restaurants

Tandoori-Style Chicken Drumsticks With Pickled Onions And Naan

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Some of my favorite food-memories from my time living in Karachi, Pakistan, were the many wonderful dinners Maria and I had at the rooftop restaurant of our hotel, the ” Avari Towers,Karachi“.
Sadly, I understand that this restaurant has been converted into a steak restaurant by now ( after all, its been nearly 20 years since Maria and I lived there).
However, at the time, the roof top was a very exclusive local-fare only restaurant with a tandoori oven right there on the rooftop.
Benazir Bhutto, who a few years later became prime minister of Pakistan, resided in a house just next to our hotel and came to eat at the roof top a few times while we were there, which got Maria excited each time and she actually asked Mrs.Bhutto for an autograph (which she got, despite the incredible security), which made Maria happy and embarrassed me 🙂 .
Anyway, as far as the food was concerned, the restaurants at the Avari were in my opinion by far the best and safest places to enjoy a meal in all of Karachi and the tandoori dishes at the rooftop topped it all !
I had many a good tandoori dish while traveling in Pakistan and of course in India, but never did I find a good one in Florida in all the years I have resided here. While they might exist, so far they have eluded me. So, whenever I lust for tasty, well prepared tandoori-style food that rekindles my memories of times past, I usually have to take matters in my own hands. Such was the case again yesterday, when I prepared these delicious chicken drumsticks.
For the lack of an tandoori oven, I cooked the drumsticks under high heat under the broiler, which resulted in acceptable taste and texture.
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مزےکری ! maze karein ! زندگی اچھی ہے !
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Tandoori–Style Chicken Thighs With Pickled Onions And Naan

Tandoori-Style Chicken Tighs With Pickled Onions

Tandori-Style Chicken Tighs With Pickled Onions

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: cross-score each drumstick through the flesh, all the way to the bone, marinate overnight in a paste of ghee, garam masala, cumin, allspice, lemon juice, yogurt, paprika, cinnamon, grated ginger, garlic paste, black pepper and kosher salt

: mix onions, peppers, garlic paste, scallions, white vinegar, kosher salt and garlic oil, let marinade at least 2 hours

: remove chicken from marinade, simmer remaining marinade for 3 minutes, use to baste chicken during broiling

: place chicken on wire rack

: broil chicken on one side for 15 minutes

: turn chicken, brush generously with more of the marinade, cook until cooked through, about another 15 – 20 minutes, depending on the size of the drumsticks

: done…..

: plate chicken with freshly baked naan and crisp iceberg

: top chicken with the marinated onions

: Tandoori-Style Chicken Drumsticks With Pickled Onions And Naan

: Tandoori-Style Chicken Drumsticks With Pickled Onions And Naan

: Tandoori-Style Chicken Drumsticks With Pickled Onions And Naan

: Pickled Onions

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Easy does it # 26 – Char Siu Bao

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Dear Friend’s,
Although most of my followers are culinary professionals, there is also a large segment of followers who are just starting to enjoy cooking on a slightly higher than basic level. I have therefore decided to publish, under the moniker “Easy Does It“, from time to time some very basic recipe variations of dishes (and even pre-cooked dishes) which otherwise might seem too complicated to some folks. I will break them down to the easiest, most simple instructions, so that those of you who are intimidated by elaborate recipes will be able to prepare these dishes properly, adjusted to your taste and liking, right from the get-go. After all, just because you are not (yet ?) a professional chef should not prevent you from enjoying great food at home. 🙂
Enjoy !
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If only Char Siu Bao (Cantonese barbecue-pork-filled buns) would be as easily available as our western buns in any restaurant, supermarket, bar and dive ! I would devour them at least once a day, everyday :-).
In the not so distant past, I have made Char Siu Bao many times from scratch. After all, over the years (decades), I was in charge of a few Chinese restaurants and even cooked in one on a daily basis (in Pakistan), so I am lucky enough to know the basics of some delicious Chinese food preparation.
However, with a great international/Asian food market close by, there is no need to do all the work by myself anymore. In fact, some of the prepared, frozen food items such as Baozi , Shumai or many other baked, steamed and boiled dumplings which are available frozen at “Foodtown Supermarket” in Davie are better than what I can get in most of the Chinese restaurants around here. And, as a quick dinner after work or a lazy lunch or just a snack in-between, these frozen marvels are unbeatable for convenience, quality and price. So I suggest that if you want to have another great standby for a rainy day, surprise guests or just a quick “different” meal, put some of these into your freezer and be prepared for anything. 🙂
“Foodtown Supermarket” has many varieties of steamed buns, filled with all kind of fillings, but I always come back to the Char Siu Bao which are my favorites.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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For more about Foodtown Market click here
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Char Siu Bao

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: fill a large pot wirh enough salted water to ALMOST reach the bottom of the first steamer basket add four FROZEN buns

: top first basket with another basket

: add another four buns

: top with the basket top

: cover the pot with a lid, bring the water to a boil, steam until the center of the dumplings reach 162F

: meanwhile, prepare the dipping sauce by mixing soy sauce with grated ginger, garlic paste, lime juice, sugar, sesame oil, chili oil and sliced scallions

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: first bite, of course….. 🙂

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Ahlbecker Meeresfrüchte Suppe (Ahlbeck-Style Seafood Soup)

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Back when my wife Maria and I were owners of Restaurant Gildenkeller in Neubrandenburg, (in the former East Germany), one of our short weekend trips took us to the island of Usedom, which is about an hours drive by car from Neubrandenburg, where our restaurant was located.
I remember the quaint little Inn’s and the few stately, but outdated and mostly dilapidated grand hotels of better times past (before the communists took over). However, there were also a number of small, new restaurants, run with much enthusiasm and love by their newly capitalist owners, which excelled in their standards of food and service. In one such gem in the town of Ahlbeck (I forgot the name of the restaurant but not the food we ate) Maria and I had a most wonderful lunch, consisting of an delightful appetizer of “Matjes Herring” with “Pumpernickel“, a superb main course of “Ahlbecker Meeresfrüchte Suppe” and a great dessert of “Rote Grütze“.
Today I prepared the soup as I remembered it from so many years ago and it did not disappoint 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
Check the bottom of this page for “Bella’s Salmon Stew” 🙂
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Ahlbecker Meeresfrüchte Suppe

: fresh salmon, fresh cod fillet, shrimp, chopped smoked salmon, squid (replace with mussels for more authenticity)

: simmer cut fish in water seasoned with salt, white pepper and lemon juice

: when fish is almost done, add squid (or mussels) and shrimp, remove from heat, let steep another minute

: drain seafood, save the stock

: saute onions, anchovy paste and garlic paste

: add smoked salmon, saute another minute

: add a bit of a/p flour, saute another minute

: add clam juice (there is not enough flavor from the small amount of seafood in the stock)

: add the stock, simmer for 15 minutes

: add heavy cream, check / adjust seasoning

: plate the warm seafood, sprinkle with chopped parsley or dill

: ladle the hot soup over the seafood

: Ahlbecker Meeresfrüchte Suppe

: Ahlbecker Meeresfrüchte Suppe

: Ahlbecker Meeresfrüchte Suppe

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Bellas Fish Stew
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: for your four-legged friend (dog or cat), simmer the salmon trimmings in a bit of water

: Bellas Salmon Stew 🙂

: spoil her to smithereens, 🙂

: Happy Bella 🙂

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Hungarian Beef Goulash

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Today I combined breakfast, lunch and dinner all into one fabulous meal.
(I did however have a few fruits throughout the day).
Goulash is one of the dishes which were a staple in the South of Germany when I grew up and it was enjoyed in most homes and simple and even fine restaurants frequently. Goulash is quite different from other beef stews. There is now flour to thicken the sauce as in most other stews (the collagen in the beef will take care of that) and there are much more onions and sweet paprika to give the goulash its characteristic taste and color. Goulash is usually reddish in color and it’s heat level can be high, depending on the amount of hot chili or chili powder added (if any). To obtain the original flavor of good goulash, season with equal parts of finely chopped lemon peel, thyme and caraway seeds.
I usually prefer my goulash to be accompanied by Knödel (dumplings) or Spätzle, but frankly, today this was too much effort for me and I substituted the Knödel or Spätzle with pasta 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life Is Good !
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All about Goulash
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All about Knödel
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More ChefsOpinion on Spätzle
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Hungarian Beef Goulash

Hungarian Beef Goulash With Pasta And Schmelze, Romaine In Vinaigrette

Hungarian Beef Goulash With Pasta And Schmelze, Romaine Salad In Vinaigrette

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: diced beef brisket

: saute diced onions in olive oil (covered and simmered slowly until onions are broken down and very soft)

: add beef, cover again, saute until liquid is evaporated and meet starts to brown

: add garlic paste and water

: add paprika and chopped tomatoes

: add salt and cayenne pepper

: cover and simmer slowly until meat is tender but NOT falling apart, about 1.5 – 2 hours

: almost…..

: when meat is tender, check / adjust seasoning

: while the meat simmers, cook, drain and strain the pasta, add a bit of butter, keep warm, start the schmelze

: to make the schmelze for the pasta, melt butter, add bread crumbs, season with salt and pepper

: saute until crumbs are browned

: Hungarian Beef Goulash With Pasta And Schmelze, Romaine In Vinaigrette

: Hungarian Beef Goulash With Pasta And Schmelze, Romaine In Vinaigrette

: Hungarian Beef Goulash With Pasta And Schmelze, Romaine In Vinaigrette

: Hungarian Beef Goulash With Pasta And Schmelze, Romaine In Vinaigrette

: Hungarian Beef Goulash With Pasta And Schmelze, Romaine In Vinaigrette

: Hungarian Beef Goulash With Pasta And Schmelze, Romaine In Vinaigrette

: Romaine In Vinaigrette

: Pasta With Schmelze

: Hungarian Beef Goulash

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Chicken Tostada

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I used to eat tostadas two or even three times a week when I was living in Cancun.
There was this small bar/restaurant on the beach of the lagoon across from where I lived, about a five minute walk away. (I believe it was on Blvd. Kukulcán KM 21 – I wonder if the place still exists?) On one side of the road is the ocean, on the other side, less than five hundred yards across the street, was this tiny place on the beach of the lagoon with a wooden pier protruding about thirty yards into the lake. Many a night I gave the waiter a small tip to set up a table for me at the end of the pier, to enjoy the night and a few drinks and snacks all by myself, usually while on the phone for a while with Maria who was back in Miami, taking care of things there. On most nights I had shrimp or chicken tostadas and a few “Negra Modelo” .
Happy times ! Aaahhhh, the memories 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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Link to Salsa Mexicana
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Link to Guacamole
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Link to Tostadas De Camarones
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Chicken Tostadas

flour tostadas, chicken in chipotle, salsa mexicana, tomato/onion salad, sour cream, guacamole, pickled chili

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: marinade chicken drumsticks with pureed chipotle and kosher salt

: saute in olive oil until golden

: add chicken stock, cover, simmer until done

: chicken should be soft enough to be easily removed from bones

: boneless chicken, cilantro added

: make sure you eat enough veggies 🙂

: tomato, red onion, cilantro, olive oil, garlic paste, white vinegar, kosher salt, cayenne pepper

: flour tostadas, chicken in chipotle, salsa mexicana, tomato/onion salad, sour cream, guacamole, pickled chili

: Chicken Tostadas

: Chicken Tostadas

: Chicken Tostadas

: Chicken Tostadas

: Chicken Tostadas

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Mafaldine Alla Riccione

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I dedicate this dish to the city of Riccione, where I had my first moment of culinary ecstasy.
When I was 16 years old and an cook-apprentice in the Black Forest of Germany, I thought life, and particular working life, was too hard for me to handle, so I decided to run away from it.
I hitchhiked through southern Germany to Austria and from there over the Brenner Pass in the Dolomiti Alps down to Riccione in Northern Italy in the hopes of finding happiness and love in a life of leisure on the beach (well, I was 16 years of age in an area before the internet – ignorance and naïveté prevailed in 16 year old’s at that time :-).
When I left Baden Baden for my adventure I had 26.00 German Marks to my name, most of which I spend the first night on steins of beer in the “Englisher Garten” in Munich. I remember I crossed the border from Austria into Italy with 6.00 DM in my pocket. After breakfast that day, it was four weeks of sleeping under the stars and asking (begging actually) shop owners and restaurant owners for donations to support, in the form of food and drink, my escape from a working life to the bohemian life of my dreams. These were different times altogether. I was a skinny kid without a home, and most people I met had pity and gave me a good meal, most often a sandwich and/or some fruit and soft drinks. Also, everyone offered a free smoke of the good stuff, which made a penny less life on the road so much brighter 🙂
However, I remember when I got to Riccione, on the first day I spend there, the chef in a seaside restaurant handed me a simple plate of pasta with shrimp. This was the first time I saw shrimp of that size and had a dish that was so exotic and wonderful, both in its taste and its looks. To this day I remember the awesomeness I felt by smelling this food, feasting on its looks with my eyes and then devouring it all in a happy flash.
After one month of some happy, some frightening but never boring moments, even skinnier than before I left, but maybe just a bit wiser, I crawled back to my apprenticeship at the Hotel Wiedenfelsen, finished it and became a professional cook, never again to regret my earlier decision to follow this lifelong, tough, underpaid, but in so many other way’s rewarding career path of a cook and chef.
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Bon Appetit ! See you in Riccione 🙂
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>riccione,

Mafaldine Alla Riccione

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: saute bread crumbs in olive oil or butter (according to your preference), season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: cook mafaldine in salted water, drain, toss in (according to your preference) garlic oil or melted butter with garlic paste, add a spritz of maggi

: almost………

: season shrimp with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, add to pangrattato, saute until shrimp are done and breadcrumbs are golden in color, add sliced scallions and chili flakes

: plate mafaldine

: top with shrimp / pangrattato-mix

: Mafaldine Alla Riccione

: Mafaldine Alla Riccione

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Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup With Bok Choy And Chili (Mondongo Chino) (Kuttelsuppe Mit Nudeln)

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I have taken to the habit of having Pho at “Pho 79” in Davie, while I wait for the nice Ladies at “Davie Coin Laundry” to take care of one of my lesser liked weekly chores. Both establishments are by far the best of their kind in this area (Ft Lauderdale to the Keys and across to Ft Meyers), so I am really lucky to have found both.
Now to the point :
While the Pho at Pho 79 far outshines any other Pho around here, if you eat like I do, you will pay the price. Mind you, this is in a strip mall, no decor, no service to speak of, very run down environment and I really only go there to enjoy the Pho, but if I want a decent portion my bill comes to a whopping $24.00 without tip . This includes a diet coke, a large Pho and one portion each of extra noodles, tendon and tripe. While this might sound like a lot, it really isn’t. Yes, there is a huge amount of broth, but inside is a VERY small amount of noodles, a minuscule quantity of paper thin (as it supposed to be sliced) brisket and a tiny (I guess maybe 0.5 oz of each tendon and tripe. The additional side orders are only slightly bigger. So, while all this leaves you full for about one hour, it is mostly broth you consume, excellent prepared food but at a hefty price.
Onward to the solution – making my own tripe and noodle soup, TWO large bowls of soup with LOT”S of noodles, tripe and greens for a total of about $ 8.00 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup With Bok Choy And Chili (Mondongo Chino) (Kuttelsuppe Mit Nudeln)

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Pho at PHO 79 :
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pho at PHO (great taste but as you can see, mostly broth and herbs)

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Preparation of Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup :
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blanche tripe in saltwater 3 times

beautiful 🙂

cut into stripes, not too fine so when cooked soft they retain some texture, cook until almost tender, strain

finish cooking with chilies, kosher salt, grated ginger and garlic paste, strain, keep hot

chinese egg noodles

cook in saltwater for about two minutes, strain, toss with sesame oil

place noodles in serving bowl

top with blanched bok choy

beef stock, (for recipe, click here)
fortified with star anis, garlic paste, grated ginger and seasoned with salt, pepper and fish sauce

to serve, top noodles with broth, tripe and scallions, drizzle with chili oil

Chinese Beef Tripe And Egg Noodle Soup With Bok Choy And Chili (Mondongo Chino) (Kuttelsuppe Mit Nudeln)

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Gekochtes Rindfleish In Meerettich Sauce – Boiled Chuck Roast In Horseradish Sauce

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One of the reasons I miss Europe so much is the fact that dishes like this are practically impossible to find on a restaurant menu here (or in any home, for that matter). Simple, delicious, real food one can eat with gusto. Mind you, I would not want this every day, but once in a while…….
So, as usual, if you want the best, you might as well learn to prepare it yourself 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Gekochtes Rindfleish In Meerettich Sauce – Boiled Chuck Roast In Horseradish Sauce

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Preparation :
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beef chuck roast or other braising cut root vegetables, water, bring to a simmer, cook until meat is tender, remove meat, set meat aside

beef chuck roast (or other braising cut), root vegetables, water, small amount of salt, bring to a simmer, cook until meat is tender, remove meat, set aside

strain stock through a fine sieve

skim fat from surface

make a white roux of half butter and half a/p flour, add stock, whisk to avoid lumps, simmer for 15 minutes, strain through a fine mesh strainer

add heavy cream, kosher salt and white pepper, check / adjust seasoning

add grated horseradish

start cabbage by sauteing onions in garlic oil

add diced cabbage

add red and green peppers. kosher salt, cayenne pepper, maggi seasoning, saute until cabbage softens a bit, check / adjust seasoning

saute small blanched potatoes in garlic oil until golden, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

slice beef , arrange on serving dish

nape with horseradish sauce

serve with sauteed cabbage and potatoes

Gekochtes Rindfleisch In Meerettich Sauce – Boiled Chuck Roast In Horseradish Sauce

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Finkenwerder Meeresfrüchte Suppe – Seafood Soup Finkenwerder Style

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Finkenwerder is part of Hamburg/Germany, famous (culinary wise) for its seafood restaurants. When I was a young cook back in the seventies, I worked part time in one of them (the name escapes me now) The restaurant was very elegant, expensive and beautiful. I remember many of the specialties we cooked there but the one outstanding dish I remember in particular was the
“Finkenwerder Meeresfruechte Suppe – Seafood Soup Finkenwerder Style”
A creamy soup made of roux, a bit of tomato paste, seafood stock, cognac and lots of cream, chock-full of mussels, shrimp, cockles( herzmuscheln) and scallops. Pure heaven in a bowl for seafood lovers, then and now 🙂
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Saute fine diced onions in butter, add flour to make a blond roux, add a bit of tomato paste, saute another minute, add fish stock and simmer for 15 minutes, add cream and cocnac, simmer another few minutes, season with sea salt and cayenne pepper, add blanched seafodd, carefully stir and remove from heat. to serve, sprinkle with fresh dill leaves

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Finkenwerder Meeresfruechte Suppe – Seafood Soup Finkenwerder Style

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Finkenwerder Meeresfruechte Suppe – Seafood Soup Finkenwerder Style

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Finkenwerder Meeresfruechte Suppe – Seafood Soup Finkenwerder Style

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Finkenwerder Meeresfruechte Suppe – Seafood Soup Finkenwerder Style

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Calamari Rellenos – Stuffed Fried Squid

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The first time I ate this dish was in 1974 in Vigo, Spain. I was in Spain for the very first time and I fell head over heels in love with the country, the food, the wine, the culture, the music and, of course, the women 🙂 I remember many things from these first visit’s to this beautiful, fascinating country. However, what stands out from all these memories is my first lunch with friends at a small restaurant on the pier in the port of Vigo. Most of my friends had fried calamari, the way we were all familiar with, fried breaded rings which are probably the most widely known calamari dish of all. I however wanted to try something I never had before, so I ordered the “Calamar Relleno”.
To this day I can recall the platter that was served to me and how much I admired the dish, so much richer and tasty compared to the fried rings I was used to. They were served with a simple salad and lemon wedges. No fancy sauce, garnish or other fru fru that would have destracted from the wholesomeness of this amazing dish.

Buen Provecho ! La Vida es Buena! Viva España !

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Calamar Rellenos -Stuffed Fried Squid

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Calamar Rellenos -Stuffed Fried Squid

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: mise en place

: saute garlic paste in its own oil

: add diced onion

: add coarsrly chopped squid tentacles and coarsely chopped shrimps, saute briefly

: mix shrimp and tentacles with kosher salt, cayenne pepper, egg, chopped herbs and panko, fill mixture into tubes, close with bammboo skewer

: mix flour, paprika, sea salt and cayenne, mix well

: dredge squid in flour mixture

: fry for two minutes on both sides

: remove to absorbent paper

: Calamar Rellenos -Stuffed Fried Squid

: Calamar Rellenos -Stuffed Fried Squid

: Calamar Rellenos -Stuffed Fried Squid

: Calamar Rellenos -Stuffed Fried Squid

: Calamar Rellenos -Stuffed Fried Squid

: Calamar Rellenos -Stuffed Fried Squid

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