ethnic recipes

Spaghetti “Graubündner Style”

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Yesterday my friend George arrived from switzerland and as usual he brought a bunch of gift’s. One of them is my favorite cold cut in the world, “Bündner Fleisch” ( Bindenfleisch, or “Viande des Grisons” or “Air Dried Beef” ) The traditional way of eating bündner fleisch is to serve it very thinly sliced, cold, with fresh horseradish and rustic bread. However, George asked me to make something out of the ordinary with the bündner fleisch, so I came up with the following concoction which was a delightful and very unusual way of using this traditional ingredient. The extraordinary flavor of the bündner fleisch and the sharpness of the “Appenzeller Käse” (appenzeller cheese), another one of his gift’s, made this a truly special and delightful dish 🙂

Spaghetti “Graubündner Style”

: Spaghetti “Graubündner Style”

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Ingredient’s :

Spaghetti, cooked al dente
Broccoli florets, blanched
Appenzeller cheese, finely grated
Grape tomatoes, whole
Onions, sliced
Garlic, paste
Milk, whole
Eggs, whole
Italian parsley, chopped
Kosher salt,
Black pepper, freshly ground
Butter, to saute

Method :

Mix eggs, milk and cheese, add salt and pepper, whisk. Saute onions and garlic in butter, add bündner fleisch, spaghetti, broccoli and egg mixture. Cook until eggs have set to your preference ( I like mine well done).
To serve, sprinkle with more grated cheese and chopped parsley.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Guajillo Chile & Rum Spiced Pork Ribs

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Pork rib craving – gotto give in to it 🙂
However, you’ve got to plan this well, because when the craving start’s, it will take another 9 hours of slow cooking time before you can eat your rib’s.
And so it goes:
Make a paste of “Brugal” rum, kosher salt, guajillo chile, granulated garlic and freshly ground black pepper. Cover both sides of the ribs with a thick cover of the paste. Place rib’s on a rack which sit’s over a pan of water. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake at 180 F for 8 hours. (Replenish water if necessary). Remove foil and bake another hour until ribs are nicely colored.
The Verdict : Very tasty, very juicy, very tender, very easy to prepare. Rib’s rule !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Guajillo Chile & Rum Spiced Pork Ribs

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Mafaldine, Striploin, Mushrooms & Chilis

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Dinner for two :
Sauteed strip loin, mafaldine, mushrooms, chilis and grape tomatoes with garlic and scallions.
Simplicity at it’s best 🙂

Mafaldine, Striploin, Mushrooms & Chilis

: Mafaldine, Striploin, Mushrooms & Chilis

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Arroz Con Pollo

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“Arroz con Pollo“
In my opinion this is one of the most widly and often prepared dishes in the whole world.
“Hans, have you gone nuts?”, you probably think when you read this statement.
But what I am talking about is the actual Concoction, not the dish named “Arroz con Pollo”.
“Arroz con Pollo” simply translates into “Rice with Chicken”. Now, it is my firm believe that anywhere in the world where you have rice, and where you also have chicken, sooner or later folks threw the two, plus another bunch of stuff, together and made it a one dish meal, calling it “Rice and Chicken” or, surprise surprise, “Chicken and Rice”.

I would like to ask my readers to please give us the name of your country’s or region’s dish containing chicken and rice and other stuff 🙂
Also, any other dish containing these ingredients, be it from your own country or region or any other you might be aware of. Descriptions or pictures even more welcome.
I am looking forward to your input in the comment section. Thank’s.
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Arroz Con Pollo

: Arroz Con Pollo

Ingredient’s :

Chicken, preferably dark meat
Rice, rinsed repeatedly to get rid of all excess starch
Chorizo, sliced
Peppers, diced
Chilis, diced, use your preferred heat level
Onions, diced
Garlic, paste
Saffran, or substitute with turmeric (I used both for a brighter color and taste)
Oregano, freeze dried or fresh
White wine, substitute with beer if preferred
Chicken stock, substitute with vegetable stock if preferred
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Olive oil, to saute

Method :

Saute chicken until golden, add onions and chorizo, saute until onions are translucent. Add garlic, peppers and chilis and saute until garlic is fragrant. Remove chicken, set aside. Remove 1/4 of the vegetables to use as brightly colored garnish. Add rice and saute until each corn of rice is covered with olive oil. Add wine (or beer, or both) and stock, season with salt and pepper. Return chicken, bake at 385F in center of oven until moisture has been absorbed by rice and rice is done. Sprinkle with reserved vegetables and chopped cilantro.
My meal yesterday had also a nice glass of chilled chardonnay (same as which went into the dish) and what I call “avocado cream” . (mashed avocado, seasoned with lime juice, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, roasted garlic paste and cilantro). Not quite guacamole, but even less prep and equally good 🙂
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Note : Some folks like their arroz con pollo very moist, others less so. If you like it more moist, simply add more liquid while cooking until the rice is done, giving you more of the texture of an “Asopao”.
Note : Some folks like their arroz con pollo more “heavy “, some like it more “light and fluffy”. This will depend on the amount of fat used in the dish.
I usually like my arroz con pollo dry but heavy, so I use less liquid and a bit more fat 🙂
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“Asopao”
Image Source : http://www.cynical-c.com

Buen Provecho ! Life is Good !

Spinach, Potato, Sausage & Cheese Casserole

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This is such a versatile dish. Every ingredient can be replaced with a substitute without losing any of the complexity of texture and taste.

Spinach : Asparagus, cabbage, corn, broccoli, carrots, beets, etc.
Potato : Sweet potato, mashed potato, pasta, rice, etc.
Asiago : Gorgonzola, parmesan, cheddar, brie, pepper jack, stilton, etc.
Sausage : Bacon, chicken, seafood, beef, lamb, game, etc.

Saute onion, garlic and sausage in butter, add spinach, wilt. Add blanched potatoes, cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Bake at 375 F until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let set for 30 minute before serving.
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Spinach, Potato, Sausage & Cheese Casserole

: Spinach, Potato, Sausage & Cheese Casserole

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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My Kind Of ” Finger Food “

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Sunday night and monday evening was very cold here in Miami, so cold in fact I actually had to turn on the central heating system in order to be comfortable in the house. So, in order to help with the comforting process, I prepared two dishes which aided greatly in the warming of soul and belly :

Sunday afternoon :
“Smoked pig’s tail’s”
with fresh horse radish and potatoes fried in rendered duck fat “.

Monday afternoon :
“Spinach, Potato, Sausage & Cheese Casserole”
(I’ll post that in the next few day’s).
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: My kind of ” Finger Food “

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Simmer the smoked pigs’ tails in salted water with kosher salt, lot’s of garlic and cayenne pepper until very tender but not falling apart. Grate the horseradish very fine and mix with salt and lemon juice. Fry the potatoes in rendered duck fat, starting with cold fat and slowly increasing the temperature to 375 F. The potatoes will be creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Add the sliced chilis and onions for the last few seconds of frying. Remove to absorbent paper and sprinkle with sea salt.
Enjoy a great , simple meal; “Finger food” at it’s finest 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Keep Warm And Cozy 🙂

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Chicken / Noodle Soup

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Tonight we have lousy weather here in Miami, rainy, cold, windy. What better way to feel cozy and warm at home than to enjoy a good, rich, flavorful chicken noodle soup ! Chicken legs, gizzards, cabbage, bok choy, ginger, garlic, jalapenos, peppers, onions, carrots, celery, maggi and chinese egg noodles. Afterwards a good glass of merlot and early to bed – Bliss !
Tomorrow will be a good day 🙂
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” Chicken / Noodle Soup “

: ” Chicken / Noodle Soup “

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Imperial Fried Rice

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Time to get excited about fried rice 🙂
No, not the cabbage and soy sauce laden one you get for two bucks at your corner chinese restaurant. No, I am talking about my treasure chest of a fried rice which has a whole bunch of goodies in it. Each one (shrimp,chicken, lap cheong, ham, eggs, vegetables), fried on it’s own with rice would make a good fried rice, but here the combination of all of this stuff together makes it a truly memorable dish.
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Imperial Fried Rice

: Imperial Fried Rice

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Ingredient’s :

Fan (飯),   day old chinese steamed rice (Recipe Here)
Chicken,   cubed
Shrimp,   peeled, tail on
Ham,   diced
Lap cheong, fresh, unsmoked
Scallion,   sliced
Bean sprouts,
Red/green bell peppers,   diced
Onions,   diced
Kernel corn,   blanched
Green peas,   blanched
Eggs,   whisked
Garlic,   paste
Ginger,   grated
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Sesame oil,
Peanut oil,   to stir fry

Method :

Season protein and vegetables with salt and cayenne pepper. Saute (stir fry) chicken in oil until medium, remove chicken. Saute shrimp, ham and sausage until shrimp are 3/4 cooked, remove. Saute vegetables, ginger and garlic until fragrant, add rice, fry until rice starts to puff a bit. Form a whole in the center, add more peanut oil, add the eggs. Styr fry until the eggs have set, return proteins to the rice and stir fry until rice starts to pop again. Add bean sprouts, season with sesame oil, salt and pepper. To serve, sprinkle with scallions and more bean sprouts.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Satay’s Meet Rib’s

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I wanted to prepare some chicken satay’s for some time now, but I just never got around to it. So on friday I bought chicken and other ingredients to finally get my satay fix. However, I also bought some pork rib’s, which got me thinking……. Peanut and pork is alway’s a great combination, so why not going that route. No reason not to ! So here we go, Pork ribs with an asian inspired peanut glace and peanut dipping sauce. Great success ! This will be one of my new standby’s for an informal dinner party 🙂
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Satay’s Meet Rib’s

: Satay’s Meet Rib’s

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Ingredient’s :

Pork rib’s,
Peanut butter,
Hoi sin sauce,
Oyster sauce,
Soy sauce,
Scotch bonnet sauce,
Ginger powder,
Garlic, granulated,
Coriander powder,
Turmeric,
Sour orange juice,
Lemon grass, dried, chopped
Brown sugar,

Method :

Heat peanut butter with all ingredients except ribs. Add water and whisk until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Simmer for a few minutes. Set aside most of it to marinade ribs for at least two days. Add some more water to the rest of the sauce to use as dipping sauce. Set aside. After two day’s, bake ribs on a water filled roasting tray, lightly covered with aluminum foil, at 180F for nine hours. Remove cover during the last hour to get a golden color.
(Best to put the rib’s in the oven in the morning, happily thinking about a great dinner to come during the whole day 🙂
The collagen will turn into gelatin, leaving the ribs tender and succulent. Add the juices from the roasting tray to the dipping sauce, simmer until the desired texture is reached. Strain. Serve with the dipping sauce, slices of raw onion, cucumber and tomato.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Spinach Pappardelle, Ham & Bell Pepper Ragout

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What a great meal a bit of ham, peppers, pasta
and a good amount of love for all things pasta can make.
( As you can see, Madam agrees 🙂

Sharing a meal with a loved should count as one of life’s most precious moment’s. Even if not all of them can be there physically, they are alway’s there in spirit.
All my loved ones love food, – coincidence ?
And not all are as big-bellied as I am, thankfully 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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