inferior

Faux Chicken Biryani

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It looks like biryani.
It tastes like biryani.
It smells like biryani.
Alas, it’s not biryani.
As usual when I cook for Bella and myself, a few days ago I cooked too much jasmin rice. The next day, my usual train of thought at first led me to either one of two leftover dishes – fried rice or congee. But I did not really feel like either one of those, so my next choice was this very easy to prepare “faux biryani”.
While a “real biryani is easy enough to prepare, this one was even easier and of course, with the pre-cooked rice at hand, this was the perfect way to utilize the rice and at the same time get a dish that is wonderful, flavorful and beautiful. Naturally, the texture of the rice was different from the real deal, (not inferior, just different), but nevertheless, the dish was a great success, fully enjoyed by Bella and myself 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
Usually, one would steep the saffron in ghee, but because of the relatively high-fat content of the chicken skin which will render into the dish, I replaced the ghee with milk.
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Faux Chicken Biryani

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: marinade 8 ea chicken thighs in 1 cup yogurt, 1 tblsp garam masala and 1 tsp turmeric overnight

: steep 1 gram of “superior Spanish saffron” treads in 1/4 cup warm milk

: marinade julienne of 1/4 large red onion and slices of 1/2 medium size cucumber in 1 tblsp cider vinegar and kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: saute julienne of 1 large white onion in 2 tblsp ghee or peanut oil

: add 8 oz diced tomatoes, 1/2 cinnamon stick, 3 ea chilies, 1 ea bay leaf, 1 tblsp grd cumin, 1 tblsp grd coriander, saute until fragrant

: add the chicken, season with kosher salt to taste

: cover and cook SLOWLY for 15 minutes

: turn the chicken

: cover, cook SLOWLY for another 15 minutes

: at this point, check the chicken for doneness, the temperature should be at 155F on the bone

: top with 2 cups cooked rice

: drizzle with half the saffron milk, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1 tblsp chopped cilantro and 1/2 tsp chopped mint leaves, repeat with another 2 cups of cooked rice, the other half of the saffron milk, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1 tblsp chopped cilantro and 1/2 tsp chopped mint leaves

: cover and cook SLOWLY for another 5 minutes or until the rice is heated to proper temperature, let the dish rest, covered, for another 5 minutes before serving

: plate the rice on a serving platter

: top the rice with the chicken, garnish with the cucumber and red onions, lemon wedges (optional) and more chillies (optional)

: Faux Chicken Biryani

: Faux Chicken Biryani

: Faux Chicken Biryani

: Faux Chicken Biryani

: Faux Chicken Biryani

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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
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on 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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Falscher Hase (Fake Rabbit)

“Meatloaf With Sautéed Cabbage, Horseradish Potatoes And Mushroom Cream”
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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.
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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……. 🙂
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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. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Falscher Hase (Fake Rabbit) (Meatloaf)

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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 julienne of 2 onions in 2 oz whole butter until translucent

: add 8 oz sliced button mushroom, saute until lightly browned

: add 2 cups heavy cream, simmer until reduced by half

: add 2 cup demi glace, simmer one minute

: season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, reserve

: saute 6 once coarsely diced chorizo and 1 ea coarsly diced onion in 4 oz EVO until onions are translucent

: add 2 lbs large diced white cabbage, season with kosher salt and fresh-cracked black pepper to taste

: saute until cabbage starts to soften, add 4 stalks 1 inch cut scallions, check/adjust seasoning, reserve

: peel, cut and cook 2 lbs potatoes until soft, drain, add 6 oz whole butter, 2 oz grated horseradish, kosher salt to taste and 4 tblsp heavy cream, mash until purre texture is achived (add more cream if needed)

: check/adjust taste, reserve

: soak 4 cups of panko crumbs in enough cold milk to cover until bread is soft, squeeze bread dry

: saute 3 diced onion in 2 oz butter until lightly caramelized, place in refrigerator until cold

: mix 3 lbs ground porkm 3 lbs ground beef or veal, 6 whole eggs, 1/4 cup chopped parsley with stems, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup dijon mustard, 1/4 cup sweet paprika pwd, the soaked bread and the onions, cayenne pepper and kosher salt to taste

: mix well so everything is distributed evenly

: make a small sample-patty to check the taste and texture

: shape into two logs, bake at 375 until center has reached 160F, remove from oven and let rest, tented loosely with alu-foil for 15 minutes before cutting/serving