ethnic recipes

” Matzo Ball Soup, Chicken & Root Vegetables “

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” During My Time “ ,

– Chicken soup cured all “weh weh’s”
If I had a runny nose, slightly elevated temperature,
a lowdown of any sort, or just pretended I was not fit for school that day,
the first order of help from my mother was usually “Chicken soup”
Whatever vegetables and starch was available in that moment went into
a pot with whatever part of chicken was available right then and there and
in no time was transformed into a bowl of comfort and goodness.
And YES ! There where fat-eyes swimming on top of the broth –
And NO- we did not die from them 🙂

Chicken Soup ! Memories !
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” Rotelle, Artichokes, Snails & Grape Tomatoes “

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A few months ago I had one of these “whatever is in the cupboard” moment’s.
Low and behold, some of my favorites : Pasta, snails, artichokes.
The wonderful result of this :
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Personally I think it looks great, and best of all, it tastes even better.
That and the different textures made it an outstanding dish 🙂
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Boil the rotelle, strain, reserve some of the cooking water.
Make a mixture of cornstarch, flour, salt, garlic powder and lemon-salt.
Dredge the snails in the mix and fry at 375 degrees until crisp on the outside,
but moist and plum on the inside. Reserve on absorbent paper.
Fry the artichokes and reserve the same way.
Saute finely chopped garlic and onion in olive oil until opaque.
Add rotelle, a good amount of soft (not melted) butter, finely grated
parmesan cheese, tomatoes and some of the cooking water to the pot
and stir until a sauce forms that coats the pasta lightly.
Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, place pasta on bottom of plate or bowl, top with snails and
artichokes and sprinkle with parmesan and chopped parsley.

Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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” For Offal Lover’s Only ! “

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Friend’s, by now you have probably realized that some of my recipes and / or pictures
are of food which is a bit outside the mainstream. ( Some of my articles as well ? )
Yesterday I came across this article in the huffpost which reminded me again how
far most of our young “colleagues” and their guest’s / client’s in the culinary world
have moved away from the well rounded professionals we oldtimers were trained to be.
It praised the new generation of inventive and adventurous and oh so clever chef’s for
using the whole animal. WOW!
When I apprenticed in the sixties back in Germany, we were used to getting delivered
the whole animal, or if this was impractical because of it’s size and weight, a half (veal,
pig, stag, boar) or a quarter (beef). Fresh game was always dropped off whole by
the village hunter, and two four times a year we slaughtered our own pig’s which we
raised mostly on food scrap’s from the restaurant. So, on most restaurant’s menu’s
you wood find cut’s from ALL part of the animals. From snout to huff and tail and just
about anything in between was used for a well rounded menu, at small country inn’s
all the way up to five star restaurants.
So, in this spirit, here is my take on Gizzards :

” Fried Spicy Gizzard’s, Guacamole & Totopos ”
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Simmer the cleaned gizzards in red wine, garlic, salt and cayenne pepper until tender. Strain, dry.
Season with salt, cayenne pepper and garlic powder and fry until the edges become crisp.
Don’t fry too long or they become dry and tough. Season and fry the onions the same way.
To serve, sprinkle with cilantro and chili flakes.

Because I served these with guacamole, I did not need a dipping sauce .
If you want to use a dipping sauce, try this:
Soy sauce with scallions, lime juice, sriracha and a bit of rice wine and sugar. 🙂
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” Asian Garlic Noodles “

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Although when we hear Asia we don’t automatically think of
Parmesan Cheese and Maggi Seasoning, you would be surprised
how many of our western ingredient’s have found their way to Asia
for the asian version of fusion cooking.

Especially Malaysia and the Philippines have become culinary melting
pot’s, not only in restaurants in business and tourist areas, but also
in ordinary homes. You can omit the cheese and maggi in this dish to
be more authentic asian, but you will miss out on a lot of flavor and texture.
There are a million variations of this dish, this is one of my favorites 🙂

It’s your call, maggi & parmesan, or not 🙂

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Ingredient’s :

Salt
Chili pepper, flakes or ground
Garlic (2 heaping tablespoons)
Fish sauce (1 tablespoon)
Maggie sauce (1 tablespoon)
Oyster sauce (1 tablespoon)
Sugar (1 tablespoon)
Pasta, your favorite type (20 oz)
Water, reserved from cooking pasta
Butter, unsalted (1 stick)
Parmesan cheese, grated (1 heaping tablespoon)
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Method :Boil pasta i salted water, strain, reserving some of the pasta water.
Melt butter, sautee chili flakes, add pasta, add all other seasoning and cheese.
If texture is too dry, add pasta water ’til you reach the proper consistency
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Breakfast of Champions ” # 1

Chili Peppers (Photo credit: camknows)

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Today’s Breakfast.

Tortillas, scrambled egg’s, sausage, chilies, garlic, lot’s of hot sauce.
Washed down with a glass of ice cold milk.
What’s not to like ? 🙂

Life is Good ! Bon Appetit !
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” Poor Man’s Cordon Bleu “

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Poor man’s cordon bleu
Mock cordon bleu
Hans’ cheese burger

Whatever you want to name it, this is a great dish.
Of course, you can replace the cheese with any other cheese,
such as roquefort, brie, tilsit, cheddar.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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“ Red Lentils & Bell Pepper Burgers “

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Red Lentils & Bell Pepper Burgers,
Served With Raita

For one of those meatless, healthy day’s 🙂

Ingredients

2 lbs red lentils, cooked until tender

2 lg egg

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

1 med green bell pepper, diced, sautéed

1 med red bell pepper, diced, sautéed

1 med onion, finely diced, sautéed

Garlic, minced, to taste, sautéed

2 tblsp Cilantro, coarsely chopped

Cumin, to taste

Curry powder, to taste

Kosher salt, to taste

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Oil to sauté

Method

Mix all ingredients except the tofu and oil. Shape into ball’s, make an indent and fill with tofu.
Sprinkle lightly with additional bread crumb’s and sauté until golden and heated through

Raita

Grated cucumbers greek yoghurt, garlic powder, cilantro, salt, pepper.
Use quantities according to your preferences.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Rose Petal Ice Cream “

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by unsightly on July 5 2012 in Desserts, Featured, Recipe

While not a prevalent flavor in the United States, rose is fairly common elsewhere. Across the Middle East, particularly Iran, it is used to flavor all manner of sweets. Ice cream is the only use of rose in food that I have found palatable. Rose candy tastes like grandma’s perfume to me, and rose scones just taste wrong. But the ice cream gives a nice rounded sweetness that is just right for such a delicate flavor. The rose petals themselves are not really potent enough to stand up to the amount of sugar and cream that ice cream requires, so it’s fleshed out with rose water.

Rose water can be found at most Middle Eastern grocery stores and at specialty stores. The potency of the rose water will vary from brand to brand, so you may want to start of by whisking in one teaspoon at a time until you are satisfied with the flavor. I used Nielson-Massey, which is pretty strong.

Rose petals should be unsprayed, or organic. The best would be from a friend or neighbor, as they would be the freshest. Otherwise try natural foods stores or a florist/nursery specializing in organic flowers.

Rose Petal Ice Cream

Using the method found in Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

Makes about 1 quart

Ingredients

1 cup packed petals from organic or unsprayed roses (30g)
2 cups milk (475ml)
2/3 cup sugar (150g/5.5oz)
4 tsp corn or tapioca starch
1 tsp beet powder (optional—this will give it a nice light pink color)
3 tbs cream cheese, room temperature (1.5 oz/45g)
pinch of salt
2 tbs corn or tapioca syrup (30ml)
1 1/4 cup heavy cream (300 ml)
2-4 tsp rose water (10-20ml)

Method

First, get your bowls ready. In a small bowl, whisk the corn or tapioca starch (and the beet powder if using) with 2 tablespoons of the milk until a smooth slurry is formed. In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese and salt until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and a small amount of cold water. Place a mesh sieve over an empty medium bowl.
Coarsely chop the rose petals. In large saucepan, toss in the petals, the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn or tapioca syrup. On medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Set a timer for 4 minutes (timing is very important). After the four minutes, remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour the mixture through the sieve and press against the rose petals to extract as much milk as possible. Discard the petals.
Ladle a bit of the hot milk into the cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in the rest of the hot milk. Whisk in the rose water one teaspoon at a time, adjusting to taste.
Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon freezer Ziplock bag and seal. Plunge this into the ice water bowl and knead gently until the mixture is well chilled. Churn according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Spread into a shallow container, cover with plastic wrap, and seal with an air-tight lid. Freeze until firm, about 3 hours. This will keep in the freezer for up to two weeks.

” My 4th Of July Dinner “

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Very simple, very delicious.

Baked ribs
Cous cous salad with corn and beans
Lettuce, tomato, reddish,onion, balsamic vinaigrette

Life is Good !
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” 10 German Sausages To Know And Love “

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A helping of sausage gets you through the wurst day

by Jess Kapadia on FoodRepublic
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I learned a lot about sausage while reporting on
Germany’s Christkindlmarkts for Lufthansa USA.
I thought it was just a generalization that Germans live off them,
and that they had as many kinds of sausage as Eskimos have words
for snow (also a generalization, as I learned while researching
better ways to express Germany’s love of sausage). But it’s true.
They’re really serious about tube steak. And now I am, too.
Every region has its own particular riff on “sausage in a bun,
” like Nuremberg’s much-loved Drei im Weggla
(see slide 2) or the massive Thuringer, whose bun cannot hope to
contain it all. You can have your
sausage with potatoes or with kraut (hopefully both).
There’s a sausage for every morsel of every pig or cow,
as there should be. Here are 10 favorites I discovered wandering
around Germany’s outdoor Christmas markets.
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Photo: kathryn_rotondo on Flickr

Knackwurst

Knackwurst, also spelled knockwurst, are short, thick sausages made of finely ground pork, flavored with plenty of garlic. The name comes from the German “knacken,” which means “to crack.” We’re assuming these sausages were named for the crackling sound the casing makes when bitten into, but it could very well be for their highly addictive qualities. Recommended served with sauerkraut and mustard.

9 more sausages HERE

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