hans sussers food

” Rice “

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POLO

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CHELO
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Image Source: Fae’s Twist & Tango

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Lately, instead of making steamed rice (Turkish Pilaf or Chinese Fan for example),
I have moved on to mostly make Polo sometimes with, sometimes without the tahdig (crust).
I just love the simplicity and the plain flavor, as well as the uncomplicated, surefire
procedure. I just soak basmati rice for 4 hours, rinse it thoroughly and then cook it
in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes. Strain, done. Absolutely fool proof and
pure rice goodness. If you want to make Chelo (Chelou), there are numerous
video instructions on the net, many different ones with different results.
Just pick your favorite. 🙂
All our latin friends will understand the heavenly texture and flavor of tahdig,
which means bottom of the pot and consists of the crispy rice which forms when
you cook the rice again after you have cooked it and strained it the first time.
At this point you can add just salt, a little water and saffran and return it to the
heat , slowly cooking until a wonderful crust has formed at the bottom of the pan.
Invert it on a plate or platter, with the golden crust on top the star of the dish.
You can also add vegetables and proteins before you cook the rice a second time
to make it a one-pot meal.
In different latin countries tahdig is called socarrat, pegao, raspa, etc.
The Koreans call it nurungji and I am sure every other language has at least
one or several words for this delicacy. Just don’t call it burnt rice, because if
it is burned, it is ruined.
The crust should be golden brown, light and crispy but not hard.
( Thadig, Polo and Chelo originate in the ancient persian language )

Please note that some folk’s use the pilaf method and cook the Chelo in one single cooking process.

” Penne Rigate alla Contadino ”

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Last nights dinner, rigate alla contadino,
a rich concoction you might find at a poor farmers table.
Even at a simple farmers dinner table you can find pasta,
sausage, cheese, cream and vegetables.
With a little imagination and love for food, you can turn these
simple ingredients into a dish fit for a king 🙂
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Ingredients :

Penne Rigate, cooked al dente, strained, reserve some of the cooking liquid
Morcilla, thinly sliced
Chorizo, thinly sliced
Peppers, julienned
Onion, julienned
Garlic, paste
Tomato, wedges
Scallions, sliced
Parmesan, grated
Hot sauce, to taste
Salt, to taste
Cream,
Olive oil,

Method :

Saute onions and garlic until translucent, add chorizo and peppers and saute one more minute.
Add pasta,cream, cheese, morcilla and seasoning, simmer and mix well for another minute.
If texture becomes too thick, add some cooking liquid until you have the desired texture.
To serve, sprinkle with scallions and more parmesan.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Saure Kutteln ” (For Offal Lover’s Only)

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” Saure Kutteln “ (Sour Tripe) with potato gratin.

I grew up eating this dish often, it used to be a popular dish in southern Germany.
Eating habit’s have changed over the past few decades since I was growing up there,
so who knows, maybe , like so many other wonderful classic dishes, it too has
disappeared from today’s “modern” menus 😦
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Ingredient‘s :

Tripe
Tomato sauce
Demi Glace
Cider vinegar
Dark rum
Garlic paste
Caraway seed
Onions
Butter
Salt
Cayenne

Method :

Blanch the tripe, starting with cold, vinegared, salted water, twice. The third time, simmer until tender. Don’t overcook ! In my opinion, the tripe should still have a bit of a bite to it.
Strain, rinse. Saute the onion, garlic and caraway seed’s until fragrant. Deglace with rum, add demi glace, tomato sauce, vinegar, let simmer for 5 minutes. Add tripe and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with pasta, potatoes or a rustic bread.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Moqueca de Frutos do Mar “

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Another 10 minute meal that looks and tastes like a thousand bucks 🙂
When I worked at the Intercontinental in Rio de Janeiro,
I had this for lunch at least twice a week at the pool restaurant.
Last night when I made this, I felt transported back in time to Rio
and it’s many beautiful treasures, the food, the caipirinhas,
the vistas, the beaches and,most of all, the beautiful people who live life to it’s fullest.
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Ingredients :

2 lbs of mixed seafood
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
6 onions, chopped
2 green peppers, de-seeded and chopped
2 red peppers, de-seeded and chopped
2 bunch spring onions spring onions, finely sliced
6 limes, halved
2 tbsp light olive oil
1 pint coconut milk
3 tablespoons light olive oil _ *
1/2 ladle dende oil (substitute with annatto oil) _
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method :

Heat a large sauté pan with the olive oil.
Saute the onion and garlic until opaque.
Add the sea food, saute for two minutes.
Add the coconut milk and bring to a gentle bubble.
After 2 minutes, carefully stir the seafood.
Slowly simmer until the seafood is almost done.
Add the remaining vegetables and half the
herbs and simmer for two minutes.
Transfer to a large serving dish and sprinkle with
remaining herbs and spring onions.
Drizzle lime juice and dende oil (if available) over the top.

*Cook’s Note: Dende Oil is an African palm-oil,
widely used in the Brazilian state of Bahia.
If not locally available, substitute with annatto oil.

Bom apetite ! Vida é boa !
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” Breakfast Of Champions ” # 7 Hearty Sandwiches

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School was cancelled today,
Although the message did not reach me, so I got up at 3.00am anyway.
I got to the school at 5.00am. Around 6.00am I was wondering why nobody
showed up, so I called my boss. I was back home at 6.30am, HUNGRY !
So there I was, hungry and ready for a good breakfast and a movie 🙂

Hot peppermint tea, , yoghurt, vanilla ice cream;
Grilled rye bread, spicy guacamole, tomato, brie with black pepper;
Grilled rye bread, spicy guacamole, tomato, aged asiago, chili flakes;
Grilled rye bread, spicy guacamole, tomato, genoa salame, chives;

Life is Good !
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” Healthy Mac & Cheese and Guacamole “

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“Healthy” mac & cheese ? Why not, it’s got veggies 🙂
Well, there you have it. It all depends on how you look at things.
But honestly, what’s wrong with a good meal of pasta, cheese, cream
and vegetables ? Nothing ! Just don’t do what I did :
Eating too much of it at one time. ( The pic’s of the individual portion
should indicate a proper portion for the health- and weight- conscious).
Everybody else : Just dig in and enjoy.

Life is too short to feel miserable about thing’s that make you feel good!
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Ingredient‘s :
Pasta:

Ziti, cooked al dente
Carrots, blanched
Broccoli, blanched
Celery, finely diced
Garlic, paste
Whip cream,
Whole egg, whisked
Salame, diced
Sharp cheddar, shredded
Parmesan, shredded
Brie, finely diced
Salt, to taste
cayenne, to taste
Chili flakes, to taste
Maggi, to taste
Butter

Guacamole :

Avocado, diced
Lime, juiced
Fresh chilis, finely sliced
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Garlic, paste
Salt, to taste
Cayenne, to taste

Method :
Pasta :

Butter a ovenproof casserole generously with butter.
Mix all ingredients except the chili flakes and half the parmesan.
Fill casserole to the rim, sprinkle with parmesan and chili flakes.
Bake until set and crust is golden. Serve with Guacamole.

Guacamole :

Mix all ingredients until guacamole has the texture you desire.
The more you stir, the more the avocado breaks down and the
guacamole becomes smoother, less chunky.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Salad Of Romaine, Salame, Gorgonzola & Pomegranate / Blueberry Dressing “

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Although I love pasta and stews of any kind more than any other food,
a close third place is definitely a nice salad. Last night the salad God’s
were knocking at my door, leaving me with this wonderful, quick and easy
concoction :
Romaine, salame, roquefort, egg, carrot, tomato, onion and
pomegranate / blueberry Dressing.
Salad Heaven, right there 🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Romaine lettuce, cut
Tomatoes, sliced
Onions, sliced
Carrots, julienned
Eggs, made into thin crepe, julienned
Garlic, paste
Salame, thickly julienned
Gorgonzola, coarsely crumbled
Dressing, Pomegranate / blueberry/garlic

Method :

Mix all ingredients lightly and serve with a slice of rustic bread
to mop up the dressing and bits at the bottom of the plate.

In this case I used ready made dressing ( Litehouse Pom / Blueberry),
which I enhanced a bit to my taste with garlic paste. Obviously the
choice of dressing, as well as any other ingredient to this salad is
open to change and additions. Just follow your heart, your
cravings and your phantasy 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Smoked Pig’s Tail, Bow Ties & Vegetable Stew “

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In my opinion, pig‘s tails are the second best part of the whole pig,
right after the cheek’s. I prefere them brined and simmered, served
with a good mustard and sour dough bread. However, I found those
smoked ones at my neighbor hood store and what better way to enjoy
them then in a good stew 🙂
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Ingredient‘s :

Smoked pig’s tail’s,
Bow tie pasta, cooked, al dente
Cauliflower, blanched
Broccoli, blanched
Carrots, blanched
Scallions, sliced
Tomatoes, wedges
Ginger, grated
Garlic, paste
Cilantro, chopped
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
Maggi seasoning, to taste

Method :

Simmer pig’s tail’s in lightly seasoned water until tender.
Add all other ingredients, simmer until heated through.
Serve with rustic sour dough bread.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Salmon Parisienne, Bean & Mushroom Ragout “

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When I cooked this dish last knight I realized that I have not seen anything ” a la Parisienne ” on a menu for many years. What a shame that so many classic dishes and methods simply disappear from the repertoire of our younger chef’s. Granted, old fashioned and steeped in tradition might not be practical or popular on a daily basis. But I feel we should not completely stop to learn and enjoy the classics. How long before we all get sick and tired of the one hundred’st version of grilled fish with salsa ? Let’s mix it up a bit ! Mix the classics with the modern, the traditional with the new, the tried and proven with the daring 🙂 I vote for a greater repertoire for our younger food enthusiasts in order to keep the spirit of our culinary profession vibrant and alive !
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Ingredients :

Salmon filet, cleaned, skinless, marinated w.salt. pepper, lime juice
Whole egg, to dip fish
Flour, to dust fish
Butter, to saute fish

Baby portabellas, quartered
White beans, cooked
Red peppers, finely diced
Garlic, paste
Onion, diced
Scallion, sliced
Scallion , whole
Salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Butter, to saute vegetables

Method :

dredge seasoned fish in flour, coat with whisked egg, saute until
egg is tender and fish is cooked but still juicy. Remove to absorbent paper.

Saute onion and mushroom in butter until onions are translucent and
mushrooms start to brown.
Add Garlic paste, saute another minute. Add peppers, whole and sliced
scallions and seasoning.
To plate, put ragout on plate, top with salmon and garnish with whole scallion.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Dandanmian ” Chinese Noodles, Ground Pork & Vegetables

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” Dandanmian ” or ” Dan Dan Mian ” or “Dandan Noodles “.

There are many variations of this most simple dish, which originated as
street peddlers dish. Basic ingredients are ground pork, noodles,
spicy sauce with or without peanut- or sesame – paste.
Here is the Dandan I prepared for dinner yesterday
( I too do many variations of this dish) :
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Ingredients :

Chinese egg noodles, cooked, drained, coated with sesame oil
Ground pork,
Carrots, julienned
Bell peppers, julienned
Silver onions, peeled, blanched
White cabbage, coarsely sliced
Garlic, paste
Ginger, grated
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Oyster sauce,
Soy Sauce,
Chili oil,
Sesame oil,
Salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Chicken stock
Peanut oil

Method :

Saute pork in peanut oil until starting to brown.
Add garlic and ginger, saute until translucent.
Add chicken stock and all seasoning, simmer until
meat is soft. Add cabbage and peppers, simmer for
one minute. Add Noodles, mix well.
To serve, sprinkle with cilantro and drizzle with Chili oil.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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