Entrées

TODAY AT “CHEZ BELLA” – Sauteed Seabass & Potato Salat

Ma´ Girl……….

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Today, I satisfied my craving for fresh fish by sharing 2 lbs of fillet with Bella.
Normally, this amount of fish fillet would easily serve four, but since we only had a small amount of potato salad with it, and we both only have one meal per day, the portion was not really that excessive…….. and of course, Bella agreed 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Why “Chez Bella” ??? Because………. click here.
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Remove skin and bones from 2,5 lbs sea bass.
That should leave you with 2 lbs of clean fillet, wich serves four generous portions.
Season the fillets with kosher salt, sriracha, lemon juice and garlic paste to taste.
Dredge in a a/p flour and bread crumb mixture of 50/50 %, shake off excess flour.
Saute in 2 tblsp olive oil until golden on both sides, discard oil, add 2 oz of butter, saute another minute.
To serve, plate the fish, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, drizzle with the hot butter.
Serve with potato salad or side dish of your choice.
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: Sauteed Sea Bass & Potato Salad

: Sauteed Sea Bass & Potato Salad

: Sauteed Sea Bass & Potato Salad

: Sauteed Sea Bass & Potato Salad

: Potato Salad

: Sauteed Sea Bass & Potato Salad

: Sauteed Sea Bass & Potato Salad

: Sauteed Sea Bass & Potato Salad

: Sauteed Sea Bass & Potato Salad

: Sauteed Sea Bass & Potato Salad

: Sauteed Sea Bass & Potato Salad

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TODAY AT “CHEZ BELLA” – Boiled Beef With Dill-Potatoes & Horseradish-Sauce – (Gekochtes Rindfleisch Mit Meerrettich Sauce & Dillkartoffeln)

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The reason why I love Traditional German Food are dishes like the one featured today, which is nearly impossible to find on a menu of any restaurant, anywhere 😦
So, as usual, when the craving scratches, switch-on the stove 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for Beef With Horseradish Sauce Recipe on ChefsOpinion
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Boiled Beef With Dill-Potatoes & Horseradish-Sauce

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TODAY AT “CHEZ BELLA” – Bucatini With No-Cook Tomato Sauce

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This is probably one of my most-loved simple dishes of all time.
Not only does it taste wonderful if you use the best ingredients (good quality EVO (or Butter), pasta, chopped fresh tomatoes or bottled passata, and cheese, (if possible Grana Padano),
It is also done in a flash and, best of all, it tastes incredibly FRESH, as if your old Italian grandma had produced it with lots of love and livelong experience on her wood-fired oven, just for you. 🙂
But please!, resist the temptation to use crappy, pre-packed, grated “mystery cheese” ! Grate your own favorite cheese and be rewarded with the best pasta dish you´ve had in a long time. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Pasta on ChefsOpinion
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Click here for more dishes with Tomato Sauce on ChefsOpinion
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Why “Chez Bella” ??? Because……….click here.
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Add 3 tblsp EVO to 2 cup passata, 1 tsp garlic paste, kosher salt, sriracha to taste and a dash of Maggie Seasoning (optional), mix well.
Remove the pasta straight from the cooking water to the seasoned oil, grate 3 tblsp fresh grated cheese of your choice on top (if possible, use Grana Padano) , mix well, check/ adjust the seasoning.
Serve with some more grated cheese and chopped herbs of your choice (optional)
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Bucatini With No-Cook Tomato Sauce

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TODAY AT “CHEZ BELLA” – Scrambled Eggs & Bread

Bellas Scrambled Eggs & Bread

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Aaahhhhh, never judge a book by its cover, nor a dish by it´s name ! 🙂
If you do, you might have just past by this wonderful little dish, never to know what culinary gem is lurking behind its unassuming name.
Which cook in the World would sink so low and be proud and happy about “scrambled eggs & bread”, to actually publish a post about this ? –
Well, I actually am, and I must say, when I plated this dish for Bella and myself, I was smiling and feeling happy about the food we were about to eat (or, in Bellas case, about to devour.) 🙂
The Turkish flatbread came out of our neighborhoods Turkish bakers oven just about 30 minutes earlier (he delivers) ; the eggs are fresh from my neighbor’s hens, and the tomatoes, green chilies, cucumbers and scallions come from the farms in the immediate area.
So everything was as fresh as can be, and with a simple dish like this, the difference to supermarket food is apparent in every bite.
Nothing against supermarket food, I have eaten it and enjoyed most it most of my life, just that when possible, I like to eat the fresh and less processed stuff 🙂
So there you have it – a great, fresh, affordable, quick and easy to prepare dish I love ( so does Bella) and of which I can be proud of, five stars or not. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !

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Click here for more Eggs on ChefsOpinion
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Why “Chez Bella” ??? Because……….click here.
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Toast 1/4 of a large Turkish flatbread or any other bread of your choice.
Whisk 6 fresh eggs, season with kosher salt, sriracha and garlic paste to taste.
In 3 oz of whole butter or 2 tblsp EVO saute 1 cut scallion, 1 green chili and 2 ea diced tomatoes until heated through, add the eggs, cook until done to your liking.
To serve, top the bread with the eggs, serve with salad of your choice.
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Scrambled Eggs & Bread

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Today´s Lunch at “Chez Bella” – “Seafood Soup With Mee Noodles”

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(Five Minutes Preparation, Five Hundred Minutes Satisfaction) 🙂
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Some leftover chicken stock with a bottle of clam juice (50/50 ratio), seasoned to taste with oyster sauce, toasted sesame oil, chili oil, ginger/garlic paste, sliced scallions and chilies, then added a pack of frozen seafood and a couple packs of Mee noodles, some Shaoxing wine, and pronto! – a great lunch in a few short minutes, enjoyed greatly by both Bella and myself.
Just good food, without the drama 🙂 Life is Good !
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Bon Appetit ! Stay healthy ! 🙂
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Click here for more Soup on ChefsOpinion
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Click here for more Seafood on ChefsOpinion
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Click here for more Noodles on ChefsOpinion
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Why “Chez Bella” ??? Because……….click here.
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TODAY AT “CHEZ BELLA” – Breaded Chicken Breast Cutlet (Paniertes Hühner Schnitzel)

Breaded Chicken Breast Cutlet (Paniertes Hühner Schnitzel)

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Any “Schnitzel”, – Breaded Schnitzel, Paprika Schnitzel, Jäger Schnitzel, Rahm Schnitzel, Holsteiner Schnitzel, or which-ever Schnitzel comes to mind, served with Dumplings, Rustic Bread, Pasta, Potato Salad or Roast Potatoes, is pure comfort food for most Germans and Austrians. While it is super easy to prepare, it is also (like most simple food) super easy to screw-up.
But, with just a tiny amount of practice and a huge amount of love, this versatile dish is easy, quick and suitable for any time of day, for a late breakfast or late snack (breaded, served cold with a bit of lemon and mustard), or for lunch or dinner with any of the aforementioned sides. 🙂
As for me, being a Swabian AND an German (as well as American ), 🙂 I can eat schnitzel as often and with as much gusto as any full blooded American can eat a burger with fries, which is basically once a day. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Why “Chez Bella” ??? Because……….click here.
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Click here for more Chicken on ChefsOpinion
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Click here for more Breaded Dishes on ChefsOpinion
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: Breaded Chicken Breast Cutlet (Paniertes Hühner Schnitzel)

: Breaded Chicken Breast Cutlet (Paniertes Hühner Schnitzel)

: Breaded Chicken Breast Cutlet (Paniertes Hühner Schnitzel)

: Breaded Chicken Breast Cutlet (Paniertes Hühner Schnitzel)

: plate the cutlets, drizzle with the browned butter and a few spritz of lemon juice

: continue to cook until done and cutlets are golden…..

: turn cutlets, discard the oil, add 4 oz whole butter

: saute in 3 tblsp vegetable oil until golden

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: use standard breading

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: butterfly/ flatten 2 ea chicken breasts

: whisk well

: whisk 3 ea whole eggs with sriracha, granulated garlic and kosher salt to taste

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TODAY AT “CHEZ BELLA” – Pork Knuckle (Schweins Haxe)

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For this most-easy to prepare, super delicious meal,
just simmer one large knuckle in salt and pepper-seasoned water (about 2 to 3 hours) until tender, but NOT falling apart. DONE ! 🙂
Serve with mustard and / horseradish, rustic bread, sauerkraut, sauteed potatoes, dumplings, or whatever tickles your fancy. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Why “Chez Bella” ??? Because……….click here.
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Click here for more Pork on ChefsOpinion
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: Pork Knuckle (Schweinehaxe)

: Pork Knuckle (Schweinehaxe)

: Pork Knuckle (Schweinehaxe)

: Pork Knuckle (Schweinehaxe)

: Pork Knuckle (Schweinehaxe)

: Pork Knuckle (Schweinehaxe)

: Pork Knuckle (Schweinehaxe)

: water, salt, cayenne pepper, large pork nuckle

: 2.5 hours later – done

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Today at “Chez Bella” – Bucatini cooked in Red Wine & Buttered Broccoli

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Click here for ” Pasta Cooked In Red Wine” Recipe on ChefsOpinion
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Why “Chez Bella” ??? Because……….click here.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !

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PERFECT Cacio e Pepe

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“Cacio e Pepe” is undoubtedly the most minimalist among Roman pasta.
It´s secret lies in its wonderful creaminess, which is achieved by the perfect balance between its four main ingredients: pasta, water, Pecorino Romano and black pepper. (Because of the saltiness of the Pecorino, no additional salt is needed)
(A similarly simplistic, yet very different flavor and texture are present in “Spaghetti Aglio e Olio”, which, in its most basic form, contains only spaghetti, water, olive oil, garlic, and grated hard cheese. This is usually enriched with pepperoncini and/or arugula).
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When preparing Cacio e Peppe, there are a few RULES one MUST follow to achieve the creamy texture for which Cacio e Peppe is priced, otherwise there will be just “Pasta with Cheese and Pepper”, which is not too bad either, but comes in no way close to the magic of Cacio e Peppe.
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First, – grate the cheese as fine as possible.
Second, – take the pasta straight from the water to the pan with the cheese and pepper.
Third, – quickly and thoroughly lift the pasta with two forks or a tongue from the bottom of the plate to blend and achieve a creamy sauce when the moisture and starch of the pasta and the cheese combine to form a heavenly, creamy, delicious “sauce”.
Fourth, – use warm plates to mix and serve the pasta at once.
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And there you have it ! One of Rome’s and Italy´s most iconic, simple, delicious and wonderful dishes ! 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for Recipe of Spaghetti Aglio e Olio on ChefsOpinion
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Click here for more Pasta on ChefsOpinion
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PERFECT Cacio e Pepe

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Preparation:
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: Use the very best quality available to you 🙂

: Pecorino, black pepper

: microplaned …..(VERY finely grated)

: add freshly crashed/ground black pepper to taste to the cheese

: add freshly crashed/ground black pepper to taste to the boiling water

: cook pasta until al dente

: move the pasta from the pot directly to the cheese/pepper

: mix quickly, if needed, add a bit of pasta water to get a very CREAMY texture

: plate on warm plates, top with more cheese and pepper, serve at once (Pls only prep 2 portions at a time)

: PERFECT Cacio e Pepe

: PERFECT Cacio e Pepe

: PERFECT Cacio e Pepe

: PERFECT Cacio e Pepe

: PERFECT Cacio e Pepe

: PERFECT Cacio e Pepe

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Herring Salad – (Heringsalat) – (Sillsallad) – (Shuba – Селедка под шубой)

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At a time when “Regional” and “Ethnic” cuisine has spread all over the World and most of them have reached the far corners of our Planet, a large part of restaurant-goers consider themselves experts of some, or even many, different ethnic/regional cuisines.
Sadly (naturally), most experiences of these wannabe-experts come from a few visits of neighborhood “ethnic” restaurants and a subscription to the food channel, or, at best, a few encounters of local cuisine one has mustered on a once in a lifetime vacation to an exotic, foreign country.
Therefore, nowadays, when everyone pretends to be “food-hip“, “in” and “worldly“, everybody and Joe want to open a restaurant that serves food from around the World, with the proprietor and workers usually never having encountered a dish that is even close to its supposed origin.
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However, because of this worldwide spreading of cuisines, most folks have had the pleasure to taste Scandinavian herring salad in one form or another, either in a restaurant or at home, sourced in a small plastic container at the neighborhood supermarket. These come in many different flavors and colors – with fresh dill, fresh chives, potatoes, red beets, cucumbers, pasta, capers, pickles of any type, apples, oranges, eggs, with matjes herring or salt herring, even with added sausage, etc, etc.
Many of them are surprisingly delicious, though, after all, these ingredients are hard to mess up. However, in my humble opinion, of the commercial type herring salads, most have one fundamental fault – they are diced way too small and evenly (which, admittingly, is the proper restaurant-way).
When one forkful contains five or more ingredients of very finely diced ingredients, the mix becomes one coherent mess in your mouth, which I find rather boring. I much rather have the ingredients diced larger, so that with each bite I have two or maybe three different textures and tastes, which results in the pleasure of each bite surprising me with a new combination of yumminess. 🙂
This salad can be served as an appetizer, first course, snack or main course, accompanied by steamed potatoes, sauteed potatoes, rustic bread, or Gouda crackers (as in these pictures).
Pls note that I did not include measurements – let the ratio be guided by your preferences – more or fewer veggies, herring, yogurt, mayo, and so forth – and eliminate any of the ingredients which you don´t like. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Salad on ChefsOpinion
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