hans sussers food

” Stirfried Chicken, Asparagus & Cashew Nuts “

.
.
After a couple of heavy hitter meals during the past few day’s,
I decided to go a bit lighter today with this old asian standby,
chicken with cashew nuts. Light, tasty and delicious. I did not
add any starch, but it pairs equally well with noodles or rice.
.

.

.
Ingredients :

Chicken leg, deboned & diced
Asparagus, blanched
Cashews,
Onions, coarsely sliced
Garlic, paste
Ginger, grated
Soy sauce, to taste
Oyster sauce, to taste
Chili sauce, to taste
Chili oil, to taste
Sesame oil, to taste
Peanut oil, to stir fry

Method :

Stir fry chicken until golden, remove to absorbent paper, reserve.
Sautee onion, garlic and ginger until fragrant, add asparagus,and seasoning.
Simmer for one minute, add chicken and any accumulated juices, mix well.
To serve, pour over noodles or serve with Chinese steamed rice (fan)

吃个饱 ! Life is Good !
.
.

” Bauern Vesper ” # 1

.
.
The word “Vesper” has two very different meanings, and is used in different languages.
Obviously, we don’t want to discuss the religious meaning here, but the culinary one.
In southern Germany we use the word “Vesper” as an alternative to “Brotzeit“,
which means a meal consisting of bread (Brot) and usually, meat, poultry, cheese or fish.
It is a meal traditionally consumed at around sundown (there is a religious connection)
and used to be a simple version of dinner. These day’s, vesper has more or less taken on
the meaning of snack, consisting of bread and protein during any time of day.
Yesterday I skipped breakfast and lunch and instead, in the early afternoon,
had a VERY substantial bauern vesper (farmers meal),
consisting of smoked pork knuckles, slowly simmered until tender,
served with dijon mustard and a dipping sauce of cider vinegar with roasted garlic,
chilies, salt and onions. And last, but not least, a glass of fine merlot.
– And yes, this is one portion. (lot’s of bones) 🙂

Bon Appetit & Cheers ! Life is good !
.
.

.
.
.

” Spaghetti Aglio e Olio “

.

Tonight,
a simple, great, straightforward pasta dish is all I need.
I give you : Spaghetti aglio e olio 🙂
.
.

.

.

Ingredients :

1 pound dried Spaghetti
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons roasted garlic
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt, to taste

Method :

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic is fragrant.
Drain pasta, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Add to pan.
Season with salt.Mix well, adding some of the cooking liquid
if the pasta seems too dry.
To serve, sprinkle with chopped italian parsley.

Please note :
I have changed the basic, very traditional recipe by replacing
slivered garlic with roasted garlic and adding scallions
(for crunch) and Parmigiano Reggiano (for taste).

Buon Appetito ! Life is Good !
.
.

” Roasted Garlic – The Top Of The Food Pyramide ? “

.
.
By now you have probably realized that I add garlic to just about
everything, maybe with the exception of vanilla pudding and fruit salad 🙂
Here a quick instruction how to quickly and easily do this
wonderful concoction which will enhance so many dishes.
.

.

.
Cut the top of a heads of garlic, drizzle with duck fat or olive oil,
sprinkle with kosher salt and wrap airtight in alu foil.
Roast in a 400 degree oven for one and a half hours. Let garlic cool in foil.
When cool, unwrap and squeeze garlic into bowl.
If you made a large amount to be frozen, mix with some oil so that it does not
freeze rock solid and you are able to remove small amounts at a time.
Pack into sealable bag and freeze.
This can be used in any dish which calls for garlic, but it is also great to just spread on
a grilled bread of any kind and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
.
.

” About My Recipes “

.
.

Dear Friend‘s,

Here is my answer to a question some of my new readers have once in a while :

I love the dish! But where is the recipe ?

To answer those questions :
The ingredient’s (except most standard seasonings) are usually pictured in the first (the Prep) picture..
The idea is to have you add as much / little of one ingredient as you like :
Don’t like much garlic? Add less! Love garlic? Add more.
In savory cooking, recipes are usually just guidelines, which you should interprete
according to your taste , preferences and availability. (Don’t like butter? Use olive oil !
Don’t like butter nor olive oil? Use Canola oil or peanut oil or whatever fat you like !
Prefer your soup / sauce thicker or thinner ? Add more or less thickener !
Don’t want fat in your food? Leave it out!
Most reader like this format, especially the once who have fallen on their butt
by following “EXACT” recipes to the dot, just to find out they don’t give you the pictured result : -(

And yes, many of my recipes have the approximate amounts printed 🙂

So please remember :
To truly learn a dish, one must understand what the temperature, moisture and time does to the ingredients. (Amongst many other things).

To quote Alton Brown:
“A home cook who relies too much on a recipe is sort of like a pilot who reads the plane’s instruction manual while flying.”
– Alton Brown

Cooking is a labor of love.
Do what makes you happy, as long as you understand the guidelines. :-)

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
.
.

” Potato, Cheddar & Bacon Soup ”

This soup hit all the right buttons when I was craving
a simple, quick, delicious meal on labor day evening.
.

.

.
Ingredient’s:

Potatoes, diced, blanched
Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Bacon, julienned
Onion, diced
Garlic, paste
Green peas, blanched
Heavy cream,
Chicken stock,
AP Flour,
Butter,
Salt,
Cayenne pepper

Method :

Sautee bacon, rendering fat, until crisp. Remove onto absorbent paper, reserve.
Add butter to bacon fat, add onion, garlic and flour. Saute until onion and garlic
are translucent without darkening flour. Add stock, whisk to avoid lumps and
bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in cheese
and craem until texture is smooth. Add potatoes, green peas, salt and pepper
and, while carefully stirring, reheat until hot.
( You don’t want to mash up the potatoes and peas)

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
.
.

” Labor Day Fruehschoppen. Prost “

.
.
11.00am fruehshoppen. (early pint)

There was a time not too long ago when only
Veuve Clicquot or Krug would do it for me.
Times have changed. Nowadays, a good Sparkling Wine ,
in this case Cook’s Extra Brut , gives me (almost) as much pleasure 🙂

So there you have it. Life is what you make of it !
.

Happy Labor Day !

Life is Good ! Cheers !
.
.

” Breakfast Of Champions ” # 8 Tomato Flatbread & Chorizo

.
.
Unfortunately, Bella does not understand the concept of sleeping in on a holiday.
So, even though I took her on our last walk at around 2.30am this morning, she had the urge
to wake me up at 5.30am again, indicating she had urgent business to take care of.
Turns out that business was chasing cat’s, nothing else, not even the smallest of “business”.
Well, sometimes love makes us suffer a bit and I figure in Bellas case it is an easy
trade off, all the love she gives me in return for getting up a bit early 🙂
Anyway, after the walk I felt it was time for a REAL breakfast.
So here it is, 6.30am, my “breakfast of champions” :
.

.

.
Obviously this dish need’s no recipe. All of the items in the picture of the prep can be substituted and added upon, such as adding different cheeses, different sausages, flatbreads, veggies, change the spread from mustard to greek yoghurt, guacamole or salsa, etc, etc. The possibilities are endless, your imagination will be highly rewarded.

Bon Appetit ! Have A Great Day !
.
.

” Veal Broth With Matzoh Ball’s & Veal Rib’s “

.
.
For many year’s I buy most of my beef, morcilla and chorizo from an Argentinian butcher in Hialeah who sometimes calls me for “specials”.
Usually those are offal and other cuts he has difficulty selling to his American customers, but which he knows I treasure. His older Latino and Haitian customers are also not afraid of that stuff, but the younger crowd usually prefers more mainstream cuts. Wednesday he called me because he had some “specials”. To my surprise, when I got there the specials were veal ribs. It is beyond me why he called me for these, because clearly everybody loves ribs. ( Maybe he was just trying to be nice, not usually one of his outstanding attributes 🙂 Anyway, for $4.50 a pound I did not complain and came home with 10 pound of them (Plus some other goodies)
So here we go :
.

.

Soup:
.
Simmer ribs with celery, carrots, onions, leek, garlic, ginger, star anise and chopped tomatoes until ribs are tender, about 2 hours.
Remove ribs, set aside. Strain broth, season with salt, cayenne pepper, lime juice and maggi seasoning.
.

Matzo Balls Recipe:

1 cup matzo meal
3 eggs

3 tblsp oil or rendered chicken fat

1/4 cup seltzer (exact amount depends on the size of the eggs and the coarseness of the matzo meal)
3 tblsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste

Mix all wet ingredients together, then fold in matzo meal, salt and pepper and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Shape into golfball sized balls, drop into boiling water, cover, turn down to a simmer and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until fully cooked (cut one in half to check if it’s done).

To serve, combine ribs, broth and matzo balls , sprinkle with
chopped cilantro or sliced chives. Grated parmesan optional.
(Not kosher, but I use it anyway)
.
.
Es gezunterheyt ! עס געזונטערהײט ! Life is Good !
.
.

” More Rice ” 飯 – Fan (Chinese Steamed Rice)

.
.

One of the comments to my ” Rice ” post yesterday came from one of my former
students at “Le Cordon Bleu”, Christine, who post’s at: The Perky Poppy Seed

Thank You Christine 🙂

” I was thinking about your class last night… so I made my Perfectly Steamed Rice

from Perky’s Le Cordon Bleu Notebook:) You might find it amusing to read…
it may bring back memories from class:) LOL:) “

Below find Christine’s post from The Perky Poppy Seed

Perfectly Steamed Rice from Perky’s Le Cordon Bleu Notebook

September 1, 2012 by The Perky Poppy Seed

Perfectly Steamed Rice from Perky’s Le Cordon Bleu Notebook

Tonight I thought I would share my Perfectly Steamed Rice from Perky’s Le Cordon Bleu Notebook. This recipe comes from my Cuisine Across Cultures Day 2 notes. My Chef … my oh my:) He was one of the best instructors at Le Cordon Bleu. Chef Susser would never accept excuses for anything. Things had to be done the way he said or forget it, you just wasted your time. Chef really taught us to do things properly and in an orderly fashion. Now, sometimes I thought he was a bit nuts… but… it all paid off in the long run. Chef Susser wanted to teach us things that would stay in our head forever. He wanted us to do things properly without thinking:) I am not sure about the other students, but he certainly gave me a whole new second nature! I never, and I mean never walk past a pot that is boiling without attempting to turn it down.. I never let a tomato get mushy when blanching…. I am always cognizant of the dishes that I dirty. I stop in the middle of things sometimes to clean them:) I am always aware of the rules of sanitation…. which I like to call the rules of sanity:) If at all possible, before anything I make a ” sample” to make sure that the outcome is going to be what I had anticipated. I have Chef Susser to thank for my second nature in all these areas and in all the other areas that he stamped on my brain. Before his class I had to think.. and in the kitchen thinking takes up valuable time.. time that just cannot be wasted on lolly gagging… Now I go into the kitchen and I am thinking but it is not about things that Chef Susser taught us, those I just DO!…:) Thank you, Chef Susser:) This one is for you:)

Now a word about the rice. This is the simplest no- fail way to do rice. I have done it with all sorts of rice. It always works:) It turns out just like the rice in Chinese restaurants. The other day my boyfriend wanted to buy pre-made rice in a microwave bag. Are you kidding? I told him there was no way I was paying that much money for rice! This recipe is great for making ahead and freezing in vacuum sealed pouches. It is also great for children, since there is no flavoring in it.. it is just rice, which most children like to eat. It is great anytime you want rice as a side dish. This rice is great for company, when it is soaking shower & finish setting the table… have a drink.. then make sure your silverware has no spots or fingerprints on it… make sure all the glasses are sparkling..( a newspaper is great for this.. http://theperkypoppy.com/2012/07/20/no-more-dirty-glass/ – check out my post on dirty glass- use a mixture of vinegar and water for your drinking glasses.) Then when and hour is up, drain the rice & bring to a boil; simmer for five minutes, then off heat and let sit for 10 minutes and that is it! That is it… Perky Perfection:)

Perfectly Steamed Rice from Perky’s Le Cordon Bleu Notebook

1 cup of rice makes 2.2 cups of rice

1 cup of rice ( for this you can use any kind of rice…the cheap rice at the grocery works..plain white rice (just make sure it is not par cooked.. basmati rice works.. jasmine rice, etc)
1 cup of water

Put rice in colander and rinse… rinse … rinse

See the cloudy water… this rice needs to be rinsed MORE!
Do not skimp on this step (if you do you will have gross rice that just sticks together & and is a glob of starchy yuckiness)
Keep rinsing until your water comes clear (once again … DO NOT skip this step, it is vital to the final product’s success)

See the clear water? This rice has been rinsed properly:)
Once water runs clear for the rice, place in a large bowl fill bowl with water so that it covers at least 2 inches above the rice.
Then let the rice soak for an hour..Set your timer for this, the time is very important. You do not want the rice to absorb too much water, or not enough water… ONE HOUR-NO MORE -NO LESS (if you doubt me just ask Chef:)-
Then strain the rice in a fine strainer (a larger strainer will let too many rice grains through)

Using a fine strainer to strain the rice
Then put rice in a sauce pan with equal amounts of rice to water ( ie: 4 cups rice, 4 cups water)
Then place on stove top. Bring to a boil, meanwhile take a piece of aluminum foil that is at a little larger than the size of the saucepan; and get a heavy pot that is at least the size of the mouth of the sauce pan.
Once rice & water come to a boil, quickly turn down to low, as low as it will go..
Then cover the saucepan with the foil, making a tight seal ( be careful, as the pot is very HOT)

Tight foil to seal in the steam
Then cover the foil covered saucepan with the heavy pan that you gathered earlier. If you see steam escaping, crimp the foil tighter around the pan. (Be careful STEAM IS VERY HOT!!!! )

Heavy pot over the foil to seal in the steam. This may look a little ghetto, but when properly done, it seals in the steam!
Set the timer for 5 minutes.. yep just 5 minutes.. no more no less!!!
Once timer goes off immediately remove pot from the heating element. (Do not disturb the foil or the heavy pot.. KEEP THEM ON)
Then once pot is off heating element, set the timer for 10 minutes (Remember to keep the foil & heavy pot on at this time)
After 10 minutes, your rice is ready!!!
Take off the foil & heavy pot, then fluff with a fork

Fluffing with a fork
At this point, you can serve your rice. Personally I like a little pink sea salt from the Himalayan mountains on my Himalayan Mountain Basmati rice & a touch of extra virgin olive oil. Or you can place this on a sheet tray or a cookie tray to cool then package up for the vacuum sealer:) Or put a little milk & honey or maple syrup on it with some freshly grated nutmeg & cinnamon. Anyway you make it, this is some tasty rice:)

Himalayan Basmati Rice & Himalayan Pink Sea Salt go perfectly together:)
Enjoy your fluffy, Perfectly Steamed Rice from Perky’s Le Cordon Bleu Notebook

Perfectly Steamed Rice from Perky’s Le Cordon Bleu Notebook