easy recipes

Spicy Squid & Vegetables

This recipe work’s as well with other seafood, such as shrimp, mussels, lobster, cuttlefish, octopus, etc. Even chicken, beef, pork, or all vegetables for a vegetarian version, you name it. But here, squid it is. The secret to a successful squid dish is to not overcook the squid. Sauteing a few seconds in a very hot pan, then removing them and adding back to the dish at the very end of the dishes cooking process, making sure they don’t simmer or boil anymore, will do the trick.
Enjoy 🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Squid, cleaned, cut into squares
Potatoes, peeled, cut into thick slices, cooked
Corn on the cob, sliced, cooked
Cauliflower, rosettes, blanched
Tomatoes, diced
Onions, diced
Garlic, paste
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Kosher salt,
Hoisin sauce,
Scotch bonnet hot sauce,
Soy sauce,
Ketchup,
Peanut oil, to saute,

Method :

Saute squid on high heat until opaque, 3-4 seconds, remove, reserve.
Saute garlic and onions until fragrant, add all other ingredients
and saute until heated through. Remove from heat, mix with squid.
To serve, sprinkle with fair amount of cilantro.

Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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Curry Wurst Mit Fritten

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” Curry Sausage With French Fries ”

A post worth writing / reading you ask ? Well, if you ever had a good curry wurst, you start salivating just by reading the title. If you never had one, you might shake your head in disbelieve. What could be so special about a sausage drowned in curry-ketchup ? What the heck is curry ketchup ? Like many things in life, a mere description can never do justice to the actual experience of eating the real thing. I for one love my caviar, foie gras, lobster and so forth. But as you must have realized by now, I just as much appreciate the simpler thing’s in live. “Curry wurst mit fritten” certainly is one of them. Now, there are many different sausages suitable for this dish, but since I live in the states, it is more difficult in certain areas to source good quality sausages. However, I have access to very good mild Italian sausages which fit perfectly. As for the curry sauce, many elaborate sauces have been concocted over time, some more, most less successful. What works best for me is a quality ketchup mixed with roasted garlic puree, good quality curry powder and a bit of salt. That’s it ! Please don’t knock it before you tried it. I have surprised many a chef over the years with this simple sauce (condiment), most of whom were eager to get the “secret recipe”. Important also is to sprinkle a fair amount of the curry powder over the sauced sausage just before serving. I can think of no other dish in the world were I would suggest that, but here it works just beautifully. Also very important are first class, crispy french fries, sprinkled generously with sea salt and dipped into mayonnaise. Yep, the comercial kind of mayo works best here. Save the good home made stuff for something else 🙂

Guten Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Phyllo & Pork Cigars

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Many years ago, when I went to Istanbul for the first time, one day my friend’s and I went to a port side restaurant which had the day’s menu displayed as actual food on a table outside.
One of the things that caught our eyes where wonderful pastries, rolled up like cigarettes and obviously stuffed with ??? We could not find out from the waiter what it was stuffed with (nobody at the place spoke english ), but because they looked so appetizing we ordered a bunch. When they were served, much to my disappointment the first bite almost made me gag, because they were filled with feta cheese amongst other goodies. My friend’s loved the “cigarettes”, but sadly, I could not eat them. Although I am a fanatic cheese lover, one of the few cheeses I can not eat is feta cheese. But over the years, these pastries vividly stayed in my memories of my first visit to Turkey and I have since then created many different versions. ( None of them containing goat cheese ) but using fillings made of lamb, shrimps, lobster, vegetables, fish, as well as a number of sweet fillings, chocolate, strawberries, bananas, etc. They are great as party food, snack, appetizer or, as here, a main course .
Here is a version of Turkish Sigara Boregi I concocted earlier today. Because they served as dinner, I made them much thicker then the usual Sigara Boregi, so instead of cigarettes I call them Cigars 🙂
I just loved this dish, Bella and I pigged out and eat the whole tray for dinner, all eight of them.
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Ingredient’s :

Pork, ground
Vegetable stock,
Onions, diced
Peppers, diced
chilies, diced
( I like my filling VERY spicy. If you don’t,
you might want to hold off on the scotch bonnet’s )
Tomato, chopped
Garlic, paste
Kosher salt,
Smoked paprika,
Parmigiano reggiano, finely grated
Butter, for phyllo
Olive oil, to saute
Red wine, to deglaze

Method :

Saute the meat in the olive oil until it start’s to brown.
Add the vegetables, continue sauteing until the onions
are translucent. Deglaze with red wine, add stock and
seasoning. Let simmer until meat is done and liquid
has mostly evaporated.
Brush each phyllo sheet with butter before topping with
the next sheet. In this recipe I have used three layers of
phyllo. Put some of the pork on one end of the phyllo sheets,
sprinkle cheese on top, roll up into cigar shape, cut to desired length.
A variation would be to sprinkle the pork loosely over the
entire surface and the roll them into cigarette sized rolls.
As dipping sauces I had sweet Thai chili sauce and dill-yogurt.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Breakfast Of Champions # 12 “Bistec Empanizado” (Cuban Breaded Steak)

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Breakfast time is slowly but surely becoming the best part of my off day’s.
It is always something I can eat with gusto, usually while watching a good movie.
That’s the way all day’s should start 🙂
Then, on to some form of exercise, in my case an hour long walk with Bella
(sometimes two hours), then do the day’s home chores.

Life is Good !
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Ingredients :

Top round, cut into scallop and pounded evenly 1/4 inch thin
Bread crumbs,
Egg, whole, whisked
Flour,
Kosher salt,
Black pepper, fresh ground
Sour orange juice,
Olive oil, to saute
Butter, to saute
Eggs, whole, to fry

Method :

Season the beef and let marinade over night.
Next morning, bread the beef by dipping in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.
Saute in oil until golden on both sides. When almost done, discard oil,
add butter and eggs and cook until bistec and eggs are done to your liking.
To serve, top bistec with fried eggs and sprinkle with chili flakes and cilantro or chives

¡ disfrute !
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Teriyaki Beef Ribs

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Rarely, if ever, have I had the audacity to pronounce any dish I created “perfect”
Great – yes; superb – yes; my absolute favorite – yes; outstanding – yes;
But to say one can not improve upon a dish usually indicates stupidity,
arrogance, ignorance or all of the above.
However, the ribs I cooked last night – absolutely perfect !
In my own, personal, humble opinion, these were the ultimate, best,
top of the line beef ribs. Perfect texture, perfect taste, perfect presentation.
If you don’t agree after you have recreated them, you can call me stupid if you want,
but I will always know that these are the perfect beef ribs 🙂
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Ingredients :

Beef ribs,
Teriyaki sauce,
(I sometimes make my own, here is a good recipe) : Teriyaki Sauce
Oyster sauce,
Soy sauce,
Chili oil,
Chili pepper,
Sweet chili sauce,
Wasabi,
Kosher salt,

Method :

Simmer ribs in water for two to three hours,
until very tender, but not ” falling of the bones”
(That would be over cooked 🙂 )
Season the water with slices of ginger and garlic, onion, kosher salt, soy sauce and chili pepper. When tender, remove ribs, pad dry and brush with basting liquid made with teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, wasabi, chili oil, sweet chili sauce and salt. Place on baking rack and bake in oven at 375 F for 45 minutes. While baking, baste again every ten minutes. When done, remove from oven, sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallion. Let rest for fifteen minutes before cutting into individual ribs.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Caldo Verde

Food memories ……..

Caldo Verde.
For me this recalls the time we were living in Madeira, Portugal. We were living and working in Porto Moniz, in a wonderful apartment overlooking the ocean, close to the center of Funchal, near the rock pool and a great restaurant which was in a rock cave just below our house and specialized in grilled sardines. During many evenings during the cooler months of the year, Maria and I went across the street to a simple restaurant/kiosk which was located right on the stony beach, just opposite the cave restaurant. While I forgot the name of the places, I remember clearly what we consumed most times: A bottle of ” Gatao Vinho Verde ” for me, a diet coke for Maria and two bowls of ” Caldo Verde ” for the both of us if we had dinner on the beach. Same beverages, accompanied by four orders of grilled sardines (one for Maria, three for me ) when we dined in the Cave. These simple dinners alway’s made a perfect ending to a busy day. Memories……. 🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Kale, thoroughly washed, stems removed
Potatoes, medium diced
Chorizo, finely sliced
Stock, chicken, beef, pork, or vegetables
( I used leftover smoked pork stock I had in my freezer
from last weeks “Collard Greens” preparation )
Garlic, paste
Onions, diced
Black pepper, fresh ground
Kosher salt,
Maggi seasoning
Olive oil, to saute

Method :

Saute chorizo in oil until starting to brown.
Remove chorizo, reserve. Saute onions and garlic
until translucent, add potatoes and stock, simmer
until potatoes are soft. Mash potatoes or blend with a
stick blender. Add kale and most of the chorizo. Simmer
until kale is soft. Season soup with salt, pepper and maggi to taste.
To serve, sprinkle the rest of the chorizo on top for color.

Bom apetite ! A vida é boa !
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Ziti In Wodka Sauce

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If you love pasta, this dish is for you.
The only, important, vital thing to take into consideration :
Butter, butter, butter.! Olive oil just does not cut it here.
I know butter has gone out of fashion with many folk’s,
but here is the time and occasion when you have to leave
your healthy pad for a moment and indulge in the goodness of
butter. Not butter substitute, not clarified butter, just plain,
rich, good tasting butter 🙂

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Ingredient’s

Ziti, cooked, drained, some cooking water reserved
Tomato sauce, canned
Wodka,
Garlic, paste
Peperoncino romano, finely grated
Butter,
Sriracha,
Maggi seasoning,
Kosher salt,
Chili flakes,
Italian parsley,

Method :

Saute garlic in butter until fragrant, deglaze with wodka.
( Careful with the flame, you don’t want to set your eyebrows
or your kitchen on fire ). Add tomato sauce, cooking water,
sriracha and pasta, heat to a simmer. Remove from heat,
add more butter, cheese, maggi and salt and mix well. Adjust
texture with cooking water if necessary. Adjust seasoning to
your liking. To serve, sprinkle with more cheese, chili flakes
and italian parsley.

Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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Seafood & Pasta Salad

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I came home from work early today and the
weather outside was just gorgeous . What better than
a book, ice tea and a cool seafood salad that can
be prepared in a few minutes. Great afternoon, recharged
my batteries and feel wonderfully relaxed.
Now it is time for a new post, then dinner and a movie,
“Ziti in Wodka Sauce” and “Kill shot” with Christopher Walken.

Life is Good !
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Ingredient’s :

Conchigliette, cooked, drained
Shrimps, poached, peeled, tails remove except three for garnish
Octopus, canned, drained
Straw mushroom, canned, drained
Tuna, canned, drained
Peppers, diced (3 colors)
Garlic, paste
Cilantro, chopped
Scallion, sliced
Cucumber, sliced
Egg, hard boiled, sliced
Mayonnaise, freshly made
– (it only takes a minute to make and it’s so much better than store bought)
Horseradish cream,
Lime juice,
Kosher salt,
Black pepper, freshly ground
Olive oil,
Vinegar,

Method :

Take 1/4 of the seafood and marinade with lime, salt,
pepper and olive oil.
Mix remaining seafood , pasta, part of the horseradish
cream, mayo, peppers, lime juice, salt and pepper. Adjust
seasoning to your liking. Place salad on bottom of bowl,
top with the marinated seafood.
To serve, drizzle eggs and cucumber with olive oil and vinegar,
sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with some horseradish
cream to dip the shrimp. Enjoy 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Collard Greens & Smoked Neck Bones “

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We southerner’s sure love our greens .
(Southern Germany in my case, that’s why the
roast potatoes instead of the corn bread) 🙂

I cooked a great amount of pork so at the end there
was a good amount of potlikker left which I froze.
Next time I’ll go to the store I will buy kale to make
a great Caldo Verde with the leftover potlikker.

All about Collard Greens
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Ingredient’s :

Collard greens, each leaf washed individually,
– stem removed, cut into 2″ strips
Smoked pork neck bones,
Onions, sliced
Garlic, paste
Rendered pork fat, (schmalz)
– substitute with chicken or duck fat if you prefer
Kosher salt,
Black pepper, freshly ground
Maggi seasoning,
Scotch bonnet, for a little kick

Method :

Simmer smoked pork in lightly salted water until almost tender.
Meanwhile, saute onions and garlic in your fat of choice until
onions are translucent and garlic fragrant. Add to the simmering
pork. When pork is almost tender, add the greens and seasoning
and cook until greens are tender. Depending on the season, this
can take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours.
(I cooked those greens for two more hours and the pork and greens
were just perfect. Adjust the seasoning before you serve.
As I mentioned, traditionally in the american south you
would serve this with corn bread. However, around the world
different customs call for different sidings, from potatoes to rice
to just a hearty slice of bread to soak up the potlikker. You might
also want to try to sprinkle some parmigiano reggiano over the top,
which I did with my re-heated left overs. Another knock-out 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Guacamole, Salame & Pita

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Yesterday after work I did not feel like cooking,
so I made do with a little snack and a bit of merlot in the back by the lake.
Life could be a lot worse 🙂
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Ingredients :

Mini pita breads,
Salame, finely diced
Olive oil, to saute

Avocado, diced
Chilis, finely diced
Red radish, finely diced
Lime, juiced
Garlic, paste
Cilantro, chopped
Kosher salt,
Olive oil,
Sour cream,

Method :

Saute the salame in a bit of olive oil .
Fill a teaspoon full into the pita pockets.
Mix the guacamole ingredients, season with salt.
To serve, place the guacamole in center of plate,
surround with the stuffed pita pockets, top with
sour cream and sprinkle with cilantro.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
While I was eating I watched these two guy’s.
They did not move for about an hour, until the sun was down.
Not very exciting, but pretty and nice to see 🙂
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