Salmon in Season again....

I cooked salmon for lunch since my wife worked in the weekend. Salmon fillets were pan fried and spinach was sauteed with garlic. Once done, balsamic vinegar was added at the side.

Quail Dish Again....

Nowadays I into spinachs, I love the texture and the taste of it.This side dish i cooked with onions.Quail was pan fried after it was marinated with thyms,olive oil, salt and pepper.

Tartar sauce ingredients are mayonaisse,mustard,shallot,lemon juice,parsley finely chopped, salt and pepper and as well relish optional.

Lunch Today

This past few days i didnt cook anything since my wife made nice home cooked dinner.Today i made dory fillet for lunch today with spinach and asparagus as side dish

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Pan Sauce

Last afternoon I use leftover chicken breast and vegetables to make this dish.......is a bit of a rush so i make pan sauce rather than other sauce that required more attention.So here it is...

Lamb with Pan Sauce

All I can said this dish was a failure, sauce is good but the texture of the lamb ruined it(old goat)....blast.

The younger the lamb is, the smaller the lamb will be, however, the meat will be more tender. Sheep mutton is meat from a sheep over two years old, and has a less tender flesh. In general, the darker the colour, the older the animal. Baby lamb meat will be pale pink, while regular lamb is pinkish-red.

My attempt

My attempt on presenting the foods with better outlook....need to try again :)

Beef Parts

UPPER HALF

Chuck - Most common source for hamburger
Rib - Short ribs, rib eye steak
Short loin - From which strip steaks are cut
Sirlion - less tender than short loin but more flavorful
*Tenderloin - Most tender from whick filet mignon is served
*Top sirlion
*Bottom Sirlion
Round - Lean cut,moderately tough.Lack of fat and marbling does not allow round steak to tenderize

LOWER HALF

Brisket - Often associated with barbecue beef brisket
Shank - Used primarily for stews and soups; it is not usually served in any other way due to it being the toughest of the cuts.
Plate - Produces short ribs for pot roasting and types of steak such as the outside skirt steak for say fajitas and hanger steak. It is typically cheap, tough and fatty meat
Flank - Used mostly for grinding, except for the long and flat flank steak, best known for use in London broil. Once one of the most affordable steaks on the market, it is substantially tougher than the loin and rib steaks, therefore many flank recipes use marinades or moist cooking methods such as braising. Popularity and leanness have resulted in increased price

Lunchies

Quails Stew

This is a lunch I made today. Actually stew is a very simple dish to do. All you need are vegetables. I used celery,red pepper, carrots and tomatoes,mushrooms,bacons, quails, bouquet garni : bay leaf,thyme and parsley.I used bacons as well for the smokiness. First heat up olive oil in a pan and pan fried the quails.It doesnt need to be cooked thoroughly as we will put it in the stew to cook. Once browned,put the quails aside. Second part of the procedure is sauted the vegetables. Once down,pour in the chicken stock to cover the vegetables,put in the bouquet garni(add in white wine as well if desired). Add salt and pepper to taste.Once done, put in the quails to cook.Simmer for about 20-40 mins and serve.

My Lunch Today

Lunch I cooked today consist of rib eye with pan sauce and creamy celery soup chilled.

As you can see the celery soup looks a tad white because i pour a splash of cream to much...hehe but the celery taste is still there definitely.I put a dash of extra virgin olive oil as well.The rib eye dish do not have any garnish at all. Just the steak and Im a carnivore...(If my wife see this she will nag me hehe)

A few dishes I cooked during holidays

From the top :

1)Rumpsteak with red wine vinaigrette reduction

2)Bacon rolls and poached egg with caviar

3)Steamed salmon fillet with salsa chiles

4)Pan fried quails with pan sauce

5)Pan fried quails on top of caramilized onions and shiitake mushrooms

Lamb Cutlets

This was the grilled lamb cutlets I cook yesterday with red wine vinaigrette.The 2 red lumps beside it is the caviar.The lamb cutlets were put on top of a handful of oyster mushrooms.Simple dish and a touch of rosemary scent really make a different. This will be the last post before holiday begins. Au revoir et merci

Chicken Breast with vegetables stuffings and Peasant Pasta

The lunch I cooked yesterday...

Peasant Pasta : Such a simple dish no fuss at all. Ingredients use is just pasta cooked al dente and minced meat only. Thats why I call it the Peasant Pasta

The chicken breast : Create an opening on the middle of the breast

Vegetable stuffings : I use diced carrot,celery,tomato and red pepper as stuffings.First heat up the pan with olive oil.Once hot, throw in some chopped onions and cook until fragrant.Add in all the vegetables and sauteed the vegetables with seasoning of salt and pepper. Stuffed the vege into the opening and add in mozarella cheese with stuffings.You can use any cheese as well.Leave spme vege for garnish.Once done use toothpick to seal the opening. Heat up the pan.Once hot pour in the olive oil, brown the presentation side first.Once it nicely brown, turn to other side and cooked.Once done, put it aside. Take a spoonful of butter, put into the pan and let it melt.Once melt, pour in chicken stock and a few rosemary sprigs as well.Let it simmer and reduce. Once done,pour on to the chicken breast..there you go pan sauce.

Rumpsteak

An old picture of the rumpsteak that i cooked. Very bland indeed as no dressing is used. Just an
Experiment that I want to try out. Simply want to taste a dish without any dressing or sauce or gravy. Just sauteed diced tomatoes and mushrooms and asparagus.Medium rare rumpsteak on top.

Second Course of New Year Dinner Course

Porkchop with Mushroom Gravy

The porkchop was marinated with olive oil, rosemary and season with salt and pepper,
and put into fridge for few hours before cooking.
Heat the grill/large pan with a dash of oil and butter.Put the porkchop on grill/pan for 5-6 mins before turning.Sprinkle with parsley and pepper to build up the flavor.Once cooked both side take out and rest on plate for a while before serve. We need to rest it because it allow the juice to be suck back by the meat so it will be juicy when you bite on it. Porkchop should not be too overdone as it will make it too firm. I done that before...
Now gravy nothing too complex here.Use the leftovers oil and the meat that stuck to your pan for the base.Use butter to soften it up and scrap out the meat pour and after that pour in a puree of mushrooms. Swirl it occasionally and simmer in low heat to reduce to preferred thickness and serve with porkchop.
This is my New Year Dinner Course. Simple and it make my wife happy.
Have a great new year everyone.

New Year Dinner Course Part 2

First Course :
Seared Cod fillet on top of sauteed mushrooms and tomatoes.

We up the up the ante a little bit, as the title said we need a cod fillet, parsley and basil leaves, butter, tomatoes, shititake mushrooms and of course olive oil, salt and pepper.
First I marinated the cod fillet with olive oil, covered the whole fillet with oil, sprinkle generously with parsley, add salt and pepper for flavor.Put in fridge for the cod fillet to suck in all flavor. Normally 1-2 hours is enough.
First heat up the pan with olive oil and add in the butter , dont let it burn, once ready put in the marinated fillet. Now searing the fillet means once you put in the fillet dont move it around as cooked fillet can break off easily.Searing means we brown the side without burning it.give or take 4-5mins then turn it the other side and sear it as well.When you sear sprinkle some basil leaves and pepper as well. Once you get that nice brownish side, take it out let it rest a while.
Sauteed diced mushrooms and tomatoes with olive oil over moderate heat and add salt and pepper or seasoning. Arrange the sauteed mushrooms and tomatos on plate.Place the fillet on top. There you go the cod fillet dish. Next up, second course porkchop