Month: November 2012

Caldo Verde

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Food memories ……..

Caldo Verde.
For me this recalls the time we were living in Madeira, Portugal. We were living and working in Porto Moniz, in a wonderful apartment overlooking the ocean, close to the center of Funchal, near the rock pool  and a great restaurant which was in a rock cave just below our house and specialized in grilled sardines. During many evenings during the cooler months of the year, Maria and I went across the street to a simple restaurant/kiosk which was located right on the stony beach, just opposite the cave restaurant. While I forgot the name of the places, I remember clearly what we consumed most times: A bottle of  ” Gatao Vinho Verde ” for me, a diet coke for Maria and two bowls of  ” Caldo Verde ” for the both of us if we had dinner on the beach.  Same beverages, accompanied by four orders of grilled sardines (one for Maria, three for me ) when we dined in the Cave.  These simple dinners alway’s made a perfect ending to a busy day.  Memories…….  🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Kale,  thoroughly washed, stems removed
Potatoes,  medium diced
Chorizo,  finely sliced
Stock,  chicken, beef, pork, or vegetables
( I used leftover  smoked pork stock I had in my freezer
from last weeks  “Collard Greens”  preparation )
Garlic,  paste
Onions,  diced
Black pepper,  fresh ground
Kosher salt,
Maggi seasoning
Olive oil,  to saute

Method :

Saute chorizo in oil until starting to brown.
Remove chorizo, reserve. Saute onions and garlic
until translucent, add potatoes and stock, simmer
until potatoes are soft. Mash potatoes or blend with a
stick blender. Add kale and most of the chorizo. Simmer
until kale is soft. Season soup with salt,  pepper and maggi to taste.
To serve, sprinkle the rest of the chorizo on top for color.

Bom apetite !  A vida é boa !
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How To Expertly Tie One Up

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How To Expertly Tie One Up 
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Image Source: Fifty Shades of Chicken Book Trailer

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Life is Funny  !  Enjoy !
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Ziti In Wodka Sauce

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If  you love pasta, this dish is for you.
The only, important, vital thing to take into consideration :
Butter, butter, butter.!  Olive oil  just does not cut it here.
I know butter has gone out of fashion with many folk’s,
but here is the time and occasion when you have to leave
your healthy pad for a moment and indulge in the goodness of
butter. Not butter substitute, not clarified butter, just plain,
rich, good tasting butter   🙂

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Ingredient’s

Ziti,  cooked, drained, some cooking water reserved
Tomato sauce,  canned
Wodka,
Garlic,  paste
Peperoncino romano,  finely grated
Butter,
Sriracha,
Maggi seasoning,
Kosher salt,
Chili flakes,
Italian parsley,

Method :

Saute garlic in butter until fragrant, deglaze with wodka.
( Careful with the flame, you don’t want to set your eyebrows
or your kitchen on fire ). Add tomato sauce,  cooking water,
sriracha and pasta, heat to a simmer. Remove from heat,
add more butter, cheese, maggi and salt and mix well. Adjust
texture with cooking water if necessary. Adjust seasoning to
your liking. To serve, sprinkle with more cheese, chili flakes
and  italian parsley.

Bon Appetit !   Live is Good !
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Seafood & Pasta Salad

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I came  home from work early today and the
weather outside was just gorgeous . What better than
a book, ice tea and a cool  seafood  salad that can
be prepared in a few minutes. Great afternoon, recharged
my batteries and feel wonderfully relaxed.
Now it is time for a new post, then dinner and a movie,
“Ziti in Wodka Sauce” and “Kill shot”  with  Christopher Walken.

Life is Good !
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Ingredient’s :

Conchigliette,  cooked, drained
Shrimps,  poached, peeled, tails remove except three for garnish
Octopus,  canned, drained
Straw mushroom,  canned, drained
Tuna,  canned, drained
Peppers,  diced (3 colors)
Garlic,  paste
Cilantro,  chopped
Scallion,  sliced
Cucumber,  sliced
Egg,  hard boiled,  sliced
Mayonnaise,  freshly made
– (it only takes a minute to make and it’s so much better than store bought)
Horseradish cream,
Lime juice,
Kosher salt,
Black pepper,  freshly ground
Olive oil,
Vinegar,

Method :

Take 1/4 of the seafood and marinade with lime, salt,
pepper and olive oil.
Mix remaining seafood , pasta, part of the horseradish
cream, mayo, peppers, lime juice, salt and pepper. Adjust
seasoning to your liking. Place salad on bottom of bowl,
top with the marinated seafood.
To serve, drizzle eggs and cucumber with olive oil and vinegar,
sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with some horseradish
cream to dip the shrimp.   Enjoy  🙂

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Pics, Articles, Fun, Recipes,
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Life is Good !
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” Collard Greens & Smoked Neck Bones “

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We  southerner’s sure love our greens .
(Southern Germany in my case, that’s why the
roast potatoes instead of the corn bread)    🙂

I cooked a great amount of pork so at the end there
was a good amount of  potlikker  left which I froze.
Next time I’ll go to the store I will buy kale to make
a great Caldo Verde with the leftover potlikker.

All about  Collard Greens
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Ingredient’s :

Collard greens, each leaf washed individually,
– stem removed, cut into 2″ strips
Smoked pork neck bones,
Onions,  sliced
Garlic,  paste
Rendered pork fat,  (schmalz)
– substitute with chicken or duck fat if you prefer
Kosher salt,
Black pepper,  freshly ground
Maggi seasoning,
Scotch bonnet,  for a little kick

Method :

Simmer smoked pork in lightly salted water until almost tender.
Meanwhile, saute onions and garlic in your fat of choice until
onions are translucent and garlic fragrant. Add to the simmering
pork. When pork is almost tender, add the greens and seasoning
and cook until greens are tender. Depending on the season, this
can take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours.
(I cooked those greens for two more hours and the pork and greens
were just perfect. Adjust the seasoning before you serve.
As I mentioned, traditionally in the american south you
would  serve this with corn bread. However, around the world
different customs call for different sidings, from potatoes to rice
to just a hearty slice of bread to soak up the potlikker. You might
also want to try to sprinkle some parmigiano  reggiano over the top,
which I did with my re-heated left overs. Another knock-out   🙂

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good ! 
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Guacamole, Salame & Pita

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Yesterday  after work I did not feel like cooking,
so I made do with a little snack and a bit of merlot in the back by the lake.
Life could be a lot worse  🙂
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Ingredients :

Mini pita breads,
Salame,  finely diced
Olive oil,  to saute

Avocado,  diced
Chilis,  finely diced
Red radish,  finely diced
Lime,  juiced
Garlic,  paste
Cilantro,  chopped
Kosher salt,
Olive oil,
Sour cream,

Method :

Saute the salame in a bit of olive oil .
Fill a teaspoon full into the pita pockets.
Mix the guacamole ingredients, season with salt.
To serve, place the guacamole in center of plate,
surround with the stuffed pita pockets, top with
sour cream and sprinkle with cilantro.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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P.S.
While I was eating I watched these two guy’s.
They did not move for about an hour, until the sun was down.
Not very exciting, but pretty and nice to see  🙂
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Spicy Coconut Soup With Chicken, Rice & Vegetables

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Yesterday  evening I was going to make an authentic Thai or Indian dish,
but then I realized that I did not have some of the ingredients I needed in
my cupboard, so I came up with this beauty.  While it is not authentic Thai
nor Indian, Malay, Indonesian, etc, etc, I can proudly inform you that is
100% authentic  ” Hans “.
I could not have eaten better last night, so it goes to show once more that
love for food and cooking, a bit of imagination and a little bit of skill’s can
many times replace the biggest, best, most expensive recipe book    🙂
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Ingredients :

Chicken,  your choice of cut or boneless
Broccoli rabe,  blanched
Grape tomato,  whole
Green peas,  blanched
Corn,  blanched
Mini peppers,  finely sliced
Scotch bonnet,  seeds removed, finely sliced
Ginger,  grated
Garlic,  paste
Sweet chili sauce,
Coconut milk,
Limes,  juiced
Cumin,  ground
Fish sauce,
Curry powder,
Kosher salt,
Cilantro,  coarsely chopped
Peanut oil,  to saute

Method :

Saute garlic and ginger until fragrant, add curry and cumin, deglaze with sherry.
Add chicken, salt and  and stock and simmer until chicken is tender but not
overcooked – (please,  no “falling of the bone”  here). When chicken is almost done,
stir in coconut milk. Slowly simmer for another five minutes., Add all vegetables,
seasoning and lime juice  and let it all heat through.
To serve, sprinkle with cilantro and accompany with basmati rice.
To eat, mix rice into soup, small amounts at a time.

Bon Appetit!   Life is Good !
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