Gordon Ramsay's Scrambled Eggs

Wow, it's been forever since I've posted on here, and I'm hoping to change that beginning with this post.  So I've watched this video numerous times over the past couple years, but never tried to cook this as Gordon did.  The past two mornings I've made scrambled eggs this way, and I can vouch it's my new favorite way to scramble eggs.  These come out to creamy and perfect...I can't imagine going back to my old methods.  Check out this video, and give it a try..you won't be disappointed.  The only drawback to this method is the cleanup in a regular pan...I may get a non-stick sauce pan just for this recipe....maybe LOL. 


Gordon Ransay's Scrambled Eggs

Braised Short Ribs

One of my favorite things to make when it's chilly outside are braised short ribs.  This little one pot meal is always a crowd pleaser, and sure to fill your house with all kinds of good smells.  I use a Le Cruset dutch oven as my browning and baking dish.

1.  I use the grocery bag I brought home the grocery store as my flour bad.  Put some flour along with a good amount of salt and pepper into the bad.  Place the short ribs into the bag and shake.  This gives a nice even coating, then you can simply throw away the bag!

2.  Brown the floured short ribs on all sides, set aside on a plate.

3.  To the oil in the pan, add a diced onion, 5-10 cloves of garlic chopped, a carton of brown mushrooms, salt, pepper and a few pinches of dried thyme.  Sauté a few minutes, then add a cup of red wine and a cup of beef broth.

4.  Add the browned short ribs, meat side down, along with some small potatoes.  If the liquid doesn't almost cover the meat, then add equal parts of wine and broth to make that happen.

5.  Pop the dish into the oven, covered and let it cook for 3 to 3.5 hours on 325.






When it comes out of the oven, it will look like this.  Gently take out the ribs and place them on a plate.  Plated, it looks like the final pic.  I did some Broccolli as a side, simply steamed then buttered with salt a pepper.

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Cioppino

One of my favorite dished to make is Cioppino, or Italian seafood soup.  This is such a simple dish to serve, but rather complex to make if it's done right.  They key to a great cioppino is making a great stock that the seafood is cooked in.  I always try to keep any shrimp shells or especially lobster shells that I use throughout the year.  Sometimes you can get shells at your local market...but I've found that is getting more difficult these days.  For the stock I use:

Shrimp Shells....quite a few! 
Onion
Two Garlic Cloves
Three Carrots cut up
Three celery stalks cut up
Teaspoon of whole peppercorns
Three bay leaves
Two pinches of fennel seeds

Saute all this in a stock pot for a few minutes, then add water to cover by 4 inches.  Cook this for 30-40 minutes...no more..it will get bitter.  Once cooked, strain through a fine mesh strainer. 

Now that the stock is done, it's time to make the actual broth you will cook the seafood in.  To the stock add:

1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon of basil, marjoram, and thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste...it will take quite a bit of salt!

Simmer this for at least an hour to cook out the raw tomato taste and to let all the spices meld together.  If you like your broth a bit more spicy...add more pepper flakes...but be careful, you don't want to overpower the seafood.

Once the stock is done...it should look like the pic to the right.  Now that it's at a simmer or low boil, it's time to add the seafood.  The fun part it you get to choose whatever you like.  Usually my choices include a firm fish cut into cubes, shrimp, small clams and scallops.  Be creative and add whatever you like.  If you add it all at once...usually everything is done when the shell food opens.

Serve with toasted bread for dipping.  I forgot to take a pic of my soup, but I've included some stock photos of what it looks like.

Enjoy! 

Broccoli and Bacon Salad

I love to find things that completely surprise me, and this little dish is a winner in my books.  Here in Texas we have grocery stores name HEB.  In my local HEB they have a cooking center where store cooks / chef's take store ingredients and create something yummy.  This is usually bundled with a sale on various products...it is a store for goodness sake.  I always like to try what they have, and in most cases it's usually tasty, but not something I'd make at home.  In this case...I bought every ingredient  and duplicated this at home.  Our local chef that created this at HEB is named Suzie.  I love chatting with her and applaud her for creating this dish.  Simply follow the instructions on the card below and enjoy!  A pic of what I created is below.  

NOTE:  This makes a LOT of salad.  I halved it and it would serve 4 easily.  

TATER TOT Casserole

 Good Morning and Happy Saturday

So this is one of my favorite morning meals, I suppose because it has Tater Tots in it. This is always a crowd pleaser, and best of all it heats up so well the next day if you have some left over!

The first step in this dish is to decide what you want as your filler.  In this dish that is posted, I used cut up Asparagus, diced ham, bacon and onion.  The best part is YOU can choose anything you wish.

HOW TO MAKE:

1.  Whisk up 5 eggs with a bit of milk.  To this mixture add Salt and Pepper to taste, and if you wish add some seasonings like Thyme, Basil, etc.

2.  Saute your filling mixture of whatever you like.  (non-stick pan!)  If you want to use what I did...simply sauté the above.  When you have cooked this for about 5 minutes, add a couple handfuls of Tater Tots.  Distribute everything evenly in the pan, then mix in your egg mixture.  Immediately mix in a bit of shredded cheese, stir a bit, then sprinkle more cheese on the top

3.  Once the cheese is on, Bake in the sauté pan at 350 until the mixture is set.  This usually takes about 20 minutes.

4.  Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes.  Using a spatula, slide onto a plate as you see above.  Slice and serve!

Additions:  Here are some things I like to top it with when serving.

a.  Sour Cream
b.  Salsa
c.  Chives

Enjoy this.....it's YUMMY!

Eat Well
Kevin

Pork Loin Roast with Garlic and Cranberry Compote

Happy New Year

So to get started in 2015, I thought I'd put up a recipe I did a few weeks ago that turned out pretty well.  What I cooked was the end piece of a complete Pork Loin I purchased and cut into chops.  The ends taper down and make a fantastic roast if you don't over cook them.  For this recipe I marinated the roast in an Italian dressing and froze it after being sealed with my food saver.  This was a super method for getting the marinade in the meat and provided nice additional flavor.  After thawing, I heavily salted and peppered the entire roast. I then seared off the meat, getting good color on it, and finished it in the oven with many garlic cloves that had been tossed in olive oil.  I used an external thermomiter and brought the internal temperature to 150 degrees.

I served this with a cranberry compote I made using fresh cranberries, sugar, some lime juice and a touch of cinnamon.  A quick sauce of asparagus, red onion and red bell peppers were also invited to the party.  I'm pleased with the way this came out and would most definitely make it agin.

Tofu Bake

As most of my readers know, I was vegan for many years, and this was one of my favorite comfort food dishes I invented about 7 years ago.  Meat lover or not...this is simply good food that's pretty good for you.  It's a great dish to keep in your arsenal if you need to provide a dish for your veggy / vegan friends.

INGREDIENTS:

1 BLOCK OF EXTRA FIRM TOFU CUBED
2 CUPS OF BROCCOLI FLORETS
1-1.5 CUPS OF MUSHROOMS QUARTERED
1-1.5 CUPS OF QUARTERED SMALL RED POTATOES

Ingredients

1 CUP OF ASPARAGUS CHOPPED
3 TABLESPOONS OF PEANUT BUTTER
3 TABLESPOONS OF TAHINI
1 TABLESPOON OF KOREAN CHILI PASTE
1 TABLESPOON OF CHILI PASTE / SRIRACHA
1 TABLESPOON OF SESAME OIL
3 TABLESPOONS OF SOY SAUCE OR BRAGGS
WATER TO THIN AS DESIRED

First step is to chop all your ingredients.  What I listed as my veggies is what I like, but feel free to change it up and add or subtract what you like.  When using potatoes as I do, it's important to cook it longer so the potatoes get done!

Mix in a large bowl

In a large bowl add the peanut butter, tahini, Korean chili paste, sriracha, sesame oil soys sauce and some water.  You want a consistency that is somewhat like the thickness of a good paint.  Once this is mixed, toss in all your prepared veggies and toss to coat everything in the sauce.

Pour entire mixture into a baking dish and cover with foil.  Bake at a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.  Remove foil and cook for a while longer until you see a bit of color on the top of the bake.

Serve this over brown rice with a nice glass of white wine....it's YUMMY.