butter

Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen (Swabian Pasta & Chanterelle Mushrooms)

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There are three Chanterelle dishes for which I would leave just about any dish in the World behind (At least for a day or two 🙂 ) :

“Chanterelles in Cream with Bread Dumplings” (Pfifferlinge in Sahnesauce mit Semmelknödel)
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“Chanterelles with Lamb´s Lettuce and Crispy Bacon” (Pfifferlinge mit Feldsalat und Knusprigem Speck)
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“Chanterelles with Spatzle” (Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen), as featured on this page 🙂

Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen (Swabian Pasta & Chanterelle Mushrooms)

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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen (Swabian Pasta & Chanterelle Mushrooms)

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:Preparation :
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: 1 basket ( 1 lb ) fresh chanterelles at the local supermarket – € 6.00 🙂

: cut off the ends, clean thoroughly

: melt 2 oz of butter, duck fat or goose fat (I used goose fat)

: add 1 ea medium size sliced onion, saute until lightly caramelized

: add the chanterelles

: if the chanterelles have too much water, strain, set aside

: reduce the liquid until almost dry

: add 2 cup fresh spätzle, saute until hot

: add the chanterelles and 2 tblsp chopped parsley

: season with kosher salt and white pepper, mix well, check/adjust seasoning

: divide the chanterelles / spätzle between 4 serving plates

: drizzle with demi glace and grated gouda cheese (Optional)

: Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen (Swabian Pasta & Chanterelle Mushrooms)

: Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen (Swabian Pasta & Chanterelle Mushrooms)

: Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen (Swabian Pasta & Chanterelle Mushrooms)

: Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen (Swabian Pasta & Chanterelle Mushrooms)

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Soupe à l’oignon gratinée (French Onion Soup)

Onion soup is a vegetable soup made of sauteed onions and stock. Onion soup was traditionally served in poorer households and lower-class restaurants.
Onion soup is, and was, found in many countries, prepared in many different variations. What all recipes have in common are the onions and stock. From there on, anything goes……….:
Added red or white wine, beer, egg yolk, flour, cream, cheese, herbs, bread, vinegar, sugar, caramelized onions, sauteed but kept-white onions, puréed onions, sliced onion, diced onions, shallots, sausages, sherry, carrots, and probably another thousand different additions, depending on where in the world you encounter your onion soup.
Names/variations include “Pfälzer Zwiebelsuppe”, “Soupe Soubise”, “Schwaebische Zwiebelsuppe”, “Cipollata”, “Cherbah”, and countless more.
And then, of course, there is the queen of all onion soups! –
Known and loved most everywhere in the world, it is “French Onion Soup” (Soupe à l’oignon / Soupe d’oignons aux Halles/ Soupe à l’oignon gratinée)
What makes this variation so special is the addition of bread and gruyere to the top of the onion soup, then it get’s some time in the oven or under the broiler until the top is a bubbly, fragrant, addictive, gooey mass of melted bread and cheese.
Each heavenly spoonful should contain some of the bread and cheese, some soup, and some onions.
Voilà, now you know why “French Onion Soup” is the best onion soup in the world 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Soupe à l’oignon gratinée (French Onion Soup)

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Preparation :
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: saute 1 tblsp of garlic paste in 4 oz of whole butter

: add 7 lbs of sliced onions

: saute until onions have caramelized (about 30 minutes)

: add the rinds of the Gruyère cheese if available (optional)

: add 2 qt of beef stock, 2 bay leaves, kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste, simmer for 30 minutes, check/adjust seasoning

: while the soup simmers, slice enough baguette (or other bread of your choice), enough to cover the surface of the pot or individual oven-proof bowls

: grill or toast the bread until well browned and crisp

: remove the rind from 12 oc of Gruyère cheese, add to the soup

: grate the cheese

: picture of heaven 🙂

: remove the cheese rind and bay leaves, top the soup with the toasted bread

: top the bread with the grated cheese, bake or broil until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned; this makes 12 appetizers or 4 generous main course

: Soupe à l’oignon gratinée (French Onion Soup)

: Soupe à l’oignon gratinée (French Onion Soup)

: Soupe à l’oignon gratinée (French Onion Soup)

: Soupe à l’oignon gratinée (French Onion Soup)

: Soupe à l’oignon gratinée (French Onion Soup)

: Soupe à l’oignon gratinée (French Onion Soup)

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Enjoy A Super-Delicious Dish For $ 1.00 !

Chicken Liver Mousse

No, this was not at a hawker cart in Singapore, nor was it on the side of the road in Manila, it was not in the bush in Zanzibar and certainly not on the beach in Goa. This was in Miami, at “Chez Bella”.
All the ingredients for 4 portions came to about $ 4.00, which, yes, I carefully and meticulously calculated it, comes to about a buck a portion. 🙂
In all my years living in America, I have realized that the majority of Americans say they don’t like liver or any other dish prepared with offal. However, serve them a slice of “Foie Gras” in a fancy restaurant where they are too shy to ask what they are being served, and all of a sudden you get all ahhh’s and ohhh’s. And it’s usually the same with chicken liver mousse, terrine or pate. Serve it on little canapes, put a cherry or grape on top and all of a sudden it becomes great.
Speaking of chicken liver mousse and parfait. Sadly, most of what’s being served in restaurants these days can at best be described as utter garbage. I know, because I love chicken liver mousse and have tried it a hundred times, in fact, I almost always order it if I come across it on a menu. Low-quality liver, too many distracting ingredients, overseasoned, underseasoned, grainy, broken, too long in the fridge, off-putting color, you name it.
So then, for those of my readers who share the love with me, I give you a recipe which is pretty much foolproof, as long as you use top quality liver.
Of course, you can use this recipe to make any other liver mousse. Pork liver, veal liver, duck liver, game liver. You can also, if you must, add a few additional flavors, as long as you take it easy and don’t overpower the fine taste of the liver. Armaniac, calvados, grand marnier, cognac, diced apples, garlic, herbs, sauteed shallots, orange essence, etc. You can even call it a parfait if you want to, since this recipe provides a mousse so fine, it appears to have been strained through a fine hair sieve.
All in all, a spectacular tasty dish, easy to prepare, ~~cheap~~ economical, and definitely better than most of the stuff you can buy ready-made or in most restaurants.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
This amount of mousse serves 4 main courses or 8-12 snacks/appetizers
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Chicken Liver Mousse

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Preparation :
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: 18 oz thoroughly cleaned, VERY fresh liver, 3/4 cup WARM half&half, 3/4 lb cold butter

: saute liver in 1 tblsp clarified butter until medium well

: at once, put into a blender together with the half&half, blend at medium speed for 1 minute, keep running at medium speed while adding 1 tsp sweet paprika and kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, add the butter piece by piece until very smooth; check/adjust seasoning

: done…..

: fill mousse into a container, cover airtight, chill in refrigerator overnight

: voilà………

: laugen broetchen (pretzel rolls)

: slice pretzel rolls or other bread of your choice, brush lightly with garlic paste (or plain butter if you prefer), toast one side only until golden; serve with condiments of your choice

: Chicken Liver Mousse

: Chicken Liver Mousse

: Chicken Liver Mousse

: Chicken Liver Mousse

: Chicken Liver Mousse

: Chicken Liver Mousse

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Roast Cornish Hen With Hearty Veggies (5/60 Dish)

Roast Cornish Hen With Hearty Veggies

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This is one of those dishes I call a “5/60 Dish“, which, especially for a home cook, are the most rewarding in terms of the ratio of time and effort to final delicious result.
It simply means that it will only require 5 minutes of preparation and 60 minutes of total time, from the start of prepping to having the dish plated and ready to enjoy.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Roast Cornish Hen With Hearty Veggies

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: wash and pat dry one cornish hen per person, season with 1 pinch sweet paprika and kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: to a ovenproof dish add 2 oz whole butter, 3/4 cup baby carrots, 1 small cubed onion and 8 ea grape tomatoes, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: top the veggies with the hen, place on a rack and roast in a preheated 385F oven until the hen is fully cooked, 40 to 50 minutes

: when the hen is fully cooked (40 to 50 minutes, depending on size), remove from oven and set aside to rest for 5 minutes

: strain the braising liquid into the northern beans

: while the hen is resting, heat 1/4 tblsp garlic paste with the liquid and fat from the braised hen and vegetables

: add 1 ea 6 oz can drained and rinsed northern beans, 1 tblsp chopped cilantro, leaves from 1 sprig of thyme, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, saute until beans are heated through

: plate the beans on a serving plate

: top with the braised vegetables, top with the roasted hen

: Roast Cornish Hen With Hearty Veggies

: Roast Cornish Hen With Hearty Veggies

: Roast Cornish Hen With Hearty Veggies

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Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

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For a long time, nobody around here would touch Pork belly with a ten-foot pole.
Pork belly was deemed to be inferior, unhealthy and fattening. However, during the past couple of years, secondary meat cuts (as well as offal) have become “IN”, so all of a sudden pork belly, almost always “Asian Glazed”, has popped up on every menu in town. While this could be a good development, the sad fact is that a tiny portion of pork belly now costs as much as a steak and most preparations leave a lot to be desired.
The smart solution? Cook it at home, naturally 🙂
I grew up with pork belly and most other secondary cuts, as well as offal, so I have been eating this stuff all my life and have a number of recipes for all of them.
Yesterday I prepared pork belly in one of the most simple yet also most delicious way:
Braised in red wine and veggies, served with mashed potatoes.
When I was a kid, my Mom used to mix the mashed potatoes with fresh cabbage to make a very hearty and tasty dish. Although I don’t remember the name of this dish, it stayed in my memory because my brother and I loved it, but my Dad hated it because in his opinion it was not traditional and therefore should not be served for a proper meal. This dish approximates the Italian “Lesso di Patate e Cavolo Verza” and the Irish “Colcannon”. Apparently, my Mom was right-on with her creation 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: cut 2 lbs pork belly into 8 thick pieces, season with kosher salt and fresh-cracked pepper

: saute pork belly on all sides until golden brown

: remove pork from pan, reserve

: in the same pan, saute 1 cup diced carrots and onions until caramelized, deglaze with 3 cups malbec (or red wine of your preference)

: return the pork to the pan, add 3 cups of beef stock

: cover pan, simmer until pork is tender, about 2 ,5 hours

: meanwhile, peel and dice 2 lbs potatoes, cook in salted water, drain

: while the pork and the potatoes are cooking, saute 1 cup onion julienne in 3 oz whole butter and 3 oz olive oil until translucent

: add 1 ea sliced napa cabbage and 1 cup chicken or beef stock, saute until cabbage wilt’s

: add the cooked potatoes

: mash the potatoes coarsely, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: if the potatoes are too dry, add olive oil until the puree has the desired texture

: check/adjust the seasoning

: when the pork belly is tender, add 1/2 cup sliced scallions, check/adjust seasoning

: plate the potato puree, top with the pork belly and sauce or serve pork belly and sauce separate; serves 4

: Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

: Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

: Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

: Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

: Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

: Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

: Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

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German-Italian Friendship (Deutsch-Italienische Freundschaft)

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I have prepared this dish in different versions for 45 years. Like so many other unsung culinary heroes, the dish is so simple and logical when you either have leftover pasta and sausages, or cooking it from scratch just because it’s tasty, quick and ~~cheap~~ – ooops, sorry, we don’t say cheap here – I meant economical 🙂
Use any type of pasta, cheese and sausages you have at hand, just stick to the basics (or not) 🙂
However, if you want to use the name I gave the dish, use a mix of German/Italian ingredients; other than that, let your imagination take a walk on the wild side………….
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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German-Italian Friendship (Deutsch-Italienische Freundschaft)

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Preparation :
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: 2 tblsp finely sliced scallion, 1 whole red finely sliced onion, 2 medium size diced tomatoes

: saute bratwurst in olive oil until browned, remove from pan, reserve

: saute onions in 2 oz whole butter until caramelized

: add the tomatoes and scallions, saute until tomatoes are heated through

: add 1 lb fresh-cooked spaghetti and one cup of the cooking liquid from the spaghetti, add 2 tblsp grated parmesan cheese, 1tblsp garlic paste and kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste; to serve, sprinkle with more grated parmesan

: German-Italian Friendship (Deutsch-Italienische Freundschaft)

: German-Italian Friendship (Deutsch-Italienische Freundschaft)

: German-Italian Friendship (Deutsch-Italienische Freundschaft)

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Tomato Spaghetti With Broccolini, Crispy Fried Eggs And Pangrattato (Spaghetti alla Soupi)

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This pasta-concoction deserves to be named after the cook who dreamed it up – ME 🙂
It has many of the “foodstuff’s” I love in one simple dish – pasta, pangrattato, cheese, butter, olive oil, basil, crispy fried eggs and lots of garlic confit.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for all about Confit
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Click here to find out where Spaghetti grow best !!! (Record-Harvest) !!!!
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Tomato Spaghetti With Broccolini, Crispy Fried Eggs And Pangrattato

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: saute breadcrumbs in butter

: saute until golden and crispy

: saute garlic paste in butter until fragrant

: add blanched broccolini

: add tomato spaghetti, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, check/adjust seasoning

: plate pasta on serving dish

: sprinkle with pangrattato

: fry eggs in very hot garlic oil until crisp

: remove eggs to cutting board, cut into small pieces

: top pasta with the fried eggs

: sprinkle with grated asiago cheese and fresh basil leaves

: Tomato Spaghetti With Broccolini, Crispy Fried Eggs And Pangrattato

: Tomato Spaghetti With Broccolini, Crispy Fried Eggs And Pangrattato

: Tomato Spaghetti With Broccolini, Crispy Fried Eggs And Pangrattato

: Tomato Spaghetti With Broccolini, Crispy Fried Eggs And Pangrattato

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Panko Breaded Chicken Breast & Romaine Leaves In Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

Link to “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food”
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This is a great dish for the times when you need / want a quick and easy meal which represent’s culinary simplicity but not culinary banality 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Panko Breaded Cicken Breast & Romain In Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

Panko Breaded Chicken Breast & Romaine In Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: season chicken breasts with kosher salt and black pepper, bread in flour/egg/panko

: saute in clarified butter

: almost……..

: Panko Breaded Chicken Breast & Romaine Leaves In Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

: dress romaine leaves with a dressing of finely chopped sundried tomatoes, lime juice, olive oil, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: Panko Breaded Chicken Breast & Romaine Leaves In Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

: Panko Breaded Chicken Breast & Romaine Leaves In Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

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Éirinn go Brách – Cál ceannann (Colcannon)………

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Colcannon, Corned Beef & Horseradish Sauce
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Cál ceannann (Colcannon) is, in the form presented here, without a doubt one of the most sumptuous and decadent potato dishes you’ll find in any home or restaurant. Far removed from its humble beginnings, this version is loaded with butter, cream, leeks and scallions, seasoned with sea salt and nutmeg and served with corned beef in horseradish cream. This combination far elevates the corned beef above its more common pairing with simple cabbage and onions.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to Horseradish Sauce Recipe
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Link to Corned Beef Recipe
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Colcannon, Corned Beef & Horseradish Sauce

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: getting started with the colcannon…..

: dice leeks into fine brunoise, thinly slice scallions

: simmer leeks in cream until soft

: peel and slice potatoes, simmer in salted water until soft

: drain potatoes

: add a stick of butter, cayenne pepper, grated nutmeg

: add cream with leeks

: add scallions

: blend all into smooth puree

: to serve, place a portion of potatoes on plate next to sliced corned beef, make an indention, place a generous knob of butter in indention

: ladle horseradish sauce over corned beef

: Colcannon, Corned Beef & Horseradish Sauce

: Colcannon, Corned Beef & Horseradish Sauce

: Colcannon, Corned Beef & Horseradish Sauce

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Mafaldine Alla Riccione

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I dedicate this dish to the city of Riccione, where I had my first moment of culinary ecstasy.
When I was 16 years old and an cook-apprentice in the Black Forest of Germany, I thought life, and particular working life, was too hard for me to handle, so I decided to run away from it.
I hitchhiked through southern Germany to Austria and from there over the Brenner Pass in the Dolomiti Alps down to Riccione in Northern Italy in the hopes of finding happiness and love in a life of leisure on the beach (well, I was 16 years of age in an area before the internet – ignorance and naïveté prevailed in 16 year old’s at that time :-).
When I left Baden Baden for my adventure I had 26.00 German Marks to my name, most of which I spend the first night on steins of beer in the “Englisher Garten” in Munich. I remember I crossed the border from Austria into Italy with 6.00 DM in my pocket. After breakfast that day, it was four weeks of sleeping under the stars and asking (begging actually) shop owners and restaurant owners for donations to support, in the form of food and drink, my escape from a working life to the bohemian life of my dreams. These were different times altogether. I was a skinny kid without a home, and most people I met had pity and gave me a good meal, most often a sandwich and/or some fruit and soft drinks. Also, everyone offered a free smoke of the good stuff, which made a penny less life on the road so much brighter 🙂
However, I remember when I got to Riccione, on the first day I spend there, the chef in a seaside restaurant handed me a simple plate of pasta with shrimp. This was the first time I saw shrimp of that size and had a dish that was so exotic and wonderful, both in its taste and its looks. To this day I remember the awesomeness I felt by smelling this food, feasting on its looks with my eyes and then devouring it all in a happy flash.
After one month of some happy, some frightening but never boring moments, even skinnier than before I left, but maybe just a bit wiser, I crawled back to my apprenticeship at the Hotel Wiedenfelsen, finished it and became a professional cook, never again to regret my earlier decision to follow this lifelong, tough, underpaid, but in so many other way’s rewarding career path of a cook and chef.
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Bon Appetit ! See you in Riccione 🙂
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>riccione,

Mafaldine Alla Riccione

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Preparation :
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: saute bread crumbs in olive oil or butter (according to your preference), season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: cook mafaldine in salted water, drain, toss in (according to your preference) garlic oil or melted butter with garlic paste, add a spritz of maggi

: almost………

: season shrimp with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, add to pangrattato, saute until shrimp are done and breadcrumbs are golden in color, add sliced scallions and chili flakes