Haagen-Dazs 5 Ice Cream - The Mint Taste Test

I drew a line in the sand and the Haagen-Dazs 5 Mint Ice Cream stepped right over it without even blinking...

These little pints of goodness are only made with only five ingredients - milk, cream, sugar, eggs and one of the following:

• Brown Sugar
• Coffee
• Ginger
• Milk Chocolate
• Mint
• Passion Fruit
• Vanilla Bean

I love the fact that they're so simple and have a 1 flavor taste so you get to enjoy and embrase that one flavor.

Refreshing was the first thing that came to mind after I took the first bite. Remember it's not a chocolate mint that you're probably used to - It's just mint! And mint it is - I really enjoyed the flavor. The ice cream is nice and creamy and the simple ingredients reminds me of what my grandmother used to make. She only made vanilla (or at least that's all anyone that I asked could remember). It was usually an event when she would make it - the whole family would come over for a bowl...

I will say I've only had one (just) mint ice cream that I like better - I had dinner at Bouchon for my birthday last year and the chef made me these things called Bouchons - 3 little chocolate pastries with ice cream ontop of each one (see photo below). The middle one was a mint ice cream - made from mint out of the chefs garden (they call it garden mint ice cream)... It was so freaking good I could have eaten a gallon of it in one sitting - it was so good you should go the the restaurant just to get the mint ice cream. Anyhow, it's better than the Haagen-Dazs mint but don't let that stop you from getting the 5 Mint - it's good too...

I'm looking forward to tasting the others that are available - we'll let you know what we think as we try them!




This was the dessert the chef made me for my birthday at Bouchon - they called it Bouchons... The chef gave me a personal tour of the kitchen (which was absolutely amazing) - he spent about 20 minutes with us on a busy night - it was a fantastic evening!

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup

Julia Child's last meal was French onion soup...

When I was in Paris last year I had French onion soup for dinner Thanksgiving night. I'll say the setting was perfect - window seat, Eiffel Tower right outside - romance - love in the air - and a bitchy Chinese maitre d' (he was pissed that he gave us the best table in the house and we only ordered soup and a cheese plate). Sadly the soup wasn't all that. The cheese plate was pretty dang good though...

1/2 Cup butter (unsalted)
4 Onions, sliced
2 Garlic cloves, chopped
2 Bay leaves
2 Fresh thyme sprigs
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (white pepper sucks)
1 Cup red wine
3 Heaping tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Quarts beef broth
1 Baguette
1/2 Lb Gruyere, grated (or more if your a cheeseaholic)

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper - cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized. This will take about 25 minutes or so. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry - about 5 minutes or so. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Add the flour into the pot and stir in with the onions. Cook the mixture on a medium-low for a few minutes then add the beef broth. bring it up to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add a few pinches of salt and some pepper. Ladle the soup into oven proof bowls and float a few of the baguette slices in each bowl. Divide the cheese up and top the bowls well. Put the bowls on a baking sheet and stick them under a pre-heated broiler for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.




A lot of places in Paris gave you a little plate of olives to snack on before your meal...

I spent some time at the Eifel Tower before our dinner - it was a grand time. It was snowing up at the top but no snow was making it down to the ground. FREEZING

Not that it matters but my x-wife makes the best French onion soup I've ever had. She use provolone and mozzarella cheese on top of hers instead of Swiss though...

We will be doing a French onion soup video soon so keep coming back!

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

Jeffrey Saad's Harissa Steak Sandwich - I Think...

I was quite shocked that Jeffrey Saad didn't win this seasons Next Food Network Star. I remember when they said Melissa's name I said WTF? He was ripped if you ask me, I think Melissa will put up an ok show but nothing like what he would have done. His passion for food was unmatched on the show...

I had saved the show on the DVR and after watching it a few times this is what I came up with for his recipe...

For the steak:

1 New York strip steak
3 Tbsp Harissa
Salt and pepper

For the mayo:

1/2 Ccup mayo
1 Tbsp Harissa
1/4 Cup fresh chopped mint
1/4 Cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt

1 Baguette
1 Yellow tomato, sliced
2 Cups arugula

Pat your steak dry and season it with salt and pepper. Rub on 1.5 tbsp of harissa on each side of the steak. Grill to a medium-rare but no more than a medium (that would disrespect the steak).

Heat a small sauté pan to medium and add the olive oil. Once to temp add the mint and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or so. You will start to smell the garlic and mint. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and a pinch of salt. cook for another 30 seconds then remove from the heat and mix into the mayo. Add the Harissa to the mayo mixture and mix well.

Break down the baguette to make two sandwiches. Grill the bread for a few minutes just to get some color on it. Spread the mayo on both sides of the bread. Cut the steak on the bias and lay across the bread. Top with the tomato and arugula. Eat & Enjoy...

Just a note about Harissa - before it is cooked it has quite a punch. It's spicy, very spicy... Once cooked it mellows out a bit on the spicy heat side, but the flavor explodes! I like it on eggs...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko
CookingMyWay@hotmail.com

Harissa Steak Salad...

Lombardi's Coal-Fired Pizza Oven - New York City

Lombardi's Coal-Fired Pizza Oven - New York City

There's something about pizza that's cooked in a Coal-fired Oven. The taste really is different that anything you will find from a gas or wood-fired oven.

I finally had the chance to go to Lombardi's and I enjoyed every minute of it. The pizza was really good - and getting an up-close and personal look at their oven was really cool. The crust was absolutely fantastic. It had that flavor that only a coal-fired oven can give you. The only problem with my visit was that it was after spending a whole day at the Fancy Food Show so I really wasn't all that hungry. I had two slices of my pie and took the rest to go. I ended up giving it to some urban outdoorsman by my hotel.

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko
CookingMyWay@hotmail.com

My Pizza!

A Slice Of Pie!

The Coal-Fired Oven


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The Greek Chicken Dinner

The Greek Chicken Dinner

Well I'm Greek and I love Greek food - not a stretch there right? The odd thing is that I cannot ever remember having anyone in the family ever roast a chicken. It was made 100 other ways but never roasted whole. My Yia Yia Sofia (off the boat from Greece great grandmother) would break down the chicken then roast it but never whole.

Anyway, I wanted to make a special dinner and I decided on a nice roasted Chicken.




I started the meal with a quick and easy appetizer plate with Kalamata Olives, ajavar (a spicy red pepper dip), hummus, feta, and some, baked pita strips (pita, a dash of olive oil, & Penzeys Greek seasoning baked in the oven).










The chicken was quite simple - I took a roaster, washed it out and trimmed all the excess skin/fat off. I coated it well under the skin of the breasts, thighs, and legs with Penzeys Greek seasoning, salt, pepper, and a bit of extra oregano. I squeezed the juice from 2 lemons over the top of the bird and shoved as many halved lemons, and a handful of garlic cloves up it's bum as I could. I wash and slice the taters and placed them in the bottom of the roasting pan. I drizzled them with some olive oil, salt, pepper, Greek seasoning, and mixed them well so they were all coated well.

Preheat the oven to 400F - Roast for 2 - 2.5 hours

There was some Greek salad as well but the photo of it didn't turn out so well... Simple salad greens, thinly sliced red onion, olives, feta, oil and white balsamic vinegar.




Dessert consisted of some greek treets I picked up at the store (Hala here in Jacksonville). They were good and rounded out the meal...





There was enough food to feed 4 hungry people so we had plenty of leftovers. The next day we made Greek chicken and potato hash - but that's another story...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko
CookingMyWay@hotmail.com





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Candy

For the most part, anything made with chocolate is better in the UK. Now there are a few chocolate things I'll take that are made here in the USA over the UK version but not many. M & M's from the UK are my absolute favorite but I'm also partial to their Mars bars (and they make for pretty funky photos too). I'm not sure what the point of this post is but if there's anyone in the UK who wants to send me some M & M's I'll be more than happy to take them...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

Zucchini, Squash & Onions - Almost Healthy Food Warning

Zucchini, Squash & Onions

Yes believe it or not sometimes I eat food that's almost healthy for you. I guess you could go ahead and say this was healthy food but there are a few tablespoons of butter in the dish.

I did all the prep work for this dish with one of those little hand held mandolin slicers - It only took a few minutes to do...


1/2 Cup red onion, thinly sliced
2 Cups zucchini, thinly sliced
2 Cups Squash, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp black pepper (white pepper sucks)

In a large pan melt the butter over a medium heat. Once melted add the red onion and a pinch of salt. Let the onion cook for 3-5 minutes or until it starts to become translucent. Add the zucchini and squash, add a few pinches of salt and some pepper, then mix the onion through. Let cook stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. You want some of the zucchini and squash to maintain a crisper texture. Once cooked to your liking, drain off any liquid that was drawn from the veggies. Eat & Enjoy!

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Cornish Pasties - The Research

Cornish Pasties

I've been wanting to make my own Cornish Pasties for some time now. I'm working on finding a great recipe and the technique to get a proper one made. With the help of some friends and YouTube I think I've found the recipe and how-to knowledge to get the job done.

Photo by: Jim Hammer

According to Wikipedia - The Cornish Pasty is commonly associated with Cornwall, United Kingdom. It differs from a pie as it is made by placing the filling on a flat pastry shape, usually a circle, and folding it to wrap the filling, crimping the edge to form a seal. The result is a raised semicircular package. The traditional Cornish pasty is filled with diced beef, sliced potato and onion, and baked.

Just about every recipe I could find had turnip (or swede) in them as well. There is a woman who comes to a lot of the farmers markets in the area that makes pasties of all sorts, and they're pretty darned good - I'm on a mission to do better!

The Pastry:

The pastry part of the recipe I'm using came from a video I found on YouTube by a lady named Dianna Tennant (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu40YWWdDC0 - it's a great video and I suggest you check it out...). I looked at a multitude of recipes and hers looked the best out of all of them! She stated she had some 60 years of experience with making them so that's good enough for me! The only thing I changed from what she did in the video is add shortening/lard to the recipe. She did all butter for these because as mentioned in the video someone there was a vegetarian. I might add a simple eggwash for the top of the pastry before baking but I'm going to play with that thought for a while...

12 ounces all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2.5 ounces cold, unsalted butter
2.5 ounces lard/shortening
10-12 tablespoons cold water

Put the flour in a large bowl and stir in the salt. Grate the cold butter and lard/shortening into the flour. Lightly rub the fat into the flour - do not over mix it - there will be some large bits of the fat left over (I'm guessing this will be a uber flaky pastry once baked). Start with 7 tablespoons of the water and mix it in . Add another 3 tablespoons of water and continue to mix with your hands. Move the part of the mixture that has come together to one side of the bowl and add the remaining two tablespoons of water to the dry part. You do not need to knead the dough much - just bring it together. Divide the dough into for equal portions and roll out on a well floured surface one at a time. I will have to play with it but it looks like she rolled them out to a 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness. Fill, crimp in that special Cornish Pasties way, poke a small hole to let steam escape, and cook them on partchment paper for an hour at 400 degreese (200 C).


The Filling:

I couldn't find one recipe for the filling that really knocked my socks off - so I've talken a mixture of some of my favorites I found and came up with my own...

10 ounces chuck steak, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 small Idaho potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 turnip, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or more if your a pepperholic like I am)

Basically I'm guessing I'm just going to prep everything and divide it up amongst the 4 pasties. No prep is involved other than washing, peeling (where needed) and dicing the items. They all go in uncooked and everybody gets well seasoned as they go in.

I'm going to try these out in the next few weeks and will post a video and the exact recipe I end up using - so make sure to come back and see my triumph or tragedy in the Cornish Pasties challenge...

Mustard BBQ Sauce

Let me start by saying that I love BBQ, however I am not a BBQ Sauce fan at all - I'm a dry rub fan. If I have to put it on something I like the Bullseye one you can get at the market - but only when I have to! Get it...

This recipe however is the mac daddy of all Mustard BBQ Sauces. It's so freaking good you'll want to eat it like soup.

2 Tbs butter
1 Small onion diced
1 Tbsp whole brown mustard seeds
1/2 Tsp turmeric
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1/2 Cup prepared yellow mustard
1/2 Cup spicy brown mustard
1/4 Tsp Worcestershire sauce
2-3 Tsp hot sauce - we used Texas Pete's

Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan, add the onions and cook until they are translucent. Add the whole brown mustard seeds and cook over a medium low heat for 5 minutes. Add the turmeric, lemon juice, and balsamic and mix well. Add the prepared yellow and spicy brown mustard to the mix and incorporate well. Add the Worcestershire sauce and the hot sauce and mix well. Cook over low heat for another 15 minutes stirring often so things get happy happy and either cool and store in the fridge or use warm.

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Julie & Julia The Movie

So Julie & Julia comes out this Friday August 7th and I can't wait. Not that I want to rush out to see a chick flick but I'm game for anything that has to do with Julia Child! http://www.julieandjulia.com/ is the website for the movie. I find it interesting that it is based on two true stories - Julia Child's life and that connection with Julie Powell's life... I'm excited to see how they come together in the movie. I've cooked a lot of Julia's recipes in my day but I couldn't imagine doing 524 in 365 days! I cook a lot but that's one huge commitment. I think the most interesting thing to see will be all the blogs etc that come out from people who were inspired by the movie...

I haven't read Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchenyet, but I've just purchased it on Amazon and will be reading it when it get's in... I'm excited...

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Julia Child

Like so many others my life was changed by Julia Child. Her passion for food struck me deep even at a young age. I remember one day coming home from school and finding her show on TV - this was in a time when the only option was 4, 6, 10, and pbs (which I think was either 8 or 13)... At the first moment I fell in love. I remember thinking to myself this was better than cartoons. The first thing I remember seeing Julia make was puff pastry. She was wielding her rolling pin banging the dough like a master swordsman. The next thing I remember was watching her try and flip a pan full of what I think was potatoes - some of them didn't quite make it back into the pan and she blew it off like a cat falling off a ledge - dismissed it as it never happened. She picked up what fellout and put it back in the pan and went along her way. It was amazing... Through the years I always watched her and I'll never forget meeting her on one of her book tours. It was so amazing to personally tell her how much I thought of her and to shake her hand. Her birthday is August 15th and I'm trying to think of what to cook in honor of her. I've been thinking of something as simple as the perfect scrambled eggs (as done to her liking), Roasted Chicken (but Chef John at Food Wishes already did that), maybe a Spinach Turnover like the one she created with Simone Beck... Feedback would be helpful in this decision!




PBS Online: Julia Child Contains information and video clips from Julia Child's PBS television series: Lessons with the Master Chefs. In these programs, Julia shares the kitchen with some of the most respected chefs of our time.

France honors culinary legend Julia ...

Julia Child Uncensored Some midi clips put together by Ed with funny things Julia Child could say..such as Grampa with relish, Hundreds of hours & You should have pot, just to name a few.

NPR's All Things Considered: Julia Child Moves On Interview with Julia Child about leaving Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Julia Child Tipping Our Toques to the True Master An article that appeared on the electronic Gourmet Guide's website in 1996.

Julia Child...A BUTCHER, A BAKER, A MOVER & SHAKER An biography about Julia Child from written by Kira Albin

The BTC Wrap

I didn't eat much yesterday and when I was finally hungry all I could think about was a BLT. I looked in the fridge and I had all I needed except I was missing the L... I didn't let that stop me - Let me take a moment to say that when making a recipe if you don't have one particular item it doesn't mean you can't make the dish. Of course if you're making chicken marsala and you don't have any chicken you might be in a pinch - but if you don't have any pepper it's not like it's going to kill the dish to omit it. Anywho, my buddy The Tortilla Guy sent over a heap load of Tumaro's Wraps the other day and for the first time in all the shipments he's sent me the Priemium White Tortillas were in there! There is a difference in the tortillas at the store and let me tell you that Tumaro's Tortillas are the best I've ever had. They taste great and are a far superior product than the others...

Back to the BTC Wrap - I had Bacon, tomatoes, and well there's always a heap load of cheese in my fridge. So, you start with a wonderful Tumaro's Tortillas Wrap, lay down some many if that's your thing, add some cheese (I used the Kraft Deli American), tomatoes, a bit of salt and pepper, and finally your Bacon. Wrap, Eat & Enjoy...

1 Tumaro's Tortillas Wrap of your liking
1 Tomato sliced to your liking
4-5 Strips of cooked Bacon
Lettuce
Cheese if you like that on your BLTs
Mayo
Salt
Pepper

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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The Meatball Sub

The Meatball Sub

For as much as I love meatball subs I almost never eat them. I don't even have one a year - maybe two or three every five years or so... But I love them. I don't get them out often because I'm usually disappointed at what I get. I'll admit in the video I went a bit overboard on the meatballs in the sub, but I was trying to set the point that most places stick 4 meatballs in there and all you're eating is bread. The bread is an important part of the sandwich but I need some meat!

1.5 Lb meatballs
2 large hogie rolls
2-3 cups pasta sauce.
12 slices of mozzarella cheese

Cook the meatballs in the pasta sauce until they are heated through. Slice your hogie roll and open it up but do not cut all the way through. Lay down 4 slices of the cheese then top with meatballs then lay a few more slices of cheese on top. Broil for just a few minutes so the cheese gets nice and melted on top. Eat & Enjoy!

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Just for fun!

Penzeys Spices

Penzeys Spices

We all need a bit of spice in life... I enjoy food for what it is but the addition of a bit of spice in one form or another brings out the best in some foods... As in many things in life you have choices when it comes to spices - specifically in where you get yours. You can go to the market and purchase them off the rack or you can go to a specialty store. I choose Penzeys for my spices. I choose them because they have a fantastic product, and it's cheaper than what is available at the market. Yes - it is cheaper to walk into Penzeys and buy spices than it is a Publix. I assure you that what you get from Penzeys will be a lot fresher than what you will find in any market too... Penzeys doesn't sponsor me - so it's not like we're pitching their name and products to you for money - we do it because they are just that good... If you are lucky enough to have them in your city - walk through the door - if not - www.penzeys.com will set you up right...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

Johnsonville Beer Brats

Johnsonville Beer Brats

When I go for a brat Johnsonville is the brat I usually turn to. My favorite way to eat is brat is on a bun with spicy mustard and raw onions - Done - That's it - 4 items and stop. But sometimes I like to dress it up a bit with some roasted peppers and other fun things... It's a brat so do what you need to with it - but don't let me catch you putting ketchup on it - That's just not right...

http://www.johnsonville.com

Come vote for me!
http://www.createyourownville.com/ville/4284/Buckeye

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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A Trip To Dean & Deluca in NYC

I've been to some impressive markets in my days. This one was really nice in the specialty department. I was just walking around NYC one day after the Fancy Food Show and just ran into the market... There was a really cool Gourmet Crepes cart next to it that I was watching (see photos below) and when I looked up I saw the Dean & Deluca sign - I had to go in... The market is impressive but the thing that impressed me most was the vast amount of salt they had available. There are so many good markets in NYC but this one is worth seeing...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko





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Fresh Thai Green Curry - Shrimp

Fresh Thai Green Curry

The curry paste you can buy in the store is good but cumbersome to use, CurrySimple is really good and makes making Thai curry at home even easier - but FRESH is now and always will be the best...

I had always used the paste until we hooked up with CurrySimple which is what we use 90% of the time - I had wanted to try my hand at making fresh green curry and I have to admit at first I was a bit skeptical. After the first bite I was hooked! This is a bit more time consuming to make but well worth the effort. I still use the past and CurrySimple but again, Fresh is best...

1 Stalk lemongrass
3-4 Lime leaves (available at finer markets or most all Asian/Chinese markets)
1/2 Tbsp corriander ground
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tsp shrimp paste (will not miss this if you don't use it...)
1 Tsp sugar (this plays a big part in this so don't omit it)
3-5 Green chilies - we use 2-3 sorrano and 1-2 jalapeno peppers
2 Bunches green onions
3 Cloves garlic minced
1.5" Piece ginger pealed and chopped roughly
1/2 Cup fresh cilantro (coriander) including stems
1 Tsp dark soy sauce
1 Can coconut milk (do not shake this up! You need to separate off the fat)
1 Cup sweet basil chopped roughly

Start by preparing the lemongrass - Remove the bulb and any though outer leaves. Thinly slice then mince the lower half of the stalk - the top half can be discarded. Place in a food processor. Add everything else but the coconut milk and basil to the processor bowl and blitz until it all comes together - you're not looking for a paste here but you want everything well incorporated with itself.

You will want to fry up the curry before you add the shrimp. The best method to do this is to fry the curry up in the coconut milk. Separate the thick fat part of the coconut milk and add it to a pan. Turn up the head to a medium/medium-high - once up to temp add the fresh curry. You will want to cook the curry for about five minutes. Once the curry gets to a happy place add the remaining coconut and bring it to temperature. Once heated add your shrimp and cook it through (3-5 minutes depending on your shrimp - will be a nice pink when done). Best served with rice but works well with pasta as well...

Make your plate look good - remember you eat with your eyes before your mouth...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Fresh Thai Green Curry Shrimp 1 of 2



Fresh Thai Green Curry Shrimp 2 of 2

The Perfect Dinner

Pâté de Campagne
Tomatoes
Stilton Blue
Smoked Guda
Chev
Cucumbers
Radish
French olive mixture
Arugula
Peppadew
Brie
Peppered Sausage
Pine nuts
Homemade Dijon mustard
Olive oil
Nice crusty bread

Simple but so very good. It's fun to see what type of flavor combination you can come up with for every bite...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

Sour & Spice - Hot & Sour Soup

Hot & Sour Soup

The original recipe for this soup came from a Saveur magazine. We've added a few things over the years to make it our own...

For some reason Hot & Sour Soup has always held somewhat of a mystery to me. I used to work at a Chinese restaurant called 456 when I was a kid and it always amazed me when they made the soup. It was one of the few things that was made in somewhat of a secretive fashion. Until I read the recipe in the magazine I had never tried to make it myself (actually I have never made it myself, Tina always makes it). I do the prep work and always fuss to make sure the potato is cooked enough (she would put them in at the last second and have the half raw if she could)... Anyway, this is a very simple recipe and it's better than anything I've ever tried in any restaurant.

For the Pork:

1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp brandy (won't be missed if you don't use it)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 Lb lean pork, cut into 1/4" dice

For the Soup:

3 Tbsp cornstarch
8 Cups chicken stock (can use pork but chicken is better)
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tsp freshly ground pepper (or more if you're a pepperholic like me)
1/2 Tsp cayenne
1 Tsp coarse salt
1/4 Cup cubed peeled potato
1/4 Cup or so shitake or wood ear mushrooms, trimmed, and cut into a 1/4" dice
12 oz. Firm tofu, drained and diced to your liking
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 Tsp Asian sesame oil (not a necessaty we don't use it and the soup is great)
1/4 Cup chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

For the pork: Combine the soy suace, brandy (or some water if you're not using brandy), and cornstarch in a small bowl, add the pork and mix well. Let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes.

For the soup: Combine the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl. Put sotck, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, cayenne, and salt into a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add the pork, cornstarch mixture and reduce the heat to a medium low, and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup has thickened, about 30 minutes. Add the potato, mushrooms, and tofu and gently simmer until the potato is tender, 15-20 minutes.

Slowly drizzle the egg into the simmering soup in a thin, steady stream (do not stir as your pour, or the egg will form lumps). When the egg strands float to the surface, stir in the oil (if wanted).

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the cilantro. Eat & Enjoy!

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Part 1 of 2



Part 2 of 2





This soup goes well with Potstickers! That's another show...

Melissa d'Arabian Wins The Next Food Network Star...

I'm shocked! She did a good job but I'm really surprised that Jeffrey didn't win. They both put up some good food but I thought he would have made for a better show. It will be fun to see what she comes up with...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

Twitter!

Follow us on Twitter...

http://twitter.com/CookinMyWay Yes it's Cookin and not Cooking...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

Coriander Paprika Spice Rub

Coriander Paprika Spice Rub

1 Tsp ground Coriander
1/2 Tsp paprika
1/4 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp ground black pepper

Yes it's simple but toss it with some shrimp and you'll instantly see the WOW factor reach up and smack you right in the kisser... It works well tossed with just boiled shrimp, put on the shrimp then grilled or cooked in a pan... Just try it, you'll like it...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Chilled Cucumber-Chickpea Soup

This is a start to finish in 25 minutes dinner...

1 Coriander Paprika Spice Rub mix (see below)
1/2 Lb peeled and deveined cooked shrimp chopped
2 Medium cucumbers seeded and chopped
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
2 Cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 Tsp ground coriander
1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper
3 Cups ice cubes
1/2 Cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 Green onions, thinly sliced

For the Coriander Paprika Spice Rub

1 Tsp ground Coriander
1/2 Tsp paprika
1/4 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp ground black pepper

1. Prepare the Coriander Paprika Spice Rub. In a medium bowl toss the shrimp with the spice rub; set aside. Thinly slice enough cucumber to measure 1/3 cup; set aside. Peel, seed, and cut up the remaining cucumbers.

2. In a blender combine the cut-up cucumbers, chickpeas, tahini, mint, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, garlic, coriander, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Cover and blend until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.

3. Just before serving, with the motor running, add ice cubes, a few at a time, through the lid opening until smooth and thickened (blender should be about full). Pour into bowls. Top soup with the shrimp, sliced cucumber, tomatoes, and green onions.

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Video Coming August 09 2009...