Soy, Ginger & Garlic Glazed Chicken

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Friday afternoon, crappy week, don’t feel like doing anything after work, just hanging on the sofa with a drink, flipping through the channels but still want to eat good ?
How about just throwing a bird in the oven and waiting for its georgeous beauty to emerge 90 minutes later?
Actual prep time: Three minutes. Cooking time: About one and a half hour, depending on the size of the chicken. Effort : Zero. Satisfaction: Great.
Voilà, there you have it 🙂

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Blend sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, grated ginger, garlic paste and kosher salt. Season chicken with this blend inside and out. Roast on a rack at 420 degrees for 15 minutes, turn down heat to 380 F and cook until chicken has reached 161 F at its thickest part. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting it or tearing it apart. The carry over heat will take the meat to a safe 165 F without drying it out. Serve with sweet chili sauce for dipping and lime to drizzle.
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Soy, Ginger & Garlic Glazed Chicken

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Soy, Ginger & Garlic Glazed Chicken

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Chicken Sandwich On A Pretzel Roll

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Sometimes, in our quest to make evermore beautiful, innovative, stunning, different food, we forget that a simple sandwich, if done well, can give enormous culinary satisfaction if it hit’s the right spot at the right time.
This afternoon was the right time for me to just have a sandwich, a cold beer and a good movie 🙂
The sandwich was a scrumptious Chicken Sandwich, the brewskies were Negra Modelo’s and the movie was Reservoir Dogs.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for Garam Masala recipe
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Chicken Sandwich On A Pretzel Roll

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Preparation :
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score the top of a skinless chicken breast crosswise, season with cayenne pepper, kosher salt, granulated garlic and garam masala, saute in butter until just done, remove to catting board, let rest for 5 minutes

score the top of a skinless chicken breast across, season with cayenne pepper, kosher salt, granulated garlic and garam masala, saute in butter until just done, remove to cutting board, let rest for 5 minutes

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cut 2 bretzel rolls in half, reserve 2 top parts, top with romaine leaf and garlic aioli

cut 2 bretzel rolls in half, reserve 2 top parts, top bottom parts with romaine leaf and garlic aioli

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top with marinated red peppers

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top with cucumbers, sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

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top with marinated red peppers

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top with garlic aioli

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slice chicken breast in thick slices

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top with garlic aioli ( notice how juicy the chicken breast is ! )

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Chicken Sandwich On A Pretzel Roll

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Chicken Sandwich On A Pretzel Roll

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Chicken Sandwich On A Pretzel Roll

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FO FO (Faux Pho)

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I figure, as long as my soup is made of rich beef or chicken stock, has rice noodles,
fish sauce, herbs and other vegetables in it, I can call it a Faux Pho (fake pho) 🙂
Yesterday evening I felt a craving for noodle soup but had no beef or chicken at hand, so I decided to use finely sliced chorizo instead. The chorizo has a great flavor and it fit in great with the other ingredient’s. I also had some leftover clear oxtail soup in the freezer that came in handy. The soup was very light, flavorful and satisfying. Another great, light, flavorful and satisfying meal that does not break the bank, prepared in less then 15 minutes !

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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FO FO (Faux Pho)

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Preparation:
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add to beef stock star anis, cinnamon bark, chilies , grated ginger and lots of garlic paste, simmer for 10 minutes, check/adjust taste with salt and pepper

add to beef stock star anis, cinnamon bark, chilies , sesame oil, fish sauce, grated ginger and lots of garlic paste, simmer for 10 minutes, check/adjust taste with salt and pepper

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meanwhile, cook rice noodles, drain, rinse with hot water

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add beef broth to noodles, remove and discard solids

add beef broth to noodles, remove and discard cinnamon, chilies and star anis

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add thinly sliced chorizo or other protein of your choice

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add bean sprouts

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add snow peas sprouts

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add finely sliced onion

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add finely sliced chilies

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add scallions and finely sliced chives

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FO FO (Faux Pho)

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FO FO (Faux Pho)

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New Look Of ChefsOpinion

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Dear Friend’s

Please let me know if you prefer the new, streamlined and brighter look of ChefsOpinion or the look of the previous version 🙂

Thank you.
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Sauteed Veal Breast

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I hate to use the moniker “deconstructed” when it comes to food.
Specifically, in order to de-construct something, wouldn’t you have to construct it first?
(Another term I hate is to “de-nature” food. I just hate these stilted monikers 😦
However, If I would use the term deconstructed, last nights dinner would qualify for the term.
For years I have been longing for “Gefüllte Kalbsbrust”, or stuffed veal breast. This is a common dish in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. You take the whole veal,breast, cut a pocket from end to end, then stuff it with bread stuffing similar to what you use for bread knödel or servietten knödel ( bread or napkin dumplings). Some folks use ground meat stuffing – but please – dont. 😦
I was craving this dish for years but the problem was multy faceted: Not the right veal available around here and the price for the proper veal prohibitive. What”s more, what will I do with a whole veal breast? I do eat a lot, but…….
So, When I went to my butcher on Friday, much to my surprise he had thick-sliced Canadian milk veal available, for the astounding price of $ 2.49 a pound. Obviously I was not able to make a “Gefüllte Kalbsbrust” with sliced veal breast, but I could prepare the second best thing – combine all the traditional ingredients into one dish 🙂
So there I went:
Veal breast, sour dough bread (the stuffing part), mushroom sauce and a red beet salad. What a wonderful meal, almost like the real thing.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Gefüllte Kalbsbrust
Source – SZ-Magazin.de

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Sauteed Veal Breast

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Preparation :
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sliced veal breast

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season veal with salt pepper and granulated garlic, sear very hot, then saute at low temperature very slowly until medium well

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meanwhile, saute finely diced onions in butter, add sliced shiitake mushrooms, add redwine and simmer until almost dry

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add heavy cream and demi glace, simmer until nape texture, check/adjust seasoning with salt and pepper

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almost…..

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in another pan, saute sour-dough bread in garlic butter until golden

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meanwhile, make a salad of red beets, raspberry vinagrette, diced onions and sliced scallions

meanwhile, make a salad of red beets, raspberry vinaigrette, diced onions and sliced scallions

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ready to plate the veal and sauce

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to plate, arrange veal on top of bread, spoon sauce over top, crown wiyh garlic/herb butter

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Sauteed Veal Breast

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Sauteed Veal Breast

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Easy Does It # 13 – Asian Style Pickled Cucumber Ribbons

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This is one of the most ingenious, simple, delicious, economical and pretty dishes out there.
Serve it as side dish, part of a fancy or simple salad, or as a snack.
Season it mild, medium or fiery hot.
Either way, I am sure you will love it and it may even become one of your go-to standby’s. 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Asian Style Pickled Cucumbers

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Preparation:
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wash cucumbers, pat dry

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cut cucumbers into fine ribbons with a sharp peeler, discard seed-parts. Seaso with plenty of kosher salt, let rest for 20 minutes

cut cucumbers into fine ribbons with a sharp peeler, discard seed-parts. Season with plenty of kosher salt, let rest for 30 minutes

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squeeze cucumbers, discard juice

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add finely sliced chilies, rice vinegar, garlic paste, sesame oil and a dash of sugar, mix well

add finely sliced chilies, sriracha, rice vinegar, garlic paste, sesame oil and a dash of sugar, mix well

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Chicken Liver Congee

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Usually, I have congee for breakfast, but today I just wanted a big bowl of this culinary marvel for lunch.
It is one of the most satisfying dishes out there, as long as it is properly seasoned and has the ingredients you long for at the moment. As far as congee goes – anything goes 🙂
Even the texture has no right or wrong. As long as you like it – that’s the right texture. I like mine fairly thick, tasty, spicy and with lot’s of “stuff” in it. I happened to have fresh chicken livers today, but you can use any protein you like, shrimps, scallops, chicken or whatever is handy. Maybe just vegetables? With egg or without? Many condiments or none?

Today I cooked my rice in a rich chicken stock, flavored with lots of grated ginger, garlic paste, kosher salt and ground chili pepper and a splash of fermented bean sauce. Once the porridge had the desired texture, I added medium-fried chicken livers, Chinese black mushrooms, cooked ham, corn, black beans, sesame oil, finely sliced chilies and scallions.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Congee recipes
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Chicken Liver Congee

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Chicken Liver Congee

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Preparation:
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season with granulated garlic, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, five spice powder, add cornstarch, mix well

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fry in peanut oil until medium, remove to absorbent paper

fry livers in peanut oil until medium, remove to absorbent paper

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almost ………

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to porridge add livers, beans, corn, mushroom, chilies, scallions and sesame seed oil, check/adjust seasoning

to the porridge add livers, beans, corn, mushroom, chilies, scallions and sesame seed oil, check/adjust seasoning

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Chicken Liver Congee

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Chicken Liver Congee

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Chicken Liver Congee

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Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog,
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Gratinated Chicken Salpicon In Pineapple

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In the late sixties and early seventies, this presentation of salpicon was at the forefront of culinary extravagance in Europe. Not because of the use of the salpicon, but because of the pineapple.
At that time,while everybody (most everybody) in Europe was familiar with canned pineapples, few had eaten a fresh one, simply because it was prohibitively expensive to fly in fresh fruit from the tropics or anywhere else for that matter. I remember having my first California strawberry outside of Germany’s strawberry season when I was 15 years old. We had a lot of food imports at the time, but most was carried in by truck or boat from other European countries and therefore more affordable. Even today, you will still find this pineapple presentation in many countries that cater to the less wealthy tourist’s. Often the chicken is replaced with seafood for an even more “exotic” dish.
So, many of my readers will probably enjoy this presentation for two different reasons:
One, because it is so old-fashioned that you don’t see it anymore,
or two, because they will remember it from “the old times”.
Either way, enjoy !

P.S.
Even without the pineapple presentation, who does not enjoy a chicken, veal or seafood salpicon once in a while? 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for Chicken Velouté recipe
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Gratinated Chicken Salpicon In Pineapple With Rice

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Gratinated Chicken Salpicon In Pineapple With Rice

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Preparation:
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soak triple washed long grain rice in cold water for one hour, drain , cook in salted boiling water until almost cooked, about 3 minutes, drain

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cover airtight and let steam another five minutes, fluff with fork

cover airtight and let steam for another five minutes, fluff with fork

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meanwhile, season chicken with salt and cayenne pepper, saute in garlic butter until half-cooked, add chicken veloute, bring to a simmer, remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning

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fill hollowed half pineapple with salpicon

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sprinkle with panko bread crumbs and finely grated parmesan

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bake until golden

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Gratinated Chicken Salpicon In Pineapple With Rice

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Gratinated Chicken Salpicon In Pineapple

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to serve rice, sprinkle with chili flakes and black sesame seeds

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Gratinated Chicken Salpicon In Pineapple With Rice

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Gratinated Chicken Salpicon In Pineapple With Rice

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Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog,
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Chicken Parmigiana

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This post is for David’s mom, who needs a fool proof recipe/instructions for chicken parmigiana.
David, make sure you send us pictures when your mom prepares it 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for Tomato Sauce recipe
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Chicken Parmigiana

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season skinnles chicken breast with salt and pepper, bread with flour, egg and bread crumbs

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saute in butter until 3/4 cooked through, remove to baking rack

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sprinkle with grated parmesan, cover with tomato sauce

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covered in tomato sauce

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sprinkle with shredded mozzarella, sprinkle with oregano, bake until cheese has melted

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meanwhile, cook bucatini until al dente, strain, add finely sliced chilies, scallions, garlic paste, heavy cream, tomato sauce, red wine, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

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meanwhile, cook bucatini until al dente, strain, add finely sliced chilies, scallions, garlic paste, heavy cream, tomato sauce, red wine, grated parmesan, some of the cooking water, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

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sprinkle bucatini with fresh basil

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bucatini in creamy tomato sauce

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Chicken Parmigiana

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Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog,
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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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