Month: February 2016

Month: February 2016

Beef Stir-Fry

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INGREDIENTS

  • 3/4 lb steak
  • 16 asparagus stalks (ends cut off), sliced into bite size
  • 1 thumb size piece ofginger, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • 3 scallions, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded, sliced into thin discs
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp mirin

 

Preparation:

Chop your steak into thin slices (putting it in the freezer for about 20 minutes will make it easier to slice, once the steak is harder).

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Fill half of a small pan with water and a little salt. Bring it to boil and add the asparagus.

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Blanch for 3 minutes. Strain and leave in cold water (to stop the cooking process).

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In a large pan over medium/high heat, add oil, ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute or until you can smell the garlic. Add beef slices and fry until the meat is cooked through (couple of minutes).

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Add jalapenos and asparagus, cook for a minute, add soy and mirin, cook for a minute.

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Turn the heat off and serve your beef stir fry with rice.

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A French Summer Picnic Sandwich

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Ingredients:

  • 1 large Boule ~ a round loaf of bread, as seen in photos
  • 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 6 Roasted Red Peppers from a jar
  • 1/2 Red Onion, peeled and sliced thinly
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Green Olives, about 2 dozen
  • 2 (125g) balls of Mozzarella Cheese, sliced
  • 3 fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 2 slices of cooked Ham, (I prefer air dried ham, but it makes the loaf difficult to cut)
  • Salt and pepper

 

 

Preparation:

 

First ~ cut the top of the bread, as seen in the photos, about 2″, and scoop all of the inside of the bread loaf ~ leaving a 1/2″ shell; crumble the bread between your fingers or in a food processor and freeze as breadcrumbs for cooking later.DSCN9661

 

Then the fun begins, you start to layer your sandwich ~ now, this is NOT written in stone, but these are the layers I prefer, for texture and flavor mingling!DSCN9664

First, you place three of your roasted red peppers in the bottom of the shell; I had to cut mine into halves to fit them in snugly.DSCN9668

Then add the sliced red onions and then some torn basil leaves and then the olives

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Next is the Mozzarella cheese, push the slices into the corners as far as you can, tearing some if need be, so they all fit snugly into the bread shell.

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Scatter a few more basil leaves over the tomatoes

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Next is the ham

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Now we start to duplicate the ingredients again, adding more roasted red peppers, then more mozzarella cheese and then lastly adding some more slices of fresh tomatoes, not forgetting to add seasoning.

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Crispy Mustard Fish

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  • Red snapper fillet -2 (or any other fish fillet)
  • Egg – 2
  • Mustard paste -1/3rd cup (Soak mustard seeds in water for some time and grind it)
  • Salt, pepper
  • Bread crumb – 1/2 cup

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Marinate fish with salt and pepper for 20-30 mins.

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Dip the fish fillet in mustard paste, it it’s coated properly. Next dip it in egg in both sides. Now dip it in bread crumbs so that it is nicely coated from both sides.

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Take a pan and heat oil (enough for shallow frying, you can deep fry it too if you want). Put the fish and let it cook for 7-8 mins in one side and flip it over and cook for another 7-8 mins. The outer coating should look golden brownish. (Cook in medium heat). Flip it 1-2 times more till it’s cooked evenly from both sides.

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8 INCH CHEF KNIFE

8 Inch Chef Knife

 

This is an essential tool in every cook’s arsenal; this chef’s knife is an all-purpose powerhouse. With a wide blade that’s great for chopping, slicing, dicing and mincing, this does-it-all tool is a versatile addition to any kitchen. This knife is designed for the professional chef and passionate cook.   Made in Germany from premium high carbon steel and manufactured with state-of-the-art technologies the Lightning ProCut knife delivers superior cutting characteristics. Gunter Wilhelm® innovative inner full tang design and antibacterial textured handle materials introduces a well-balanced blade with a beautiful look.

Crispy Roasted Potatoes

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Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp butter, melted
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
  • 4 shallots, thickly sliced
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 8 sprigs lemon thyme (more for garnish)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Combine the melted butter and olive oil in a small bowl.
  • Generously brush the bottom of a 9-10 inch baking dish with the butter and oil mixture. Set aside the remainder for now.
  • Peel the potatoes; slice each potato very thinly using a sharp knife or mandolin, keeping the potato intact as you proceed.

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  • Place the potatoes vertically in the prepared baking pan.
  • Peel the shallots and slice them lengthwise.
  • Wedge the slices of shallot randomly between the potatoes slices.

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  • Brush with remaining butter and oil.

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  • Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
  • Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  • Remove pan from oven and add the thyme sprigs.
  • Return to the oven and bake an additional 35 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through and top is brown and crispy.
  • Remove from the oven and sprinkle with additional lemon thyme for garnish.