ethnic recipes

Obatzter

Here is a new take on ” Obatzter “, ” Illustrierter Camembert “, ” Verruehrter ” :
” Spicy Brie On Pear ”

Obatzter (Obatzda) is a traditional spread which is usually served as a snack, most famously at the Munich Octoberfest. It has it’s origin in the south of Germany, where it was a way to use leftover bit’s of cheese, which were given a new live after being mashed with butter, finely diced onions, beer and seasoning. The version below uses chicharones and pears instead of the more traditional bread as accompaniment.
( It’s still not exactly diet-fare 🙂
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Obatzter

: Obatzter

Ingredient’s :

Pears, thick slices, core removed
Brie, substitute with any soft cheese you might prefer
Pork rinds, (chicharones)
Butter, softened
Onions, finely diced
Beer,
Caraway, ground
Paprika,
Cayenne pepper,

Method :

With a dinner fork, mash the cheese coarsely. Add the soft butter , beer and seasoning and mash all together until smooth. Fold in the diced onions and scallions.
Serving suggestion : See pictures.

Bon Appetit! Life is Good !
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Breakfast Of Champions # 17 Farmers Eggs

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When a wimpy breakfast just isn’t good enough, try something like this:
Roasted potatoes, roasted garlic paste, straw mushrooms, eggs, chives, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, butter.
Bring it on, Day !
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Breakfast of Champions # 17

: Breakfast of Champions # 17

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Gizzard Adobo

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Although I tremendously enjoy Philippine style adobo served the traditional way with steamed rice, I enjoy my adobo even more with pasta and creamed spinach. Served seperate, then all mixed together on the plate, what a great, simple, tasty meal 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Kainan na!

Chicken Gizzard Adobo

: Chicken Gizzard Adobo

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Ingredients :

Chicken Gizzards,
Onions,   large dice
Garlic,   paste
Bay leaves,
Chicken stock,
Fish sauce,  substitute with oystersauce if preferred
Soy sauce,
Sugar,
Beer,
Kosher salt,
Black Pepper,   freshly ground
Peanut oil,   to saute

Method :

Saute gizzards until nicely browned, add onions and garlic and saute until onions start to brown. Add all other ingredients and simmer until gizzards are tender. At this point, the sauce should be reduced so it covers the back of a spoon (nappe). Traditionally, adobo is served with steamed rice. However, in this version I served it with creamed spinach and pasta.

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Mabuhay ! Life is Good !
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Gratinated Onion Soup

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Today the weather channel announced that it will get cold in florida,
so why not prepare for it with this goodie :
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Gratinated Onion Soup

: Gratinated Onion Soup

Saute onion julienne until translucent. Add beer, beef stock, Kosher salt , freshly ground black pepper and maggi seasoning. Simmer until onions are soft but not mushy, about one hour. In the meantime, brush sliced bread on both sides with garlic butter. Toast on both sides until golden. Top with your favorite cheese (here I used asiago, sometimes I use cheddar, swiss, pepper jack or gorgonzola) and bake until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and set aside. When the onions are soft, adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer the soup to a heat proof dish. Top with cheese bread and sprinkle the top generously with more cheese. Bake until a golden brown crust has formed. To serve, sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Bon Appetit ! Life is good!
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Spiders From Mars

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Just a light dinner tonight with one of my favorite ingredients – Octopus.
In the seventies I spent a lot of time in the Mediterranean and some of my fondest memories take me back to Turkey, Spain and Greece and their great seafood.. Almost all memories I possess of that time are connected to food. Parties, dates, travel, good times and bad times, all somehow lead to (mostly) great meals. Most involved seafood of one way or another. While there were too many outstanding meals to count, the ones I remember the most were the many octopus dishes I had, and of those, the ones I had in Mykonos. To this day I can picture exactly in my head walking along the very small area in town, right on the water, where the fishermen had hung up their freshly caught little monsters on racks in the fresh air. We used to pick the ones which appealed to us the most, took a chair at one of the tiny restaurants right there on the other side of the walk way and just pointed the waiter to our catch, which he then took to the cook who added nothing more than salt, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice and grilled it to perfection. Memories……….
I am fond of octopus of any size and any preparation, so today on my way home from work when I saw some nice baby octopus at my neighborhood Asian store, there was only one option for dinner tonight : ” Baby Octopus Salad ” .
( Once I looked at the finished dish, ” Spiders From Mars ” just came to my mind and stuck there 🙂
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Click to hear “Spiders From Mars”
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Real Food, Real Opinions & ” REAL MUSIC ”
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When it comes to baby octopus, folk’s have different opinions and preferences. Some people eat the head, others remove it (me). Some grill or saute them straight, others simmer them first until tender (me), then continue to grill or saute. Some like them in complicated sauces, others just simply grilled or sauted (me). Baby octopus curry anyone? Good stuff 🙂 So if you love seafood but have not yet tried these little creatures, it is high time to get a bit adventurous and put them on the menu.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Pigs Trotter In Fermented Bean Sauce

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Pig’s Feet. Patitas. Manos de cerdo.
Pigs Trotters. Schweine fuesse.
Prepared in a stew, pickled, boiled, in a aspic, hot, cold.
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You name it, I love it. On the weekend I have increased my repertoire by yet another version, this one being my new favorite. The preparation is minimal and the final outcome is easily controlled by your final adjustment (or lack thereof) of seasoning. Blanch trotters in salted water. In a good sized pot, add the trotters, water, soy sauce, sriracha, oyster sauce, fermented black bean sauce and sesame oil, diced chilis, diced onions. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook until trotters are very soft but not falling apart. Remove trotters. The cooking liquid should have reduced and slightly thickened. If still too liquid, reduce further until desired texture is achieved. Strain. Add some more diced chilis for color and simmer for two minutes. Adjust seasoning to your liking. Return trotters to sauce and reheat. To serve, sprinkle with sliced scallions.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Breakfast Of Champions # 16 ” Strammer Max “

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Back in my youth, in Germany and Austria you were able to order this breakfast dish in any Hotel and in many “Gaststaetten” , mostly for breakfast but also as a snack during any time of the day or evening. Of course at that time there was freshly ground pepper instead of the sriracha sauce, but other than that, strammer max has not changed in a hundred years. Obviously, it is as simple and good today as it was then 🙂
Toast a good bread of your choice until golden, spread with roasted garlic paste, top with sauted ham and fried egg (add sliced cheese between ham and egg if you prefer), drizzle some sriracha and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Accompany with a small salad and ketchup and scotch bonnet sauce.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is good !
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Late Night Snack: Romaine, Tomatoes, Eggs & Seafood

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What a great, tasty snack last night at 1.00 am.
Just about three minutes of preparation,
but a great, very enjoyable meal 🙂
If you use canned food, just make sure it is of
very good quality, a few extra $ will make a
big difference in taste, texture and appearance.

I used a simple Dijon mustard vinaigrette,
grape tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, romaine
lettuce, octopus, mussels, sesame grissini
and sprinkled some Chili flakes on top.
Voila ! Good eat’n !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Foie De Veau “Berlinoise”

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Kalbs Leber “Berliner Art”, Sauted Veal Liver “Berlin Style”,
with Brussel sprouts and potato gnocchi in asiago cream.
I know, I know- Offal again . But, I just love that stuff 🙂
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Ingredient’s :
Liver:
Veal liver, trimmed, thinly sliced
Coating mixture, flour, cornmeal, cayenne pepper, kosher salt
Oil to saute,
Butter to saute,

Gnocchi:
Russet potatoes,   cooked, peeled, mashed
A/P flour,   sifted
Eggs,  whole, whisked
Heavy cream,
Tomato sauce,   very small amount
Asiago cheese,   grated
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Butter,   to saute

Brussel Sprouts:
Brussel sprouts,   outer leaves removed, halved, blanched
Onions,   fine brunoise
Bacon,   fine julienne
Roasted garlic paste,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
nutmeg,   grated
Butter,   to saute

Garnish:
Onions,   finely sliced
Fiji apples,   sliced, cored
Oil,   to saute
Butter,   to saute

Method :

Liver:
Dredge liver in coating mixture, shake off excess. Saute in hot oil until golden brown, discard oil. Add butter and saute on both sides until butter is foamy. remove to absorbent paper.

Gnocchi:
Add egg, seasoning and flour to potatoes, mix lightly until smooth. Shape into gnocchi. Cook a sample. If too soft, add flour. If too dense, add egg. Cook in boiling water until gnocchi float. Remove with slotted spoon into strainer. Saute in melted butter, add heavy cream, a small amount of tomato sauce and seasoning. Reduce until texture is creamy, remove from heat and add grated cheese.

Brussel Sprouts:
Saute bacon until fat has rendered and bacon is crispy. Add onions and saute until onions are translucent. Add butter, Brussel sprouts, garlic and seasoning. Saute until sprouts are heated through.

Garnish:
Dredge onions and apples in coating mixture, shake off excess. Saute in hot oil until golden brown, discard oil. Add butter and saute until butter is foamy. Remove to absorbent paper.
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Serving suggestion: See pictures.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Garlic Noodles & Pickled Cucumbers

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Hardly can you prepare a more simple, tasty and satisfying meal then this one.
On top of that, it is fast and easy to prepare and light on the wallet.
What’s not to love about that ? 🙂
The recipe I used today included only the seasonings in the photo on this page.
The version at the link below is a bit more complex. I love both versions equally.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

P.S.
Long noodles (longevity noodles)are a symbol of good luck.
Let’s hope they work for 2013 🙂
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