Author: Hans Susser

Germany/USA

Phyllo & Pork Cigars

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Many years ago, when I went to Istanbul for the first time, one day my friend’s and I went to a port side restaurant which had the day’s menu displayed as actual food on a table outside.
One of the things that caught our eyes where wonderful pastries, rolled up like cigarettes and obviously stuffed with ??? We could not find out from the waiter what it was stuffed with (nobody at the place spoke english ), but because they looked so appetizing we ordered a bunch. When they were served, much to my disappointment the first bite almost made me gag, because they were filled with feta cheese amongst other goodies. My friend’s loved the “cigarettes”, but sadly, I could not eat them. Although I am a fanatic cheese lover, one of the few cheeses I can not eat is feta cheese. But over the years, these pastries vividly stayed in my memories of my first visit to Turkey and I have since then created many different versions. ( None of them containing goat cheese ) but using fillings made of lamb, shrimps, lobster, vegetables, fish, as well as a number of sweet fillings, chocolate, strawberries, bananas, etc. They are great as party food, snack, appetizer or, as here, a main course .
Here is a version of Turkish Sigara Boregi I concocted earlier today. Because they served as dinner, I made them much thicker then the usual Sigara Boregi, so instead of cigarettes I call them Cigars 🙂
I just loved this dish, Bella and I pigged out and eat the whole tray for dinner, all eight of them.
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Ingredient’s :

Pork, ground
Vegetable stock,
Onions, diced
Peppers, diced
chilies, diced
( I like my filling VERY spicy. If you don’t,
you might want to hold off on the scotch bonnet’s )
Tomato, chopped
Garlic, paste
Kosher salt,
Smoked paprika,
Parmigiano reggiano, finely grated
Butter, for phyllo
Olive oil, to saute
Red wine, to deglaze

Method :

Saute the meat in the olive oil until it start’s to brown.
Add the vegetables, continue sauteing until the onions
are translucent. Deglaze with red wine, add stock and
seasoning. Let simmer until meat is done and liquid
has mostly evaporated.
Brush each phyllo sheet with butter before topping with
the next sheet. In this recipe I have used three layers of
phyllo. Put some of the pork on one end of the phyllo sheets,
sprinkle cheese on top, roll up into cigar shape, cut to desired length.
A variation would be to sprinkle the pork loosely over the
entire surface and the roll them into cigarette sized rolls.
As dipping sauces I had sweet Thai chili sauce and dill-yogurt.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Fruit Yogurt

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Most times I buy those little cups of fruit yogurt at the
supermarket like most other folks. They are convenient and
an easy, mostly guild free fix for a little sweets – craving.
But lately I use a lot of plain greek yogurt in my cooking,
so earlier when my sweet toot acted up, I took some Fruits
I had in the fridge, (apples, grapes and strawberries), mixed
some yogurt with vanilla essence, castor sugar, freshly
squeezed lime juice and a bit of cayenne pepper. Some
of the Yogurt on the bottom of the plate, then the fruit,
then topped with more of the yogurt. Very quick, cheap,
delicious and pretty to look at.
Question is, WHY do we buy these little expensive
tasteless cups of fruit yogurt if this is so much better ???

Life is Good ! Enjoy a better Fruit Yogurt ! 🙂
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10 Quick Ways To Become A Better Cook (By Adam Roberts)

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Seldom do I agree with any of those self help writers,
especially when it comes to our profession.
Yet, whenI read these 10 tips at the HUFFPOST,
I couldn’t agree more with the author –

Adam Roberts

Writer, The Amateur Gourmet

10 Quick Ways To Become A Better Cook

Excerpts from the HUFFPOST :

Cook Often. The best chefs are the best chefs because they spend most of their time cooking. Looking at all of the chefs who I met and cooked with while writing this book, almost every single one either went to culinary school or grew up in a family of cooks. That makes sense because in both cases they had to make the same dishes over and over again until they had those dishes mastered. That repetition reinforces basic techniques — sharpening your knife, seasoning properly, getting your pans hot — techniques that resonate throughout a lifetime of cooking. So if you say “I’m a bad cook,” chances are it’s because you don’t cook often enough. Make yourself cook at least three times a week and watch your skills improve immeasurably.
Make What You Like. Too often people who don’t cook finally set out to make dinner and choose the healthiest, most punishing recipe imaginable because they’re on a diet orsqueamish about making something with fat (how else are boneless, skinless chicken breasts so popular?) This is totally the wrong way to go about it. When you cook, especially if you’re a beginner, you should make things that are over the top delicious. Extra cheesy lasagna. Balsamic-glazed spareribs (one of the recipes in my book). Dark, decadent chocolate cake. When you make food that pleases you, chances are it will please others and the ensuing praise will make you want to cook again. And next time you cook, you can scale back a little on the fat without making the food punishing. The key, though, is making something that you yourself want to eat. All of the chefs I cooked with made food that they themselves loved. That’s not a coincidence.
Tap Into Your Roots…….. read more HERE

Friend’s, any comment’s ?
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Rinds Rouladen & Semmelknoedel ( Beef Roulade & Bread Dumplings )

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This goes to John and Elli Vicente in Texas,
who have requested this a couple of month’s ago.
Hope you guy’s find it like it was imprinted in Ellis’
memory back in Germany 🙂

Guten Appetit ! Das Leben Ist Schoen !
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Rouladen –

Ingredient’s

Beef, round, cut into long slices, pounded very thin
Smoked bacon, sliced
Onions, julienned
Dijon mustard,
Carrots, quartered lengthwise
Kosher pickles,
Mirepoix,
Tomato, chopped
Bay leaves,
Kosher salt,
Black pepper, freshly ground
Flour, to dust rouladen
Stock, preferably beef, substitute chicken, pork, vegetable
Oil, to saute
Kitchen twine,

Method :

Season both sides of beef with salt and pepper. Spread out on work surface, then top with ingredients as shown in photos. Roll up tightly and tie with kitchen twine. Saute in oil until nicely browned on all sides, remove and reserve. Saute mirepoix until caramelized, add tomatoes. Deglaze with a good amount of red wine, add stock, bay leaves and seasoning (Easy at this point, the sauce will reduce) Return the beef to the sauce and very slowly simmer until the meat is tender but not falling apart when handling. When meat is tender, carefully remove from sauce and cut off the twine. Remove bay leaves from sauce and with a stick blender puree the vegetables until sauce is nice and smooth. Adjust thickness by adding a bit more stock, or, if too thin, reduce until the desired texture is achieved. Adjust seasoning if required. Return rouladen to the sauce and keep warm until ready to serve.

Dumplings –

Ingredient’s

Dense bread, such as sourdough or focaccia, day old, diced
Onions, diced,
Bacon, diced
Eggs, whole
Milk, whole
Chives, finely sliced
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Nutmeg,

Method :

Heat milk to a simmer, drizzle over bread until damp. Render bacon until crisp, add onions and further saute until translucent. To the bread add eggs, bacon & onion mixture, chives and seasoning and carefully mix all ingredients without mashing them. ( Stick your hands with fingers spread open along the wall of the bowl and lift the ingredients up, allowing them to fall back down without being mashed ). Repeat until evenly mixed. I suggest that at this point you should make a small sample to see how the texture of the cooked dumpling will be. Shape a small ball and cook it in simmering water for a few minutes. Remove from water and check. If the texture is too soft, you can add a bit of bread crumbs. If it is too dense, add another egg or two. Make another sample if necessary. If you are happy with the sample, shape into tennis ball sized spheres. Immerse in boiling salted water, bring back to a boil. Turn down heat to a very low simmer and let the dumplings cook for about 40 minutes. To make sure the dumplings are cooked through, remove one and cut in half. After they are done, serve at once.
Note : Leftover dumplings cannot successfully be re-heated in dumpling form, they will get very dense. I will post a recipe for a great dish ( Geroestete Semmelknoedel mit Ei) made with leftover bread dumplings within the next few days 🙂
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Cheers

Breakfast Of Champions # 12 “Bistec Empanizado” (Cuban Breaded Steak)

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Breakfast time is slowly but surely becoming the best part of my off day’s.
It is always something I can eat with gusto, usually while watching a good movie.
That’s the way all day’s should start 🙂
Then, on to some form of exercise, in my case an hour long walk with Bella
(sometimes two hours), then do the day’s home chores.

Life is Good !
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Ingredients :

Top round, cut into scallop and pounded evenly 1/4 inch thin
Bread crumbs,
Egg, whole, whisked
Flour,
Kosher salt,
Black pepper, fresh ground
Sour orange juice,
Olive oil, to saute
Butter, to saute
Eggs, whole, to fry

Method :

Season the beef and let marinade over night.
Next morning, bread the beef by dipping in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.
Saute in oil until golden on both sides. When almost done, discard oil,
add butter and eggs and cook until bistec and eggs are done to your liking.
To serve, top bistec with fried eggs and sprinkle with chili flakes and cilantro or chives

¡ disfrute !
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Teriyaki Beef Ribs

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Rarely, if ever, have I had the audacity to pronounce any dish I created “perfect”
Great – yes; superb – yes; my absolute favorite – yes; outstanding – yes;
But to say one can not improve upon a dish usually indicates stupidity,
arrogance, ignorance or all of the above.
However, the ribs I cooked last night – absolutely perfect !
In my own, personal, humble opinion, these were the ultimate, best,
top of the line beef ribs. Perfect texture, perfect taste, perfect presentation.
If you don’t agree after you have recreated them, you can call me stupid if you want,
but I will always know that these are the perfect beef ribs 🙂
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Ingredients :

Beef ribs,
Teriyaki sauce,
(I sometimes make my own, here is a good recipe) : Teriyaki Sauce
Oyster sauce,
Soy sauce,
Chili oil,
Chili pepper,
Sweet chili sauce,
Wasabi,
Kosher salt,

Method :

Simmer ribs in water for two to three hours,
until very tender, but not ” falling of the bones”
(That would be over cooked 🙂 )
Season the water with slices of ginger and garlic, onion, kosher salt, soy sauce and chili pepper. When tender, remove ribs, pad dry and brush with basting liquid made with teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, wasabi, chili oil, sweet chili sauce and salt. Place on baking rack and bake in oven at 375 F for 45 minutes. While baking, baste again every ten minutes. When done, remove from oven, sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallion. Let rest for fifteen minutes before cutting into individual ribs.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Caldo Verde

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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