sauteed

Sautéed King Oyster Mushrooms with Pommes Dauphinoise (Sautierte Kräuterseitlinge mit Kartoffel-Gratin (Pleurotes Du Panicaut)

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I feel so lucky to be in Germany during the mushroom season. Mushrooms are so affordable right now, you can buy them by the basket for a few € and really pig-out without putting a dent into your wallet.
I prepare different varieties at least three times a week, and still, I don´t get tired of them. 🙂
As usual with fresh, quality produce, most of the time, simple is best. Most mushrooms just need to be sauteed in butter or EVO with a bit of salt and pepper and voilà – a meal fit for a king and queen can be had in minutes.
And potato gratin of any type – well, not much needs to be said about that. It makes a great side dish, or just served by itself with a few leaves of green by its side, it will be a wonderful meal on its own. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
This amount of mushrooms serves 2 main courses, while the Dauphinoise serve 10 portions. You can, of course, scale up the mushrooms to feed up to 10 pax. However, the dauphinoise heat up great and can also be served at room temperature, so when the next meal time comes around, you´ll be glad you prepared more of it. 🙂
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Sautéed King Oyster Mushrooms with Pommes Dauphinoise (Sautierte Kräuterseitlinge mit Kartoffel-Gratin (Pleurotes Du Panicaut)

Pommes Dauphinoise

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Preparation :
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: peel and finely slice 3 lbs waxy potatoes,

: place the potatoes in a greased baking dish, add 1/2 milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, a pinch of grated nutmeg, 1 /2 tsp dried time,, 1 oc grated parmesan, season wit kosher salt and white pepper to taste, mix well, top with another 2 oz of grated parmesan and a few small knobs of unsalted butter, bake at 320 F until golden brown and potatoes are cooked through

: Pommes Dauphinoise

: clean 5 ea large rock oyster mushrooms with a brush or moist towel

: slice ea mushroom into 3 equally-thick slices, saute in clarified butter on both sides, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: saute in clarified butter on both sides, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: Sautéed King Oyster Mushrooms with Pommes Dauphinoise (Sautierte Kräuterseitlinge mit Kartoffel-Gratin (Pleurotes Du Panicaut)

: Sautéed King Oyster Mushrooms with Pommes Dauphinoise (Sautierte Kräuterseitlinge mit Kartoffel-Gratin (Pleurotes Du Panicaut)

: Sautéed King Oyster Mushrooms with Pommes Dauphinoise (Sautierte Kräuterseitlinge mit Kartoffel-Gratin (Pleurotes Du Panicaut)

: Sautéed King Oyster Mushrooms with Pommes Dauphinoise (Sautierte Kräuterseitlinge mit Kartoffel-Gratin (Pleurotes Du Panicaut)

: Sautéed King Oyster Mushrooms with Pommes Dauphinoise (Sautierte Kräuterseitlinge mit Kartoffel-Gratin (Pleurotes Du Panicaut)

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Poached Cod Fillet With Whole-Grain Mustard Sauce And Pomegranate Pilaf

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Cod –
(Kabeljau / Dorsch / タラ Tara / Morue / Bacalao / smk alqadi / Treska / Turska / Γάδος Gádos / Kele / Torsk / треска, etc, etc. 🙂
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Until a few short years ago, cod (kabeljau), and especially cod in mustard sauce was a very popular dish in Europe. It was very cheap, tasted great, looked good and was widely available.
It could be found at least once a month on Fridays in private homes, in restaurants on “Daily Specials”, as a choice in school- and factory cafeterias and everywhere else where people did not eat meat on a Friday because of religious reasons, or simply because they loved the dish and welcomed it as a change from the usual daily meat or vegetable offerings.
I would love to eat cod at least 3 times a week, breaded, poached, sautéed, grilled, in tacos or sandwiches, plain or with sauce or condiments, and so forth. However, the exuberant pricing of at least $ 10 a pound prevents me from enjoying cod more often. 😦
But once in a while I spoil myself and Bella and go all out, no matter the cost. 🙂

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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Poached Cod Fillet With Whole-Grain Mustard Sauce And Pomegranate Pilaf

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Preparation :
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: cut a 2 lbs cod fillet into 3 pieces – belly flap, tail part and front part (belly for Bella)

: season 2 cup water with kosher salt, white pepper and white wine to taste, steam the fish until just cooked through

: meanwhile, reduce 2 cup heavy cream until slightly thickened

: add 1/3 cup Maille whole grain mustard

: season with kosher salt and white pepper to taste, (if the sauce is to thick, thinnen with some of the poaching liquid)

: to 2 cup fresh cooked pilaf, add 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds and 2 oz soft whole butter, lightly mix

: plate the fish and the rice, nape with the mustard sauce; serves 2 main course or 4 appetizer

: Poached Cod Fillet With Whole-Grain Mustard Sauce And Pomegranate Pilaf

: Poached Cod Fillet With Whole-Grain Mustard Sauce And Pomegranate Pilaf

: Poached Cod Fillet With Whole-Grain Mustard Sauce And Pomegranate Pilaf

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Butterflied Grilled Chicken Breast With Sautéed Onion

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This dish should have earned two “Best of Show Awards” –
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*Best Tasting Chicken Breast* and *Most Beautiful Chicken Breast*
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Alas, this baby did not participate in any competition, it just made a wonderful dinner in our home, where it won the love and admiration of Bella and myself 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Butterflied Grilled Chicken Breast With Sautéed Onion

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Preparation :
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: brine boneless chicken breasts overnight in5 oz water, 15 oz ice, 2 oz salt, 1/2 tsp sugar ( bring the water , salt and sugar to a boil, remove from heat, add the ice to cool the brine down quickly before you add the chicken)

: next day, butterfly the chicken breasts

: flatten the breasts and score without cutting all the way through

: season with salt and sriracha on both sides

: add soy sauce to both sides

: cut 1 small onion per person into thick rings, saute until starting to caramelize, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: meanwhile, grill the chicken halfway through

: drizzle with 1/2 tblsp lemon juice, turn chicken, repeat on the other side, cook until chicken is medium well, remove from grill, let rest in a warm place for 3-4 minutes to let the carry-over heat finish the cooking process and redistribute the juices; to serve, top with the onions and serve with salad of your choice

: Butterflied Grilled Chicken Breast With Sautéed Onion

: Butterflied Grilled Chicken Breast With Sautéed Onion

: Butterflied Grilled Chicken Breast With Sautéed Onion

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

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Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

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Goulash is my favorite meat stew, no matter which protein is used – beef, veal, pork, poultry or game. The texture, color, and flavor have great appeal to me.
While there are of course different ways of preparing goulash, as well as different recipes, the main mark of a good goulash is to use the same amount of onions as protein, a great amount of sweet paprika powder for color and texture (sometimes hot paprika is added), as well as a special season mix of 1/3 thyme, 1/3 caraway seeds, and 1/3 lemon peel (yellow part only), all finely chopped and added to the meat while sauteing, to impart a rich, un-mistaking goulash-flavor. Of course, salt and pepper is a must.
Naturally, as with most dishes that have been around that long, there are dozens of variations,- you can add (or not) garlic, rosemary, bell peppers, potatoes, marjoram, red wine, bell peppers (zigeuner goulash) and even sauerkraut (Szegediner goulash). Also very popular is goulashsuppe (goulash soup). The big difference between preparing goulash and a regular stew is that for goulash, the onions are sautéed first until broken down and lightly colored, THEN the meat is added, and sautéed until all liquid has evaporated.
Because of the collagen in the meat, as well as the large amount of onions and ground paprika, no flour is needed to thicken the sauce.
Best enjoyed with pasta, goulash can also be served with rice, bread dumplings or potato dumplings, mashed potatoes, croquette potatoes, roast potatoes or just plain rustic bread.
Myself, I enjoy any type and version of goulash, paired with any good side dish that’s available 🙂
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Bon Appétit !   Life is Good !
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Click here to read all about “Original Hungarian Goulash”,
as well as its History and Evolution through the Centuries.
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Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

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Preparation :
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: remove bone and skin (optional, I like the skin in my pork goulash) from a whole, medium size pork butt

: cut the meat in cubes

: saute the meat and bone (optional), together with 1/3 cup goulash seasoning (1 tblsp lemon peel, 1 tblsp caraway seeds and 1 tblsp thyme, all finely chopped) in 1 tblsp olive oil until the meat is seared

: meanwhile, chop 2 ea med size onions,1 ea large, de-seeded red, green and yellow bell peppers

: add the veggies to the meat, saute until the onions are translucent

: add 1 cup tomato paste, 1 cup sweet paprika, 1 tblsp curry powder, 1 tblsp garlic paste, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, saute another minute, add 1 1/2 qt pork,- veggie- or,chicken stock

: bring to a simmer

: cover and slowly simmer until the meat is very tender but NOT falling apart

: meanwhile, cook 8 oz pearl pasta (Israeli couscous) until tender, drain, mix with 4 stalks finely sliced scallions, 2 tblsp melted butter and salt and pepper to taste

: saute banana peppers (optional) until lightly blistered, season with salt and pepper to taste

: saute 1 ea cup of mixed, diced bell peppers, season with salt and pepper to taste, add 2/3 into the goulash, simmer another 3 minutes, remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning

: to plate, top the goulash with the sauteed peppers (and banana peppers if chosen)

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

: Hans’ Pork Goulash With Peppers & Pasta Pearls

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Nasi Goreng

Restaurant Version Nasi Goreng >

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Nasi Goreng can be had in one version or another in many Asian countries. Actually, it is the national dish of Indonesia, where it can be eaten at any time of the day from road side hawker carts to 5 star restaurants and in any home.
As with so many Asian dishes I learned about in Germany the 60’s, the”Nasi Goreng” of my youth was usually made with curry powder, which qualified the dish as “exotic” :-).
In later years, while working and travelling in Asia, I got to know the real stuff, usually seasoned with sambal ulek and kecup manis, garlic, sauteed and fried shallots and soy sauce.
However, even back then when I was a kid and enjoyed the curry powder versions, the standard accompaniments (Garniture) were the same as you’d find in a good restaurant then and now anywhere around the world, where appearance is almost as important as taste : Kroepek (shrimp crackers), sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, fried eggs, fried shallots and satay’s with peanut sauce.
Today, after coming home from work, “Garniture” was not in the forefront of my mind but rather a hearty, spicy, quick to prepare dish which would hit all the buttons of my culinary lust 🙂
So here it is : Nasi goreng without the bells & whistles but at it’s tastiest !
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
As you can see in the picture, I used fresh-cooked rice. Day old rice is of course preferable for any fried rice, including nasi goreng, but I needed to have my fix NOW.
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Nasi Goreng

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Preparation :
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: stir fry 1 1/2 cup diced chicken and 1 1/2 cup peeled and deveined shrimp in 2 tblsp peanut oil, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste; add 2 sliced medium hot chilis, 1 small finely sliced onion 3 cups cooked rice, 1 tsp sambal olek, 1/2 tsp garlic paste, 2 tsp kecap manis, 1 tsp soy sauce

: add kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, stir fry until well mixed and the rice starts to “pop”, check/adjust seasoning; put the nasi goreng on a serving dish, sprinkle with fried shallots

: top nasi goreng with 3 fried eggs, sprinkle with chili flakes and sliced scallions; serves 3

: Nasi Goreng

: Nasi Goreng

: Nasi Goreng

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Steak Salad – Just A Bit Different

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We have come to expect a steak salad to be mostly beef and greens, usually with an afterthought of a few cucumbers, tomatoes and onions thrown in. (Myself – guilty) 🙂 😦
So today I went into a different direction, with a salad of pickled artichokes, sliced red onions, diced tomatoes, black beans and garbanzos in a delicious sweet chili, garlic confit and cilantro vinaigrette .
The result was a spectacular dish, outstanding in looks, taste and texture.
Definitely a permanent addition to my personal repertoir.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Sweet Chili, Garlic Confit And Cilantro Vinaigrette Recipe :
Mix 1/2 cup olive oil with 10 cloves of garlic confit, 1 tblsp sweet thai chili sauce, 1 tblsp chopped cilantro, 2 tblsp rice vinegar and kosher salt to taste.
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Steak Salad – Just A Bit Different

Artichoke & Legumes Salad

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Preparation :
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: trimm four 10 oz strip steaks of all skin and fat, season with kosher salt and grd black pepper, saute or grill until done to your preference, let steaks rest at least 10 minutes before slicing

: prepare the dressing (see recipe)

: mix one 8 oz can of marinated artichokes, one 8 oz can of black beans, one 8 oz can of garbanzos, one 4 oz can of diced tomatoes, and 1 medium sliced onion with the dressing, check/adjust seasoning

: mix one 8 oz can of marinated artichokes, one 8 oz can of black beans, one 8 oz can of garbanzos, one 4 oz can of diced tomatoes, and 1 medium sliced onion with the dressing, check/adjust seasoning

: divide the salad between 4 serving plates

: top each salad with one sliced steak; recipe serves 4

: Steak Salad – Just A Bit Different

: Steak Salad – Just A Bit Different

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Hickory Smoked, Panko Crusted Bone-In Ham Steak

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Here we have another dish which exemplifies home cooking at it’s most simple, most tasty, most satisfying goodness.
It goes to show that you don’t have to be rich or a professional chef in order to serve excellent food. Creativity and good, simple ingredients will get you pretty far.
While I love my lobster, caviar and foie gras, food made with simple ingredients should, in my opinion, alternate with the high-end stuff which most of us could not afford on a daily basis anyway. But even back in the day’s when I ran five star operations and could have had “the good stuff” for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I always liked to mix it up with some home style cooked dishes. After all, the beauty of good food lies, among other things, in variation.
Well, there you have it : Another ChefsOpinion 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Hickory Smoked Panko Crusted Bone-In Ham Steak

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Preparation :
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mix 1/3 corn starch, 1/3 ap flour, 1/3 panko bread crumbs, season with cayenne pepper, english mustard powder and granulated garlic

dip ham steak on both sides into flour mixture, saute in butter until golden, remove ham and set aside, fry sunny side up eggs in same butter, season eggs with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

almost……

saute onions in butter until lightly caramelized, add garlic confit paste

add cabbage and peppers, saute until cabbage starts to wilt

add demi glace and grape tomatoes, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, simmer for one minute, check / adjust seasoning

plate cabbage on serving dish

top with ham steak

top with fried eggs, serve with horseradish mashed potatoes or a good rustic bread to soak up the sauce and juices

top with fried eggs, serve with horseradish mashed potatoes or a good rustic bread to soak up the sauce, egg yolks and juices

Hickory Smoked Panko Crusted Bone-In Ham Steak

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EASY DOES IT # 17 – Hans’ Homemade Buffalo Sauce

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While buffalo sauce is most famously used for chicken wings, I use my recipe for many other dishes, such as steak sauce, light coating for sautéed shrimp, sautéed vegetables, sautéed potatoes, etc, as well as fried foods such as chicken hearts, duck gizzards, chicken wings ( pictured below). I also use it as a spicy dipping sauce for french fries and whatever else needs a bit of a pick-up 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Recipe :
Melted butter 1/2 cup
Sriracha 1/2 cup
Green tabasco 1 tablespoon
Confit garlic paste 1 tablespoon
White vinegar 1 tablespoon
Honey 1 tablespoon
Maggi seasoning to taste
Kosher salt to taste
Mix all ingredients well, check / adjust taste

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Easy Does It # 17 – Hans’ Buffalo Sauce

Easy Does It # 17 Hans’ Buffalo Sauce

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Stew Of Cornish Hen In Merlot With Beans And Vegetables

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Cornish Hen has very tender meat and does not need to be stewed – it can be grilled, roasted , poached or sautéed.
However, once in a while I like to braise (stew) one because of the delicious sauce this cooking method will produce. So then, this is what I had for lunch today, accompanied by a tall glass of iced tea. (No more booze for me, at least for the moment 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Stew Of Cornish Hen In Merlot With Beans And Vegetables

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Preparation :
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season 8-cut chicken with salt, cayenne pepper and granulated garlic in olive oil until golden brown

add onions, saute until translucent

add chorizo, saute until starting to brown

add diced red peppers, garlic paste and scallions, saute one minute

deglaze with merlot, add small blanched potatoes, chopped tomatoes with their juices, cannelini beans and straw mushrooms

simmer until sauce sliightly thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes

simmer until sauce slightly thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes

add grated asiago cheese, check / adjust seasoning

to serve, sprinkle with chopped cilantro

Stew Of Cornish Hen In Merlot With Beans And Vegetables

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Spatchcocked Sautéed Cornish Hen With Arugula In Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

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Traditionally, when spatchcocking a bird to be served in a restaurant, one should remove the backbone and sternum. Not only will that allow the bird to cook easier, but also allow the guest to eat it more comfortable with fork and knife at the table.
However, for me, one of the best part’s of eating poultry is to gnaw on the bones, especially the backbones and remove the bits of meat from there 🙂 So, In order to satisfy my bone-gnawing graving’s, I just cut the bird in half, especially a very small one such as this cornish hen, then saute, roast or grill it, usually just seasoned simply with kosher salt, sriracha and granulated garlic.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Spatchcocked Cornish Hen & Arugula In Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Spatchcocked sautéed Cornish Hen & Arugula In Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

: Cornish Hen

: cut hen in half, remove back bone, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, saute in garlic oil until cooked through but not dry

: Spatchcocked Sautéed Cornish Hen & Arugula In Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

: Spatchcocked Sautéed Cornish Hen & Arugula In Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

: Spatchcocked Sautéed Cornish Hen & Arugula In Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

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