vegetables

Frittata (Kind Of………..)

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Black beans, potatoes, mushrooms, eggs and loads of cilantro – what would serve better as proper condiments than salsa verde and salsa Mexicana ? 🙂
Ever since I have discovered authentic tasting salsa verde and salsa Mexicana at my neighborhood international food market, I have them in my larder and fridge at all times, using it to enhance breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes of all types – eggs, seafood, meat, pasta, rice, vegetables, etc, etc. Together with chili paste of all levels of hotness, Maggi seasoning and soy sauce, these are the condiments/seasonings without almost none of my meals are complete. 🙂
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Frittata (Kind Of………..)

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Preparation :
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: whisk 10 ea whole eggs with kosher salt, sriracha and a dash of maggi

: saute 16 oz cooked, large- diced potatoes in 2 tblsp EVO until golden

: add 6 oz raw botton mushrooms, saute with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste until mushrooms are cooked through, about 2 minutes,

: remove to absorbent paper

: saute 1 ea medium onion, julienned, in 1 tblsp EVO until translucent, add 16 oz cooked, drained red beans (or beans of your choice), season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: add the onion/bean mix to the potato/mushroom mix, add 1/2 cup coarse-chopped cilantro

: add 2 tblsp EVO to a medium-hot cast iron or nonstick pan, add half of the whisked eggs, cook until the bottom of the eggs has just set, turn heat to low

: add the bean mix, spread out even

: add the second half of the eggs, shake the pan to make sure everything is properly distributed and coated

: cover the pan and cook VERY slowly on the stove top until all the eggs have set; slide out to a plate, return upside down to the pan, cook another minute; alternatively, if you are using a cast iron pan, place uncovered in a 375F preheated oven until set, about 20 minutes

: to serve, slide out of the pan as is on a serving platter, or turn upside down onto a serving platter; serve hot or at room temperature, serve as snack, appetizer, or main course

: Frittata (Kind Of………..)

: Frittata (Kind Of………..)

: Frittata (Kind Of………..)

: Frittata (Kind Of………..)

: Frittata (Kind Of………..)

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Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

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“Congee With Mushrooms, Carrots & Egg (Chinese Rice porridge)“
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Excerpt from a previous post of Congee on ChefsOpinion :
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” Rice Porridge –
The first thing that comes to mind is probably baby food or hospital gruff.
Most folks would never think of ordering it from a menu in a restaurant, much less wake up and crave it for breakfast, if they hadn’t tasted or at least seen it before.

Now, let’s try again :
Congee. Lúgaw. Chok. Xifan. Juk. Okayu.
OK now, that’s better 🙂

Sounds more interesting and exotic? These are just a few names given to rice porridge around the world. If there is a country or region which traditionally eats rice, then there is some form of rice porridge eaten.
Congee can be enjoyed as breakfast, snack, lunch or dinner. Congee most often contains rice, but other grains can be used.
Ideally, it is made with strong, tasty stock that infuses great taste and debt into the dish. But from there on, let your fantasy run wild. Congee can be made with seafood, meat, vegetables or a combination thereof.
Then there are the toppings – Pickled vegetables, fried shallots, sliced scallions, any mushroom, crisp fried garlic, dried shrimps, 100-year eggs, cilantro, etc, etc.
If you like it, put it on.
Below is a version I made on Sunday for breakfast. The texture is more like a Filipino Lugaw, with the rice VERY soft but still keeping its shape. “.
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Congee With Mushrooms, Carrot & Egg

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: to 1 qt chicken stock, add 2 cup cooked Fan (Chinese steamed rice) and 1 cup cleaned, sliced carrots; simmer until the rice and porridge has the desired texture and the carrots are tender (if too dry, add more chicken stock)

: meanwhile, saute 1 cup sliced mushroom of your choice in 1 tblsp peanut oil until lightly browned, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, reserve

: when the congee has the desired texture, add 4 whole whisked eggs, simmer one minute, remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning, plate in a bowl

: drizzle with chili oil (optional)

: sprinkle with 1 tblsp sliced scallions, top with the sauteed mushrooms

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushrooms. Carrots & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushrooms. Carrots & Egg

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Vanilla Crepes With Caramelized Blackberries & Pomegranate Seeds

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One has to wonder:
Why are sweet or savory crepes not on everybody’s table at least once a week ???
I can’t recall to ever have met anybody who’d claim not to like crepes, either in its sweet or savory form, or both.
Crepes can be prepared easily by anybody, even by a child or somebody with two left hands. Even if one does not like to cook, these babies need all of a few minutes to prepare, are very economical and, have I said this already? – are easy and quick to prepare.
In its sweet, plain variation, just sprinkle some castor sugar on top and maybe a bit of whipped cream, and you have a great dessert or sweet snack.
It’s savory, plain version will make a quick meal by drizzling a bit of butter on top and serving them with a small salad on the side.
And then, you have the more elaborate stuff 🙂
Savory crepes can be filled with creamed or buttered mushrooms, vegetables, seafood, chicken, game meats, spicy sausages and a myriad of other, more or less fancy goodies.
Sweet crepes will be happy to be married to caramelized fruit, creams, chocolate sauce, puddings, cream cheese (blintzes anyone?), nutella, yogurt, nuts, etc, etc, etc.
I myself have prepared just about any combination of crepes and “stuff” under the sun. I don’t really have a favorite per se, I love ’em all 🙂
So here is a version of crepes with caramelized fruits. I have to admit that the blackberries and pomegranate are rather expensive, especially when you cook for a large family. But be assured, caramelized apples, pears, oranges, bananas, strawberries, or any other more economical fruit will be just as wonderful – yummy to taste and pretty to look at 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Vanilla Crepes With Caramelized Blackberries & Pomegranate Seeds

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Preparation :
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: melt 2 oz whole butter, add 2 tblsp sugar, cook until sugar starts to caramelize, add 2 tblsp honey

: add 2 pint blackberries and 1 pint pomegranate seeds, cook another minute or until the fruit has warmed through, set aside, keep warm (this is enough for 5 crepes)

: in a bowl mix togetter 1 cup a/p flour, 3 med size eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tblsp sugar, mix well until there are no lumps (if too thick, add a bit of milk; if too thin, add a bit of flour) this will make 5 med size crepes

: in a medium-hot, lightly buttered pan, spread the batter thin and evenly, cook until lightly browned, flip to other side

: cook this side until lightly browned

: remove crepe to a warm platter

: fold crepe in half

: repeat with the rest of the batter

: top the crepes with the caramelized berries, sprinkle with castor sugar

: Vanilla Crepes With Caramelized Blackberries & Pomegranate Seeds

: Vanilla Crepes With Caramelized Blackberries & Pomegranate Seeds

: Vanilla Crepes With Caramelized Blackberries & Pomegranate Seeds

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SINGAPORE NOODLES (SINGAPORE MEI FUN) 新洲米粉, 星洲炒米, 星洲米粉)

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Having traveled the world long before I moved to Singapore to live and work there in the early 80’s, I remember how much I was looking forward to finally learn how to prepare “real” Singapore Noodles. By then I had enjoyed them in many Chinese restaurants all over the world and they had become a trustworthy (most of the time, anyway) shoe-in if nothing else appealed on the menu to my at that time still rather newfound love of Chinese food . Much to my surprise, there were no Singapore Noodles to be found anywhere 😦
It then did not take me long to find out that Singapore Noodles are NOT a Singaporean dish but have probably been invented years earlier in Hong Kong.
(As far as I know, the verdict of its true origin is still not entirely agreed upon) 🙂
While there are many different variations, the most common one I have encountered in my travels and here in the USA contain rice sticks, curry, scallions, soy, garlic, ginger, vegetables, shrimp and chicken or pork.
The following version is more or less the one I have cooked for many years, only making slight changes to the ingredients if something is not readily available or leftovers beg to be utilized, such as roast pork, squid, bok choy, celery, etc.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Singapore Noodles

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: julienne of 1 medium onion, 1/2 small head white cabbage, 2 ea medium-hot chilies, 3 stalks scallion

: for the seasoning/sauce, mix 1 cup chicken stock, 3 tblsp soy sauce, 1 tblsp oyster sauce, 1 tblsp hoi sin sauce, 1 tblsp chili paste, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1/2 tsp grated ginger

: whisk 4 eggs, season with kosher salt to taste

: season 6 oz shrimp and 8 oz sliced chicken with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: add 1 tblsp corn starch to the shrimp and 2 tbls corn starch to the chicken, mix well

: stir fry chicken and shrimp in 1 tblsp peanut oil until 3/4 done

: remove chicken and shrimp from the pan, set aside (the carry-over heat will continue to cook them through)

: stir fry the onions in ame pan/wok until translucent

: add the cabbage, chillies and scallions, saute another minute

: remove veggies from pan, set aside

: in 1 tblsp peanut oil, stir fry 1 pck soaked rice sticks for two minutes soak according to your preference, I like to soak them for 10 minutes)

: move rice sticks to one side of the pan, add 1 tblsp peanut oil to the empty side of the pan

: scramble the eggs until set

: mix the eggs and rice sticks well, stir fry another two minutes, add 3 tblsp good quality curry powder, stir fry for another minute until well mixed

: return the veggies, shrimp and chicken to the pan, add the seasoning/sauce, stir fry until all is well mixed

: stir fry another minute, check/adjust the seasoning

: Singapore Noodles

: Singapore Noodles

: Singapore Noodles

: Singapore Noodles

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Shrimp Lo Mein ( 撈麵 )

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Of all the Chinese, Asian and Chinese/Asian-inspired dishes I prepare at home, the fast and easy to prepare Lo Mein is the one I cook most often. I usually vary the main ingredients according to what’s in my fridge and/or cupboard, but the basis are always Chinese wheat noodles, seasoned with oyster sauce, soy sauce, lemon juice, grated ginger, garlic paste and chili paste. Sometimes I augment the seasoning with hoi sin sauce. As for the other main ingredients, I use vegetables, pork, beef, seafood, poultry or mushrooms, sometimes just one of them, sometimes more than one and sometimes all of them together. In all the years I prepared this dish, I never had one I did not love and I never get tired of it, no matter how often it flies in through my kitchen window 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Shrimp Lo Mein (撈麵)

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: for 1 pound of dried pasta, mix 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tblsp chili paste, 2 tblsp oyster sauce, 4 tblsp soy sauce, 4 tblsp water or stock and 2 tblsp hoi sin sauce (optional)

: stir fry 1 tblsp garlic paste and 1 tsp grated ginger in 4 tblsp peanut oil until fragrant

: add baby bok choy, mild chilies, carrot julienne and onion julienne ,stir fry 1 more minute

: add shelled and deveined shrimp, stir fry another minute

: add chinese wheat noodles and sauce mix, stir fry until heated through

: check/adjust seasoning

: Shrimp Lo Mein (撈麵)

: Shrimp Lo Mein (撈麵)

: Shrimp Lo Mein (撈麵)

: Shrimp Lo Mein (撈麵)

: Shrimp Lo Mein (撈麵)

: Shrimp Lo Mein (撈麵)

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Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

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Soup! – God’s gift to comfort food 🙂
I wonder how many different soups I have eaten in my life and how many different noodle soups in particular. And still, I never get tired of preparing and eating yet another version of this wonderful food category. Soup, to me, never get’s old. To the contrary, I can never get enough of it, be it cream soup, purred soup, clear soup, soup made of meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit or any combination thereof, hot or cold. So without further ado, here is my latest concoction:
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Bon Appetit ! Life is good !
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Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Ginger/Garlic Broth

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: cover short ribs with cold water, bring to a boil

: let boil for a few seconds

: drain ribs, rinse, discard liquid. This will ensure a clearer broth

: start ribs again with cold water, bring to a slow simmer, during simmering skim of foam and scum frequently

: after one hour, add kosher salt, chili flakes, cinnamon stick, garlic paste and grated ginger, simmer until ribs are tender but NOT falling apart

: done…

: remove ribs, strain broth through fine mesh or cheese cloth, add a few drops of sesame oil, check / adjust seasoning

: remove and discard bones, cut meat into bite-size cubes

: to serve, place cooked noodles, blanched bok choy, finely sliced cooked shiitake and beef in serving bowl, sprinkle with more chili flakes and fill with beef broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

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Roast Fresh Ham With Caraway Jus (Gebratene Schweinekeule Mit Kümmelsoße)

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Like last year, this year again I celebrated Christmas eve with my dear friends Dieter and Chacha, who were gracious enough to invite me to their family celebration. As usual, the food was out of this world. This years star of the dinner was a wonderful, tasty and succulent standing rib roast with all the trimmings and for dessert we all enjoyed Dieters traditional, perfect soufflé.
After everybody ate, there was one leftover soufflé, which I bravely volunteered to put out of it’s lonely misery.
(All this great food plus two soufflé’s on one evening – no wonder my belly looks so muscular). 😦
Earlier, just before I left my home to go to dinner, my friend Curtis showed up with Christmas gifts. Among the goodies was a fresh ham of generous size, about enough to feed 7 people with a healthy appetite. In other words, enough for Bella and I to pig-out for two days 🙂 So, before I took off to Chacha’s and Dieter’s dinner, I scored the skin of the ham, salted it very generously with kosher salt and put it in the fridge to be cooked the next day. (This helps to draw the moisture from the skin and gives you a superior crackling). The next day, Thursday, I cooked the ham by starting it off at 420F for 20 minutes, then turning down the temperature to 325F for 4 hours and finishing the last twenty minutes at 420F again to crisp up the cracklings.
On this occasion I have forgone more traditional sidings such as vegetables, beans, rice, pasta or potatoes in favor of a simple guacamole, seeded rye bread, the pork jus, the onions which cooked together with the ham, grey poupon mustard and horseradish.
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Bon Appetit ! Life Is Good !
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Click here for Guacamole Recipe
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P.S.
I will post a follow-up on the dishes I prepared with the leftovers.
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P.P.S.
I believe it is time to live a bit more “light” for at least the next few months, so starting January, I will change my food (and therefore my post’s) to a bit of a lighter fare 5 days a week, while the weekend will feature the same type of food as usual, just smaller portions – and, sad to say, a drastic cutback on sweets.
Look for ” Hans’ Lighter Comfort Food “ in upcoming post’s. See you there 🙂

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Roast Fresh Ham

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over picture
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: fresh ham

: score skin, salt generously with kosher salt, rest overnight in fridge

: onions, caraway seed, granulated garlic, chili flakes

: place ham on rack over onions, place in 420F oven, add water to baking pan, roast at 420F for 20 minutes, then 4 hurs at 320F, then another 20 minutes at 420F

: remove ham from oven, let rest for 15 minutes in a warm place before cutting

: Roast Fresh Ham

: Roast Fresh Ham

: Roast Fresh Ham + MY knife 🙂

: remove shank, reserve for another meal

: meanwhile, remove and reserve onions, strain jus, remove most fat, check / adjust seasoning

: Roast Fresh Ham

: Roast Fresh Ham

: pork jus, guacamole, braised onions, horseradish, grey poupon mustard

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EASY DOES IT # 20 – Mushroom / Veggy Curry

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This dish is an authentic curry from – Miami ???
Authentic Hans’ Cuisine if you will 🙂
The great thing about it is that everybody can do it, it is so simple. Yet, it tastes just as Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai or from wherever else you want it to be.
Here is my train of thought:
In my personal opinion, too much emphasis (hopeful maybe, pretentious and false often) is put on the label “authentic”. I have traveled the far corners of this earth many times over and I have sampled just about any mayor cuisine there is. Each one has usually THREE kinds of authenticity:

First – the traditional, well established, well-known dishes which are passed on by professional cooks from generation to generation, served in rich and /or noble households without the economic need to compromise on any of the ingredients or procedures.

Second – the traditional dishes served in ordinary households and restaurants, changed sometimes heavily over generations because of changes of personal taste, economic situations and ease / difficulty of preparation.

Third – the food which is served to travelers in local restaurants abroad and in ethnic restaurants outside of the foods country of origin, which has been altered beyond recognition to confirm to the taste and customs of foreigners in order to make it more attractive to the uninitiated and sell it more easily.

I am of course the biggest fan of “authentic cuisine” if it is available, but unfortunately, this is easier said than done since “authentic ethnic food” is very difficult to find in most places. So, the alternative to most of us is two-fold: Feast on generic concoctions of good sounding, badly executed, at best mediocre quality food in ridiculously overpriced restaurants (mostly these day’s), or try to do the best you can at home, with the help of proper advise and a lot of practice.

This featured curry will help you to achieve that “authentic” taste at home, without spending a fortune on a million of exotic ingredients and without spending hours of labor in the kitchen.
So, enjoy “Hans’ Authentic Curry” and relax 🙂
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P.S.
However, if you do find that authentic place, hold on to it and give me the address 🙂

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to “Easy Does It # 11 – Curry & Garam Masala”

Mushroom / Veggy Curry

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Preparation :
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saute mushroom in ghee or butter until starting to lightly brown

add onions and peppers (or other veggies of your choice)

add “Garam Masala” (see link on this page) and garlic paste

add half Hans’ Easy Does It Curry Sauce” (see link on this page) and half vegetable stock, simmer until vegetables are cooked

add coconut cream, tomatoes and lots of chopped cilantro, simmer three more minutes or until sauce has desired texture, check / adjust seasoning

to serve, put steamed basmati rice in center, add curry, sprinkle with chives

Mushroom / Veggy Curry

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Stew Of Cornish Hen In Merlot With Beans And Vegetables

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Cornish Hen has very tender meat and does not need to be stewed – it can be grilled, roasted , poached or sautéed.
However, once in a while I like to braise (stew) one because of the delicious sauce this cooking method will produce. So then, this is what I had for lunch today, accompanied by a tall glass of iced tea. (No more booze for me, at least for the moment 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Stew Of Cornish Hen In Merlot With Beans And Vegetables

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Preparation :
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season 8-cut chicken with salt, cayenne pepper and granulated garlic in olive oil until golden brown

add onions, saute until translucent

add chorizo, saute until starting to brown

add diced red peppers, garlic paste and scallions, saute one minute

deglaze with merlot, add small blanched potatoes, chopped tomatoes with their juices, cannelini beans and straw mushrooms

simmer until sauce sliightly thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes

simmer until sauce slightly thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes

add grated asiago cheese, check / adjust seasoning

to serve, sprinkle with chopped cilantro

Stew Of Cornish Hen In Merlot With Beans And Vegetables

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EASY DOES IT # 16 – Two Quick, Simple Salad’s

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A lot of folk’s shy back from constructed salads because they find them difficult to make and the recipes too complicated.
I can asure you that nothing is further from the truth. First, choose two main components, such as pasta and cold cuts, rice and seafood, potato and vegetables, vegetables and cheese, any grain such as amaranth, barley, quinoa, or rye, add herbs or whatever else tickles your fancy. Add whatever else you want to add that you think will enhance your salad, dress with whatever dressing you fancy. Combine any ingredients you feel will go well together and experiment.
However, if the salad is to be served at a later point in time or outside at a party, I don’t recommend homemade mayo for obvious reasons, use the store-bought version which is safer. Also, for pasta, rice and potato salads, I recommend to cook the starch a bit longer than if you use them in a hot dish. The texture will be more pleasant.
Following find two simple salads which I made yesterday. The whole prep and assembly took about thirty minutes total. If you don’t have much practice, both salads might take you an hour, not bad for two different dishes that serve about 20 each. Just remember, It’s your salad – do with it whatever you like as long as YOU think it’s the way it should be: omit, add, deduct any ingredient You feel makes your dish a better one 🙂

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“Shrimp, Pasta And Egg Salad”

Penne rigata, shrimp, fennel leaves, eggs, peas, cherry tomatoes, mayo (easy on the mayo), olive oil, garlic paste, white balsamic vinegar, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, greek yogurt, maggi. Use whatever ratio of ingredients you prefer. If it tastes good and looks good, you’ve done it right 🙂
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“Farfalle Salad With Salame, Pepperjack And Cornichons”

Farfalle pasta, salame, pepper jack cheese, cornichons, scallions, mayo (easy on the mayo), olive oil, dijon mustard, garlic paste, white balsamic vinegar, cornichon liquid, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, maggi. Same here again, use whatever ratio of ingredients you prefer. If it tastes good and looks good, you’ve done it right 🙂
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Happy Cooking and Bon Appetit !
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Click here for more “Easy Does It”

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