cooking

London Broil

While you can use just about any flat cut of beef to prepare London Broil, “Teres Major” (or Faux Tender) was what I had on hand today. It was perfect for the cooking method of London Broil – VERY slowly broiled on both sides until rare, then rested for another 15 minutes, lightly covered, during which time the carry-over heat took the meat to a beautiful, even medium. (Contrary to most folks, I like to cook the tougher cuts of meat a bit more than rare, somehow the texture appeals more to me.
On the other hand, cuts of meat which are more tender, are always served med-rare or rare at my house, unless I have guests who prefer otherwise.
(My guests always play the first fiddle) 🙂
Accompanied by sauteed potatoes and green asparagus, this was a wonderful, tasty and somewhat rugged meal greatly enjoyed by Bella and myself.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Preparation :
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: season 2 lbs of beef of your choice with kosher salt to taste, broil under low heat on both sides to your preference of doneness, let rest for at least 15 minutes

: melt 3 oz whole butter, add the juice of half a lemon, 1/2 tblsp garlic paste, kosher salt and fresh-cracked black pepper to taste, keep at room temperature

: blanch, shock and drain 1 lb of green asparagus

: blanch, shock and drain 2 lb of potato slices

: saute potatoes in olive oil until golde, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: when potatoes are golden, discarg the oil, add the asparagus and 2 oz whole butter, saute until asparagus are heated through

: to serve, sprinkle with chopped Italian parsley

: slice the beef into 1/4 ” slices, top the potatoes/asparagus with the sliced meat, drizzle with the pepper-butter; serves 4

: London Broil

: London Broil

: London Broil

: London Broil

: London Broil

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Piri Piri Chicken With Portuguese Fried Rice

Piri Piri Chicken

Here we have two beloved Portuguese dishes which are not typically recognized as Portuguese staples (rice) and chicken (piri piri chicken).
Piri piri chicken is a favorite way of preparing chicken/poultry in most parts of Portugal, especially in Lisbon. I remember eating grilled chicken brushed with a spicy sauce in Lisbon way back in the seventies and then twenty five years later again, when I lived on Madeira with Maria, although I did not recall the “piri piri” part until I came across this video on my Portuguese friend’s Peter a few weeks ago (see link below) .
As for “Portuguese fried rice”, any cuisine in which rice features as a staple also has at least a few fried rice recipes, since everybody is used to reheat the leftover rice in a pan and adding “stuff” to it, usually in the form of other leftovers and/or veggies, seasoning, eggs, protein etc.
Grilling over an open fire is, of course, one of the best ways to cook chicken (or most other protein, no matter the country, style of cuisine or occasion. Brushing the meat when it almost ready to be served with a savory, spicy sauce and a squirt of fresh lemon or lime is all one needs to lift said protein (or vegetables) one more step up to reach culinary heaven 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more info about Piri Piri Sauce
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Click here for a short video about Piri Piri Chicken
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Click here for more info about Food , Dining & Drinks In Portugal
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Pls note :
Piri piri sauce is prepared in a myriad of different ways, depending on the country, region, family preference, etc. The one essential common ingredient is the use of piri piri peppers. Also, the amount of piri piri you brush onto your food depends on your own preference. As you can see in the picture, I love to be generous with my thicker than usual piri piri 🙂
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Hans’ Piri Piri Sauce Recipe :
4 tablespoons lemon juice, 5 tablespoons olive oil, ¹⁄₄cup vinegar, 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce (optional), 1 tablespoon garlic, minced, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon piri piri peppers ;
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

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Piri Piri Chicken And Portuguese Fried Rice

Portuguese Fried Rice

Piri Piri Chicken And Portuguese Fried Rice

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: wash and pat dry 1 ea cornish hen per person (or half a chicken)

: cut through back of the hen (or chicken), season with kosher salt; for a formal dinner, remove back bone and wing tips

: grill poultry on both sides, finish by roasting in a 375F oven until about 3/4 cooked, about 20 to 25 minutes for a small hen, longer for a chicken, depending on size

: saute 4 oz diced onions and 4 oz diced linguiça (or other hard sausage such as chorizo or salami) in 2 tblsp olive oil

: when the onions are translucent, add 1 cup diced bell peppers, saute 1 minute

: add 4 cups of day-old rice and 1 tblsp garlic paste, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: saute until the rice “pops”, move the rice to one side of the pan, add two more tblsp olive oil, scramble 4 whisked eggs until set

: mix the eggs with the other ingredients, saute until the eggs are dry

: check/adjust seasoning; to serve, top with black olives; serves 4

: Portuguese Fried Rice

: Portuguese Fried Rice

: when the poultry is about 3/4 cooked, brush generously with piri piri sauce and 1 tblsp fresh lemon juice, return to oven; repeat this step every 5 minutes until poultry is cooked through

: hello beauty !

: Piri Piri Chicken And Portuguese Fried Rice

: Piri Piri Chicken And Portuguese Fried Rice

: Piri Piri Chicken And Portuguese Fried Rice

: Piri Piri Chicken And Portuguese Fried Rice

: Piri Piri Chicken And Portuguese Fried Rice

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Szegediner Gulasch (Székelykáposzta / Székelygulyás)

Szegediner Gulasch

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Szegediner Gulasch  ( Krautgulasch) is a pork goulash (gulasch) prepared with sauerkraut and sour cream. It probably originated in the Austrian/ Vienna cuisine. (Pork is not typically used for goulash in classic Hungarian cuisine).
The Austrian/German name Szegediner Gulasch is probably misleading since the Hungarian name for the (Austrian) dish does not connect to the city of Szeged, but rather to the Hungarian writer  József Székely, who wrote favorable about this Viennese dish.
In Vienna, Szegediner Gulasch is usually served with serviettenknoedel, potatoes or rustic bread.
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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Szegediner Gulasch

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: for a small side-salat, dice 10 ea cherry tomatoes, 1 med size onion, 4 oz Austrian bergkaese, (Austrian mountain cheese) and 3 scallion stalks

: make a dressing of 1 tblsp raspberry vinegar, 2 tblsp walnut oil and kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: add the dressing to the salad, mix well

: remove skin and bones from 1 ea pork butt

: cut meat and skin into large cubes

: saute 4 sliced large red onions in 2 tblsp pork fat until caramelized

: add 1 cup sweet paprika pwd, 1/2 tblsp chopped caraway seeds and 2 tblsp garlic paste

: add the meat, skin and bone, add 2 qt of water, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: simmer until meat is tender but NOT falling apart

: remove the bone (Bella’s Price)

: add 1 lb sauerkraut, simmer another 20 minutes

: remove gulash from heat, add 1 cup sour cream

: mix well, check/adjust seasoning

: add side of your choice to a serving plate (pasta, potatoes, dumplings, bread, etc), add goulash, top wit a dollop of sour cream, sprinkle with chopped parsley

: Szegediner Gulasch

: Szegediner Gulasch

: Szegediner Gulasch

: Szegediner Gulasch

: Szegediner Gulasch

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NOT !!! The Prettiest Dish Of The Day –

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– but without a doubt one of the tastiest dishes of the day 🙂
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Serrano-Ham And Brie-Cheese Bread

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Today I set out to prepare a pizza for dinner, the way I love it with very little cheese and just a bit of tomato. Then I came across this jamon serrano and brie cheese in my fridge and I thought, maybe a calzone? But I am not really a fan of the texture of a calzone, so I tried something new by mixing all the garnish into the dough before rolling it out. The result was THE BEST ….. whatever it was – Pizza? Bread? Pie? or whatever name one deems most appropriate (bread, probably?) for this sexy little thing.
At first, when I started to fold the garnish into the dough, it did not look and feel as if it would come together and I thought I just screwed it up – I should really have put it between two layers of dough (calzone style).
But after a bit of a push, it worked out just fine and although the final product would not win a beauty contest (this can easily be improved), the texture and taste were absolutely first-rate. Definitely a new standard in my ever-increasing repertoire of quirky dishes 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Pizza Dough Recipe:

Ingredients :

A/P flour, 2 cups (plus more for kneading)
Water, 3/4 cup, warm
Active dry yeast, 1 envelope
Sugar, 1 teaspoon
Olive oil, 3 table spoon
Kosher salt,

Method :

Pour water into small bowl, mix into the yeast. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes. Brush large bowl lightly with olive oil. Mix 2 cups flour, sugar, and salt. Add yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons oil, knead until dough forms a sticky ball. Transfer to lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth. Dust with flour as you work the dough. Transfer to prepared a bowl; turn dough in the bowl to coat with oil. Cover bowl with a moist towel. Let dough rise until doubled in volume.Punch down dough. Pull dough until desired thickness and shape is achieved. If this is too difficult, roll the dough with a rolling-pin. However, in my opinion, the pizza will turn out superior if the dough is pulled.
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Serrano-Ham And Brie-Cheese Bread

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: 1 lb pizza dough, 4 oz very finely sliced jamon serrano, fresh basil chiffonade, a handful of grape tomatoes, 10 oz diced brie cheese, 4 stalk sliced scallions, 1/2 tsp dried oregano

: mix all ingredients on a flour-dusted board until well incorporated

: roll dough into a oblong shape, as thick as you prefer, place on a hot, oiled rack

: brush generously with olive oil, bake at 430F until almost cooked through, about 12 minutes (depending on the thickness you chose), remove from oven

: brush with garlic paste, sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano and 3 stalks sliced scallions, return to 430F oven until cooked through, about 5 minutes; serve with greens in balsamic vinaigrette; serves ??? (up to you, Bella and I ate the whole thing in one sitting))

: Serrano-Ham And Brie-Cheese Bread

: Serrano-Ham And Brie-Cheese Bread

: Serrano-Ham And Brie-Cheese Bread

: Serrano-Ham And Brie-Cheese Bread

: Serrano-Ham And Brie-Cheese Bread

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Announcing The Grand Prize Winner Of The “2017 Baked Stuffed Pasta World Cup”

Grand Prize Winner At The 2017 "Baked Stuffed Pasta World Cup"

Grand Prize Winner: “Spicy Sausage-Stuffed Baked Pasta Shells In Creamy Tomato Sauce “

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Ok, ok, – just kidding.
Its only day 2 of 2017, and there is no 2017 “Baked Stuffed Pasta World Cup”, so I made it up 🙂
However, if there were such a thing as the “2017 Baked Stuffed Pasta World Cup”, I would like to believe that this dish would have won in the following categories:
“Taste”, “Presentation”, “Texture” and “Comfort Food” 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Grand Prize Winner At The 2017 “Baked Stuffed Pasta World Cup”

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: remove and discard casing from 5 ea spicy Italian sausages

: 8 oz 4 year old aged cheddar

: spread 2 cup tomato sauce and 1 cup heavy cream over bottom of a baking dish or cast iron pan, add some fresh basil

: grate half the cheese over the sauce

: cook 1 lb large pasta shells until pliable, about 4 minutes ) “al dente” would be way too soft), stuff with the spicy sausage

: arrange stuffed pasta on the sauce

: sprinkle with 4 oz fresh-grated parmigiano reggiano

: drizzle 1 cup of tomato sauce and 1 cup of heavy cream over the pasta and cheese

: top with the rest of the cheddar cheese

: cover with alu foil, bake at 350F for 45 minutes, until pasta is al dente and sausage is fully cooked

: remove alu foil

: sprinkle with 2 cup panko bread crumbs, broil at low heat until crumbs are crisp and golden

: Grand Prize Winner At The 2017 “Baked Stuffed Pasta World Cup”

: Grand Prize Winner At The 2017 “Baked Stuffed Pasta World Cup”

: Grand Prize Winner At The 2017 “Baked Stuffed Pasta World Cup”

: Grand Prize Winner At The 2017 “Baked Stuffed Pasta World Cup”

: Grand Prize Winner At The 2017 “Baked Stuffed Pasta World Cup”

: Grand Prize Winner: “Spicy Sausage-Stuffed Baked Pasta Shells In Creamy Tomato Sauce”

: Grand Prize Winner At The 2017 “Baked Stuffed Pasta World Cup”

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Duck For Dummies………

Duck For Dummies

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Many folks shy back from preparing duck because of it’s stigma of being difficult to prepare. Now, I admit, duck can be royally screwed-up if you don’t know what you are doing, just like anything else. Many chefs, in order to hoot their own horn, will also try to convince you that cooking duck, especially a whole duck, is difficult and can only be mastered by an expert. While everything is easy if you are an expert, cooking a whole roasted duck doesn’t have to be difficult or fussy. With just a few hours’ roasting and hardly any work at all, you can have a very tasty, very tender, very juicy bird with very crisp skin.
All you need is a duck (you don’t say), salt, a wire rack and an oven. No need for fancy seasoning, fancy equipment or anything else fancy. Duck meat is very tasty in itself, so you don’t need to get into complicated spices, glazes, etc. In fact, you only need a sauce with your duck if you serve a starchy side-dish.
If you opt to enjoy the duck by itself, either as a main course or an appetizer, the meat alone, without any distraction such as a side dish or sauce, should make you a happy camper.
The following recipe is absolutely foolproof.
The result looks great, tastes like heaven and its texture is textbook-perfect; moist and tender on the inside, crackling-crisp on the outside, with all the fat between the skin and meat rendered and with a perfect color to boost 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Duck for Dummies Recipe:
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Ingredients:
1 med size duck
Kosher salt to taste
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Method:
Pre-heat oven to 400F
Prick skin and fat of duck all over, remove excess fat-flaps
Season duck generously inside and out side with the salt.
Place duck breast-side down on a wire rack which rests on a sheet-pan.
Place into oven, immediately turn temperature down to 300 F
Roast duck for 3 hours and 45 minutes, turning duck every 30 minutes
After 3 hours and 45 minutes, increase heat to 420F, roast duck breast side up until skin is very crisp and golden, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Let duck rest for 10 minutes before carving.
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Duck For Dummies

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: whole medium size duck

: remove excess fat-flaps, prick skin/fat all over, season inside and out with salt

: place duck and excess fat on a wire rack, place rack on a sheet pan, cook according to the recipe on this page

: remove duck and let rest for 10 minutes before carving; strain rendered fat to be used for other recipes such as stir fries and sauteed potatoes

: during her well earned rest………..

: rendered duck fat

: rendered duck fat

: Duck For Dummies

: carve duck according to your preference

: Duck For Dummies

: Duck For Dummies

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Arrachera (Sobrebarriga)

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This is probably the dish I have eaten the most often in restaurants while living in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. It is of course served with country-specific sides depending in which place you are, but it has never disappointed and continues to be one of my favorite beef cuts – a close second to rib eye. And, at a fraction of the cost of rib eye, it can be served frequently, unlike rib eye, which has become a special treat because of its high price.
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Bom Proveito ! Buen Provecho !
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Arrachera (Sobrebarriga)

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

: Tortillas

: Mexican Treasures – Guacamole, Escabeche De Cebolla, Salsa Mexicana

: season arrachera with kosher salt and black pepper, grill to your preferred doneness

: Arrachera (Sobrebarriga)

: Arrachera (Sobrebarriga)

: Arrachera (Sobrebarriga)

: Arrachera (Sobrebarriga)

: Arrachera (Sobrebarriga)

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Curried Pumpkin, Potato And Coconut Soup

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The style of this curry soup has it’s origins in Europe. As I mentioned in previous posts, many decades ago, when I was an apprentice in Europe, “curries” were prepared the European way, nothing at all like “real curries” as they exist in far-away land’s 🙂
Madras curry powder, ground cumin, cream or milk, onion and banana and chicken stock were the main ingredients in our “curries”. They usually contained chicken or shrimp and were thickened with flour, or in the case of soups, with rice or potatoes. Although not in any way “authentic”, they were nevertheless (and still are!) very delicious in their own way.
During the years Maria and I gave regular dinner parties, we served this soup often and it was always a hit as part of a multi-course meal.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Curried Pumpkin, Potato And Coconut Soup

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: pumpkin, onion, potato, cumin, curry powder, coconut milk

: saute julienne from 1 small onion in 3 oz whole butter

: add the flesh of 1 small pumpkin, 1 medium potato and 1 small banana, saute until the banana gets soft, add 3 tbslp curry powder, 1 pinch of ground cumin, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: saute until fragrant

: add 8 oz chicken stock, simmer until potatoes and pumpkin are soft

: add 8 oz coconut milk, simmer another 3 minutes

: place soup in blender or bowl with magic stick

: blend until smooth, check/adjust seasoning, serve in hollowed-out mini pumpkins or soup bowls; (if you use the pumpkin shells, submerge them in boiling water to sanitize for 1 minute); serves 4

: Curried Pumpkin, Potato And Coconut Soup

: Curried Pumpkin, Potato And Coconut Soup

: Curried Pumpkin, Potato And Coconut Soup

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Jägerschnitzel Vom Huhn Mit Pasta Und Schmelze – Chicken Cutlet Hunter Style

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I just have come across some debates about what constitutes a “true” Jägerschnitzel, so I’d like to put that to rest, right now, right here, with some authority on the subject (easy now !) 🙂
After all, I grew up in Swabia in Southern Germany, where, during my youth, schnitzel were one of the most commonly served animal proteins, served a few times a month at home and more often than not during special occasions, such as restaurant visits, birthdays, weddings or funerals or any other gathering where “decent” food was served for a reasonable price.
Traditionally, a Jägerschnitzel is a thin-pounded veal or pork cutlet, dusted with flour and sauteed, then covered with mushroom sauce, to which sometimes cream and parsley or chives are added, and accompanied by pasta (mostly, but not exclusively Spaetzle), roast potatoes (Bratkartoffeln) or dumplings (Knödel).
A “TRUE” Jägerschnitzel is “NEVER” breaded (never cover anything breaded with sauce, one of the basics in classic cooking – after all, you bread it to be crisp, so why soften it by covering it with moisture ?!!) And yes, I know, like always in cooking, there are a few exceptions, but they do NOT pertain to schnitzel.
Then there are Jägerschnitzel made of chicken or turkey. While less traditional, they have become popular lately because of changing eating-habits and because the meat is more affordable than pork and veal, (especially milk-veal), which has been priced out of reach for most folks.
So there you have it – the end of the Jägerschnitzel Debate.
You are welcome 🙂
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Guten Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Jägerschnitzel Vom Huhn Mit Pasta Und Schmelze – Chicken Cutlet Hunter Style

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: for the schmelze, saute 2 tblsp panko bread crumbs in 1 tblsp whole butter until crisp and golden, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: de-bone and remove skin from 3 ea chicken breasts, pound thin between 2 plastic sheets, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, dust lightly with a/p flour, saute in 1 tblsp peanut oil until cooked through

: remove chicken breasts from pan, keep warm; saute julienne from 1/2 white onion until translucent

: add 6 oz sliced button mushrooms, saute until lightly browned

: add 1/2 cup heavy cream

: add 1/2 cup demi glace, simmer 1 minute

: check/adjust seasoning, add 2 tblsp chopped parsley

: place schnitzel on serving plate with pasta and schmelze, top with 1/3 of the sauce, sprinkle with more parsley ; recipe serves 3

: Jägerschnitzel Vom Huhn Mit Pasta Und Schmelze – Chicken Cutlet Hunter Style

: Jägerschnitzel Vom Huhn Mit Pasta Und Schmelze – Chicken Cutlet Hunter Style

: Jägerschnitzel Vom Huhn Mit Pasta Und Schmelze – Chicken Cutlet Hunter Style

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Fried Chicken With Potato Salad

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This dish does not need a lengthy, flowery introduction, ’cause, what could be more familiar, appetizing and, at the same time, easier to prepare than fried chicken. Especially when it’s done the American way as opposed to the European way.
Classically and in the European style, fried chicken is breaded with a simple breading procedure: Flour, egg wash, bread crumbs.
Following the American procedure, coat the chicken in flour, then dip it in buttermilk, then coat it in flour again.
(This method is also used for “Chicken Fried Steak”)
So there you have it, fried chicken done the American way. Dare I say: The better way ? 🙂
Well, of course both way’s can be excellent (and will be, assuming it’s done right). However, the American way turns out more crisp (again, IF ! properly prepared), so it is slightly ahead on my preference-scale of fried chicken 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Fried Chicken With Potato Salad

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: Potato/Cucumber Salad In Bacon/Scallion-Vinaigrette

: debone and remove skin (optional) from 4 chicken thighs

: season 1/2 cup of butter milk with chili paste and kosher salt to taste (substitute buttermilk with a mixture of 2/3 whole milk and 1/3 Greek yogurt if butter milk is not available

: season 1 cup of a/p flour with granulated garlic, cayenne pepper and kosher salt to taste

: dip chicken into flour, then butter milk, then flour again, saute or fry until golden, crisp and cooked through

: almost……..

: before plating, let the chicken rest for a few minutes on absorbent paper, plot the top of chicken with absorbent paper as well; serve with potato salad, lemon wedges and Thai chili sauce