Nice, France

One of the most beautiful place I've ever been. Nice is located on the Southeast coast of France on the Meditteranean Sea. The city is called Nice la Belle which means Nice the Beautiful. When in Nice you need to go to Cours Saleya flower market. Leading to the market, you'll find cafe's, bakeries, truffle boutiques and olive oil shops. This is the place where we experienced provencal cuisine such as  Nicoise salad, bouillabaisse, Pissaladiere, and Socca. 

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is the capital of the Catalonia region of Spain. Catalan food is similar to Mediterranean cuisine, with close proximity to the sea, provides access to fresh seafood. Fresh herbs and vegetables are used in abundance.

My favorite part of barcelona is la Rambla the city's main street, which is filled with vendors and street performers. La Boqueria the market along La Rambla is where you can taste the best Catalan cooking from different food stalls. It was featured in Anthony Bourdain's  'No Reservation' Spain episode.

Mercado de San Miguel-Madrid, Spain

Around the corner from Botin Restaurant and the famous Plaza Mayor is a foodies paradise called Mercado de San Miguel. One of my favorite place to eat and explore the madrileno cuisine is at this place. Almost all the Tapas that you dreamed of trying prior to arriving in Madrid are located in different stalls inside this market.

Botin - The oldest restaurant in Madrid, Spain

On our trip to Madrid, Spain, we had to visit the OLDEST restaurant namely - BOTIN. Cochinillo Asado (Roasted Suckling Pig) was on top of our list of "must try" food. This was shown on Food Network and we just had to make sure it is as good as they make it to be. We were not disappointed! It is a must try and must visit when in Madrid, Spain.

Asian Style Grilled Pork Chops

Ingredients:

1/2cup Lite Soy Sauce(Kikkoman)

1/2 cup Kekap Manis-Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce. (You can get it at any Asian Food Store)

Juice of Half Lemon

1/2 tsp Curry powder

1/2 tsp Corriander powder

1/2 tsp Garlic powder

1/2 tsp Onion powder

1/4 tsp Black pepper

1/2 tsp Sesame oil

1 tsp Olive oil or Canola oil

5 pcs Pork Chops( 1/2 inch thick)

I mixed all the ingredients and marinade the meat. 

Then I placed it inside the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. 

Placed the meat on a pre-heated grill-on High Heat.

It took me around 10 minutes to cook the chops

The meat is tender, juicy not too sweet..just perfect for me.

Roast Five Spice Pork Belly

I was craving for a good Roast Pork Belly and decided to go to Sam Woo Restaurant  (located in Van Nuys, CA), where they serve roasted pork, ducks, chicken etc. The roast pork was very dry and the skin was no longer crunchy - because we arrived there late afternoon and all the good parts were gone. Otherwise Sam Woo always has good Roast Pork -  I suggest to get there early lunch to avoid disappointments. Since my craving for good roast pork was not satisfied, I decided to try to make my own Five Spice Roast Pork Belly...the recipe is as follows: 

Ingredients:

4 lbs Pork Belly with Ribs (sliced into 3 pieces)

1 tsp five spice powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

Salt to taste

10 cloves of fresh chopped garlic

1 tsp Vegetable Oil (for basting)

I placed the pork belly inside a ziploc bag with the chopped garlic cloves and kept it in the refrigerator overnight.

I remove the chopped garlic and mixed the Black Pepper and Five Spice Powder together. 

I used the mixture to rub all over my pork belly (season with salt according to taste) and then I placed it in the skewers to start the Rotisserie.

I basted the meat with vegetable oil (one time) to brown the skin and meat evenly.

Checked the skin after an hour when the skin is soft - I used the tip of the knife to prick the skin all over to make the skin crispy.

After 2 1/2 hours the skin had a perfect crisp and evenly cooked. I removed it from the skewers and let the meat rest for 10minutes before slicing.

The finished product is what I have been craving for, the meat was tender and moist - the skin was to die for (crispy and tasty)

Grilled Rosemary Chicken

Recipe~

7 chicken thighs with skin

1 tsp fresh rosemary

1 tbsp fresh italian parsley

1 tsp lemon rind

3 cloves garlic minced

Mix all the ingredients together.

I stuffed the herbs under the skin, then seasoned both sides with salt and pepper lightly.

I placed the chicken skin side up on a pre heated grill for around 10 minutes.

...then transfered the chicken on the top rack, put the fire on low (for slow cooking)

and cover it for 20 minutes. I checked every 1o minutes just to make sure the chicken is not

burning.

Turned the chicken skin side down for another 15 minutes to crisp the skin

It took around 45 minutes to cook the chicken. Transferred to a plate

and squeezed a few drops of lemon on it while its hot.

This is a very simple yet very tasty dish. The herbs and the chicken, combined together is boasting with flavor (you can taste the Rosemary, garlic, Parsley,lemon rind) and the texture of crisped chicken skin with squeezed lemon is just heaven.