Sunday Breakfast - Caramelized Onion& Bacon Egg sandwich

Breakfast is undeniably the best meal, for many reasons.. You can probably eat "almost" anything and get away with it as you burn most of it, unless you plan to sit around afterwards. Regardless I love to play around with my breakfasts, something I wasn't accustomed to as I use to skip it. There are many benefits to eating in the morning, but for now I'll' stick to spilling my weekend Breakfast sandwich. 

Why a weekend? There are a few components to it, thus not a quick grab and go snack, but quite an indulgence to devour, so take the time on the weekend, or when time is free in your schedule, to try this little daredevil sandwich!

Yields 2 generous sandwiches 

Prep time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees f.

4 Slices of your Favorite bread - I use Pumpernickel

4 slices of bacon

4 eggs

8 slices strong cheddar cheese

1/2 small onion

4-5 mushrooms

1/8 tsp clove powder

1/4 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp butter

Mayonnaise

Sriracha sauce

Lettuce

Salt/Pepper to taste

EVOO

Step 1. Place your bacon on a flat nonstick pan, p[lace in the oven until crispy to your liking. Approx 15 minutes. Keep an eye while prepping the rest

Step. 2. Caramalized Onions and Mushrooms: Thinly slice the onion and mushroom, set aside. In a frypan, heat 1/4 tsp EVOO and saute the onions and mushroom. Once the oil is absorbed, toss in the butter and clove and when absorbed, add 1/4 tsp water directly into the frypan, this will make the onions turn translucent. Once the water is evaporated, add the balsamic vinegar, sprinkle salt and pepper and set aside off the heat once the liquid is absorbed.

Step 3. Prep all other ingredients, clean lettuce leaves, slice cheese and set your bacon when it's ready on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Once all is done, tackle the eggs, last minute as it won't take long.

Step 4. In a nonstick frypan, heat a 1/4 tsp EVOO and gently crack eggs. Cook over easy, and when turning poke the yellow a few seconds before you remove them from the heat, unless you like it runny. Sprinkle a little of Salt/Pepper. Set aside

In the meantime, toast your bread. Once ready to assemble:

Mayonnaise on the bottom

Cheese slices

Eggs over cheese

Place bacon over eggs

caramelized onions and mushrooms

drizzle Sriracha sauce

Lettuce leaves

Top with bread (you can put mayo or butter if you wish, but you have enough juice running in this sandwich)

Slice and enjoy... Try to eat only one :)

Sincerely

T @stuffedfaces

Sweet Soy Tender Flank steak

Flank steak is a great piece of meat when well marinated and properly cooked. Tasty, juicy and wallet savvy, this cut is well underestimated. Here's a simple marinade that will tenderize your meat and give it a succulent taste. You can prepare this as much as 2-3 days ahead, or the morning of. Obviously, the more the better.

yields 2-4 ppl

prep time 10 minutes

cooking time about 15min

Ingredients:

1 lb Flank Steak

1/2 tsp whole all spice

1/4 tsp whole cloves

1/2 tsp whole black pepper

1/8 tsp Thai chili flakes

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tbsp sweet soy (Bango) see below step 3 for more info

2 garlic cloves smashed not chopped

Once ready to cook

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp EVOO

1 tsp butter

Step 1. In a mortar and pestle preferably, put all dry ingredients except the salt and grind as fine as you can. If using a spice blender, don't over chop, as the texture still needs to be somewhat coarse. 

Step 2. Pat dry your flank steak with paper towel and set on a board. Sprinkle the dry ingredient mix and rub thoroughly on both sides.

Step 3. In a deep dish large enough for the flank, or a ziplock, mix rice vinegar with sweet soy. combine well and place your flank steak. Carefully smash the garlic cloves with the side of your knife and toss it in with the meat. Let it rest as much as possible, up to 2-3 days. I did it that morning and it was still tender!

*About sweet soy sauce: If you don't have it on hand, you can use regular soy adding a little sugar or molasses to cut the saltiness, although if you can find the sweet soy, you will definitely prefer it to the regular salty version. It's gluten free and has a better taste, without all its sodium. I purchased Bango from C&T or Marché Hawaii, or you can probably find it at any Asian supermarket. On average, it's priced as any other Gluten Free soy sauce but with more value as the bottle is larger. Thus all more to buy this one versus the standard soy kind. The texture is thicker, therefore I water it down if needed, or use it as is if I want a thicker sauce.

Step 4. Once ready to cook, Remove the meat from the ziplock about 15-20 minutes before cooking. Place it on a paper towel to absorb the liquid, as you need the meat to be externally dry in order to grill, if not the meat will "boil" vs "sear".

Step 5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees f.

Sprinkle and pat salt on both side of the flank. Put 1 tsp EVOO in a non stick fry pan on the stovetop on high, and once oil starts to "dance" in the pan, gently place your flank and grill 3-4 minutes per side, until nice and grilled. Toss in the butter and once melted, drizzle the meat with its sauce.

Step 6. Place in the oven, middle rack for about 5-7 minutes, depending the doneness  you like it. Increase cooking time if you prefer well done, although flank steak is great medium.

Here is a quick temp chart you can refer to.

Step 7. Remove and let stand on a wooden board for 1 minute before slicing.

Step 8. While the meat is resting, place back the pan on the stovetop high heat, add 1 to 2 tbsp broth and let the sauce reduce a few seconds. If you have remaining wine, you can use instead, although it may be acidic combined with the rice vinegar. you can mix wine and broth.

step 8. Slice the flank against the grain in thin slices. Place the meat on your plate and drizzle sauce reduction.

Serve it on salad, rice or even beef taco, flank steak is delicious no matter how you eat it!

** If you slice the meat and it's under-cooked, place the slices back in the pan over the sauce and continue cooking a few seconds on the stovetop.

Enjoy

Sincerely

T @stuffedfaces

Quick & Easy Delicious Duck Magret

Duck is one of my top protein choices when it comes to a leaner, tastier meat. Definitely a queen of its category. Some consider it to be poultry but should be treated as a red meat, thus you can cook it as so, medium rare preferably. Many people are skeptical when it comes to the pinkness and salmonella, although after many reviews and much reading, the important factor to retain is the temperature needed in order to kill the bacteria is 160. Thus, if you have noticed when cooking chicken, the breast will be whiter than the legs when cooked at that temperature as the meat is more red. Therefore same applies to the duck, as it's a red meat, the temperature will be at 160 and still quite more pink in the center. see link for more info

Duck is tasty, juicy and spectacular all in itself. You can definitely play around with the seasoning, although the importance is to understand the meat first, its cooking methods then experiment. Here is a basic recipe, for Duck lovers, apprentice or adept.

Ingredients:

Duck Magret

1 tsp coarse sea salt 

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

First off.. Clean duck is a happy duck

Step 1. Rinse and pat dry

You might find little brown spots on the skin, and that is completely normal. The meat simply needs to be rinsed under cool water and patted dry with paper towel. Set on a wooden board. 

Step 2. Remove the vein

Turn the duck magret skin side down, and you will find the central vein. It runs to the center, therefore carefully with a sharp knife, make a little slit along the vein to remove it completely.

Step 3. Ready to prep

Preheat your oven to 385 degrees f. 

Skin side up, score the skin making a checkered pattern.

Using coarse sea salt preferably, combine with freshly ground pepper and rub thoroughly the skin side only and in its cuts. That allow the fat to melt faster in order to properly sear your meat, and the salt will melt into the fat seasoning the whole duck.

Step 4. Sear it

In a non stick fry pan, place on stove top on High with NO oil and once hot, carefully place your duck skin side down and sear for 3 minutes or until golden and crispy. Proceed to searing all sides a few seconds leaving the meat part to sear last, for 3 minutes.

Place in the preheated oven, middle rack, for about 5-6 minutes. You can extend the cooking if you prefer medium well, although the more you cook it, the dryer the duck will be.

Remove and let stand for a few minutes before carving. This generally completes your cooking as well, therefore take this "cooking" time in consideration... Basically remove from the oven when it's almost to your liking!

Remember, duck fat is actually healthier than many other processed or cooking fats. read more Don't get thrown off when you see the amount of fat under the skin, as you are cooking with its own fat. Many chef recipes replace overall fats with duck fat.

Serve it on rice, salad or with some fresh vegetables, see my side dish recipe for tips cipollini & grelot potatoes and enjoy your delicious duck!

Sincerely

T @stuffedfaces

Side dish - Cipollini & Grelot potatoes

We find an array of main dishes, sometimes we just need some ideas on side dishes. You don't have to complicate things, the simpler the better... KISS; Keep It Simple S... 

I make a lot of protein, and this little side dish works with almost any of them.. Poultry, Duck, Red meat or even fish! Cipollini is a sweet little onion, simple to cook and goes very well with little potatoes called Grelot. You can find those in purple, white or red shades. The small size goes hand in hand with the Cipollini size, thus they cook at the same time and they marry well in taste. In addition they taste magnificent caramelized. 

Yields 2-4 people

Prep time 5 minutes

cook time 1h to 1:30h

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees f.

1 to 1 1/2 cup Grelot potatoes (depending how much you want to serve and/or potato size pref. smallest)

4-6 cipollini peeled 

1 large garlic clove chopped thick

2 scallion (green long onion) chopped finely

1/2 cup broth

1 tbsp EVOO

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Black pepper

1. Carefully poke the potatoes with a knife, around a few times. Peel the cipollini, chop the garlic and scallion, set aside.

*: sometimes cipollini are tricky to peel as the skin is thin. It can help to peel under water. Dry them if so, as the water sparks up in oil.

2. In a frypan, heat EVOO on high heat and gently add the potatoes, cipollini, garlic and sprinkle salt/pepper. Once cipollini is seared on both sides, add the broth and place the frypan in the oven, for 45 minutes. 

**: Make sure your frypan handle is metal. If plastic or not certain the material, cover complete handle with aluminum foil, to prevent melting.

3. Once 45 minutes elapses, verify tenderness of potatoes, it may vary depending on the size of the potatoes. 

4. Once done to your liking, remove and place in a bowl. Sprinkle the scallions and toss. If needed, sprinkle a dash of EVOO and salt/pepper.

NOTE: You can add any vegetable to this side, obviously there is no limit. Manage the cooking time accordingly, tender veggies add at the end such as zucchinis, other harder veggies such as carrots add at the early stages. 

Enjoy

Sincerely

T @stuffedfaces

Sweet Pulled Pork

Pork has many amazing cuts that are delicious and affordable. Shoulder is definitely one of my favorites, and gives a pulled pork the best of its kind. You can choose a fatty cut with the skin and fat on, or you can select a lean cut with skin and top fat removed. This time, I used the lean version since I have to cut down on fatty foods before summer kicks in, without cutting my favorite meals! 

There are many recipes for pulled pork, and again many ingredients you can enjoy playing around with. Remember, you always need bitterness to sweetness, or at least in my book you do. Thus, in every sweetened recipe; ribs, pulled pork etc., using brown sugars or any honey glaze technique, it is important to add a vinegar; white, apple cider or balsamic, to cut that sweetness. Don't forget your salt and pepper, even in small doses as it's crucial to most recipes (even deserts). 

Here's one of my pulled pork version, unique and delicious. You can stuff tacos, serve it on bread, toss it in pasta, sprinkle on your pizza or even serve it in the morning with a side of sunny side eggs... 

Whichever way you want to eat it, it's always good.

Yields 6-8 people 

Prep time 20 minutes

cooking time 5-6 hours oven or slow cooker

Ingredients:

Preheat oven at 250 degrees f.

1kg to 1.25kg Lean Pork shoulder

Dry mix combined in a small bowl

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Chili powder

1 tsp Mustard powder

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp Thai Chili flakes or 1/4 tsp regular Chili flakes

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp black pepper

Liquid in a deep roaster pan

1 tsp Ginger paste or fresh ginger grated

1 tsp minced garlic (jar or fresh)

4 whole cloves

150 ml tomato sauce can

1/3 cup red wine

1 tbsp white vinegar

1 sweet potato diced small cubes 

1 onion cut in quarts

1 tsp Salt/Pepper

Steps

1. Rinse and pat dry your meat, place on a large wooden board or plate.

2. In a bowl, mix well all dry ingredients. Coat the shoulder meat all around with dry mixture. Rub with hands, until meat is well coated.

3. In a deep oven roaster, mix all "liquid" ingredients, including the onions, sweet potato etc. 

4. Gently place the meat in the roaster with the liquid. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum wrap, sealing all around nicely. Make sure to overlap the plastic with the aluminum. That way, you are covering the plastic from the heat in order not to melt, and sealing the taste and steam. Place the lid as well, if you have (not necessary if you wrap properly).

5. Place in the preheated oven set to 250 degrees f, center rack for approx 5-6 hours depending the size of the roast. If using a slow cooker, follow same procedures and cook approx same time depending your cooker. 

NOTE: You can do it overnight, lower your heat if so at 175 degrees f.

6. Remove from the oven, place the meat aside in a separate dish and with a hand blender, puree the liquid. As the sweet potato, onions and all other chunks will be very tender, you can also use a potato masher if you don't have a blender. The texture will thicken the pulled pork, the sweet potato will give a natural sweetness and starch.

7. Place back the meat in the pan, shred with 2 forks and combine with the mixture. You can taste and adjust any components, salt/pepper etc. 

8. Increase heat oven to 400 degrees f. and finish uncovered until preferred consistency, less sauce more time, more sauce less time!

Enjoy

Sincerely

T @Stuffedfaces

Orange Basil & coriander Chicken

This recipe stunned me. I wanted to try something different and combined a few ingredients I had and came up with this recipe. If you've already tried a similar version, than I'm sure you will enjoy this one.

The combination of the Orange with the basil and coriander creates an aromatic, delicious and unique taste to chicken. It's simple, quick and will surely get your guests or family talking about this dish.

Here's how to make it…

Serves 4

(increase equally for more)

Prep time 15 minutes

Cooking time 45min to 1h00

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 385 degrees f.

1 tsp EVOO

1 tsp butter

4 Chicken Legs with skin

Rub:

1 tbsp coriander grains

zest of 1 orange

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Sauce:

4 small juicy oranges squeezed

1/8 tsp ground cloves 

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chicken broth low sodium preferably or homemade  

1/4 tsp sesame oil 

1/2 cup sweet basil chopped (Asian basil preferably is sweet)

Steps: 

1. Rinse and tap dry the chick, lay on a wooden board and set aside.  

2. In a mortar and pestel, grind the coriander, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper till coriander is fine, almost powdery. Add the orange zest and combine. Rub the chicken all around, also under the skin.

3. In a large non stick pan, on med-high heat melt EVOO and butter to brown the chicken. The butter and Oil gives a nice browning texture and prevents from burning. Sir the chicken skin side down first for a few minutes until nice and gold and turn skin up to brown bottom as well. This creates a nice "shield" for the chicken keeping the meat juice inside while cooking and gives a beautiful nutty taste. 

4. In a bowl, combine Orange juice, broth, cloves, 1/4 salt, basil leaves chopped and sesame oil. whisk and pour over the chicken.

5. Place at the center of the oven uncovered for approx. 

45 minutes. Baste your chicken with its juice every 10 minutes or so. The more you baste, the better the taste and skin comes out.

6. To know if your chicken is ready and not overcooked, with a knife poke the meat near the thickest bone (longest part to cook), generally drumstick and press down. The juice should be clear, not pink and the chicken should remain juicy and not dry. You can use a meat thermometer if preferred, but I've had surprises… That way you are certain. 

*NOTE: Many presume chicken should be dry to be ready, which is false. You want it to be juicy but clear color. (PS: if the chicken is cooked in a red base such as tomato juice or paprika etc, don't look at the color of the juice, but more at the meat color near the bone, as the liquid color will continuously be red.) 

Serve on a bed of Jasmine or Basmati rice and a side of sautéed kale. 

Enjoy

Sincerely 

T @stuffedfaces 

Succulent Beef Stroganoff

 Beef Stroganoff is simple, easy and light on the wallet. You can feed a complete family, a friendly supper or simply have some for a few leftovers, regardless this feeds quite a bit at an affordable price... And of course is delicious! 

serves 4-6 people 

Prep time 15 minutes 

Cooking time approx 1h30 (can be done a day ahead)

Ingredients

1 tbsp EVOO

0.8 to 1 kg Beef blade roast

1/2 tsp Salt 

1/2 tsp Pepper 

1/4 ground cloves

2 large Garlic cloves finely chopped 

1 large Onion in slivers

1 1/2 cups chopped mushroom (white or café)

2 Bay leaves

1 tsp Balsamic vinegar 

1/2 cup Red wine

1/2 Cup water 

2 cups broth preferably homemade

1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan

*NOTE: Your skillet should be deep enough in order for the meat to be almost soaked, but should have about 2 to 3" empty around the meat. If the skillet is too large, you will need too much liquid to cover the meat and the sauce will take quite a while to reduce.

1. In a large deep skillet with a cover, heat up the oil on med-high heat to sir the meat. Dab your meat on both sides with paper towel, and sprinkle salt, cloves and pepper on both sides. Once oil is hot, sir meet approx 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside on a plate. 

2. Keeping the heat on, saute Onion, mushrooms and Garlic. Cook for a few minutes and add the bay leaf, balsamic vinegar and wine. Stir well and place the meat over the mixture and slowly pour in the the broth and water. The meat should be somewhat covered with liquid. Cover and lower heat to med-low. You want a gentle simmer for approx 1h00, turning the meat halfway.

3. Uncover slightly and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes. The sauce will thicken by reducing. If the sauce is still too watery, increase heat and leave a bigger gap open, watch it every 10-15 minutes as it can dry rapidly. Once done, your meat will shred with a fork. Turn off the heat, shred throughout and set aside.

Assembling

4. Boil your pasta al dente. I use egg thick pasta as the combination is lethal and holds the sauce perfectly. Once your pasta is ready, strain and drizzle a small amount of EVOO on your pasta before tossing in the sauce. If you don't want to use all the sauce, put back the pasta in your pan and pour in the sauce with meat as you wish. 

5. Toss and add most of the shredded Parmesan (depending if you make all or not), and mix. Let stand a few minutes before serving as the cheese melts in the sauce and the pasta absorbs the liquid while it complets the cooking of the pasta, giving this dish a match made in heaven.

Sprinkle some freshly ground pepper and a dash of more cheese and dig in!

Enjoy

Sincerely 

T @stuffedfaces