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Showing posts from May 15, 2011

Apology!!

Dear friends!! Tomorrow is a our daughter's birthday. Barbara has invited 12 friends for a 4 course seated dinner!! And insisted Maria and I cook.  So today and tomorrow you will have to forgive us because we will not share any of our recipes with you due to preparations. However we plan to make it up for you on Sunday by sharing what we prepared. Kisses to all, and have a good week end. Maria and Stelio

Filet Of Sole With Sauce Armagnac On Cilantro Noodles

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Gascony is the Green Part The Little White Area Below, Is The Basque Aquitaine Region Where Biarritz And St. Jean De Luz are. 1956 Armagnac Courtesy Of Wikipedia On Google. F ilet of Sole is the quickest fish to cook so it gives your mind time to think what to couple it with.  Cilantro, fresh coriander as it is widely known will accentuate the noodles passed into browned butter mixed with steamed carrots, string beans sweet peas and topped with an Armagnac sauce. Armagnac brandy is as delicious for some, just as Cognac is for others.  Armagnac is produced in the Region of Gascony , South West of France shown in phtoto above Courtesy of Wikipedia on Google. For this dish you will need : Serves 3 -  6 fillets of sole, thawed and patted dry. -  300 gms. of egg noodles. -  1/2 cup milk. -  4 Tbsp. unsalted fresh butter. -  1 small onion very finely chopped. -  1 garlic clove very finely chopped. ...

Le Trou Normand......A Palate Cleanser Between Courses

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M y good friends today I would like to share with you something very elegant,  a certain savoir vivre or etiquette, of rich dining. By rich I mean in calories and, if I may add, sumptuous. It all began in Normandy.  People in this region of France eat heavy meals with cream since this is the most common ingredient in most of their meals. Therefore a glass of Calvados, an apple brandy made in the area of Calvados in Normandy, is usually imperative between courses in order to digest the previous course until you "attack" the next. Courtesy Of Wikipedia On Google This custom was generalized in France and in the rest of the world in chic restaurants and in homes when the meal is rather heavy. This custom however did not stop at just drinking straight Calvados but it was extended to the preparation of a Sherbet (Sorbet) usually made with either green apples and Calvados, or Lemon or Lime (or both) with Vodka, or what ever could "Cleanse the palate betwe...

Stewed Eggplant....Another Greek Dish For The Family

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Eggplant.  In Greek Called: F l Ć” s k e s Courtesy of Goodgle W e are now entering the season for eggplant in Greece. Price per kilogram has gone down, and they look marvelously shiney, and firm. The type of eggplant that were used are the black, pear shaped ones called Flaska (FlĆ”ska is singular... FlĆ”skes is plural). You already know the health benefits of eggplant, now you only need to see how a Greek home would cook them for an everyday meal. (Basically my way). You will need: Serves 4 - 6 - 4 big eggplants. - 70 gms. of tomato paste. -  200 gms. grated tomatlo in juice. -  1 bouillon cube braised beef. -  1 big onion chopped. -  4 cloves of garlic chopped. -  1/2 bunch parsley chopped. -  1 hot green chili sliced. Method: -  Wash and omit stems from the 4 eggplants. -  Peel in stripes as in photo. -  Cut in thick slices and then each slice in four. -  Heat enough extra virgin olive  ...

Strawberry Jam.....What else ?

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I t may sound funny to you but I am absolutely sure that there may be some of you out there in this whole wide world who would love to find out how to quickly make strawberry jam.

Charcoal Grilled Sea Bass......Summer Is Approaching!!

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Fish After Thawing I f you spear fish, or just like to eat big fresh, just out of the sea fish, the best way to eat it is grilled on charcoal. Charcoal grilling gives this special grilled/charcoal flavor.  You can see where the spear hit the fish Just below the head and gills. I wish I were still in a good enough physical shape to continue snorkeling, and spear fishing like in the good old days in the Red Sea down in Hurghada and Safaga of Egypt. We always went in pairs never alone watching each others backs due to the sharks and the barracudas. This beauty was caught by a friend of Barbara's somewhere in the south of Greece, immediately deep frozen and we had it two days later. You can see where it was hit...perfect just below the head. Once again the predator in us has emerged! And ended up on our plate!! So if you are at the fish market, real early in the morning, or waited for the fishing boats t...

Prosciutto Di Parma Salad.....Perfect For Dinner

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Prosciutto Di Parma With Very Thin Slices Of Carrot And Iceberg Lettuce Q:  What could you eat for dinner when you had a big lunch ?? A:   A Prosciutto Di Parma Salad.

Baba Au Rum......Dates Back to the 17th Century A.D.

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Baba Au Rhum With Whipped Cream And A Twist Of Blackberry Sau B aba au Rhum , or Rum Baba is one of the oldest desserts in pastry making. I wouldn't like to bore you with the history of this dessert but if you would like to know more about its history, please follow the aforementioned link. It is really very interesting.