chef cook

” 10 Festivals that Celebrate Local Produce “

Excerpt from “www.bootsnall.com” :

Whether you’re looking to support local communities, broaden your cultural horizons,
or simply soak up the party atmosphere, there are hundreds of local festivals that offer
an entertaining insight into your travel destination.

From sampling witchetty grubs at New Zealand’s Wildfood Festival to mud sliding in
South Korea or munching on oyster tacos to celebrate the Californian oyster harvest,
these 10 festivals are some of the world’s most unique celebrations of local produce.

1. Wildfoods Festival, New Zealand

Fancy munching on worm truffles or slurping some chocolate-coated Huhu beetles?
Hokitika’s world-famous Wildfoods Festival is not just about forcing the weird and
wonderful onto camera-wielding tourists, it’s an important celebration of New Zealand
culture and pays homage to some of the historic foodstuffs once consumed by the island’s
inhabitants (with a creative twist, of course). There are few things not on offer here,
and culinary adventurers can line their guts with all number of bizarre delicacies from
lamb’s testicles and sheep’s brains to roasted earthworms or wasp larvae ice cream.
Wash it all down with a cup of Gorse Flower wine or Stallion’s Semen (yes, really).
For the less daring, try a whitebait patty – a regional favorite – or opt for more appealing
offerings like wild pork or whiskey sausages.

Held in March each year on the South Island’s west coast, the Wildfoods Festival draws in
some 15,000 visitors to the small town, offering an unbeatable opportunity for local
businesses to present their creations to an international audience. For best results bring
your camera, a few try-anything mates, and an empty stomach.

For 9 more festivals, click HERE

” Rotkohl Salat ” ( Red Cabbage Slaw )

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Rotkohl Salat

This is so much better than the limp, tasteless coleslaw offered most of the time.
This is crispy, tangy, refreshing. In Germany (and many other european countries)
we use this for different occasions, as snack, side dish or appetizer. The ingredients
are cabbage, onions, salt, pepper, oil, vinegar, some folks (me) like to add a few drops
of maggi seasoning, others a dash of sugar (not me), and/or garlic (me).
Try it on your next BBQ. You will be happy you did 🙂
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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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” Naan, Brie & Vegetable Pizza “

Indian, Italian, French, “CON-fusion”    :- )

This was soo delicious !
Light, tasty, crispy; fun, easy and quick !

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

” Useless – Or Worth The Trouble ? “

Useless – or worth the trouble?  
– trying to keep the “flame of excellence” going
for the next generation of cooks!
By Chef Hans Susser, CEC . CHE

Lately that’s a question that pops up, both in my head and during conversations with other experienced chefs, more and more frequently. Why do we do it and for what? Obviously the general impression of many old timer’s is that the younger generations “just don’t give a hood” anymore. While this might be increasingly true due to circumstances, I am happy to report that when we really look, we still see the diamonds in the rough being there, right under our eyes. Yes, they might be harder to spot because of the circumstances surrounding them (and sometimes us), but they are certainly out there. Maybe their numbers have been dwindling, but maybe this happened partially because we have stopped looking? If you need an expert about frustration, you found him right here. But then again, who are we to judge others when we fall into the same category. So, colleagues, both educators and especially professionals out there in the “real world” – keep on searching. We are getting paid to do so, but we should really be doing more because that is what set’s us apart from the mediocre rest that we so wholeheartedly criticize. The flame is still burning under our guard, so let’s keep it going, never to give up. Let the fuel be our knowledge, skills and care for our beloved profession. No flame can burn on hot air alone as so many wannabe “chefs” out there believe. One of the many sources of joy and satisfaction in our culinary profession is to discover that there are enough kids out there to carry on the flame in the future.
But for now, dear fellow chefs, don’t let the flame of excellence of culinary standards extinguish.

We, the REAL CHEFS, who possess the experience, knowledge and care, are still in charge to keep the flame burning – while we still can and care !

” Late Night Snack – Rotellini With Mushrooms & Creamy Tomato Sauce “

Got hungry at midnight last night.

Here is a simple, quick, delicious meal that takes only a few minutes to cook 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

” Currywurst “


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Here  is my reply to a fellow chef who asked ( jokingly, I assume ) for a ” secret ” sausage recipe :

Only if you don’t laugh at this Jeff. 🙂
I will not give you a recipe for any sausage because i have never made one following a recipe. You give me the meat, I get the seasoning and method,and off we go. Sausage making is, as i am sure you know, not about recipes, but about understanding the chemical reactions of the ingredients, temperature and time and the result you want to achieve.
However, I am sure you have heard of the German “Curry Wurst”. There are many variations, but the main ” secret ” is the “Curry Sauce”. I have surprised many a fellow chef who was not familiar with curry wurst ( mainly americans , since curry wurst is not usually served in this country ), by serving them a variety of different sausages as curry wurst, The sausages were usually pretty good, so nothing earth shaking here. However, the reaction to my ” Curry Sauce ” was usually and, surprisingly to me,  very positive.
I alway’s give up my recipes if somebody is mercyfully interested in them, but this one is so tremendously simple I don’t even consider it to be a recipe :
Simmer a bit of water, add curry powder, a bit of worcester sauce and ketchup. Simmer for a few minutes, cool down. Done.
Anything off the grill or pan or fryer you dip into this sauce – excellent !
As I said, don’t laugh – as with all food, sometimes the simple stuff gives the most satisfaction.

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !

All about CURRY WURST

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” Teriyaki Chicken, Naan, Lettuce & Ranch “

I think I found the world’s smallest electric grill.
Perfect for one portion.
Now we have 4 grills in the house !    🙂

” Chicken Baked In Salt Crust “

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes.
Season the inside with sriracha and salt, stuff it with orange quarters,
lots of garlic and scallions. Then make the salt dough by combining egg whites,
salt and flour, pack the chicken in it and bake it until the meat has reached
a temperature of of 158. remove the chicken and let rest another 20 minutes
before opening the crust. The carry-over heat will take it to a safe 165 temperature.
For most effect, crack and open the  crust table side. For  condiments and sides,
you can go chinese or western. Because the texture and taste reminds me so much
of the time i used to live in singapore and enjoyed “Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice”,
I usually go chinese, but  just condiments, no rice or vegetables because together with
Bella we usually eat the whole thing in one sitting ! You can of course accompany it
with steamed rice and maybe bok choy, or you can go western style and serve a
western style vegetable and maybe mashed potatoes or noodles, in which case you
probably serve it with a veloute to keep it all moist and tasty.

Enjoy ! Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Breakfast Of Champions # 5 – Chicken Congee

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For a different texture / flavor, replace the chicken with any protein, such as crab meat, shrimps, fish, tofu, or vegetables, such as baby bok choy, asparagus, corn, etc.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Aloo Ki Tiki ” Indian Potato Patties
Very tasty dinner tonight.
Toke the liberty to replace the peas with some other
vegetables to get even more flavor and color.

Tomorrow – NOT a vegetarian food day   🙂
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