Black Pepper

Panko Breaded Chicken Breast & Romaine Leaves In Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

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Link to “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food”
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This  is a great dish for the times when you need / want a quick and easy meal which represent’s culinary simplicity but not culinary banality 🙂
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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Panko Breaded Cicken Breast & Romain In Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

Panko Breaded Chicken Breast & Romaine In Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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Adana Kebab (Kıyma Kebabı) (Turkish Lamb Skewer)

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In  the early seventies I was lucky enough to be visiting Turkey many times ( Istanbul,  Kusadasi  and  Izmir  among other places). At that time, Turkey  still had an oriental mystique to it which was incredibly fascinating and exiting to a young man like me. The sights, smells and noises were so much different from what I was used to – even after all these years, they still linger vividly in my memory
My girlfriend and I almost got stoned by an angry mob one day at the market in Izmir. (They actually threw stones and small rocks at us). We just came from the Caribbean and my girlfriend Edith was wearing the popular outfit of the day – high heels, hot pants and a thin t-shirt without a bra – not a good idea at the time in a mostly Muslim country. Only the quick help and intervention of our taxi driver who came running to rescue us (carefree idiots) prevented great harm or worse.
But beside that particular episode, I only have great memories of Turkey in the seventies. One of the highlights of our stay’s were always the great meals we had in local restaurants. We tried anything we could, from five-star restaurants in five-star hotels in Istanbul to small dives along the beaches and funky eateries in the sea port’s more seedy areas. The food was always great, fresh, spice-laden and exotic (to me at that time, most anything seemed exotic)
I remember  Adana Kebab  to be widely served and today I finally got around to do my own version which turned out pretty spectacular 🙂
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Bon Appetit !   Afiyet Olsun !
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Turkish Adana Kebab

Turkish Adana Kebab

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Turkish Adana Kebab

Turkish Adana Kebab

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Turkish Adana Kebab

Turkish Adana Kebab

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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Greek Salad (Limburger Salad)


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” Greek  Limburger Salad “
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When  I decided to have a Greek salad for dinner I had to go to the store first to get the necessary ingredients. To my tremendous surprise and delight, I discovered a type of cheese in the dairy section which I had not encountered for at least 20 years and which I would never have expected to find here in Miami – Limburger Cheese. This was the favorite cheese of my dad when I was a kid, and as I got older, the taste (and smell) eventually grew on me and Limburger became one of my favorite cheeses as well 🙂
So of course, never mind the feta cheese, Limburger it had to be ! It pairs great with the fresh vegetables and vinaigrette of the original Greek salad and, for my palette at least, it is the perfect substitute for the feta cheese in the original Greek salad.
As usual, use any cheese which suits your taste and budget best.
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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Limburger Salad and Jalapapeno / Cheddar Bread

Limburger Salad and Jalapeno / Cheddar Bread

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Limburger Salad and Jalapapeno / Cheddar Bread

Limburger Salad and Jalapeno / Cheddar Bread

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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Corned Beef – Getting Ready For St Patrick’s Day

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Here  is the deal – you can of course buy corned beef ready-made :-(,  – or you can make your own, which in most cases will leave you not only with a far  superior product, but also with unbeatable bragging rights 🙂
Usually, you want to brine your brisket for about 10  days (depending on the size), but if you add the beef to a boiling brine, bring it back to a simmer for a few minutes, then cool it down in the brine, your beef should be ready after 4 – 6 day’s, again depending on the size of the brisket. (Cut it into smaller pieces if you are pressed on time, the brine will penetrate faster)
So, two weeks ago I bought 8 lbs of the finest brisket I could find –  grass-fed, organic – no added hormones nor added antibiotics. At about $ 10.00 a lb, this was a sizable investment, but judging after the first test, well worth the Mula. Bella agreed, as you can see in the pic below 🙂 Then there was the waiting time for ten days until yesterday, when I cooked the meat  for about 2,5 hours, (one more time – cooking time depends on the size of the brisket) and then, finally, corned beef wonderland !
Bella and I had some of it yesterday, the rest will be had for a variety of dishes for the next few days leading up to St Paddy’s day.
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Bon Appetit !   Life Is Good !

Click here for  Corned Beef Brine

Please note that I omitted the  Saltpeter  (potassium nitrate) in the brine of the corned beef. Saltpeter will turn the meat into the bright- red colored corned beef we are normally used to. However, I am trying to stay away from the stuff since my doctor has given me the news that all the medicine I am forced to take has messed up my kidney’s, most notably Metformin. Saltpeter is therefore not an ingredient I should use in my food. On top of that, if you want to use the stock from cooking the corned beef for a soup, you sure don’t want that soup to be laced with saltpeter ! After the corned beef is cooked, you want to strain the stock and reserve for further use for soup and/ or sauce. I will make a  Velouté  with some of the stock to make a horseradish sauce for my  “Corned Beef With Horseradish Sauce And  Colcannon“. (Upcoming post).

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to serve, slice into 1'3 inch thick slices

to serve, slice into 1’3 inch thick slices

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Bella loves it :-)

Bella approves 🙂

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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Sauteed Pork Medallions With Mushrooms And Pasta

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Link to :  “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food”
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This  is a dish straight out of my childhood, yet after all these years, it still has the same appeal to me which it had then (or maybe even more) .
Everything just falls into place – pasta, tomato sauce, parmigiano reggiano, sautéed mushrooms, peppers, onions,  juicy pork medallions nicely seared and seasoned with lots of black pepper – my oh my, anytime 🙂
It’s dishes like this which keep me from needing a lot of “fru fru” on my plate.
Simple, honest, beautiful ingredients, proper execution and flavors to match, THAT is what food should be all about !
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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Sauteed Pork Meaillions With Mushrooms And Pasta

Sautéed Pork Medallions With Mushrooms And Pasta

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Sauteed Pork Meaillions With Mushrooms And Pasta

Sautéed Pork Medallions With Mushrooms And Pasta

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Sauteed Pork Meaillions With Mushrooms And Pasta

Sautéed Pork Medallions With Mushrooms And Pasta

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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Beef , Shiitake And Mung Bean Noodles In Ginger/Garlic Broth

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Here  you have one of these dishes were you can have a meal fit for a king with a minimum effort of labor and a very reasonable cost of ingredients.
Just plan ahead and either cook the beef the day before you want to eat the soup, or, if you want to have it for dinner after work, start the beef and it’s broth as soon as you get up in the morning. Bring it to a simmer, let it cook for as long as you can before you leave the house, then just let the beef cool in the broth until you get home. Also at that point, soak the shiitake in some of the hot broth during the day. From there it will only take another 10 minutes to finish this sexy beauty (the time to cook the noodles) and voilà ! –  ready for a soup as good (or better) as you can get in your favorite noodle-house. 🙂

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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Beef , Shiitake And and Mung Bean Noodles In Ginger.Garlic Broth

Beef , Shiitake And Mung Bean Noodles In Ginger/Garlic Broth

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Beef , Shiitake And and Mung Bean Noodles In Ginger.Garlic Broth

Beef , Shiitake And Mung Bean Noodles In Ginger/Garlic Broth

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

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Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

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If  this dish looks too spicy for you – relax 🙂
– The amount of chilies you can see in the pictures are good for my personal palette, but you should add the type (heat level) and quantity you prefer. I suggest you add chilies which are slightly milder than you can tolerate, so that you can add more of them and get that rich, fruity capsicum taste which you can only get by biting into a whole, fried or sauteed chili.
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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

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Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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The Slammer

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It  is great to have the liberty to name the dishes one creates, even using somewhat goofy but fitting names, such as “The Slammer” 🙂
This is one of the dishes which owe their creation to the fact that sometimes I think I have nothing in the fridge to prep a great meal and going to the shop is not an option. Out of this familiar dilemma, sometimes a wonderful dish finds the light of day, as happened with this mouthwatering, sexy sandwich.
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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Link to Hans’ Homemade Buffalo Sauce
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The Slammer

The Slammer

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The Slammer

The Slammer

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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“The German Dip”

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This  is the second  dish I prepared with the leftovers from the roast pork ham I prepared on the 25th. It turned out to become a masterstroke of a sandwich, and since I have not heard of a national German sandwich, I hereby declare this sandwich the “Official German Sandwich”, also known as “The German Dip”.
(Without the dipping jus, it shall simply be known as “The German”).
You are welcome Germany, glad to help 🙂
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Guten Appetit ! Das Leben Ist Wunderbar !
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"The German Dip"

“The German Dip”

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"The German Dip"

“The German Dip”

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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Link : Löwensenf
Link : Allgäuer Bergkäse
Link : Rotkohlsalat
Link : Schweinebraten

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Roast Fresh Ham With Caraway Jus (Gebratene Schweinekeule Mit Kümmelsoße)

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Like  last year, this year again I celebrated Christmas eve with my dear friends Dieter and Chacha, who were gracious enough to invite me to their family celebration. As usual, the food was out of this world. This years star of the dinner was a wonderful, tasty and succulent  standing rib roast  with all the trimmings and for dessert we all enjoyed Dieters traditional, perfect  soufflé.
After everybody ate, there was one leftover soufflé, which I bravely volunteered to put out of it’s lonely misery.
(All this great food plus two soufflé’s  on one evening – no wonder my belly looks so muscular). 😦
Earlier, just before I left my home to go to dinner, my  friend Curtis showed up with Christmas gifts. Among the goodies was a fresh ham of generous size, about enough to feed 7 people with a healthy appetite. In other words, enough for Bella and I to pig-out for two days 🙂 So, before I took off to Chacha’s and Dieter’s dinner, I scored the skin of the ham, salted it very generously with kosher salt and put it in the fridge to be cooked the next day. (This helps to draw the moisture from the skin and gives you a superior crackling). The next day, Thursday, I cooked the ham by starting it off at 420F for 20 minutes, then turning down the temperature to 325F for 4 hours and finishing the last twenty minutes at 420F again to crisp up the cracklings.
On this occasion I have forgone more traditional sidings such as vegetables, beans, rice, pasta or potatoes in favor of a simple guacamole, seeded rye bread, the pork jus, the onions which cooked together with the ham, grey poupon mustard and horseradish.
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Bon Appetit !   Life Is Good !
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Click here for  Guacamole Recipe
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P.S.
I will post a follow-up on the dishes I prepared with the leftovers.
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P.P.S.
I believe it is time to live a bit more “light” for at least the next few months, so starting January, I will change my food  (and therefore my post’s) to a bit of a lighter fare 5 days a week, while the weekend will feature the same type of food as usual, just smaller portions – and, sad to say, a drastic cutback on sweets.
Look for   ” Hans’ Lighter Comfort Food “  in upcoming post’s. See you there 🙂

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Roast Fresh Ham

Roast Fresh Ham

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Roast Fresh Ham

Roast Fresh Ham

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over picture
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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