Preparation

Chicken Tandoori/Naan Sandwich

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This tandoori chicken sandwich needed no simple or fancy condiment to elevate it. The chicken was very juicy, very tender and VERY tasty. Usually, I would serve this with raita, sliced onions, sliced tomato, sliced cucumber, a few spritz of fresh lime, plain yogurt, finely sliced cabbage slaw, or any other addition to moisten the sandwich, elevate the texture or the flavor. But on this sandwich, that would have been a wasted effort, since it was perfect, in every aspect, the way it was.
(If I would serve this in a restaurant, I would of course “improve” the presentation to make it seem fancier and justify a higher selling price, but since this was at “Chez Bella” (our home), I did not deem this a requirement. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
I prefer to cook the chicken bone-in and tear the meat from the bones at the table. For a less messy way, you can, of course, use boneless thighs and knife and fork 😦
P.P.S.
Because I am a huge Stones fan, for obvious reasons I almost called this sandwich “Sticky Fingers”, but then something (good sense?) advised me against it. 🙂
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Garam Masala Recipe:
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You will need :
Coriander seeds, black cardamom pods, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, bay leaves, peppercorn, a small amount of cinnamon bark. Dry roast in a pan on low heat until fragrant, about one minute. Put in spice blender until powder-fine. Remove to a jar, cover airtight.
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Chicken Tandoori/Naan Sandwich

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Preparation :
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: mix 1 cup Greek yogurt (or strain your own yogurt overnight in a suspended cheesecloth)) with 1 tblsp garam masala, 1 tblsp turmeric, 1 tblsp sweet paprika (instead of the usual artificial food coloring), 1/2 tsp granulated garlic, 1/3 tsp granulated ginger, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, chili flakes and kosher salt to taste

: mix all ingredients well, add 3 ea deep-scored chicken thighs, mix, cover, keep in fridge over night

: next day, place the chicken on a rack, roast at 450F until golden crisp and cooked through (35 to 45 min); however, the length of time depends on the size of the chicken, the type of oven, etc; if you have a food thermometer remove the chicken when it registers 162 at thickest part on the bone, remove the chicken, cover lightly and let rest for 5 minutes before serving

: crisp, juicy, golden – done……

: tondoori chicken at it’s finest 🙂

: while the chicken rests, prepare fresh naan or reheat good quality frozen naan

: Chicken Tandoori/Naan Sandwich

: Chicken Tandoori/Naan Sandwich

: Chicken Tandoori/Naan Sandwich

: Chicken Tandoori/Naan Sandwich

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Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wrap With Raita

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Curried garbanzos (chickpeas) are one of my favorite snacks. They are quick and easy to prepare and their heat (add as much chile flakes or cayenne pepper as you can handle) makes for a great snack when boring pretzels just won’t do.
Today I prepared one of the hybrids of curried garbanzos I make on hot days – curried garbanzo salad, this time wrapped in sun dried tomato wraps.
As a general rule, when preparing curried garbanzos to be served hot, I add more ghee, about 4 tblsp for 16 oz of garbanzos. If serving as a cold (room temperature) salad, I reduce the amount of ghee by 3 tblsp and replace with that 2 tblsp mayo and 1 tblsp ketchup.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wrap With Raita

Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wraps With Raita

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Preparation :
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: peel and dice 2 lg baking potatoes, simmer in lightly salted water until soft but NOT falling apart

: meanwhile, seed and dice 2 medium sized tomatoes

: seed and dice 1 large cucumber, add 1 cup greek yogurt, season with ground cumin, ground coriander, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: raita

: saute julienne of 1 lg white onion in 1 tblsp ghee

: when onions are lightly caramelized, add 8 oz cooked and drained garbanzos

: add 1 tblsp curry powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 pinch ground cardamon, 1 pinch ground cumin, 1 pinch ground coriander, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: add 1 tblsp garlic paste, saute until fragrant

: add cooked potatoes, diced tomatoes and 2 tblsp chopped cilantro, mix well, let cool to room temperature

: add 2 tblsp mayo and 1 tblsp ketchup, mix, check/adjust seasoning (mix carefully in order not to break up the potatoes)

: heat sundried tomato wraps to make them pliable

: slice 1 small head of romaine lettuce into julienne

: place 1/4 of the romaine onto 1 wrap

: add 1/4 of the salad to the wrap

: fold/roll wrap, secure with 2 picks; recipe serves 4

: Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wraps With Raita

: Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wrap With Raita

: Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wrap With Raita

: Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wrap With Raita

: Curried Garbanzo And Potato Wrap With Raita

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Allgäuer Wurstsalat Mit Hörnchen

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Hörnchen means “Little Horns” in German. They are such a wonderful pastry when properly prepared. Unfortunately, to find good Hörnchen (Croissants, Media Luna’s) is increasingly difficult and in some areas downright impossible.
A good hörnchen is as light as a feather, with dozens of air-seperated layers of buttery pastry. Most of the stuff you can buy these days are mass-produced, previously frozen concoctions which have only a faint visual resemblance to a real hörnchen and none of the flavor and texture qualities of the genuine article. Some are not even made with puff pastry 😦
However, there is a silver lining – in my opinion, that stuff is perfectly suitable for a good sandwich or as an accompaniment to a rustic salad.
For today’s lunch I had these babies from a commercial bakery close-by, to share the honors of being my lunch with a “lecker” allgäuer wurstsalat.
Eaten together with the salad, dunked in the rich dressing, they served their purpose as “side bread” well.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
If you don’t have access to Fleischwurst (German Bologna) and Allgäuer Bergkäse, you can replace them with Swiss Cheese and American style Bologna
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Allgauer Wurstsalat Mit Hörnchen

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Preparation :
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: julienned cheese, sausage, onions, sliced cornichons, sliced chives

: for the dressing, add ketchup, dijon, red wine vinegar, fresh ground black pepper, garlic paste, kosher salt, mix well, serve with warm hörnchen