Potato And Onion Pierogi With Grape Tomatoes And Cracked Black Pepper In Beurre Noisette


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Pierogi  or  Vareniki   are half circular dumplings of unleavened dough, stuffed (singularly or in various combinations) with mashed potatoes, cheese, farmer’s cheese, bryndza, cabbage, sauerkraut, meat, mushrooms, or other ingredients depending on the cook’s personal preferences. Dessert versions of the dumpling can be stuffed with a fresh fruit filling, such as cherry, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, peach, or apple; stoned prunes are sometimes used.
Mashed potatoes mixed with farmer’s cheese and fried onions is a popular filling in Poland and Ukraine. In Poland this variety is called Ruskie pierogi. A popular filling for pierogi in Canada is mashed potatoes mixed with grated cheddar cheese .
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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Click here for more info on  Pierogi,  Vareniki  and  Pelmeni
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Click here for a link to the above pictured   Pierogi  on  ChefsOpinion
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Click here for  Beurre Noisette
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P.S.
If the tiny black spots in the butter bother you, strain the beurre noisette after browning through a cheese cloth,  then  saute the veggies and the pierogies.
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Ingredients :

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Method :

Saute onion in butter until translucent.
Stir into the mashed potatoes, add grated cheese and yogurt,
season with salt and cayenne pepper, mix well.To make the dough, beat together the eggs and sour cream until smooth.
Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder; stir into the sour cream mixture,
mix well and knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until firm and smooth.
Divide the dough in half, then roll out one half to 1/8 inch thickness.
Cut into 3 inch rounds using a cutter or drinking glass.Place a small spoonful of the mashed potato filling into the center of each round.
Moisten the edges with water, fold over, and press together with a fork to seal.
Repeat procedure with the remaining dough and filling.Cook in boiling saltwater until dough is done, about 4 to 5 minutes,
depending on the thickest part of the dough. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain.
Saute in butter, duck fat, chicken or pork schmaltz to your liking – soft without color, lightly browned or browned and crisp.
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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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Butter Lettuce With Chicken, Artichokes And Grape-Tomatoes In White Balsamic Vinaigrette


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After  a heavy lunch of chile con carne, tonight I needed a light and healthy dinner. This salad not only fit the bill, but it was all I could wish for to have a great, peaceful dinner by the pool.
While I was enjoying my meal, I was watching our new “egg machine” Eugenia getting acquainted with her new surroundings 🙂
My Life lately – less hectic, more healthy, more enjoyable .
(I am not yet at the “happy” stage, but hopefully I’ll get there soon) 🙂
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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Click here for more  Salad  on  ChefsOpinion
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Click here for more Chicken on  ChefsOpinion
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White balsamic vinaigrette :
Mix 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup EVO, 1/2 tsp grey poupon, 1/4 tsp garlic paste, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, whisk until emulsified, check/adjust taste.
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Butter Lettuce With Chicken, Artichokes And Grape-Tomatoes In White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Butter Lettuce With Chicken, Artichokes And Grape-Tomatoes In White Balsamic Vinaigrette

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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Black Pudding And Potato Salad Turnovers…..(Schwäbishe Teigtaschen Mit Blutwurst, Kartoffelsalat Und Röstzwiebeln)

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These  pretty babies are a happy concoction of some of my beloved food items :
Blutwurst ( black pudding/blood pudding/morcilla), Swabian potato salad (schwäbisher kartoffel salad), röstzwiebeln (smothered or fried onions), good quality mustard, fiery chilies, and thin sheets of dough to wrap it all and bake to crispy goodness. 🙂
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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Click here for  Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat (Swabian Potato Salad)
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Click here for a very different kind of  Potato Salad  on  ChefsOpinion
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P.S.
For this dish I have used  Argentinian style morcilla, which is widely available here in South Florida. A better fit would be  Schwäbishe  blutwurst, which melts when heated and spreads out better within the crispy wrap. But taste-wise, the morcilla I used is about the same.
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P.P.S.
I love to serve this with hot chilies to cut through the richness of the filling. If this is too spicy for you, serve the turnovers with a side of green salad.
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Blood Pudding And Potato Salad Turnovers.....(Schwäbishe Teigtaschen Mit Blutwurst, Kartoffelsalat Und Röstzwiebeln)

Blood Pudding And Potato Salad Turnovers…..(Schwäbishe Teigtaschen Mit Blutwurst, Kartoffelsalat Und Röstzwiebeln)

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Blood Pudding And Potato Salad Turnovers.....(Schwäbishe Teigtaschen Mit Blutwurst, Kartoffelsalat Und Röstzwiebeln)

Blood Pudding And Potato Salad Turnovers…..(Schwäbishe Teigtaschen Mit Blutwurst, Kartoffelsalat Und Röstzwiebeln)

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Blood Pudding And Potato Salad Turnovers.....(Schwäbishe Teigtaschen Mit Blutwurst, Kartoffelsalat Und Röstzwiebeln)

Blood Pudding And Potato Salad Turnovers…..(Schwäbishe Teigtaschen Mit Blutwurst, Kartoffelsalat Und Röstzwiebeln)

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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Insalata Di Gorgonzola

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I hope  that you all will recreate this wonderful salad I have prepped today for my dinner and shared with Bella (She loves gorgonzola) 🙂
The key to the success of this dish are, as usual, the best quality ingredients you can find and afford.
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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P.S.
Please don’t shy back from the whole garlic cloves confit – they are slowly cooked in duck fat until VERY mild and VERY soft.
While eating, mash them with your fork or knife into the cheese and tomatoes (a bit of interaction there) 🙂
But, if you must, puree them into the dressing 😦
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Click here for more  Salad  on  ChefsOpinion
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Insalata Di Gorgonzola

Insalata Di Gorgonzola

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Insalata Di Gorgonzola

Insalata Di Gorgonzola

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Insalata Di Gorgonzola

Insalata Di Gorgonzola

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Jalapeno & Cheese Sour Dough Bread

Jalapeno & Cheese Sour Dough Bread

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Preparation :
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OOPS-My Doc Gave Me An A**-Whooping……….(Caramelized Apple-Cobbler With Twice baked Chocolate Cookie Crumble)

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So  this morning I went to my doctor for my quarterly check-up. I knew I was in for some bad news, but boy oh boy did she let me have it. (Can you say verbal a**whooping !)
During the past couple of months, life had taken a bit of a downturn for me. Since I gave up drinking and smoking, the only way to make me feel better and help forget the daily crap has been eating – usually far too much quantities of sugar and starches.
As a result, my average sugar level has been way above my usual, decent levels. Therefore, the following dish will be the last of sugar-laden food I’ll eat. Any sweets I will prepare from here on will be strictly (mostly?) for visitors. As for starches, I will prepare and post the same as usual, although I will have to eat MUCH smaller portions again 😦 (also more salads and veggies) 🙂
And there you have it – let’s try to live a bit longer by eating healthier !
(See also   ” HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” ).
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Bon Appétit !   Life is  Good  Tough !
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Caramelized Appe Cobbler With Twice Baked Chocolate Cookie Crumble

Caramelized Apple Cobbler With Twice Baked Chocolate Cookie Crumble

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Caramelized Appe Cobbler With Twice Baked Chocolate Cookie Crumble

Caramelized Apple Cobbler With Twice Baked Chocolate Cookie Crumble

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Caramelized Appe Cobbler With Twice Baked Chocolate Cookie Crumble

Caramelized Apple Cobbler With Twice Baked Chocolate Cookie Crumble

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Preparation :
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Curried Pasta With Shrimp, Mushrooms, Veggies And Egg

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This  dish is one of my  “go to”  dishes when contemplating endlessly without resolve in my mind what I will cook for the next meal.
Although I am a sucker for real curry, pasta sautéed in curry powder and “stuff” is something I can eat happily any time of the day, as often as twice a week.
Usually the basic ingredients are items I have always stocked in my fridge, freezer or cupboard:
Pasta, beef, shrimp or chicken, any type of vegetables, curry powder, a bit of kecap manis, chili paste, soy sauce or maggi seasoning, onion or scallion, eggs and herbs.
An added bonus to this dish is that it reheat’s wonderfully. (Some say it’s even better when re-heated) 🙂
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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  Curry  on  ChefsOpinion
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Curried Pasta With Shrimp, Mushrooms, Veggies And Egg (Sunshine On A Plate)

Curried Pasta With Shrimp, Mushrooms, Veggies And Egg (Sunshine On A Plate)

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Curried Pasta With Shrimp, Mushrooms, Veggies And Egg

Curried Pasta With Shrimp, Mushrooms, Veggies And Egg

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Curried Pasta With Shrimp, Mushrooms, Veggies And Egg

Curried Pasta With Shrimp, Mushrooms, Veggies And Egg

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Preparation :
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To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

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This  morning for breakfast I had leftover pasta from last night, which required a much lighter lunch and no dinner (Maybe a bit of ice cream though 🙂
So, at around noon, off to the fishmonger down the road to get some fresh shrimp and to the supermarket to see what’s available that would be appealing to my desire for a tasty salad. Red pears, chicorée frisée (endive, curly endive, or frisée) and fresh lime for the salad and its dressing, and a small amount of sun-dried tomatoes and it was on. Twenty minutes after I got home, Bella and I were feasting on this superb creation, wrapped in flour tortillas and accompanied by peach ice tea. Bella ate about half the shrimp and a bit of the tortillas and graciously allowed me to enjoy the rest. Life is Good !
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Bon Appétit !  Thanks Bella, for your Generosity 🙂 
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Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

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Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

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Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?))

Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?))

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Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

Salad Of Chili Shrimp, Chicorée Frisée, Pear And Sun-Dried Tomato (Or Is It A Taco ?)

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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Sautierte Rinderfiletspitzen In Paprikarahm Mit Knoblauch/Kartoffel- Püree…..(Trust Me, It’s Good Stuff)

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In  case you wonder, it translates to:
“Sautéed Beef Tenderloin Tips In Paprika Cream With Garlicky Potato Puree”
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The other day I saw a food show on TV with Michelle Bernstein (I actually like this show, it reviews South Floridian Restaurants)
During the show, one of the “Foodies” commented that the restaurant in question actually serves “REAL” Mashed Potatoes”, meaning mashed potatoes made from scratch, using “REAL” potatoes instead of the powdered stuff.
This is how far the quality of the majority of average restaurants has sunk to. Mind you, they were not talking about fast food, but a restaurant with an average dinner expense of $60.00 per person before drinks and tip. Very sad indeed !
So today I decided to prepare one of the best, easiest, cheapest and one of the most satisfying side dishes there is : “REAL Potato Puree”, accompanied by an equally great protein dish. While the beef tender-tips I used today are relatively expensive, they can readily substituted with a more economic protein, such as a cheaper beef cut or an altogether different protein such as chicken or pork.
I do make mashed potatoes quite often, exactly for the reasons I mentioned earlier (economic, yummy, easy), usually in a great variety. They can be mashed, pureed or whipped, they can contain additional ingredients such as cheese, sour cream, butter-milk, heavy cream or whole-milk, protein such as bacon, crab meat, or corned beef, vegetables such as caramelized onions, green peas, sautéed leeks or caramelized carrots, herbs such as chives, parsley, oregano, marjoram or cilantro, seasoning such as sriracha, garlic, black pepper, horseradish, nutmeg, butter, olive oil, etc, etc, etc ……….
Why would anybody use the powdered stuff, which tastes disgusting at best and, besides a few extra minutes to cook the potatoes, is neither easier nor much faster than the “REAL” stuff ???
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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Click here for more  Mashed Potatoes  on  ChefsOpinion
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Sautierte Rinderfiletspitzen In Paprikarahm Mit Knoblauch/Kartoffel- Püree.....(Trust Me, It's Good Stuff)

Sautierte Rinderfiletspitzen In Paprikarahm Mit Knoblauch/Kartoffel- Püree…..(Trust Me, It’s Good Stuff)

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Garlicky Potato Puree With Green Peas

Garlicky Potato Puree With Green Peas

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Sautierte Rinderfiletspitzen In Paprikarahm Mit Knoblauch/Kartoffel- Püree.....(Trust Me, It's Good Stuff)

Sautierte Rinderfiletspitzen In Paprikarahm Mit Knoblauch/Kartoffel- Püree…..(Trust Me, It’s Good Stuff)

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

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This Is Not A Post !!! (Pissaladière)

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pic-source:bon-appetit-box

pic-source:  bon-appetit-box

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I was  going to post about this wonderful dish I prepared for today’s dinner. But, unfortunately, I can’t !!!
Why not, you ask ?
Because just as I took the Pissaladière out of the oven, my friend and neighbor Rod rung the door bell. Upon entering, he mentioned the fabulous smell coming from the kitchen. One thing lead to another, and before I realized what happened, we had devoured the whole thing right there in the kitchen, eating it standing-up by the stove.
Only then did I realize that I forgot to take pictures of the finished Pissaladière 😦
So instead, I included this stock photo of a baked  Pissaladière at the top of this page. It is not the prettiest of Pissaladière and certainly not as gorgeous as the one I prepared, but I included it anyway for folks who don’t know how a Pissaladière looks.
However, I believe the picks I took of the prep, up to the point (but not included) when I added black olives, will tell the tale of this dish sufficiently and will give you an idea of it’s soul 🙂
Again, for those who are not familiar with Pissaladière, I recommend it as a snack or meal accompanied by beer or wine, best served at a party or other happy occasion when hearty food is appropriate……
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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Click here for more pics of (not so pretty) Pissaladière
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Yeast dough for Pissaladière :

Ingredients :
A/P flour,   2 cups (plus more for kneading)
Water,   3/4 cup, warm
Active dry yeast,   1 envelope
Sugar,   1 teaspoon
Olive oil,   3 table spoon
Kosher salt,

Method :
Pour  water into small bowl, mix in yeast. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes. Brush large bowl lightly with olive oil. Mix 2 cups flour, sugar, and salt. Add yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons oil, knead until dough forms a sticky ball. Transfer to lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until smooth. Dust with flour as you work the dough. Transfer to prepared bowl; turn dough in bowl to coat with oil. Cover bowl with moist towel. Let dough rise until doubled in volume.Punch down dough. Pull dough until desired thickness and shape is achieved. If this is too difficult, roll the dough with a rolling-pin. However, in my opinion, the Pissaladière will turn out superior if the dough is pulled.
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Pissaladière

Pissaladière – Gone…….

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Pissaladière

Pissaladière, pre-baking

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Pissaladière

Pissaladière, pre-baking

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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The Ultimate (Faux) Tandoori Chicken

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Tandoori Chicken cooking in a Tandoor


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Excerpt from Wiki:
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” Tandoori
chicken is a dish originating in the Indian subcontinent. It is widely popular in South Asia particularly India and Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Western world. It consists of roasted chicken prepared with yogurt and spices. The name comes from the type of cylindrical clay oven, a tandoor, in which the dish is traditionally prepared.
The chicken is marinated in yogurt and seasoned with the spice mixture tandoori masala. Cayenne pepper, red chili powder or Kashmiri red chili powder is used to give it a fiery red hue. A higher amount of turmeric produces an orange color. In milder versions, both red and yellow food coloring are sometimes used to achieve bright colors, but turmeric powder is both mild and brightly colored, as is paprika, a sweet red pepper powder.[5] It is traditionally cooked at high temperatures in a tandoor (clay oven).

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Excerpt from a previous post  on  ChefsOpinion:
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” Some  of my favorite food-memories are from my time living in Karachi, Pakistan, were my wife Maria and I had many wonderful dinners 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).
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, all the restaurants at the  Avari Towers  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. ”
Although I don’t have access to a tandoor, this is as close as you can get to the real thing. “Faux”, maybe – but super delicious, definitely 🙂
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مزےکری  !   maze karein   !   زندگی اچھی ہے  !   

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P.S.
Usually tandoori chicken is cut into cubes and threaded on skewers before cooking. However, sometimes whole or split chicken are cooked, hanging on hooks and wires in the center of the tandoor.
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The Ultimate (Faux) Tandoori Chicken

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The Ultimate (Faux) Tandoori Chicken

The Ultimate (Faux) Tandoori Chicken

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let chicken rest in a warm place at least 15 minutes before cutting into serving sized pieces; serves 4 - 6

let chicken rest in a warm place at least 15 minutes before cutting into serving sized pieces; serves 4 – 6

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

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