beautiful food

” Rigatoni Rustica “

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Last  night’s dinner was a perfect example of tasty comfort food,
simple, tasty, pretty, easy, and satisfying.
(Sounds like a wish list for a spouse  🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Chicken,   cut into one inch pieces
Rigatoni,   cooked al dente, strained, reserve some of the cooking water
Bok choy,   cut into one inch pieces
Onions,   julienned
Kernel corn,
Grape tomatoes,   whole
Chilies,   sliced
Garlic,   paste
Ginger,   grated
Kosher salt,   to taste
Cayenne,   to taste
Butter,   to saute
Red wine,   to deglaze

Method :

Season chicken and saute until golden brown and cooked through.
Remove and reserve. Saute onions, corn, garlic, ginger, bok choy and chili,
deglaze with red wine and a small amount of the cooking water from the pasta,
add  pasta and tomatoes, season with salt and cayenne.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !


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” Tandoori Inspired Baked Chicken “

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Many years ago when Maria and I lived in Karachi, Pakistan, we developed a deep passion for Indian and Pakistani Food. The  chicken I made for dinner tonight was not cooked in a tandoori, nor was it seasoned with the “proper” spice blend a cook wood actually use to make a traditional tandoori chicken.
Nevertheless, this dish came out of the oven smelling, tasting  and looking like the best of them  🙂
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All about  Tandoori Chicken

All about  Tandoor

Ingredients :

Chicken,                    Breast and legs, cut in half
yoghurt,
Garlic,                        paste
Ginger,                       grated
Turmeric,
Hot sauce,                 preferably scotch bonnet
Kosher salt,
Butter,                         melted, in a spray bottle
Scallions,                   sliced fine, for garnish
Chili,                           roasted, for garnish

Method :

Cut deep slits into the chicken, about 1/2 inch apart.
Mix all seasonings with the yoghurt, rub onto chicken
and into the cut’s until well covered. Marinate overnight.
Bake in a 410 F oven until done. During baking, spray often
with the melted buter.
To serve, top with roasted chili and sprinkle with scallions

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” Naan, Veal Ribs & Other Stuff “

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Last  night’s dinner made me realize that I eat a lot of comfort food which does
not necessarily fall into a specific group or cuisine. Sometimes, just raiding the
fridge without a grand plan and simply putting some stuff together on the fly
does produce some great dishes. This was one of them :
” Naan with ribs, chilies, onions and yoghurt ”
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Ingredients :

Veal ribs,                  simmered, bones removed
Naan,                        Generously buttered and sprinkled with sea salt
Greek yoghurt,
Chilies,                     finely diced
Lime,                         juiced
Garlic,                       paste
Scallion,                   sliced
Onions,                    rings
Sesame seeds,
Oyster sauce,
Sriracha,
Soy sauce,
Teriyaki sauce,
Kosher salt,

Water,

Method :

Blend all ingredients except ribs and half of the chilies.
Put a bit of water into a small, rimmed pan, into which
the ribs just fit, one layer only. Add the ribs.
Cover ribs with the sauce, (the sauce should be very watery
at this point) cover airtight and bake in
a low heat oven until very tender, about 3.5 hours.
When the ribs are tender, the sauce should have thickened
and cling nicely to the ribs.
Arrange rib meat on hot naan, drizzle with yoghurt, add onion rings,
sprinkle with chilies, sesame seeds and scallions and serve with a
garnish of spinach salad and sliced lime.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !

” Breakfast Of Champions ” # 10 – Tortilla Española

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This  is without doubt one of my favorite potato dishes
and the good thing about it is that it tastes even better when you re-heat the leftovers.
Serve it as a substantial breakfast, as a snack, lunch, dinner or part of a buffet.
As for the ingredients, use potatoes and eggs for sure. Everything else is up to your fancy.
I have used seafood, chicken, ham, braised pork, any kind of sausage, mushroom, cheese,
any kind of vegetables, you name it.  Just make sure that if you plan to serve it
at room temperature, season it stronger as when you plan to serve it hot,
since the seasoning is not as prominent at lower temperatures.
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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Imperial Chow Mein “

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A  Dish I created a few years ago for a chinese restaurant in Bogota, Columbia
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Image by : Hans Susser



Ingredients :

Shrimp,                                                shelled and deveined, tail on, dusted in cornsatarch
Scallops,                                              dusted in cornsatarch
Squid,                                                    sliced, dusted in cornsatarch
Egg noodles,                                       cooked and drained
Cooked ham                                        diced
Lap Cheong (chorizo)                       sliced
Bell pepper, red                                   diced
Bell pepper, green                              diced
Bell pepper, yellow                            diced
Green peas,                                          frozen
Onion                                                    diced
Scallions,                                              finely sliced
Ginger,                                                  shaved
Garlic,                                                    paste
Salt,                                                        to taste
Lime juice,                                            to taste
Cayenne,                                                to taste
Soy sauce,                                              to taste
Sesame oil,                                            to taste
Sherry wine,
Peanut oil,                                             to fry

Method :

Saute shrimp, scallops and squid in very hot pan until halfway cooked.
Remove and set aside.
Saute all vegetables except scallions, deglaze with sherry.
Add noodles, seafood, ham and seasoning,
saute until well combined, adjust seasoning if necessary .
To serve, sprinkle with scallions.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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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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” 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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