Black Pepper

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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: 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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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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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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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 71 – “AVOCADO KNÄCKEBRÖD”

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This dish once again proofs that you don´t have to be a professional chef in order to serve a wonderful, beautiful, delicious and healthy dish 🙂
Just throw together a bit of love and a few good quality ingredients, make sure that the different flavors don´t “bite” each other and there is an interesting contrast of textures and colors, and – voilà, great food in a minute, without fuss or deep pockets. And there you have it 🙂
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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 71 – “AVOCADO KNÄCKEBRÖD”

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Preparation :
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: avocado

: avocado

: pomegranade

: pomegranade seeds

: whole black pepper

: tomato

: maille whole grain mustard

: knäckebröd

: add a good amount of mustard to ea slice of bread

: add sliced tomatoes, sprinkle with kosher salt to taste

: add sliced avocado, drizzle with EVO, grind black pepper on top, then sprinkle with plenty of pomegranate seeds

: BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 71 – “AVOCADO KNÄCKEBRÖD”

: BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 71 – “AVOCADO KNÄCKEBRÖD”

: BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 71 – “AVOCADO KNÄCKEBRÖD”

: BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 71 – “AVOCADO KNÄCKEBRÖD”

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Sautéed Cod Fillet With Cannellini Bean Salad

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It’s no wonder people eat more and more sh***y fast food.
This 2 lbs of cod fillet was $ 20.00 incl tax !!! 😦
Ground beef $ 7.00 a pound, chicken wings $ 5.00 and up, a small loaf of bread $ 4.00 and up, etc, etc 😦
Yet, a small crappy cheeseburger with fries and a coke is $3.00 ! What a shame.
I spend about $ 200.00 per week just on groceries and paper goods for Bella and myself, no laundry or cleaning cost for my cleaning lady included. How do families with a few kids and regular income do it ??? Everybody works, money and time is tight, so fast food is the only answer. Most young people do not have home-economy classes in school anymore, so it eludes them how to prepare a good, tasty, healthy, and economic meal for lets say $ 2.00 per person from scratch, or mostly from scratch with some canned protein or “secondary meat cuts” added. For a professional chef this should not be a problem, but for an inexperienced young couple with kids, who were never taught how to economize, save, calculate and be frugal, this will be nearly impossible. Financial disaster, poor nutrition, and a never ending circle of misery is the inevitable result.
Teaching home economics in school, affordable supplies of nutritious food at acceptable prices and less waste because of idiotic standardisation of size and appearance, mostly by supermarkets, as well as the stupid expectation by consumers that all food should be standardized, is highly required and necessary if we don’t want to be living in a world were only the rich can afford to buy nutritious food and drink.
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Ok now, done with the rant and back to today’s dish, which was delicious, beautiful and healthy (and Expensive). 🙂
As you can see in the pictures, there was a lot of EVO and whole butter, (I used a spoon to eat the beans) but as long as you don’t consume this much every day, you’ll be fine,
Also, if you don’t think it’s good for you, just use less ! 🙂
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Sautéed Cod Fillet With Cannellini Bean Salad

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Preparation :
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: 1 can drained, washed cannellini beans, 1/2 cup diced red and yellow peppers, 1/4 cup sliced scallions

: mix with 1/2 cup EVO, 1/2 tsp garlic paste, cider vinegar, cayenne pepper and kosher salt to taste

: cut a 2 lb cod fillet into two portions (I removed the belly-flap for Bella)

: season the fish with kosher salt, sriracha and fresh lime juice to taste, dredge in corn starch

: saute in EVO until fish is at 160F internal temperature, remove and keep warm (The carry-over heat will cook the fish to a perfectly safe and perfectly JUICY 164 F) (see the pic of the inside of the fish above- VERY juice and flaky) !

: discard the remaining oil from the pan, add 4 oz of whole butter

: ready -go !

: plate half the bean salad

: add the fish

: top the fish with slices of lime or lemon, top with coarsely chopped italian parsley

: when the butter starts to brown, pour over the garnish of the fish – serve at once

: Sautéed Cod Fillet With Cannellini Bean Salad

: Sautéed Cod Fillet With Cannellini Bean Salad

: Sautéed Cod Fillet With Cannellini Bean Salad

: Sautéed Cod Fillet With Cannellini Bean Salad

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And of course, Madam’s meal 🙂
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: Bella’s Sautéed Cod Fillet With Cannellini Bean Salad

: Bella’s Sautéed Cod Fillet With Cannellini Bean Salad

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Salad Of Cracked Pepper -Dusted Chicken Liver Nuggets, Shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, Romaine, Mild Chillies And Red Onions

Salad Of Cracked Pepper-Dusted Chicken Liver Nuggets, Shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, Romaine, Mild Chillies And Red Onions

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The success of this dish hinges entirely on the proper preparation of the liver nuggets. They must be crisp on the outside, medium-rare to medium (depending on your preference) on the inside and spicy but not mouthburningly so.
Seem’s easy enough, as long as you know how to handle VERY HOT fat.
If the temperature is not right, the nuggets will get well-done before they are crisp, resulting in a rubbery, dry and even tough protein. But when done right, they are truly wonderful. The result is a great dish that belies its humble ingredients.
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P.S.
If you can procure duck livers to replace the chicken livers, they will lift this dish from merely wonderful to absolute divine 🙂
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Salad Of Cracked Pepper-Dusted Chicken Liver Nuggets, Shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, Romaine, Mild Chillies And Red Onions

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Preparation :
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: dress romaine leaves, sliced mild chilies and red onion julienne in a vinaigrette of your choice

: plate the salad

: add shredded parmigiano reggiano

: clean and cut chicken livers into bite size nuggets, season with kosher salt, finely chopped garlic and fresh cracked black pepper corn to taste, add cornstarch and sweet paprika, mix well

: sautee in 375F peanut oil until crisp but still medium rare inside

: remove to absorbent paper, add to the salad, sprinkle with fresh herbs of your choice, serve at once

: Salad Of Cracked Pepper-Dusted Chicken Liver Nuggets, Shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, Romaine, Mild Chillies And Red Onions

: Salad Of Cracked Pepper-Dusted Chicken Liver Nuggets, Shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, Romaine, Mild Chillies And Red Onions

: Salad Of Cracked Pepper-Dusted Chicken Liver Nuggets, Shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, Romaine, Mild Chillies And Red Onions

: Salad Of Cracked Pepper-Dusted Chicken Liver Nuggets, Shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, Romaine, Mild Chillies And Red Onions

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P.S.
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This dish is part of my upcoming meal plan # 2 –
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH TWO
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Click here for
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH ONE

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Black Pepper & Soy Chicken Wings

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If you think one more post about chicken wings is redundant, I do understand you 🙂
Just move on, don’t get upset, bored or annoyed. I will see you at my next post…….
However, realize this: You’ll miss a chance to look at one of the prettiest, tastiest, no-fuss to prepare chicken wings you will ever come across 🙂
So, if you decided to read on and look on – enjoy, take the time to replicate these babes and be the master of your own future-favorite chicken wings 🙂 Cheers !
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P.S.
If you can not obtain anatto powder (Annatto/Achiote/Roucou ), you can substitute red food coloring (In my humble opinion, this is more of a “pride-issue”, rather than a quality-issue) 🙂
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P.P.S.
I did no include measurements in this recipe because I believe they are not necessary.
If you want to add any more or any less of any seasoning, just do so according to your own taste.
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Black Pepper & Soy Chicken Wings

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Preparation :
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: season chicken wings with peanut oil, freshly-cracked black pepper, soy sauce, kosher salt, lemon juice, chili oil, granulated garilc, hoisin sauce and annatto powder to taste, cook on a rack in a pre-heated oven at 400F until cooked through, about 45 minutes, depending on the size of the wings

: Black Pepper & Soy Chicken Wings

: Black Pepper & Soy Chicken Wings

: Black Pepper & Soy Chicken Wings

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P.S.
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This dish is part of my upcoming meal plan # 2 –
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH TWO
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Click here for
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH ONE
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Smithy’s Beef Rib Soup With Spinach And Pasta (Rinder Suppe Von Der Rippe, Mit Spinat Und Pasta)

Smithy’s Beef Rib Soup With Spinach And Pasta (Rinder Suppe Von Der Rippe Mit Spinat Und Pasta)

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When all else fails, this soup will make you feel better………(Just ask Smithy) 🙂
If you prefer, replace the linguini with any type of pasta, potatoes, or rice.
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P.S.
If you don’t like to use chopsticks, break the linguini (or any other type of long pasta) into small pieces before cooking.
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Smithy’s Beef Rib Soup With Spinach And Pasta (Rinder Suppe Von Der Rippe Mit Spinat Und Pasta)

to plate, add 1/2 of ea pasta, spinach and beef to a large soup plate, add beef broth

Smithy’s Beef Rib Soup With Spinach And Pasta (Rinder Suppe Von Der Rippe Mit Spinat Und Pasta)

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Preparation :
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: 4 lbs beef ribs

: in a large pot, add the ribs, 4 qt water, 1 lg quartered peeled onion, 4 ea med carrots, cut into lg pieces, kosher salt and grd black pepper to taste, cook until ribs are soft but NOT falling apart, remove ribs; you should have 1 qt stock remaining; meanwhile, cook 8 oz pasta of your choice (here, I used linguini)

: remove the meat from the bones

: strain the broth, add a splash of Maggi seasoning, check/adjust the seasoning

: add 8 oz fresh spinach to the hot broth, stir, let steep 2 minutes

: to serve, add 1/2 of ea pasta, spinach and beef to a large soup plate, add beef broth ; recipe serves 2 main course or 6 appetizer

: Smithy’s Beef Rib Soup With Spinach And Pasta (Rinder Suppe Von Der Rippe Mit Spinat Und Pasta)

: Smithy’s Beef Rib Soup With Spinach And Pasta (Rinder Suppe Von Der Rippe Mit Spinat Und Pasta)

: Smithy’s Beef Rib Soup With Spinach And Pasta (Rinder Suppe Von Der Rippe Mit Spinat Und Pasta)

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Roast Cornish Hen With Caramelized Onions And Potatoes (Best Potatoes EVER?)

Roast Cornish Hen With Caramelized Onions And Potatoes

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Upon first glance, one’s impression would be that the Cornish Hen is the star of this dish.
While this is certainly the case in the looks-department, when it comes to taste, these potatoes do steal the show. (But of course, the Cornish Hen is awesome as well) 🙂
First, the potatoes and onions are coated in duck fat, seasoned with rosemary sprigs, kosher salt, and fresh-cracked black pepper, then slowly roasted until golden brown. Next, duck stock (or chicken stock) is added, topped with a whole Cornish Hen and roasted for another 45 minutes, during which time all the rendered fat from the Cornish Hen, together with its richly seasoned juices, oozes into the potatoes and combine to produce the best potatoes you will find this side of culinary heaven 🙂
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Roast Cornish Hen With Caramelized Onions And Potatoes

Best Potatoes EVER?

Roast Cornish Hen With Caramelized Onions And Potatoes

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Preparation :
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: cut 2 medium size peeled potatoes and 1 medium size white onion into medium sized cubes

: coat the onions and potatoes in 2 tblsp duck fat, season with freshly cracked black pepper and kosher salt to taste

: roast the potatoes in the oven at 375F , turning the potatoes and onions often; when the potatoes are golden and the onions caramelized, add 2 large rosemary sprigs, cook another 10 minutes, add 1 cup duck stock or chicken stock

: meanwhile, season 2 Cornish Hen’s inside and out with 2 tblsp soy sauce, spanish smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and kosher salt to taste

: place the hen’s on top of the potatoes, roast (braise) the hen’s at 375F until cooked through but still jucy

: at this point, most of the liquid will be evaporated, leaving the potatoes firm on the outside, creamy soft on the inside and tasting heavenly

: divide the potatoes onto 2 serving plates, sprinkle with chopped parsley

: place 1 ea Cornish hen on top of the potatoes; serve with a simple green salad; whole recipe serves 2

: Roast Cornish Hen With Caramelized Onions And Potatoes

: Roast Cornish Hen With Caramelized Onions And Potatoes

: Roast Cornish Hen With Caramelized Onions And Potatoes

: Roast Cornish Hen With Caramelized Onions And Potatoes

: Best Potatoes EVER?

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Escargots A La Bourguignonne (Snails In Garlic-Herb Butter In The Style Of The Bourguignon)

Remembering the “Good Old Times”, when I went to Germany I was looking forward to enjoy escargot as often as possible, since in the not so distant past, escargot was one of the dishes which one could find on the dinner menu of most restaurants, usually prepared “A La Bourguignonne” and served in their own shells, but also frequently as soup or in puff pastry.
I was disappointed to find that escargots have mostly gone the way of so many other delicacies ( Tortue “Lady Curzon, Foie Gras, Duck a la Presse, Turtle Steaks, Turtle Stews, Abalone Meunière, Sole Véronique, Crab Louie, Trout Almondine, Canard à l’Orange, just to mention a few…….
I did manage to find snails on two occasions on the menu, but sadly, both were but a shameful rendition of the once glorious dish (One was escargots a la Bourguignonne, which were burned on top and completely tasteless, the other was escargots in puff pastry, which was served in a soggy puff pastry shell, bound with a tasteless white sauce, deprived of even the slightest bit of the de rigueur Pernod, which is supposed to grace the sauce of escargots in cream.
So, as usual, in order to satisfy my craving, I had to prepare it myself at home. In the past, I have tried to find escargots in the grocery stores around here and sometimes scored, but in the past few years I was not able to find them anywhere anymore 😦 . Thank you Lord for the internet 🙂 . I ordered one dozen cans, which arrived a few days later and made me a happy man indeed.
Here now is the first version of Escargot I prepared…….
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Escargots A La Bourguignonne (Snails In Garlic-Herb Butter In The Style Of The Bourguignon)

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Preparation :
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: drain and rinse a 1 dz can snails

: cut snails lengthwise in half (Optional)

: marinade snails overnight in 1/2 cup burgundy, 1 tsp garlic paste and 1/2 tsp fresh-ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste; next day, strain the snails, discard the marinade

: melt 1 stick whole butter, saute 1 tblsp finely diced shallots or sweet onions and 1 tblsp garlic paste until onions are translucent

: whenthe onions are translucent, add the snails and 2 tblsp chopped parsley, saute 1 minute, check/adjust seasoning

: cut 2 slice of bread of your choice (I prefer sour dough bread) into thick slices

: cut the slices into thick sticks

: grill or toast the breadsticks until golden

: Escargots A La Bourguignonne (Snails In Garlic-Herb Butter In The Style Of The Bourguignon)

: Escargots A La Bourguignonne (Snails In Garlic-Herb Butter In The Style Of The Bourguignon)

: Escargots A La Bourguignonne (Snails In Garlic-Herb Butter In The Style Of The Bourguignon)

: Escargots A La Bourguignonne (Snails In Garlic-Herb Butter In The Style Of The Bourguignon)

: Escargots A La Bourguignonne (Snails In Garlic-Herb Butter In The Style Of The Bourguignon)

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Cheese And Potato Vareniki, With Spinach, Bacon and Tomato

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I have to confess – I cheated when I prepared these Vareniki 😦
Instead of preparing the vareniki/pierogi dough fresh and rolling it into thin sheets before cutting, filling, folding and sealing it, I used 1 lb store-bought fresh pasta sheets and my trusted ravioli/pierogi-mold. Not necessarily because I am lazy (well, sometimes I am), but mainly because my counter space is tiny and making fresh pasta dough and stuffed dumpling always results in a huge mess, with flour everywhere, requiring a lot of time to get the kitchen spick and span again.
(However, I do know how to make the dough fresh. 🙂
I have made it a hundred times and I am therefore not embarrassed to admit to the store-bought sheets and the mold) 🙂
The rest of the dish is as easy and quick as 1-2-3. Cook the pasta, saute everything in butter and done !
Here is the recipe for the filling and the final dish :
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Ingredients and method for filling:

2 oz soft butter
medium small diced onion, sauteed
2 oz greek yoghurt
2 cups cold mashed potatoes
2 oz grated pepper jack cheese
kosher salt & cayenne pepper to taste

Saute onions in butter until translucent.
Stir in the 2 cup mashed potatoes, grated cheese and yogurt, season with salt and cayenne pepper, mix well. Check/adjust seasoning.
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Ingredients and method for the rest of the dish:

Cut the dough sheets into rounds corresponding to the size of your ravioli/pierogi-cutter.
Top each round of dough with 1 tblsp cheese/potato filling, add ea round to the ravioli/pierogi-mold.
Moisten the dough’s edges with water, fold over, and press together to seal.
Repeat procedure with the remaining dough and filling.
Cook in boiling salted water until the dough is done, about 3 to 4 minutes, depending on the thickest part of the dough.
Remove with a slotted spoon, drain.
Saute 2 oz chopped bacon, 1 tsp garlic paste, julienne of 1/2 onion, 6 oz fresh spinach in 2 oz butter, add 8 oz fresh spinach and 1/3 cup heavy cream, simmer 1 minute, remove from heat, add julienne of one medium size onion, 1 ea seeded and julienned tomato and the freshly cooked vareniki, check/adjust seasoning. to serve, sprinkle with grated pepper-jack.
Serves 4 appetizers or 2 main courses.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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