recipes

Hans’ Easy Amaretto & Chocolate Chip Cake

Amaretto & Chocolate Chip Sponge Cake

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Today when I came home from work was one of the rare occasions when the cake bug bit me, so I prepared this very simple beauty, which is not only easy to prepare, but also, in my humble opinion, one of the most beautiful, great tasting, easy to prepare cakes of all times, especially if you buy or pre-prep the sponge cake in advance.
Here I have used a comercial cake mix for the sponge cake. I usually make my own, but for me that was a bit too time consuming this evening, so I took this short cut 😦
I also baked two sponges because I like to do four layers for a more stunning presentation. This cake freezes very well, so after you take some of it to your friends next door, just freeze the rest in an airtight box until your sweet tooth comes calling again 🙂
Cut of the top and bottom of two sponge cake’s to make even surfaces. Cut each cake into two disc’s. Mix ricotta cheese with sugar, amaretto, a small amount of chocolate powder and mini chocolate chips. Soak all layers of the sponge cake liberally with amaretto. Spread some of the cheese and chocolate chip mixture evenly on all sponge cake layers, reserving some for the sides of the cake. Put all disc’s on top of each other. Spread the remaining cheese mixture on top and side of cake. Decorate with more chocolate chips. Chill for a few hours to set.
To serve, cut into big slices, over-eat 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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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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Pasta. Basta !

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Pasta !
Sometimes, in our quest to create ever more complicated, fancy, elaborate, inventive, trendsetting dishes, we tend to forget why we fell in love with a food item in the first place. In most cases because in it’s true form and simplicity, it is perfect and can’t be much improved. It can be altered, changed, made more fancy, more colorful, spicier, fattier, more unrecognizable, deconstructed, more expensive (yep) or whatever, but in its original form, texture, and flavor it will alway’s be the star it has originally been. Without a doubt pasta is one of these food items. If properly prepared, it needs little or no embellishment to satisfy most senses. “Pasta Aglio E Olio” or, my personal favorite, Pasta Aglio E Burro” are the most basic dishes which, when prepared with love and knowledge, will produce the most satisfying meal or separate course in a meal. Here we have another basic, “Bucatini Pomodoro”

Cook pasta about 3/4 to doneness, drain, reserve some of the cooking water. Saute roasted garlic paste in butter or olive oil, add chopped peeled tomatoes, add a few sprigs of basil, simmer until tomatoes break down. Remove basil sprigs, blend tomatoes with a stick blender. Season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper. Add pasta, some of the cooking water, butter and finely grated pecorino and simmer until pasta is al dente. Add more water during the simmering if needed. To serve, sprinkle with more cheese.

Buon Appetito ! Life is Good !
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Pasta Pommodoro

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Pollo Al Mojo & Moros Y Cristianos

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” Cuban Style Mojo Chicken with rice and beans and lettuce /avocado salad in honey & lime vinaigrette ”
Here is a dish which is very popular in Cuba and because of that, it is popular here in Miami as well 🙂
It is prepared in many different variations, since each region, family and restaurant have their very own special recipe for “Mojo”

Pollo Al Mojo & Moros Y Cristianos

: Pollo Al Mojo & Moros Y Cristianos

Ingredient’s :

2 teaspoons cumin seed
6 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large serrano chili, stemmed, minced
3/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons sour orange juice
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
6 chicken legs
kosher salt to taste

Method :

Stir cumin seeds in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat until seeds are fragrant and slightly darker in color, about 2 minutes. Transfer seeds to medium bowl. Add minced garlic, minced chili and salt to seeds; mash mixture with back of fork to form coarse paste. Heat olive oil in same skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Pour hot olive oil over garlic mixture; stir to blend. Let stand 15 minutes. Whisk in orange juice and lime juice. Add chicken to marinade; turn to coat. Cover chicken and refrigerate over night.
Put chicken on a baking rack an roast until internal temperature has reached 160 F, all the while basting with the marinade. When done, remove from oven, let rest for 15 minutes. Carry-over heat will take the temperature to a safe 165 F, while leaving the chicken very moist and tender. Serve with avocado and lettuce salad and “Moros & Cristianos“.
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Bon Provecho ! Life is Good !
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” Schweine Sülze “

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” Pork in Aspic “
While most folks have heard of head cheese ( Schweinskopf Sulze ), many are put off by the thought of eating pig’s head, although it contains without doubt the best parts of the pig, such as the snout, ears, tongue and, best of all, the cheeks. So here is the “tamer” version , “Schweine Sulze “, made entirely from the shoulder of the pig with no head or feet in sight. However, while the taste is the same, it lack’s some of the wonderful texture you get by using the head and / or feet. I did not omit the head because I don’t like it, but rather because for some strange reason I was not able to find a pig’s head in any shop around here for nearly six weeks. Not even pig’s feet, which make a great substitute for the head. Now they are available again in the neighborhood. Go figure.
Thank you Lord ! (And You, dear pigs 🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Pork shoulder, excess fat removed, diced
Chicken stock,
Carrots, finely sliced
Banana peppers, pickled, sliced
Eggs, hard boiled, sliced
Scallions, sliced
Radishes, finely sliced
Dill pickles, cubed
Onion, sliced
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
White wine vinegar,
Garlic paste,
Gelatine, powdered

Method :

Simmer diced pork and carrots in seasoned chicken stock. Simmer until very tender, but not falling apart. Add vegetables, bring to a simmer and remove from heat at once. Take a bit of the hot stock to dissolve the gelatin. Return to the stock, add vinegar and adjust seasoning. Keep in mind that once the aspic has cooled and solidified, the seasoning will have nearly disappeared. So make sure that you “over season “a bit , especially with the vinegar, to compensate for this effect. Place meat into serving dish or mold, top with sliced eggs and ladle stock and vegetables to cover. Place into refrigerator and let set. When the top has solidified, add some more stock to completely cover the meat, eggs and vegetables. Let set overnight. Serve with sauce gribiche or a vinaigrette with lots of onions and sautéed potatoes or a rustic bread. Cold milk will not do as accompaniment to this beauty, I recommend a good beer (or two 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Prost !
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Killer LO

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( Killer left overs 🙂
Yesterdays leftover potatoes from the Spatchcocked Chicken “Nilda’s Way” made for a terrific breakfast this morning. The potatoes were super flavorful from all the chicken fat / juices and the liver gave it some extra debt. All in all a dish wich is great without the special potatoes, but outstanding if you have special ones on hand as I did from yesterday’s leftovers 🙂

Saute your leftover potatoes and thinly sliced Argentinian Sopresata until sausage start’s to lightly brown at the edges, add whisked eggs, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and cook until eggs are set to your liking. To serve, sprinkle with cilantro and finely grated parmigiano reggiano.

Bon Appetit ! Have a great Day !
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