, it can contain herbs and/or whatever dry ingredient suit your palette and the dish you prepare. 🙂
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Red Wine-Bucatini

Grilled Shrimp And Peppers-Brochette With Red Wine-Bucatini And Pangrattato

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Preparation :
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: saute 1/2 cup panko with 1 stick butter until golden, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste (see the P.S. on this page for further options)

: pangrattato

: bring 1 qt of the best redwine you can affort and 4 oz butter to a simmer; meanwhile, cook 1 lb of bucatini in lightly salted water for 2 minutes, drain

: immediatly add the freshly-cooked bucatini to the simmering red wine, season lightly with kosher salt, cayenne pepper and garlic paste, simmer until al dente (at this point, there should be about 1/2 cup wine remaining; adjust if neccessary), check/adjust seasoning

: peel and devein 3 or 4 ea head-on 24/27 size shrimp per person, season with kosher salt, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to taste, thread on bamboo skewers, alternating with colored bell peppers

: brush the brochettes lightly with peanut butter

: grill on both sides until almost cooked through (the carry-over heat will do the rest)

: place the bucatini on a serving dish, sprinkle with most of the pangrattato, top with the brochettes, sprinkle the remaining pangrattato on top

: Grilled Shrimp And Peppers-Brochette With Red Wine-Bucatini And Pangrattato

: Grilled Shrimp And Peppers-Brochette With Red Wine-Bucatini And Pangrattato

: Grilled Shrimp And Peppers-Brochette With Red Wine-Bucatini And Pangrattato

: Grilled Shrimp And Peppers-Brochette With Red Wine-Bucatini And Pangrattato

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Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

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“Congee With Mushrooms, Carrots & Egg (Chinese Rice porridge)“
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Excerpt from a previous post of Congee on ChefsOpinion :
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” Rice Porridge –
The first thing that comes to mind is probably baby food or hospital gruff.
Most folks would never think of ordering it from a menu in a restaurant, much less wake up and crave it for breakfast, if they hadn’t tasted or at least seen it before.

Now, let’s try again :
Congee. Lúgaw. Chok. Xifan. Juk. Okayu.
OK now, that’s better 🙂

Sounds more interesting and exotic? These are just a few names given to rice porridge around the world. If there is a country or region which traditionally eats rice, then there is some form of rice porridge eaten.
Congee can be enjoyed as breakfast, snack, lunch or dinner. Congee most often contains rice, but other grains can be used.
Ideally, it is made with strong, tasty stock that infuses great taste and debt into the dish. But from there on, let your fantasy run wild. Congee can be made with seafood, meat, vegetables or a combination thereof.
Then there are the toppings – Pickled vegetables, fried shallots, sliced scallions, any mushroom, crisp fried garlic, dried shrimps, 100-year eggs, cilantro, etc, etc.
If you like it, put it on.
Below is a version I made on Sunday for breakfast. The texture is more like a Filipino Lugaw, with the rice VERY soft but still keeping its shape. “.
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Congee With Mushrooms, Carrot & Egg

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: to 1 qt chicken stock, add 2 cup cooked Fan (Chinese steamed rice) and 1 cup cleaned, sliced carrots; simmer until the rice and porridge has the desired texture and the carrots are tender (if too dry, add more chicken stock)

: meanwhile, saute 1 cup sliced mushroom of your choice in 1 tblsp peanut oil until lightly browned, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, reserve

: when the congee has the desired texture, add 4 whole whisked eggs, simmer one minute, remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning, plate in a bowl

: drizzle with chili oil (optional)

: sprinkle with 1 tblsp sliced scallions, top with the sauteed mushrooms

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushrooms. Carrots & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushrooms. Carrots & Egg

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Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

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Goulash is my favorite meat stew, no matter which protein is used – beef, veal, pork, poultry or game. The texture, color, and flavor have great appeal to me.
While there are of course different ways of preparing goulash, as well as different recipes, the main mark of a good goulash is to use the same amount of onions as protein, a great amount of sweet paprika powder for color and texture (sometimes hot paprika is added), as well as a special season mix of 1/3 thyme, 1/3 caraway seeds, and 1/3 lemon peel (yellow part only), all finely chopped and added to the meat while sauteing, to impart a rich, un-mistaking goulash-flavor. Of course, salt and pepper is a must.
Naturally, as with most dishes that have been around that long, there are dozens of variations,- you can add (or not) garlic, rosemary, bell peppers, potatoes, marjoram, red wine, bell peppers (zigeuner goulash) and even sauerkraut (Szegediner goulash). Also very popular is goulashsuppe (goulash soup). The big difference between preparing goulash and a regular stew is that for goulash, the onions are sautéed first until broken down and lightly colored, THEN the meat is added, and sautéed until all liquid has evaporated.
Because of the collagen in the meat, as well as the large amount of onions and ground paprika, no flour is needed to thicken the sauce.
Best enjoyed with pasta, goulash can also be served with rice, bread dumplings or potato dumplings, mashed potatoes, croquette potatoes, roast potatoes or just plain rustic bread.
Myself, I enjoy any type and version of goulash, paired with any good side dish that’s available 🙂
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Click here to read all about “Original Hungarian Goulash”,
as well as its History and Evolution through the Centuries.
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Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

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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 bone and skin (optional, I like the skin in my pork goulash) from a whole, medium size pork butt

: cut the meat in cubes

: saute the meat and bone (optional), together with 1/3 cup goulash seasoning (1 tblsp lemon peel, 1 tblsp caraway seeds and 1 tblsp thyme, all finely chopped) in 1 tblsp olive oil until the meat is seared

: meanwhile, chop 2 ea med size onions,1 ea large, de-seeded red, green and yellow bell peppers

: add the veggies to the meat, saute until the onions are translucent

: add 1 cup tomato paste, 1 cup sweet paprika, 1 tblsp curry powder, 1 tblsp garlic paste, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, saute another minute, add 1 1/2 qt pork,- veggie- or,chicken stock

: bring to a simmer

: cover and slowly simmer until the meat is very tender but NOT falling apart

: meanwhile, cook 8 oz pearl pasta (Israeli couscous) until tender, drain, mix with 4 stalks finely sliced scallions, 2 tblsp melted butter and salt and pepper to taste

: saute banana peppers (optional) until lightly blistered, season with salt and pepper to taste

: saute 1 ea cup of mixed, diced bell peppers, season with salt and pepper to taste, add 2/3 into the goulash, simmer another 3 minutes, remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning

: to plate, top the goulash with the sauteed peppers (and banana peppers if chosen)

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

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Cantonese Soy Sauce Chicken ( See Yao Gai ) ( 酱油鸡 )

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If roast chicken is your favorite chicken dish, it’s probably because you never had the opportunity to taste this marvel of Chinese cuisine. Even if you did taste it, you most likely thought that this is way too complicated and difficult to prepare at home.
Well, here comes ChefsOpinion to the rescue 🙂
I am happy to give you all the info you’ll need to prepare this wonderful, actually simple to prepare, flavor-bomb at home.
Once you see the easy step by step instructions and how few ingredients are required, you will surely ask yourself why you’ve never tried your hands at this before. Enjoy ! 🙂
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