easy recipes

Spicy Coconut Soup With Chicken, Rice & Vegetables

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Yesterday evening I was going to make an authentic Thai or Indian dish,
but then I realized that I did not have some of the ingredients I needed in
my cupboard, so I came up with this beauty. While it is not authentic Thai
nor Indian, Malay, Indonesian, etc, etc, I can proudly inform you that is
100% authentic ” Hans “.
I could not have eaten better last night, so it goes to show once more that
love for food and cooking, a bit of imagination and a little bit of skill’s can
many times replace the biggest, best, most expensive recipe book 🙂
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Ingredients :

Chicken, your choice of cut or boneless
Broccoli rabe, blanched
Grape tomato, whole
Green peas, blanched
Corn, blanched
Mini peppers, finely sliced
Scotch bonnet, seeds removed, finely sliced
Ginger, grated
Garlic, paste
Sweet chili sauce,
Coconut milk,
Limes, juiced
Cumin, ground
Fish sauce,
Curry powder,
Kosher salt,
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Peanut oil, to saute

Method :

Saute garlic and ginger until fragrant, add curry and cumin, deglaze with sherry.
Add chicken, salt and and stock and simmer until chicken is tender but not
overcooked – (please, no “falling of the bone” here). When chicken is almost done,
stir in coconut milk. Slowly simmer for another five minutes., Add all vegetables,
seasoning and lime juice and let it all heat through.
To serve, sprinkle with cilantro and accompany with basmati rice.
To eat, mix rice into soup, small amounts at a time.

Bon Appetit! Life is Good !
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Vegetables In Fermented Black Bean Sauce

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By now my readers will have discovered that I am not exactly a vegetarian.
I love my meat and seafood and can’t imagine how one can miss this exciting
part of our culinary world.
However, once in a while, I have a sudden urge for rice and vegetables.
The first thing that usually comes to my mind during such a rare moment is
soup or fried rice of some sort. What usually makes me especially look forward
to a vegetable dish is the inclusion of fermented bean paste.
It gives the food such a special flavor that it is, in my opinion at least, the one
seasoning which can bring a vegetable dish to a whole other level of goodness 🙂

Here is what I have concocted for dinner today :
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Ingredients :

Asparagus, blanched
Snow peas, blanched
Mushroom, sliced thick
Grape tomatoes, whole
Onion, sliced
Scotch bonnet, thinly sliced –
( Careful !!! Extremely spicy ! Omit if you can’t stand the heat )
Mini Peppers, thinly sliced
Scallion, thinly sliced
Ginger, grated
Garlic, paste
Bean paste,
Oyster sauce,
Soy sauce,
Kosher Salt,
Vegetable stock,
Corn starch, slurry
Peanut oil,

Method :

Saute onion, garlic and ginger until fragrant,
deglaze with stock, add seasoning, add slurry.
Simmer for one minute, add all vegetables and heat through.
To serve, sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallion.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Zuppa Pavese “

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There was a time when this was on nearly every Italian restaurant’s menu.
Unfortunately, over time, it was watered down at most places to a thin,
packaged chicken broth with a thin slice of white bread, an egg yolk and
a bit of crappy cheese sprinkled on top. Of course people stayed away from that crap.
However, when properly done, with love ( and a good appetite ), this soup is
pure soup-heaven.
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All about Zuppa Pavese
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Ingredients :

Chicken stock, seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg (or beef stock if you prefer)
Sour dough bread, thick sliced
Roasted garlic paste,
Whole egg, very fresh
Pecorino romano, (or parmigiano reggiano if you prefer)
Italian parsley, chopped

Method :

Spread some roasted garlic paste on bread, saute or grill on one side until golden.
Remove, sprinkle finely grated cheese on the other side, gratinate until golden.
Meanwhile, heat your serving dish until very hot. Heat your broth until simmering.
Place bread in serving dish, individual portion or family style, one large slice per person.
Carefully crack one egg on each slice.Ladle soup over eggs, careful not to break them.
The eggs should be covered by the broth. Sprinkle cheese and parsley on top.
The soup is now ready to serve, but if you like your eggs more done, bake in oven a few
minutes until the eggs are done to your liking.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Asian Inspired Baked Chicken “

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This was a great tasting chicken and best of all, no
more than 3 minutes of prep. Great taste, good looks,
easy to prepare.
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Ingredients :

Chicken, legs, breast, wings
Sweet chili sauce,
Oyster sauce,
Soy sauce,
Lime juice,
Garlic, paste,
Ginger, grated,
Kosher salt,

Method :

Mix all marinade ingredients, dip chicken until well coated,
bake at 375 f until done. Serve with lettuce in sesame/honey dressing.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Breakfast Of Champions # 11 ” Millefanti In Brodo Di Carne “

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Usually I have peppermint tea and bananas for breakfast,
but today that did not tickle my fancy at all. So I took refuge
in another one of my favorite breakfast (and late night snack )
standby’s : An Italian variation of egg drop soup.
I fortified some great beef stock I had in the fridge by simmering
it for fifteen minutes with a good amount of garlic and ginger and seasoning
it with freshly grated nutmeg, kosher salt, cayenne and maggi seasoning.
The eggs I whisked with parmesan cheese, flat leave parsley, chives and nutmeg.
I fished out the sliced ginger and slivered garlic after simmering them for
15 minutes, then whisked in the eggs, immediately removing it from the heat
and drinking it as hot as possible.
Voilà ! Instant satisfaction 🙂
Remember, sometimes the simple things………

Have a great day ! Life is Good !
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” Canton Noodles, Beef & Vegetables In Ginger/Garlic Broth “

I know these are great pictures, but boy o boy, the fragrances from this dish 🙂
Yesterday I made a great beef stock in order to have a rich soup today.
This soup was just so flavorful and the different textures made it one of my
favorite asian dishes in a long time.
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Ingredient’s :

Beef stock,
Flank steak, sliced into baton
Broccoli rabe, blanched
Canton noodles, cooked, drained
Bamboo shoots, sliced
Radish, sliced
Black mushroom, soaked in hot water, quartered
Garlic, paste
Ginger, grated
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Sesame oil, to taste
Sherry, to taste
Oil, to saute

Method :

Saute steak until nicely browned but still medium on the inside.
Remove, set aside. Saute garlic and ginger until fragrant,
add mushroom and radish, deglaze with sherry, add stock and
simmer for one minute. Add bamboo shoots and rabe and bring
back to simmer. Remove from heat, add beef, sesame oil and salt
and pepper. To serve, sprinkle generously with cilantro and
soy sauce and chili sauce on the side.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” 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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