recipes

Breakfast Of Champions # 12 “Bistec Empanizado” (Cuban Breaded Steak)

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Breakfast time is slowly but surely becoming the best part of my off day’s.
It is always something I can eat with gusto, usually while watching a good movie.
That’s the way all day’s should start 🙂
Then, on to some form of exercise, in my case an hour long walk with Bella
(sometimes two hours), then do the day’s home chores.

Life is Good !
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Ingredients :

Top round, cut into scallop and pounded evenly 1/4 inch thin
Bread crumbs,
Egg, whole, whisked
Flour,
Kosher salt,
Black pepper, fresh ground
Sour orange juice,
Olive oil, to saute
Butter, to saute
Eggs, whole, to fry

Method :

Season the beef and let marinade over night.
Next morning, bread the beef by dipping in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.
Saute in oil until golden on both sides. When almost done, discard oil,
add butter and eggs and cook until bistec and eggs are done to your liking.
To serve, top bistec with fried eggs and sprinkle with chili flakes and cilantro or chives

¡ disfrute !
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Teriyaki Beef Ribs

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Rarely, if ever, have I had the audacity to pronounce any dish I created “perfect”
Great – yes; superb – yes; my absolute favorite – yes; outstanding – yes;
But to say one can not improve upon a dish usually indicates stupidity,
arrogance, ignorance or all of the above.
However, the ribs I cooked last night – absolutely perfect !
In my own, personal, humble opinion, these were the ultimate, best,
top of the line beef ribs. Perfect texture, perfect taste, perfect presentation.
If you don’t agree after you have recreated them, you can call me stupid if you want,
but I will always know that these are the perfect beef ribs 🙂
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Ingredients :

Beef ribs,
Teriyaki sauce,
(I sometimes make my own, here is a good recipe) : Teriyaki Sauce
Oyster sauce,
Soy sauce,
Chili oil,
Chili pepper,
Sweet chili sauce,
Wasabi,
Kosher salt,

Method :

Simmer ribs in water for two to three hours,
until very tender, but not ” falling of the bones”
(That would be over cooked 🙂 )
Season the water with slices of ginger and garlic, onion, kosher salt, soy sauce and chili pepper. When tender, remove ribs, pad dry and brush with basting liquid made with teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, wasabi, chili oil, sweet chili sauce and salt. Place on baking rack and bake in oven at 375 F for 45 minutes. While baking, baste again every ten minutes. When done, remove from oven, sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallion. Let rest for fifteen minutes before cutting into individual ribs.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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See all my
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Life is Good !
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” Zuppa Pavese “

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There was a time when this was on nearly every Italian restaurant’s menu.
Unfortunately, over time, it was watered down at most places to a thin,
packaged chicken broth with a thin slice of white bread, an egg yolk and
a bit of crappy cheese sprinkled on top. Of course people stayed away from that crap.
However, when properly done, with love ( and a good appetite ), this soup is
pure soup-heaven.
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All about Zuppa Pavese
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Ingredients :

Chicken stock, seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg (or beef stock if you prefer)
Sour dough bread, thick sliced
Roasted garlic paste,
Whole egg, very fresh
Pecorino romano, (or parmigiano reggiano if you prefer)
Italian parsley, chopped

Method :

Spread some roasted garlic paste on bread, saute or grill on one side until golden.
Remove, sprinkle finely grated cheese on the other side, gratinate until golden.
Meanwhile, heat your serving dish until very hot. Heat your broth until simmering.
Place bread in serving dish, individual portion or family style, one large slice per person.
Carefully crack one egg on each slice.Ladle soup over eggs, careful not to break them.
The eggs should be covered by the broth. Sprinkle cheese and parsley on top.
The soup is now ready to serve, but if you like your eggs more done, bake in oven a few
minutes until the eggs are done to your liking.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Rigatoni Rustica “

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Last night’s dinner was a perfect example of tasty comfort food,
simple, tasty, pretty, easy, and satisfying.
(Sounds like a wish list for a spouse 🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Chicken, cut into one inch pieces
Rigatoni, cooked al dente, strained, reserve some of the cooking water
Bok choy, cut into one inch pieces
Onions, julienned
Kernel corn,
Grape tomatoes, whole
Chilies, sliced
Garlic, paste
Ginger, grated
Kosher salt, to taste
Cayenne, to taste
Butter, to saute
Red wine, to deglaze

Method :

Season chicken and saute until golden brown and cooked through.
Remove and reserve. Saute onions, corn, garlic, ginger, bok choy and chili,
deglaze with red wine and a small amount of the cooking water from the pasta,
add pasta and tomatoes, season with salt and cayenne.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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” Tandoori Inspired Baked Chicken “

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Many years ago when Maria and I lived in Karachi, Pakistan, we developed a deep passion for Indian and Pakistani Food. The chicken I made for dinner tonight was not cooked in a tandoori, nor was it seasoned with the “proper” spice blend a cook wood actually use to make a traditional tandoori chicken.
Nevertheless, this dish came out of the oven smelling, tasting and looking like the best of them 🙂
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All about Tandoori Chicken

All about Tandoor

Ingredients :

Chicken, Breast and legs, cut in half
yoghurt,
Garlic, paste
Ginger, grated
Turmeric,
Hot sauce, preferably scotch bonnet
Kosher salt,
Butter, melted, in a spray bottle
Scallions, sliced fine, for garnish
Chili, roasted, for garnish

Method :

Cut deep slits into the chicken, about 1/2 inch apart.
Mix all seasonings with the yoghurt, rub onto chicken
and into the cut’s until well covered. Marinate overnight.
Bake in a 410 F oven until done. During baking, spray often
with the melted buter.
To serve, top with roasted chili and sprinkle with scallions

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” Naan, Veal Ribs & Other Stuff “

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Last night’s dinner made me realize that I eat a lot of comfort food which does
not necessarily fall into a specific group or cuisine. Sometimes, just raiding the
fridge without a grand plan and simply putting some stuff together on the fly
does produce some great dishes. This was one of them :
” Naan with ribs, chilies, onions and yoghurt ”
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Ingredients :

Veal ribs, simmered, bones removed
Naan, Generously buttered and sprinkled with sea salt
Greek yoghurt,
Chilies, finely diced
Lime, juiced
Garlic, paste
Scallion, sliced
Onions, rings
Sesame seeds,
Oyster sauce,
Sriracha,
Soy sauce,
Teriyaki sauce,
Kosher salt,

Water,

Method :

Blend all ingredients except ribs and half of the chilies.
Put a bit of water into a small, rimmed pan, into which
the ribs just fit, one layer only. Add the ribs.
Cover ribs with the sauce, (the sauce should be very watery
at this point) cover airtight and bake in
a low heat oven until very tender, about 3.5 hours.
When the ribs are tender, the sauce should have thickened
and cling nicely to the ribs.
Arrange rib meat on hot naan, drizzle with yoghurt, add onion rings,
sprinkle with chilies, sesame seeds and scallions and serve with a
garnish of spinach salad and sliced lime.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

” Breakfast Of Champions ” # 10 – Tortilla Española

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This is without doubt one of my favorite potato dishes
and the good thing about it is that it tastes even better when you re-heat the leftovers.
Serve it as a substantial breakfast, as a snack, lunch, dinner or part of a buffet.
As for the ingredients, use potatoes and eggs for sure. Everything else is up to your fancy.
I have used seafood, chicken, ham, braised pork, any kind of sausage, mushroom, cheese,
any kind of vegetables, you name it. Just make sure that if you plan to serve it
at room temperature, season it stronger as when you plan to serve it hot,
since the seasoning is not as prominent at lower temperatures.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Imperial Chow Mein “

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A Dish I created a few years ago for a chinese restaurant in Bogota, Columbia
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Image by : Hans Susser

Ingredients :

Shrimp, shelled and deveined, tail on, dusted in cornsatarch
Scallops, dusted in cornsatarch
Squid, sliced, dusted in cornsatarch
Egg noodles, cooked and drained
Cooked ham diced
Lap Cheong (chorizo) sliced
Bell pepper, red diced
Bell pepper, green diced
Bell pepper, yellow diced
Green peas, frozen
Onion diced
Scallions, finely sliced
Ginger, shaved
Garlic, paste
Salt, to taste
Lime juice, to taste
Cayenne, to taste
Soy sauce, to taste
Sesame oil, to taste
Sherry wine,
Peanut oil, to fry

Method :

Saute shrimp, scallops and squid in very hot pan until halfway cooked.
Remove and set aside.
Saute all vegetables except scallions, deglaze with sherry.
Add noodles, seafood, ham and seasoning,
saute until well combined, adjust seasoning if necessary .
To serve, sprinkle with scallions.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Borscht “

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On a cold and / or rainy night, a hearty borscht will make you instantly
feel better and give you great visual as well as culinary satisfaction.
I have had borscht with all kinds of protein, fish, beef, pork, poultry,
and sometimes vegetables only. My favorite two are goose and veal.
No goose to be found at my butcher today, but veal ribs in abundance.
( I wonder how old that veal really was, seemed more like ribs from a
full grown cow to me 🙂

Here is my version of borscht. You will notice i did not use sour cream
nor dill this time, although I had both at home. The reason was that the
ribs gave such a strong and rich flavor to the soup that I did not want to
distract from it by adding to many other flavors.
Meat and vegetables, pure and unadulterated 🙂
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All you want to know about Borscht
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Ingredients :

Veal Ribs,
Red beets, peeled, diced, cooked, strained, cooking liquid reserved
Potatoes, diced
Cabbage, diced
Carrots, diced
Onions, diced
Green peppers, diced
Garlic, paste
Cilantro, chopped
salt, to taste
cayenne, to taste

Method :

Simmer ribs in salted water until tender. Add potatoes, onions, carrots and garlic and simmer until vegetables are tender but firm.
Add beets, peppers, cabbage and seasoning and simmer for five minutes. Remove all ribs and vegetables into serving dish.
Add reserved red beet cooking liquid to broth, adjust seasoning if necessary and ladle broth over ribs and vegetables.
Sprinkle with cilantro or herbs of your choice.
( Note: Traditionally the beets are cooked with the other vegetables together in the broth. However, it is my opinion that the presentation improves by cooking them separate )
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