The Great Chef

Although the term had been generalized to designate small pieces of browned bread, croûtons,  on its original French conception, consist of triangular pieces of bread, very lightly browned in clarified butter, that serve to garnish an entrée.  The ones I will be sharing here are not the original French croûtons . Instead, I this recipe is for making the most popular looking version of this garnish - little cubes of golden bread. The quantities are really only a suggestion. You can make pounds of croûtons  and store them on a sealed plastic container, if you want. This recipe renders about 3 cups. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Take half a loaf of white bread, preferably old, and cut it into small cubes. You can choose to take the crust of before cutting the bread. It is up to you and your taste. Personally, I prefer to keep the crust because it turns crispy and delicious. In a bowl, mix the bread with 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Transfer to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper

The heat is on and, as in every Summer, I struggle to eat. If you are like me, warm meals feels as good as a cold drink on a snowy day. For that reason, I have been cooking mostly light, cold meals. It might sound unappetizing but it is, actually, very pleasant.  Today's suggestion is from Portuguese inspiration and features salted cod, roasted green peppers, fresh tomatoes, celery and olives. Start by cooking two pieces of salted cod (previously soaked for, at least, 24 hours and several water changes). To get flaky cod, bring the water to a boil and immediately low the heat to a simmer point. Simmer for 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes more. In the meanwhile, roast two green peppers, either in the oven, on the grill or on the stove top. When roasted, put them in a plastic container with the lid closed up tight. The steam formed will allow to easily peel the peppers.  After cooking the cod, let it cool and clean it from skin and bones. Set aside

Happy 4th of July, for those of you who celebrate it! For those of you who do not celebrate this day, happy day anyway. After all, being alive is a pretty good reason to celebrate, isn't it? Today's recipe is perfect for barbecue reunions and I can assure you that you are going to rock when you serve this to your friends and family. Shrimp skewers are the easiest to make and to cause an impression. Besides, they cook in no time (can you beat 4 minutes?). The secret is to make a really flavorful marinade and let the shrimp suck all the flavors. The rest is pure enjoyment. So, here follows my recipe for shrimp skewers (the quantities shown are for half a pound of shrimp. Adapt accordingly). If not using prepared shrimp, start by peel and devein your shrimp. If using prepared shrimp, just make sure they are completely peeled. Then, take your blender and put in 1/4 a cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger, 1/2 a teaspoon of h