Germany

Cannellini Beans & Ravioli, Gratinated In Chilli/Tomato Cream

:

Cannellini Beans & Ravioli, Gratinated In Chilli/Tomato Cream

:
:
Traditionally, in Southern Germany (Swabia and Bavaria), we serve our classic Ravioli (Maultaschen) in beef broth, with potato salad on the side. Then, if there are leftovers, we saute them the next day in butter with onions and eggs, accompanied by leaf salad.
Since I moved back to Germany, I have Maultaschen three to four times a month. They are easy to prepare at home and even available frozen in most supermarkets, nowadays the majority of brands a VERY good quality. ( I usually make my own, since I love a bit of veal liver in my stuffing – the ones on these pages are homemade). Alas, I buy them just as often ready made.  🙂
This time, when I was ready to reheat or saute the leftover Maultaschen from the previous day, I did not feel to go with the usual suspect of a recipe, so I came up with this wonderful variation. It is so good and delicious that it is now one of my standard recipe for leftover Maultaschen (and other types of ravioli)
:
Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
:
:
Click here for  All About Maultaschen
:
:

Cannellini Beans & Ravioli, Gratinated In Chilli/Tomato Cream

:

Cannellini Beans & Ravioli, Gratinated In Chilli/Tomato Cream

:

Cannellini Beans & Ravioli, Gratinated In Chilli/Tomato Cream

:

:
:
:

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

:
:
:
:

End Of Summer Celebration – “Creamy Tomato & Bell Pepper Soup”

:

End Of Summer Celebration – “Creamy Tomato & Bell Pepper Soup”

:
:
Now that summer is almost over in Germany, I took the opportunity to buy some of the last garden-grown tomatoes and bell peppers from my neighbor down the road. (In a normal year, September provides the last locally grown tomatoes, while the season for bell peppers ends during October/November. As much as possible, I like to buy food that has been produced locally. My neighbor produces eggs, chicken, and lamb, as well as potatoes, tomatoes, capsicum, apples, blackberries, mirabelles, and strawberries.
Even the local supermarkets sell a lot of locally grown food-stuff, which makes one feel good about giving a little help to the local farmers. 🙂
:
Bon Appétit !   Life is Good
:
:
Click here for more  Soup  on  ChefsOpinion
:
:
:
:

End Of Summer Celebration – “Creamy Tomato & Bell Pepper Soup”

:

End Of Summer Celebration – “Creamy Tomato & Bell Pepper Soup”

:
:
:

4 lbs tomatoes, 1.5 lbs red peppers

:

add 2 ea medium size onions, cut int chunks

:

add kosher salt, sriracha, sugar and garlic paste to taste

:

add 1 gallon chicken- or veggie – broth,, simmer until liquid has reduced to 2 quarts

:

with a stand-mixer or hand-mixer blend all until very smooth, last minute ad 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

:

add 2 cup heavy cream, check/adjust flavor

:
:
:
:

:
:

:
:

From our new Home………

.
.

.

.

Dear Friends,
.
After nearly two years of planning, Bella and I have finally arrived in our new, ( permanent? ) home, Germany.
Of course, America is my home as much as Germany, so I hope I can travel between the two countries often. I still maintain a small place in Miami, but for now, my base will be Germany, until…………..?
As of now, we stay at a small apartment near Cologne, but I am actively searching for a much larger place up North, hopefully near the coast.
Until we have settled in, which I estimate will take at least another couple of months, I won´t be able to post at my usual pace, pls forgive me.
My pots and pans, cameras, china, utensils, etc., are still in a container on the High Seas.
But, when all the dust has settled, I hope we can proceed at our regular, about two posts a week, speed. After all, we´ve got to eat !  🙂
Until then, most of the dishes I´ll post will be food I have prepared, written the recipes for, taken pictures and stored them,  during the past few months.
.
Until soon,
Bella and Hans
.

.
So here is Miami, Florida, which we left behind.
Below that is Cologne, Germany, where we moved to (happily, I might add)  🙂
.

.

:
:
:
.

.

.

,
–
.
.

Baked Atlantic Cod Fillet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

>

Baked Atlantic Cod Fillet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

>
>
When I was growing up in the  Black Forest  in Germany, there were only two species of fish I experienced – the native Trout ( Bach Forelle ), which was available fresh in nearly every single restaurant, and  Cod , which was the most affordable ocean fish, available fresh at most fish shops in the bigger towns and cities. Since trout was local and inexpensive, it was not really a treat for the kids, also, because it was usually served whole, head, skin and bones, it was something the parents ate, while the kids sticked to fish fingers made of cod fillet, served with plenty of sauce remoulade. 🙂
Once I became an apprentice and then during my many years of cooking (and eating) around the world, fish and seafood in it’s endless varieties became some of my favorite food.
For years,  Turbot  and  Chilean Sea Bass  (“Pacific Sea Bass” / “South American Sea Bass” / Merluza Negra / Patagonian Toothfish) , topped the list of my most beloved fish species. Then, surprise surprise, slowly but surely my preference wandered back to the simple Cod, where is stayed until today. Sadly, because it has lost it’s “inferior” reputation, the once very reasonably priced cod now costs the same prohibitive $-amount as any other good quality fish on the market.
>
Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
>
>
>

Baked Atlantic Cod Fillet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

>

Baked Atlantic Cod Fillet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

>

Baked Atlantic Cod Fillet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

>

Baked Atlantic Cod Fillet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

>
>
>

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

>
>
>

 

>
>

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

>
>
>
>

A Sad And Unfortunate Temporary Break For Bella, Myself And ChefsOpinion – (Slowly Getting Better)……

Bella

>
Dear Friends,

I am happy to be back, able to post and enjoying to cook, eat and share my humble cuisine with you.
From 9/13th to 10/13th I spent a wonderful month in Germany and Spain, visiting friends and family and having a great time eating and drinking in the company of much-missed friends, most of which I had not seen for many years, as well as making new friends along the way 🙂 .
I also put time to good use to facilitate my return to Germany, where I plan to spend the remainder of my life with good food, good friends and (occassionally) good booze 🙂
I bought a car, started looking for a house, registrered my new address in Germany, etc, etc.
I also spend a long weekend in Spain, where my friends Gaby and Ralf own a Beautiful Spanish villa near the beach.
I had taken many notes and pictures to share my trip with y’all as soon as I’d be back in Miami.
However, the night before I got back, my beloved Bella was attacked and badly mauled by two loose-running rottweilers.
This caused both Bella and I to suffer tremendously, her physically, me psychologically, which eventually morphed into a full-blown breakdown of my well-being.
I was bed-ridden for a week, while trying my best to care for Bella (with the help of two great vet’s 🙂
Well, it has been 10 days now and I am happy to report that both Bella and I are on the way to recovery.
I assume that I am able to start posting my European experience starting this coming week, and that the unfortunate episode of Bellas attack will be but a bad memory soon.
>
Hans.
>
For those of you who are skirmish DON”T scroll down to the bottom of this page !!!
There are pictures of Bellas wound’s there, to let those of you who can handle this kind of stuff see how badly she had to suffer.
Again, she is (slowly) on her way to recovery, and things should be back to normal soon 🙂
>>
<
And, on a lighter note:
When I was sick I did not have the strenght nor the will to cook every day. The first two day’s, I lived off apples and dry  knäckebröd .
However, that did not provide me with the nutrition I needed to get back on my feet, so, during a spell of light improvement of my strength,  I prepared a big pot of what must be the oldest, best-working and best-tasting remedy in the word:
>
“Chicken Noodle Soup With Veggies And Egg”.
>
After five days of this for both lunch and dinner (apples for breakfast), I am now feeling better and blessed with enough strength to take on my daily chores, including driving Bella to the vet daily, preparing my usual food, and keeping “ChefsOpinion” up to date.
>
Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
>
>
>

Chicken Noodle Soup With Veggies And Egg

>

Chicken Noodle Soup With Veggies And Egg

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

>>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

>

 

LEFT SIDE


 

RIGHT SIDE


.

.

.

.

.

Serrano Ham, Morcilla, And A New Car

Dear Friends,

After the most recent hurricane, I have decided beautiful Florida is not for me anymore.
I am currently in Germany to scout for a new place to live. I will spend one month in Germany, a few days in Austria and a few days in Spain (where I am presently at).
Being with friends every day does not afford me to spend much time at the Computer, but I will at least try to show you a few of the “goodies” I encounter along the way 🙂
This morning, breakfast gifted me with the pleasure of eating the tastiest sausage ever, among many other outstanding, beautiful and yummy local products.
Later on, my friends Gaby and Ralf took me to the local market, which had an incredible abundance of local produce, fruits, meats, and seafood.  However, for me, the most outstanding moment came when I found this ham vendor.
Less than $ 20.00 for 1/2 an entire Serrano ham !!!

Aaahhhhh, Life is Good ! 🙂
>
>

Best Sausage – EVER !

>

1/2 entire Serrano Ham – Less than $ 20.00 – Paradise 🙂

>

My new baby…… 🙂 
Most everything set. Just need to buy a new apartment and I am done. Let the new Life begin …….. 🙂

“Blanquette De Veau” (And Please, Don’t Judge Me By The Color Of My – Pasta!)


>
In all my years living in the USA, I have never seen this dish on any restaurant menu. Growing up in Germany, it was very common and popular, served in many restaurants and homes. If I had to describe the type of food this is, I would say “sophisticated home cooking”. Full of flavor and texture, it is often served with rice.
I personally prefer it to be served with pasta (apparently, so did Escoffier – there are two recipes in his Le Guide Culinaire – “Blanquette de Veau a l’Ancienne” , as well as “Blanquette of Veal Breast with Celery root and Endive”, both served with pasta. Some folks like to add carrots when serving a blanquette, a practice to which many professionals object in order to keep the whole dish “blanc” (white). Well, usually I am in the “blanc” camp. However, my choice of pasta today has sabotaged that approach by sporting an impossible yellow color 😦 .
When raw, this pasta looked slightly more yellow than usual egg pasta, but I thought it would lose some of its excessive yellowness during the cooking process. Not so. On the contrary, it took on this neon yellow and I was ready to toss it and cook a less color-popping pasta instead. However, when I tried it, I was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful texture and taste of this abomination of food coloring. It had one of the best pasta tastes of any dried pasta I ever tasted. So, rather than tossing it, I ate it and enjoyed it very much. (Thank God I threw the packaging in the garbage and have no record of the brand, I also have never seen it before or since in any shop and therefore will not be able to buy it again 🙂
In the end, a delicious, classic, old-fashioned veal stew with a helping of not-so classic pasta 🙂
May the pasta Gods forgive me 🙂
>
Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
>
>
Click here for more  Veal  on  ChefsOpinion
>
Click here for more  Pasta  on  ChefsOpinion
>
>
>

Blanquette De Veau

>

Blanquette De Veau

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

 

>
>
>
>

Falscher Hase (Fake Rabbit)

“Meatloaf With Sautéed Cabbage, Horseradish Potatoes And Mushroom Cream”
>

Falscher Hase (Fake Rabbit) (Meatloaf)

>

There is a little story about the origin of the name Falscher Hase.
(Also: Hackbraten, Faschierter Braten, Heuchelhase)
(It might be funny now, but back then it was not funny at all, since it tried to cover-up the poverty and embarrassment of ordinary folks who were too poor to put a meal  on the table of which they could be proud of)
You see, not too long ago there was a time in Germany, Baden-Wuerttemberg in particular, when ground meat was not considered a proper entrée. It was ok for burgers (buletten), which were mostly consumed as a vesper (snack), served cold with bread and mustard.
But meatloaf was perceived as nothing to be proud of, an inferior dish only served when there was no money for a real cut of protein. Usually, it contained hard-boiled eggs in the center and sometimes blanched carrots, celery and bell peppers, not to make the meatloaf prettier but to further stretch the budget, since eggs and veggies were even cheaper than ground meat.
>


>
So, in order to trick casual visitors or passersby to think there is a more prestigious piece of roast in the oven or on the table, “Hase” (Rabbit) was the usual answer to the question what smells so great at lunch or dinner time. This was a time before A/C and long notices before one went to visit one’s neighbor for a chat. Kitchen windows were always open, especially while cooking, everybody stopped by for a quick chat, either the passerby talking to the person inside or the person inside talking to the passerby. After all, before TV came along, leaning on the window and seeing the world go by was some of the choice entertainment as well as the main local news source – who walks with whom, who has new clothes, whose clothes are not properly ironed, how does this or that look……. 🙂
>

>
Of course, everything has changed considerably since then (at least in our “advanced, modern” part of the world, what with tv, the internet, and so forth, a/c which requires closed windows and therefore less personal contact with our neighbors. etc…….. 😦
However, to get back to the dish at hand, if one is able to prepare a good meatloaf, one can and should be proud if this once “inferior” dish. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find a good meatloaf around here, neither in restaurants or in many homes.
Therefore,  I give you this recipe which has been in my repertoire for 50 years. It was one of the very first things I learned to cook as an apprentice when I was 14 years old and I have done it with minor variations ever since. 🙂
>
Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
>
>
>

Falscher Hase (Fake Rabbit) (Meatloaf)

>

Falscher Hase (Fake Rabbit) (Meatloaf)

>

Falscher Hase (Fake Rabbit) (Meatloaf)

>

Falscher Hase. Fake Rabbit. Meatloaf

Falscher Hase (Fake Rabbit) (Meatloaf)


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


>
>
P.S.
Each meatloaf serves 10-12.
Potatoes and cabbage – 5 servings each
>
>

Powidl Mit Pfirsich (Plum Chutney With Peaches)

>


>
>
Here is another delicious plum recipe I want to share with y’all 🙂
Powidl has its origin in Poland (powidła or powidło) and the Czech republic (povidla), from where it went on to Austria and Germany and other European countries.
Powidl was traditionally made without additional sweeteners or gelling agents and was mostly eaten as a spread on bread and cakes. It is comparable in appearance and texture to Indian spicy plum chutney, although as the name implies, the Indian version is chock-full of spices and seasoning and more suitable as accompaniment to meat dishes.
After the war, there was very little money to go around in a typical German household, especially in the countryside and even when there was, the selection of commercially prepared foods  was very limited. However, although my parents were no farmers, we owned a small amount of land with fruit trees on them, mainly apples and plums. As I described in previous posts, most of the fruits and vegetables from our land and garden were preserved to last well into the winter. With the help of our neighbors, my mom prepared our own pickles, sauerkraut, marmalade, apple sauce, etc, while most of the apples went to the communal  “Mosterei” to make our own cider.
However, when Powidl was made, the best way to enjoy it was to eat it fresh, while still warm and fragrant. A slice of home-made bread (baked in the communal oven by my best friends mom, Frau Vetter), slathered with fresh butter and heavenly Powidl – provided my very first culinary happy moments at age 6 :-). In order to put this into perspective – buttered bread with sugar sprinkled on top was a special treat, so the sweet, beautifully vibrant Powidl added a whole new dimension to a simple slice of bread. Like I said before, for a few years after the war,  Germany was not a place of culinary indulgence for most folks.
Well, back to the delicacy at hand; The plums I used were a bit on the tart side, so I added a small amount of sugar and honey to round out the taste. The peaches ended up in this Powidl because they had a few blemishes and therefore did not appeal to me in their raw state.
So, in the end, not a particular original Powidl – but nevertheless, a super delicious Powidl indeed 🙂
>
Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
>
>
Click here for   Indian Spiced Plum Chutney  (Alloo Bukharay Ki Chutney)
>
>
>

Powidl Mit Pfirsich (Plum Chutney With Peaches)

Powidl Mit Pfirsich (Plum Chutney With Peaches)

>

Vanilla Ice cream With Powidl , Whipped Cream And Sweet Plum Sauce

Vanilla Ice cream With Powidl , Whipped Cream And Sweet Plum Sauce

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


>

>
>

Corkscrews, Shrimp, Bok Choy and Eggs

>
>
I recently  came across an article which proclaimed “Pasta actually makes you lose Weight”.
Unfortunately, I don’t believe that ANY food I love (I love most 🙂 ) will make me loose weight, especially pasta. Why? Because if I love something, I consume it in excess quantities.
But then, a lot of food which falls into the category of “food I love”, will never make me fat, for the simple reason that it is too expensive to become fattening – caviar, lobster, fresh stone crab claws, foie gras, chanterelle, matsutake, wagyu (the real McCoy), and a bunch of other stuff I had the privilege to eat plenty of in the 70’s, when most of these delicacies were still affordable in their countries of origin.
I used to have a few cans of caviar in my fridge when we did black sea cruises in the mid-seventies, when one was able to exchange a pair of used jeans in St Petersburg’s black market for 1 kg of caviar. Matsutake and wagyu was expensive in Yokohama and Kobe, but not excessively so. Chanterelles in Germany in the 70’s and 80’s when I went home on vacation – same thing, not cheap but affordable. And so it was with most of these specialties at the time – not cheap but within reach, at least for me and my friends who traveled the world, loved good food and after visiting a place a couple of times, knew where to get a bargain.
But now let me get back to pasta.
Fortunately, pasta is one of the most affordable food stuffs which have a special place in my heart (and stomach).
Consequently, I eat it too often, and usually way too much, packing 2 or 3 portions into one meal – which is good for my happiness 🙂 , bad for my weight 😦 .
So there you have it – while pasta “does not actually make me lose weight”, it does actually makes me happy .
>
Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
>
>
Click here for more  Pasta  on  ChefsOpinion
>
>
P.S.
All the food you see on  ChefsOpinion  is cooked and served in my home, usually just for myself and Bella. I like to pick and hold the shrimp by their tail (Bella just eats the whole shrimp, tail and all, including the tails from my shrimps). If you are not comfortable with the tails on the plate, just remove them before adding the shrimp to the dish 🙂
>
>
>

Corksrews, Shrimp, Bok Choy and Eggs

Corkscrews, Shrimp, Bok Choy and Eggs

>

Corkscrews, Shrimp, Bok Choy and Eggs

Corkscrews, Shrimp, Bok Choy and Eggs

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


>
>
>
>