dinner

Jägerschnitzel Vom Huhn Mit Pasta Und Schmelze – Chicken Cutlet Hunter Style

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I just  have come across some debates about what constitutes a “true” Jägerschnitzel, so I’d like to put that to rest, right now, right here, with some authority on the subject (easy now !) 🙂
After all, I grew up  in Swabia in Southern Germany, where, during my youth, schnitzel were one of the most commonly served animal proteins, served a few times a month at home and more often than not during special occasions, such as restaurant visits, birthdays, weddings or funerals or any other gathering where “decent” food was served for a reasonable price.
Traditionally, a Jägerschnitzel is a thin-pounded veal or pork cutlet, dusted with flour and sauteed, then  covered with mushroom sauce, to which sometimes cream and parsley or chives are added, and accompanied by pasta (mostly, but not exclusively Spaetzle), roast potatoes (Bratkartoffeln) or dumplings (Knödel).
A “TRUE”  Jägerschnitzel is “NEVER” breaded (never cover anything breaded with sauce, one of the basics in classic cooking – after all, you bread it to be crisp, so why soften it by covering it with moisture ?!!) And yes, I know, like always in cooking, there are a few exceptions, but they do NOT pertain to schnitzel.
Then there are Jägerschnitzel made of chicken or turkey. While less traditional, they have become popular lately because of changing eating-habits and because the meat is more affordable than pork and veal, (especially milk-veal), which has been priced out of reach for most folks.
So there you have it – the end of the Jägerschnitzel Debate.
You are welcome 🙂
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Guten Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Click here for more  Spätzle  on  ChefsOpinion
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Click here for more  Bratkartoffeln  on  ChefsOpinion
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Click here for more  Knödel  on  ChefsOpinion
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Jägerschnitzel Vom Huhn Mit Pasta Und Schmelze - Chicken Cutlet Hunter Style

Jägerschnitzel Vom Huhn Mit Pasta Und Schmelze – Chicken Cutlet Hunter Style

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Jägerschnitzel Vom Huhn Mit Pasta Und Schmelze - Chicken Cutlet Hunter Style

Jägerschnitzel Vom Huhn Mit Pasta Und Schmelze – Chicken Cutlet Hunter Style

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Preparation :
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Steak Salad Recipe # 91

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Today’s  dinner salad was pretty special for me, because it contained six of my favorite food items – endive, pears, Gorgonzola, garlic, shiitake mushrooms and Entraña (faux hanger steak).
While the shiitake might not seem a good fit for a salad at first glance, they turned out to be a perfect fit with the rest of the ingredients.
This salad was at the same time very rustic and very refined.
The different textures and flavors combined to be an absolute beautiful and tasty salad that can be served as main course, appetizer or snack.
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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Click here for more  Salad  on  ChefsOpinion
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Steak Salad Recipe # 91

Steak Salad Recipe # 91

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Steak Salad Recipe # 91

Steak Salad Recipe # 91

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Steak Salad Recipe # 91

Steak Salad Recipe # 91

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Preparation :
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chefs-doctors-and-allergies
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Not Your Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner ……..Shrimp And Potato Salad

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So  here I was on a Thanksgiving afternoon, coming home at 4.30 pm, hungry but absolutely not  in the mood to do the turkey thing just for Bella and myself.
But you see, being alone has the distinct advantage that tradition and customs can be ignored at will in ones own four walls, especially when the one you live with, Bella in my case, is even less into tradition but a sucker for ANY good food, as long as there is meat or seafood involved.
So after our walk, a decision what to prep for dinner was due.
A quick glance at the contents of the freezer and fridge revealed shrimp, cooked potatoes, cucumber, mayo, avocado, grape tomatoes and pomegranate.
Ten minutes later, myself comfortable in my TV chair and Bella by my feet, a tasty (and huge) plate of shrimp salad in my hand, we truly enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner with not even a bit of a longing for turkey and its trimmings 🙂
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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Not Your Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner ........Shrimp And Potato Salad

Not Your Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner ……..Shrimp And Potato Salad

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Not Your Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner ........Shrimp And Potato Salad

Not Your Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner ……..Shrimp And Potato Salad

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Preparation :
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PORK AND NOODLES IN TWO PARTS – “PART TWO”

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Click here for  “Pork And Noodles In Two Parts – Part One”  on  ChefsOpinion
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Well  dear friends, here now is part two of “Pork And Noodles In Two Parts”.
As I’ve explained in part one,  “Crisp Yi Mein Noodle Pillow With Fiery Chile Pork” was not planned to exist in its final form, but I was glad it came about, because it was truly a beautiful, delicious dish I would not want to have missed.
It just goes to show that great food can be had by using simple leftovers, as long as one adds a bit of creativity and lot’s of love 🙂
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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P.S.
I like some of my chili dishes’ heat level to the point when the first few bites actually almost hurt, only to then morph into bliss full near-numbness and delightful tingling of the taste bud’s.
If you are less hard-core in the spice-department, adjust the heat level of this dish (or any other) by adding less chili paste.
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Crisp Chinese Noodle Pillow With Chile Pork

Crisp Chinese Noodle Pillow With Chile Pork

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Crisp Chinese Noodle Pillow With Chile Pork

Crisp Chinese Noodle Pillow With Chile Pork

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Preparation :
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Pork And Noodles In Two Parts – “Part One”


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Usually , I prepare one dish with enough ingredients  to last me for two meals, then just re-heat the left-overs for the next meal, which I intended to do this time as well.
I made a large pot of soup for lunch, enjoyed two bowls of it and then proceeded to put the left-overs in separate containers and into the fridge to be re-heated for dinner.
One container for the pork, one for the noodles, then strain the vegetables and store the veggies and the broth in another two containers , put it all in the fridge, washed the dishes and sat down to watch a movie.
Halfway through the movie, it occured to me that I had only put THREE containers into the fridge, when there should have been FOUR! Low and behold, when I checked, there were only three containers in the fridge – and a sparkly-clean one in the dish rack.
Quel Gâchis !….. I had strained the delicious broth into the sink instead of into the container 😦
So later when dinnertime came around, I had to start improvising for a new dish with the left-overs which were still available.
First, I put the veggies to the side to be  Eugene’s  meal the next day.
This left me with just noodles and pork, from which I prepared “Crisp Yi Mein Noodle Pillow With Fiery Chile Pork”.
And wow,  what a glorious dish this was !!! I could not have planned it better if I wanted to…….(Well, maybe) 🙂
More of “Crisp Yi Mein Noodle Pillow With Fiery Chile Pork” in my next post :  Pork And Noodles In Two Parts – “Part Two”
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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Click here for more  Noodles  on  ChefsOpinion
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Click here for more  Soup  on  ChefsOpinion
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Click here for more  Pork  on  ChefsOpinion
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Ginger/Garlic Pork Soup With Vegetables And Yi Mein Noodles

Ginger/Garlic Pork Soup With Vegetables And Yi Mein Noodles

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Ginger/Garlic Pork Soup With Vegetables And Yi Mein Noodles

Ginger/Garlic Pork Soup With Vegetables And Yi Mein Noodles

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Ginger/Garlic Pork Soup With Vegetables And Yi Mein Noodles

Ginger/Garlic Pork Soup With Vegetables And Yi Mein Noodles

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Preparation :
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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
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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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Potato Soup With Smoked Pork Shanks, Fried Shallots And BBQ’d Corn

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Am  I the only one who wishes dishes like this would widely be available in restaurants??
I am getting so very tired of seeing the same, mostly mediocre food on most restaurant menus. Of course there are a few exceptions, but these are mostly very high-end and not within reach of most of us on a regular basis. Then there are the ethnic restaurants, but most of them serve the same, “Westernized or Americanized fare. Same steaks, same salads, same sandwiches, same pasta dishes, same stews, etc, etc, etc.
I long for “the good old times” of food service, when restaurants had personality and the menu was a mirror of the chef’s ideas, passion, culinary abilities and standards, as well as the seasons and regions offerings and the owners personal and professional pride.
Going to a new restaurant used to be about discovering new dishes, new ingredients, new pairings, new preparations, new presentations. Most of all, it was about food – how it looked, smelled, tasted. People used to eat not one monster-sized dish, but a menu consisting of dishes of different textures, colors, fragrance, taste and presentation, harmoniously presented in logical order and appreciated for the effort that went into it to be as perfect a meal as possible. Most of all, one was able to identify the food that was presented, by its looks, aroma and taste. Customers appreciated any food that was prepared to a high standard, no matter how expensive and rare or how simple and ordinary the raw ingredients were. What counted was the mastery with which raw ingredients were transformed into food that could be enjoyed for its own sake.
My point, you ask?
A few days ago I was invited to one of the most famous, most expensive, most “in” restaurants in Miami, situated in one of the very  fancy and famous hotels down by the beach.
The surroundings were breathtakingly beautiful, the service excellent, the menu sounded exciting and alluring.
There were eight of us, mostly hospitality professionals and the host of our party who has traveled the world and is a food-fanatic. We ordered twelve appetizers,three different soups, twelve main courses, a variety of desserts and cheeses, all to be tasted and shared between us. Most folks had wine, a couple had beers and I had water. We had apéritif’s (OJ for me) and coffee.
The bill was $2330.00, plus tip.
While this seems reasonable for the location, the amount of food and the good wine, the quality of the food would have warranted a total bill of maybe $800.00 😦
While some of the dishes were complete misses, most of what we ate was decent and some of it was actually good, NONE of it was very good, let alone outstanding. Halfway through the meal we started talking longingly about really good food  we had in other restaurants, cities and countries (none of it in Miami).
I have read numerous reviews about this place, some good, some bad, some so so. But my own experience at this place has once more convinced me that the main reason we have so many mediocre restaurants around here is because most of the clientele at such “modern, popular dining establishments” are not handicapped by good taste, experience or common sense but rather solely interested to see and to be seen by like-minded folks for which the quality of the food is secondary. Therefore so many “Chefs” who are less than qualified to be at the helm of a great restaurant are heading a bunch of restaurants who exist only because of huge sums of money spend on PR instead of being spend on talent in the service and the kitchen.
Well folks, I had to vent a bit here……….
So, back down to earth and to the dish at hand, which I and most of my fellow diners in our group would have gladly exchanged for the offerings we received at said restaurant 🙂
And there you have it.
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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P.S.
Please note that I am aware that there are many excellent restaurants to be found in this country (very few in Miami)
However, it usually takes a good amount of luck, insider knowledge and/or money to find and enjoy them.
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Click here for more  Soup  on  ChefsOpinion
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Potato Soup With Smoked Pork Shanks, Fried Shallots And BBQ'd Corn

Potato Soup With Smoked Pork Shanks, Fried Shallots And BBQ’d Corn

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Potato Soup With Smoked Pork Shanks, Fried Shallots And BBQ'd Corn

Potato Soup With Smoked Pork Shanks, Fried Shallots And BBQ’d Corn

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Potato Soup With Smoked Pork Shanks, Fried Shallots And BBQ'd Corn

Potato Soup With Smoked Pork Shanks, Fried Shallots And BBQ’d Corn

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