great taste

Karachi Butter Chicken

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Link to Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food

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This dish of course got got its world wide fame from the omnipresent version sold in Indian restaurants all over the planet, and since India existed long before Pakistan, it is safe to say that Butter Chicken was born in India, not Pakistan.
However, the version I am featuring here is the version which my sous chef Said taught me while I was working and living in Karachi, Pakistan.
If you wonder – Pakistan was one of the most beautiful, interesting and fascinating places Maria and I have lived. We only met very nice, gracious, openhearted, kind people who wanted to have nothing to do with the stuff that has turned the world off to this wonderful place.
Sadly, as in many other areas around the world, ignorant, devilish minorities spoil the country and make it a hell for hardworking, straight, honest people who want to live their life in peace and harmony.
But – this is of course another subject for another time and place to discuss……
Ok now, back to happier, tastier thoughts:
The food in Pakistan’s larger cities is marvelous, varied and highly seasoned, mostly Indian in origin but with a great influx of Persian-, Chinese- and Afghan-cuisine among others. While I was living in Karachi, I was lucky to be able to learn a lot of home-style recipes from my cooks and sous chefs, (besides the commercial food we served in the hotel), who took special pride in showing me the great food their families had cooked for generations. The meals Maria and I had in Pakistan were truly among the best we were lucky to enjoy anywhere in the world 🙂
So many happy memories of gracious people, amazing food and wonderful friendships……….
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more info about Pakistani Food
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Link to Garam Masala

Link to Naan
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Pakistani Butter Chicken

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: saute chillis and cinnamon sticks in ghee

: add finely diced onions, garlic paste, grated ginger, garam masala, turmeric, saute until fragrant, add finely chopped tomatoes,

: add tomato paste, saute another ninute, add coconut milk, simmer until thickened

: meanwhile, season chicken with kosher salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper and yoghurt, cook in very hot cast iron pan without fat

: cut into bite size pieces

: return chicken to simmering sauce, remove from heat, cover and let steep in sauce for 30 minutes

: meanwhile, cook white rice

: meanwhile, cook naan, brush with ghee, sprinkle with kosher salt

: to serve, add a dollop of yogurt and lots of cilantro

: Pakistani Butter Chicken

: Pakistani Butter Chicken

: Pakistani Butter Chicken

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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

: plate mafaldine

: top with shrimp / pangrattato-mix

: Mafaldine Alla Riccione

: Mafaldine Alla Riccione

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Sauteed Pork Medallions With Mushrooms And Pasta

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Link to : “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food”
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This is a dish straight out of my childhood, yet after all these years, it still has the same appeal to me which it had then (or maybe even more) .
Everything just falls into place – pasta, tomato sauce, parmigiano reggiano, sautéed mushrooms, peppers, onions, juicy pork medallions nicely seared and seasoned with lots of black pepper – my oh my, anytime 🙂
It’s dishes like this which keep me from needing a lot of “fru fru” on my plate.
Simple, honest, beautiful ingredients, proper execution and flavors to match, THAT is what food should be all about !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Sauteed Pork Meaillions With Mushrooms And Pasta

Sautéed Pork Medallions With Mushrooms And Pasta

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Preparation :
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: trim pork tenderloin of all silver skin, cut, flatten into medallions, season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

: saute in garlic oil until medium well (carry-over heat will do the rest and leave the medallions done but juicy), remove medallions, set aside

: in same pan, saute onions and mushrooms until starting to brown, add diced peppers, season with kosher salt, cayenne pepper and garlic paste

: lecker……

: meanwhile, cook pasta of your choice, drain, mix with garlic paste, salt and a spritz of maggi

: plate pasta in center of plate

: drizzle pasta with a bit of tomato sauce, sprinkle with grated parmigiano reggiano

: top with medallions

: top with sauteed mushrooms, sprinkle with chives

: Sautéed Pork Medallions With Mushrooms And Pasta

: Sautéed Pork Medallions With Mushrooms And Pasta

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Red Beet Delight

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Link to : “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food”
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Like most kid’s, when I was little I used to hate vegetables. One of my favorites in the hate department were red beets. Mom used to make a salad with them, so that salad combined the TWO most hated food stuffs – beets and onions :-(.
My Mom used to bribe me sometimes (When my dad didn’t catch it) with 10 pfennig, or about a nickel, to eat the onions, which I otherwise sorted out and pushed to the side 🙂
Of course, things have changed, like so many other Issues ( I went from skinny to fat, from handsome to rugged?, from long-haired to bald and from a vegetable hater to a vegetable lover) 🙂
I have prepared red beet soup for many years, but as it is tradition, I usually included a (un)- healthy dose of heavy cream to lighten the color and to smoothen the texture. Not this time. This beauty is pure red beets, liquefied with vegetable stock and enriched with a topping of steamed broccoli and a bit of Greek yogurt.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Red Beet Delight

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Preparation :
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: wash beets thoroughly, reserve leaves for sauteeing

: simmer beets in salted water until soft, drain, peel (reserve beet stock)

: blend with stock (add additional vegetable stock if too thick), season with cayenne pepper, kosher salt and a healthy dose of garlic paste

: pure goodness…….

: garnish soup with steamed broccoli florets and a dollop of greek yogurt

: Red Beet Delight

: Red Beet Delight

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Seafood Salad

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This afternoon I went to my fishmonger with the intention to get a fresh trout or a small snapper for a light dinner of fish and salad. What I came away with instead were the following:
Caviar, snow crab legs, king crab legs, clams, mussels, shrimp and crayfish. A short trip to the grocer for some endive, iceberg, grissini and a lemon, then five minutes of preparation and BINGO ! – best meal of the month 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
I got a bit carried away with the amount of pictures here, but this stuff is just too sexy and beautiful not to show off and drool over 🙂
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P.P.S.
If you wonder why there is no “fru fru” on this dish – I believe these beauties need no embellishment other than them self.
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Seafood Salad – lettuce in lime vinaigrette, endive in lime vinaigrette, grissini, lemon, caviar on sour dough bread, mussels, clams, shrimp. king crab, snow crab, crayfish, scallops

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: steam clams in white wine and butter with a bit of salt and cayenne pepper

: when clams start to open, add mussels, steam until mussels open, remove from heat

: season scallops and shrimp with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, saute in garlic oil, remove from heat

: dress endive and iceberg with vinaiggrette, butter sour dough bread with unsalted butter, top with caviar

: place all items in a pleasant arrangement, serve with fresh lemon

: the only utensil you need is a nutcracker for the crab legs, for everything else (including the greens), get your hands dirty………

: Seafood Salad – lettuce in lime vinaigrette, endive in lime vinaigrette, grissini, lemon, caviar on sour dough bread, mussels, clams, shrimp. king crab, snow crab, crayfish, scallops

: Seafood Salad – lettuce in lime vinaigrette, endive in lime vinaigrette, grissini, lemon, caviar on sour dough bread, mussels, clams, shrimp. king crab, snow crab, crayfish, scallops

: Seafood Salad – lettuce in lime vinaigrette, endive in lime vinaigrette, grissini, lemon, caviar on sour dough bread, mussels, clams, shrimp. king crab, snow crab, crayfish, scallops

: Seafood Salad – lettuce in lime vinaigrette, endive in lime vinaigrette, grissini, lemon, caviar on sour dough bread, mussels, clams, shrimp. king crab, snow crab, crayfish, scallops

: Seafood Salad – lettuce in lime vinaigrette, endive in lime vinaigrette, grissini, lemon, caviar on sour dough bread, mussels, clams, shrimp. king crab, snow crab, crayfish, scallops

: Seafood Salad – lettuce in lime vinaigrette, endive in lime vinaigrette, grissini, lemon, caviar on sour dough bread, mussels, clams, shrimp. king crab, snow crab, crayfish, scallops

: Seafood Salad – lettuce in lime vinaigrette, endive in lime vinaigrette, grissini, lemon, caviar on sour dough bread, mussels, clams, shrimp. king crab, snow crab, crayfish, scallops

: Seafood Salad – lettuce in lime vinaigrette, endive in lime vinaigrette, grissini, lemon, caviar on sour dough bread, mussels, clams, shrimp. king crab, snow crab, crayfish, scallops

: Seafood Salad – lettuce in lime vinaigrette, endive in lime vinaigrette, grissini, lemon, caviar on sour dough bread, mussels, clams, shrimp. king crab, snow crab, crayfish, scallops

: Seafood Salad – lettuce in lime vinaigrette, endive in lime vinaigrette, grissini, lemon, caviar on sour dough bread, mussels, clams, shrimp. king crab, snow crab, crayfish, scallops

: Seafood Salad – lettuce in lime vinaigrette, endive in lime vinaigrette, grissini, lemon, caviar on sour dough bread, mussels, clams, shrimp. king crab, snow crab, crayfish, scallops

: Seafood Salad – lettuce in lime vinaigrette, endive in lime vinaigrette, grissini, lemon, caviar on sour dough bread, mussels, clams, shrimp. king crab, snow crab, crayfish, scallops

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Peperonata & Chicken Parisienne

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Click here to link to “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food”
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Wednesday Dinner – Week Two
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While peperonata (peperonate) is a classic, well established Italian dish, this version is adapted to my personal preference of taste and texture.
I used the traditional olive oil, garlic, onions, tomato paste and basil, but instead of the usual mixture of different-colored bell peppers, I used a variety of chilis with different colors and various levels of spiciness, from sweet to very hot. Also, instead of cooking everything down to a soft mash, I left the vegetables with a bit of a bite to make the texture more pleasant. All in all, a successful, different and modern take of a classical dish 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: blend a/p flour with cayenne pepper, granulated garlic and kosher salt, pat chicken brest dry, dredge in flour mixture

: dip chicken breast in whisked egg

: saute in vegetable oil until golden and crisp

: saute diced white onions, sliced scallions and garlic paste in olive oil, add capsicum of your choice (bell peppers, chilis or combination thereof), add tomato paste, a bit of chicken stock, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, simmer for three minutes,, add fresh basil, check / adjust seasoning

: plate peperonata

: top with chicken parisienne

: Peperonata & Chicken Parisienne

: Peperonata & Chicken Parisienne

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Crispy Fried Noodle Pillow With Braised Pork Belly In Oyster Sauce

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If there is a heaven, ( I know for sure that there is a hell), I believe this dish will be served there at least once a month……….
Crispy fried noodles and braised pork belly – a match made in heaven, available for us sinners now – down here on earth, no less 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Crispy Fried Noodle Pillow With Braised Pork Belly In Oyster Sauce

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: season porkbelly with salt and saute until golden brown

: when brown, remove pork and set aside

: saute onions in garlic oil until lightly caramelized

: add hoisin sauce, grated ginger and garlic paste

: add oyster sauce

: add soy sauce

: add sriracha

: return pork to pan, add water

: simmer covered until pork is tender but NOT falling apart, remove pork, set aside, reduce sauce until thickened and onions are very soft, check / adjust seasoning

: braised pork, ready to be cut

: cut pork into bite-size pieces

: chinese egg noodles

: cook in boiling salt water, drain

: fry in peanut oil until crispy

: flip noodles, fry on the other side until crispy

: serving platter

: plate noodle pillow

: top noodles with generous amount of onion/sauce

: top with sliced belly

: sprinkle with sliced scallions

: Crispy Fried Noodle Pillow With Braised Pork Belly In Oyster Sauce

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Week Two – Tuesday Dinner

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Grilled ~~Roman~~ Romaine Feast
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Who on earth would object to lighter, healthier food if it comes prepared and presented like this mouth-watering salad ? ! 🙂
The grilled romaine salad is a marvel of taste and texture, just make sure you don’t overcook it on the grill. The outside should have nice grill mark’s, while the heart should still be crispy, Use a strong dressing, so it will not be overpowered by the charred taste of the salad’s outer leaves. As for the other veggies, use whatever you have available and you think will be enhanced by grilling. If smoked salmon is not your thing, use any other protein, grilled, smoked or sautéed.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Grilled Romaine Feast

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: blanch asparagus and carrots in salted water, shock in ice water

: season all vegetables with kosher salt, cayenne pepper and garlic oil, grill until nicely marked and charred to your taste

: nicely going………..

: arrange grilled items on serving platter, drizzle with honey mustard vinaigrette

: drizzle all veggies generously with thai chili sauce, add guacamole and salsa mexicana for dipping

: add smoked salmon, drizzle with lime juice, sprinkle with capers and sliced scallions, top with grated horseradish

: Grilled Romaine Feast

: Grilled Romaine Feast

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Steak Tartare

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“Steak Tartare” – unfortunately, nowadays it seems that this classic dish is shunned by most people, even if they never tried it.
The obvious reasons are health concerns and the thought of eating a pile of raw meat, even when most folks don’t think twice of eating a rare cooked steak or burger. (What about raw seafood ?!!!)
The truth is, it can be very dangerous to eat any food raw if it is not properly sourced and handled.
Therefore, I suggest to eat Steak Tartare only at a place which you can fully trust of impeccable food-safety procedures and an absolutely trustworthy food-source. I personally also eat only Steak Tartare from grass-fed, all organic beef, using only organic, cage free chicken eggs.
But then, when you can be absolutely sure of the proper, safe ingredients, Steak Tartare is a true marvel of classic cuisine.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Steak Tartare

there you go……..

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: ground rib eye, most fat trimmed of

: seasoning for steak tartare

: egg yolk, anchovy paste, garlic paste, black pepper, onion, gherkins, capers, maggi, mustard, kosher salt, wasabi

: add seasonings to meat

: mix seasonings with meat

: cheddar/jalapeno bread

: grill bread, let cool to warm, spread generously with unsalted butter

: Steak Tartare

: Steak Tartare

: there you go……..

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Shrimp, Broccolini And Ramen Noodles In Ginger/Garlic Broth

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New Post on ” Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort food ” :
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Week Two – Monday Dinner:

Shrimp, Broccolini And Ramen Noodles In Ginger/Garlic Broth
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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To see all pictures and instructions, click HERE
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