Month: October 2012

” Truffles: The Most Expensive Food in the World “

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A  story about Truffles and –
good people, bad people , rich people, poor people and schmuck’s.

To see the Video and learn more, click  HERE

To read all about truffles, click  HERE.
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Image Source: Unknown

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Image Source: Unknown

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Image Source: Unknown

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” Still Life – Wurst Salad & Merlot “. Midnight On The Front Porch

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My  leftover Bologna and Asiago salad from yesterday came in handy last night ,
– and a good Merlot did not hurt either   🙂

Life is Good !
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” Sunday Lunch Made Easy ” Chicken & Veggie Soup

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Even if you dont like to spend much time in your kitchen on a sunday,
this soup is well worth the 5 minutes prep time and 30 minutes wait until it’s all simmered to perfection.
Happy Sunday   🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Chicken drum sticks,
Cauliflower,                      florettes,
Carrots,                              sliced
Celery,                                sliced
Leek,                                   sliced
Green peppers,                 diced
Scallion,                            sliced
Cherry tomatoes,             whole
Cilantro,                            chopped
Lime,                                  juiced for soup, sliced for deco
Salt,                                     to taste
Cayenne,                            to taste
Maggi seasoning,            to taste

Method :

Simmer chicken in lightly salted water until cooked through but still firm.
(No falling of the bone here, that’s overcooked)
Add carrots, leek and celery and simmer until just done.
Remove from heat, add salt, cayenne, lime juice, cauliflower, peppers and tomatoes and let steep for another five minutes.
To serve, sprinkle with cilantro and garnish with lime slices.

All about  MAGGI SEASONING

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Bologna & Asiago Salad “

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One  of my standby’s for a quick, hearty, delicious, no-cook dinner  🙂
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Ingredient‘s :

Bologna,                cubed
Asiago cheese,     cubed
Eggs,                       hard boiled, diced
Onion,                    diced
Roasted garlic,     paste
Scallion,                sliced
Salt,                        to taste
Black pepper,       freshly ground, to taste
Dijon mustard,    to taste
Olive oil
Vinegar

All about  WURSTSALAT

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Easy Beef Curry & Coconut Rice “

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Easy  beef curry !
This seems to be so wrong on different levels.
First, eating beef in india ?  Yes, of course. There are many christians and believers in other faith’s 
living in that vast country who don’t consider cows to be holy and therefore consume beef.
Also, in Goa there is a long and wonderful tradition of portuguese cuisine, using beef and veal in many of it’s recipes, sometimes pure and traditional, most often intertwined with indian cuisine which mostly results in a very distinctive cuisine, much loved by me.
Second, easy curry ?  Here I refer to my use of curry powder, which is definitely a much easier way than making your own mix from many different spices, roots and herbs (depending on the curry)

Traditionally, in Europe the general public did not know much about other countries ethnic cuisines ( with a few exceptions) until the late 50’s, early 60’s.When I was a young apprentice in the mid – 60’s, some of the more exotic dishes on our hotel’s menu were “Curries” usually shrimp or chicken, served with rice. These so called curries were a far cry from what we have learned and experienced by now what a curry is supposed to be. At that time, we did not make our own curry and masala mixes but rather used the ubiquitous “Curry Powder” , still to be found in most grocery stores around the world, available for those folks who want a quick fix of curry without the fuss. I have lived for some years in Pakistan and in South East Asia, as well as having visited India on many occasions. I consider myself an absolute devotee of curries in all of it’s myriads of incarnations. However, I am also a big sucker for the dishes of my home and my youth, so sometimes I have to make a decision which route to follow on that particular day for a particular dish or style of cooking. Yesterday the curries of my youth won out. The creaminess that is so characteristic of our old fashioned “curries” and the inclusion of fruit into the sauce ( apples, bananas, pineapples) has an appeal all of it’s own to me.
So, in the spirit of good food, no matter what, here is one of my versions of curry.
In the same spirit, there are many variations of coconut rice, this is one of my versions.

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All you want to know about  
CURRY

All you want to know about 
CURRY POWDER

All you want to know about CLASSIC FRENCH CURRY SAUCE
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Curry
Ingredients :

Striploin,                    sliced
Banana,                     diced
Onion,                        sliced
Cauliflower,              blanched
Cherry tomatoes,     whole
Heavy cream,
Ginger,                       grated
Garlic,                         paste
Curry powder,           to taste
Salt,                             to taste
Cayenne,                    to taste
Scallion,                     finely sliced
Cilantro,                     chopped
Star anis,
Cinamon stick
Peanut oil                   to saute

Method :

Saute beef on high heat until medium rare and brown.
Remove on rack to catch juices.
Saute onion, ginger, garlic, 1/2 scallion, 1/2 half cilantro, cinnamon, anis and curry powder until fragrant.
Add cream and slowly simmer to reduce until sauce has become creamy.
Add juices from beef, simmer another minute , season with salt and pepper to taste.
Strain sauce, add beef, cauliflower and tomatoes and heat through without simmering.
To serve, sprinkle with remaining scallion and cilantro

Coconut Rice
Ingredients :

Basmati rice,             thoroughly washed to remove excess starch
Coconot milk             2/3 liquid
chicken stock             1/3
Onion,                         diced
Ginger,                        grated
Garlic,                          paste
Salt,                              to taste
Cayenne,                     to taste
Butter,                          to saute

Method :

Saute onion, garlic and ginger until fragrant (no color), add rice and saute for another minute. Add stock,  coconut milk and seasoning, bring to a simmer.
Cover tightly and simmer until all liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender and dry, about 25 to 30 minutes, depending on rice and applied heat.
DO NOT STIR DURING THIS PROCESS !
When rice is cooked, let rest off the heat for another five minutes before removing lid.
Fluff rice carefully with a fork. To serve, sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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P.S.
My previous post about another “Curry”
Enjoy !    🙂
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All about  CURRY WURST
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Currywurst, Berlin style

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” Christopher Walken’s Cooking Show Is Very Christopher Walken-y “

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He is just so funny with everything he does  🙂
– Funniest thing though – the pretty genius trying to open a wine bottle – hilarious.
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Image Source: Wikipedia

Watch Video HERE
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” Borscht “

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On a cold and / or rainy night, a hearty borscht will make you instantly
feel better and give you great visual as well as culinary satisfaction.
I have had borscht with all kinds of protein, fish, beef, pork, poultry,
and sometimes vegetables only. My favorite two are goose and veal.
No goose to be found at my butcher today, but veal ribs in abundance.
( I wonder how old that veal really was, seemed more like ribs from a
full grown cow to me  🙂

Here is my version of borscht. You will notice i did not use sour cream
nor dill this time, although I had both at home. The reason was that the
ribs gave such a strong and rich flavor to the soup that I did not want to
distract from it by adding to many other flavors.
Meat and vegetables, pure  and unadulterated   🙂
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All you want to know about Borscht
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Ingredients :

Veal Ribs,
Red beets,           peeled, diced, cooked, strained, cooking liquid reserved
Potatoes,             diced
Cabbage,             diced
Carrots,               diced
Onions,               diced
Green peppers,  diced
Garlic,                 paste
Cilantro,             chopped
salt,                      to taste
cayenne,             to taste

Method :

Simmer ribs in salted water until tender. Add potatoes, onions, carrots and garlic and simmer until vegetables are tender but firm.
Add beets, peppers, cabbage and seasoning and simmer for five minutes. Remove all ribs and vegetables into serving dish.
Add reserved red beet cooking liquid to broth, adjust seasoning if necessary and ladle broth over ribs and vegetables.
Sprinkle with cilantro or herbs of your choice.
( Note: Traditionally the beets are cooked with the other vegetables together in the broth. However, it is my opinion that the presentation improves by cooking them separate )
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” Tilapia Meuniere & Sauteed Asparagus

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If prepared with love and passion,
what a wonderful  fish  Tilapia can be   🙂
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  1. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat for a minute, then add a couple of tablespoons of clarified butter.
  2. Season the fish fillet to taste with kosher salt  and  cayenne pepper.
  3. Dredge the fish in flour and shake off any excess.
  4. Sauté fish for 2 to 3 minutes or until there’s a nice golden-brown color, then carefully flip it over.
    Cook for another couple of minutes or until this side is golden-brown, too.
  5. Remove fish from pan and place it on a warm plate.
  6. Add a chunk of whole butter  to the pan and cook until it turns slightly brown.
  7. Now top the fish with few tablespoons of  lemon juice  and some chopped parsley , pour the hot butter onto the fish and serve right away.

    Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Steak + Salad = Bliss + Beauty “


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A Simple
  dinner tonight. Yet so good looking and so satisfying.
The  chicharrones de puerco  on the salad added much taste and texture.

Striploin
Chimichurri
Sauted mushroom with onion and garlic

Lettuce
Bologna
Gorgonzola
Radish
Onion
Scallion
Chicharrones
Raspberry Vinaigrette

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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