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Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wrap With Raita

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Curried garbanzos (chickpeas) are one of my favorite snacks. They are quick and easy to prepare and their heat (add as much chile flakes or cayenne pepper as you can handle) makes for a great snack when boring pretzels just won’t do.
Today I prepared one of the hybrids of curried garbanzos I make on hot days – curried garbanzo salad, this time wrapped in sun dried tomato wraps.
As a general rule, when preparing curried garbanzos to be served hot, I add more ghee, about 4 tblsp for 16 oz of garbanzos. If serving as a cold (room temperature) salad, I reduce the amount of ghee by 3 tblsp and replace with that 2 tblsp mayo and 1 tblsp ketchup.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wrap With Raita

Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wraps With Raita

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: peel and dice 2 lg baking potatoes, simmer in lightly salted water until soft but NOT falling apart

: meanwhile, seed and dice 2 medium sized tomatoes

: seed and dice 1 large cucumber, add 1 cup greek yogurt, season with ground cumin, ground coriander, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: raita

: saute julienne of 1 lg white onion in 1 tblsp ghee

: when onions are lightly caramelized, add 8 oz cooked and drained garbanzos

: add 1 tblsp curry powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 pinch ground cardamon, 1 pinch ground cumin, 1 pinch ground coriander, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: add 1 tblsp garlic paste, saute until fragrant

: add cooked potatoes, diced tomatoes and 2 tblsp chopped cilantro, mix well, let cool to room temperature

: add 2 tblsp mayo and 1 tblsp ketchup, mix, check/adjust seasoning (mix carefully in order not to break up the potatoes)

: heat sundried tomato wraps to make them pliable

: slice 1 small head of romaine lettuce into julienne

: place 1/4 of the romaine onto 1 wrap

: add 1/4 of the salad to the wrap

: fold/roll wrap, secure with 2 picks; recipe serves 4

: Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wraps With Raita

: Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wrap With Raita

: Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wrap With Raita

: Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wrap With Raita

: Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wrap With Raita

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Not your Ordinary Balls

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Veal Meatballs in Pesto Cream With Garlicky Spaghetti And Concasse

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These meatballs resemble “Konigsberger Klopse” more than “Italian Meatballs”.
Made of veal, simmered, then served in veloute, they look and taste very distinct from the meatballs most folks are familiar with.
I hope that with this post I can convince you that there is more to meatballs than the usual suspects in tomato sauce.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Veal Meatball Recipe:

Ingredients:
20 oz ground veal
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup panko
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ketchup
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp dijon mustard
kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Method:
Mix all ingredients well, shape 6 golf ball sized spheres, simmer in lightly salted water until done, about 15 minutes
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Veal Meatballs in Pesto Cream With Garlicky Spaghetti And Concasse

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: simmer meatballs in 1qt lightly salted water until cooked through, about 15 minutes, remove meatballs, cover, keep warm; strain stock, reduce to 1/2 qt

: saute 1 tblsp flour in 1 tblsp butter, add the stock, simmer slowly for 8 minutes, add 1/2 cup heavy cream

: add a few sprigs of curly parsley and 3 tblsp pesto

: blend until smooth, check/adjust seasoning

: add meatballs to sauce

: saute 1 tblsp garlic paste in 2 tblsp olive oil until fragrant

: add 1 cup peeled/diced tomatoes, saute another minute

: add 8 oz cooked spaghetti, add kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, mix well

: divide pasta into 2 deep plates

: divide the meatballs with the sauce between the 2 plates

: sprinkle with grated parmigiano romano; serves 2

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Berries And Cream Pound Cake

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So I woke up early today and the first thing that came to my mind was food – sweet food with lots of fruit, to be precise.
I went to the store to see what’s available and got home with some great raspberries and blueberries. First I was thinking pancakes, but I had those a few times in the past month, so something different was called for. Since I did not feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen, pound cake seemed easy and fast enough and it went into the oven in a flash 🙂
Two hours (and a good movie) later, the baked, cooled down and halved cake was in front of me. First I drizzled the cake with fresh-squeezed orange juice for flavor and moistness, then covered one-half with nutella, the other half with raspberry jam. Topped that with the washed and dried berries, drizzled the berries with melted apricot jam and finished it all with a sinful amount of whipped cream and castor sugar. As usual I ate too much and I am sure I’ll pay for it with a day of my life.
But, at the time, it seemed well worth it………..
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Pound Cake Recipe :
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Ingredients:

– 8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
– 2 cups cake flour, plus extra to dust the pan
– 2 cups granulated sugar
– 2 tsp organic vanilla extract
– 1 tsp kosher salt
– 4 whole, large eggs
– ½ cup soft cream cheese

Method:

Heat oven to 325° F. Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, line the bottom with parchment, butter again, and dust with flour.
Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the cream cheese until smooth.
Add the flour and mix just until combined (do not overmix). Transfer the batter to the pan, smooth the top, bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

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Topping:
Juice of 1 orange, 2 pint raspberries, 2 pint blueberries, 1/2 cup nutella,
1/2 cup melted apricot jam, 1/4 cup raspberry jam, 1 cup whipped heavy cream, castor sugar.
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P.S.
Serve one piece each of raspberry jam covered cake and one each piece of nutella covered cake per portion.
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Berries And Cream Pound Cake

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: Berries And Cream Pound Cake

: Berries And Cream Pound Cake

: Berries And Cream Pound Cake

: Berries And Cream Pound Cake

: Berries And Cream Pound Cake

: Berries And Cream Pound Cake

: Berries And Cream Pound Cake

: Berries And Cream Pound Cake

: Berries And Cream Pound Cake

: Berries And Cream Pound Cake

: Berries And Cream Pound Cake

: Berries And Cream Pound Cake

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Chilled Spicy Cucumber And Avocado Bisque

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Some say the king of cold soups is gazpacho and I, (for once) don’t argue 🙂
Sadly, these days the traditional custom of having a soup before a main course as part of a menu has mostly disappeared, especially here in North America. Even for special, celebratory dinners, soup is usually an afterthought, and chilled soup is nearly non-existent.
However, there is a myriad of wonderful cold/chilled soups out there, mostly ignored and even forgotten in these times of ever-increasing food-sensationalism 😦
Back in the day when I was a soup cook on Royal Viking Sky (1974), we served 8 different soups daily.
Consommé or beef tea between 10.00 am and 11.00 am.
For lunch it was a chilled soup, a consommé, and a vegetable cream soup.
For dinner, a chilled soup, a consommé, a vegetable cream soup and a silky seafood soup or a hearty meat-based soup.
Besides the beef tea, none of the soups were allowed to repeat itself for the duration of a voyage that lasted less than a month, so we had quite a repertoire of soups.
While cruising in the hot parts of the world, chilled soups for lunch were extremely popular, especially the berry and stone fruit varieties.
In colder parts of the world and during dinner, classics like red or white gazpacho, vichyssoise and creamed vegetable soups led the parade of favorite chilled soups.
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Today’s soup is especially refreshing and therefore perfectly suitable for the scorching heat that has “blessed” us in Florida lately. As you can see from the size of the serving in the photos below, I actually had the soup as a small lunch. (Two helpings, to be truthful 🙂
A word of advise:
Check/adjust the seasoning of the soup AFTER chilling it and just before serving, since a chilled soup looses much of its flavor when chilled. Nothing worse than a bland chilled soup 😦
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Chilled Spicy Cucumber And Avocado Bisque

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: grate 2 large cucumbers

: add the flesh of two very ripe avocados, 2 cup greek yogurt, a few sprigs of curly parsley, juice of 2 lemon, 1 tsp sriracha, 2 tblsp kosher salt, 1 tsp garlic paste and few drops of Maggi seasoning

: blend all ingredients until smooth; if the texture is too thick for your preference, add milk until texture is to your liking, chill in refrigerator at least 3 hours, check/adjust seasoning; to serve, sprinkle with chili flakes; serves 4

: Chilled Spicy Cucumber And Avocado Bisque

: Chilled Spicy Cucumber And Avocado Bisque

: Chilled Spicy Cucumber And Avocado Bisque

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Goan Chicken Curry

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This is the very best chicken curry – at least for me and my own, personal taste.
While it is neither typical Indian, nor Indonesian or Malay, it is a bit in the style of Goa. Goan food is much influenced by the Portuguese, so the ingredients and seasoning often differ a bit from the usual Indian suspects. In the 70’s I spend a few months in Goa, living in cheap housing right on the beach. If one was able to forgo typical western luxuries such as A/C, running water and fork and knife, living on $ 3.00 a day was possible most of the time.
Those were the days of free love, cheap booze and even cheaper “tobacco”, so life was a constant,carefree blast. And to top it all off, the food, even as it was dirt-cheap, was always great, tasty, in abundance and available around the clock. (Important because of the “tobacco”) 🙂
Although I don’t have any recipes from that time and place of food I actually ate then and there, I am always reminded of my time in Goa when I prep and eat the curry featured here.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Goan Chicken Curry

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: Saute julienne of 1 large onion in 2 tblsp ghee

: add 3 bay ea leaves, 1 tblsp tomato paste, 3 tblsp curry pwd, 1 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp and 1/2 tsp crushed mustard seeds, saute until fragrant

: add 1 tsp garlic paste, saute another minute

: add 8 pc boneless chicken thighs, 1 tblsp flour (optional)

: mix all ingredients well, saute another minute

: add 1 qt chicken stock, season with kosher salt to taste

: slowly simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes

: almost……

: add 8 ea small cooked potatoes and 8 oz cooked garbanzos

: add 8 oz coconut milk

: simmer for another 10 minutes, add 4 oz grape tomatoes, check/adjust seasoning; serve with steamed rice or naan; serves 4

: to serve, sprinkle with toasted almonds (optional), chopped cilantro and top with a dollop of yogurt

: Goan Chicken Curry

: Goan Chicken Curry

: Goan Chicken Curry

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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 57 – Chicken, Spinach And Potato Frittata

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A bowl of granola for breakfast is a wonderful thing for a lot of folks – but for me, it is NOT.
If I want my day to start on a happy note, I need food that say’s HAPPY to me.
A bowl of granola or such just says BAHH to me and is, in my humble opinion, but a sorry excuse for a satisfying breakfast 😦 .
On the other hand, a delicious frittata – now we are talking ! 🙂
Throw in a couple of gherkins, a few green leaves and grape tomatoes in yogurt/honey dressing and Voilà ! – bring it on, tough day !
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Yogurt/Honey Dressing :
Whisk together 2 tblsp greek yogurt, 1 tsp organic honey, 1 tsp rice vinegar, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste
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Chicken, Spinach And Potato Frittata

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: Cook 2 lbs peeled potatoes in lightly salted water until tender but NOT falling apart, drain, let cool enough to handle, cut into fine slices

: slice 2 med-size chicken breasts into slices, season with 1 tsp garlic paste, fresh-cracked black pepper and kosher salt to taste

: saute the chicken in 1/2 tblsp olive oil until cooked through

: remove chicken from pan, reserve

: saute the potato slices in 1 tblsp olive oil until browned

: return the chicken to the pan

: add 2 oz cleaned fresh spinach, saute for one minute

: add 6 whole whisked eggs

: cook on low heat until eggs have set, flip eggs to other side, cook until lightly browned; serve with gherkins and small salad of greens and tomatoes in honey/yogurt dressing; serves 4

: Chicken, Spinach And Potato Frittata

: Chicken, Spinach And Potato Frittata

: Chicken, Spinach And Potato Frittata

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No Name Soup

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This delicious soup follows the popular “whatever I find in the larder” principle. 🙂
Today, I found beef bones, mushrooms, canton noodles, eggs, cabbage, chinese sausage and fried shallots, which, together with a bit of time for the broth, is all you need to prepare this tasty delight.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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No Name Soup

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: simmer 5 lbs beef bones SLOWLY in 3 qt water, season with 1 tblsp garlic paste, 1 tblsp chili paste, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp grated ginger and kosher salt to taste for two hours or until reduced to 1 quart

: strain broth through cheese cloth or coffee filter (optional); check/adjust seasoning

: meanwhile, cook 8 0z egg noodles, drain, rinse

: toss egg noodles with 1 tblsp toasted sesame oil

: stir fry 6 oz sliced chinese sausages and 4 oz fresh shiitake mushroom in 1 tblsp peanut oil until sausage starts to brown at the edges

: add 8 oz cubed white cabbage and 1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

: add 1 qt beef broth, simmer 1 minute

: divide the noodles between 4 soup plates or bowls

: top the noodles with 1/4 of the soup, garnish with fried shallots, chopped cilantro and 2/2 boiled eggs ; recipe serves 4

: No Name Soup

: No Name Soup

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Dragon Waffles

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Pitaya, drachenfrucht, fruit du dragon, buah naga, kaeo mangkon, thanh long, huǒ lóng guǒ, lóng zhū guǒ, nanettika fruit – these are just a few of the many  names for one of the most versatile, beautiful and delicious fruits I know.
Dragon fruit comes in three main varieties – red, green and yellow peel with either fiery red flesh with black dots (seeds) or white meat with black dots (seeds). Then there is the less common bright-yellow dragon fruit, with yellow peel and white meat with black dots (seeds). The taste of the dragon fruit spans a great range, from rather sour to very sweet.
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Today’s at breakfast time I had a great craving for waffles. I had a couple of mangos as well as one dragon fruit in the larder, so the menu was set :
“Dragon Waffles With Mangoes In Honey/Vanilla Cream”.
I usually serve the dragon waffles with caramelized apples, but the mangoes I had in the fridge were rather ripe and needed to be used – good thing I did use them for this dish, because the soft, very sweet mangoes fit perfectly with the slightly tart dragon fruit and the crisp waffles. What a wonderful way to start the day 🙂
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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Waffle Batter :
Ingredients :
1. 1/3   cup flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp sugar, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1. 3/4 cup buttermilk, two egg yolks (whisk the two egg whites to stiff peaks)
Method :
Mix dry ingredients well, add buttermilk, egg yolks and melted butter, fold-in whisked egg whites
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Dragon Waffles With Mangoes In Honey/Vanilla Cream

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: nango and dragon fruit

: dice 1/2, peeled dragon fruit into small dice, mix with the waffle batter (see recipe on this page)

: cook waffles as usual

: bring 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 dash organic vanilla extract and 2 tblsp organic honey to a simmer, reduce by halfhoney and

: peel and slice 3 medium sized mangoes, add to the cream, remove from heat

: place the creamed mangoes on a serving plate, garnish with dragon fruit wedges

: top mngoes with a handful of dried cranberries for texture

: top with the dragon waffle wedges; serves 4

: Dragon Waffles With Mangoes In Honey/Vanilla Cream

: Dragon Waffles With Mangoes In Honey/Vanilla Cream

: Dragon Waffles With Mangoes In Honey/Vanilla Cream

: Dragon Waffles With Mangoes In Honey/Vanilla Cream

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Braised Teriyaki Chicken With Spicy Rice Sticks

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Braised teriyaki chicken tastes more intense of teriyaki sauce than grilled or sautéed teriyaki chicken, because the braising process allows the sauce to penetrate the meat much better than marinating and then grilling or sauteing would.
However, if you only like your chicken skin crisp, this preparation might not be for you. But if on the other hand you do like the texture of a braised chicken skin (think coq au vin as a reference) and if you love the braising liquid/sauce from a well-seasoned braised dish (again, think of the great sauce a coq au vin will provide), this “Braised Teriyaki Chicken With Spicy Rice Sticks” will make you happy. The additional sauce from the chicken provides a wonderful coating to the already flavorful rice sticks.
Superb food, achieved with small effort and in little time. Life is Good !
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Braised Teriyaki Chicken With Spicy Rice Sticks

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: pour enough boiling water over a 8 oz pack of rice sticks, let steep until al dente, about 8 minutes

: drain rice sticks, toss with 1 tblsp chili oil and 1 tblsp sesame oil

: season 3 ea boneless chicken legs with kosher salt, garlic paste and sriracha sauce to taste

: saute the chicken legs on both sides in 1 tblsp peanut oil

: add 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce and 1/3 cup chicken stock, simmer covered until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes; check/adjust seasoning

: meanwhile, stir fry 1 cup finely sliced bell peppers with 1/3 cup finely sliced yellow onion in 2 tblsp peanut oil, season with1 tsp garlic paste and kosher salt to taste, stir fry another minute

: add the rice sticks, stir fry another minute, check/adjust seasoning

: plate the rice sticks on a serving platter

: top with the chicken legs and the teriyaki braising sauce, garnish with herbs or sprouts of your choice ; serves 3

: Braised Teriyaki Chicken With Spicy Rice Sticks

: Braised Teriyaki Chicken With Spicy Rice Sticks

: Braised Teriyaki Chicken With Spicy Rice Sticks

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Salad of Tomato, Cucumber, Alfalfa Sprouts And Parmigiano Reggiano

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While ” Just A Salad ” usually does not do it for me, this one certainly did 🙂
Consisting of just a few simple ingredients, the quality and richness they possessed made this a complete, delicious and utterly satisfying meal.
The tomatoes were super ripe and super sweet, the cucumbers crispy and fresh, the sprouts added a new texture and the parmigiano reggiano was as perfect as can be.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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slice 2 large, very ripe tomatoes into fine slices, arrange on serving platter, sprinkle with sea salt to taste

slice 2 large, very ripe tomatoes and 1 medium size white onion into fine slices, arrange on serving platter, sprinkle with sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper to taste, add 1/2 tray alfalfa sprouts, drizzle with 3 tblsp white balsamic vinegar and 3 tblsp olive oil

slice 2 medium size cucumbers and 1 medium size white onion into fine slices, arrange on serving platter, sprinkle with sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper to taste, add 1/2 tray alfalfa sprouts, drizzle with 3 tblsp white balsamic vinegar and 3 tblsp olive oil