Handpresso – Espresso Anywhere!

when i saw this gadget i just had to post here. thanks to http://www.kitchencritic.co.uk

Do you despise the office coffee machine or simply have no space in your kitchen? The Handpresso Wild is brilliant solution to both. A must have for caffeine junkies, the Handpresso offers a simple way to make espresso no matter where you are. There’s no need for batteries or electricity. Simply pump up the handle, add a bit of hot water from a thermos or kettle and in seconds you’ll have a delicious pick-me-up. Available on its own or in a sophisticated Outdoor Set, it’s perfect for business travellers tired of bland hotel coffee. The Handpresso Outdoor Set comes in a handy shoulder bag which includes a thermos, four unbreakable espresso cups, and space for napkins, coffee pods, sugar and spoons! Available from ‘I Want One of Those’, the Handpresso Wild with have espresso fanatics frothing!

U.S. Schoolchildren Don`t Know The Difference Between A Tomato and a Potato

LINK to the orgianl article as well as video: U.S. Schoolchildren Don`t Know The Difference Between A Tomato and a Potato

how to make latkes / potato pancakes

i''ve been eating these all my life and i have never gotten tired of them. this is a pretty good and simple recipe with a good no nonsense video. enjoy.

Note: just be careful when you fry them. they are wet, and oil is hot!!!!

Adapted from Marlene Sorosky

TIME/SERVINGS

Total: 30 mins
Active: 30 mins
Makes: About 24 pancakes

INGREDIENTS

1 vitamin C tablet

2 tablespoons hot water

2 1/2 pounds peeled russet potatoes

1 peeled onion

2 tablespoons matzo meal

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Vegetable oil, for frying

"\Applesauce\ and/or sour cream, for serving optional"

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Place vitamin C tablet in a small bowl with hot water and stir to dissolve. Shred potatoes first

using the shredding blade and then the metal blade of a food processor (or use a hand shredder).

Add to vitamin C mixture.

2.  Shred onion in the food processor just as you shredded the potatos; add to potatoes. Add matzo

meal, eggs, salt, and baking powder and stir until incorporated.

3.  Pour 1/4 to 1/2 inch of oil into a large frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Once oil is to

temperature (you can check by sticking a wooden utensil into the oil and seeing if bubbles form),

spoon 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Flatten latkes

slightly with the back of the spoon.

4.  Fry pancakes until golden on both sides, turning once. When you reach the end of the batter, pat

the mixture with a paper towel to remove excess liquid.

5.  After frying, remove the pancakes to paper towels to drain. Season with additional salt and serve

with applesauce and/or sour cream, if desired.

SOURCE: http://www.chow.com/recipes/14141-latkes-potato-pancakes

Dan Barber's foie gras parable | Video on TED.com

Peter Reinhart on bread | Video on TED.com

seize BP campaign

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont)

if this is the face of american socialism, let's see more of it. i am proud to say i voted for this guy.



Newsroom - Video/Audio: U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont)

i saw this on line and thought it may be of interest to others.

Four myths about eggs

By Lori Bongiorno

Posted Tue May 4, 2010 12:09pm PDT
 

(Photo: Getty Images)

Choosing eggs is not nearly as simple as it should be. After all, the average egg weighs about 2 ounces. How many decisions can you possibly have to make for something so small and seemingly simple? Well, let’s see: Brown or white? Large or small? Organic or not?

And those decisions are just the tip of the iceberg. Egg cartons can be stamped with any number of labels, some meaningful, others not so much. 

It's not always easy to separate fact from fiction when it comes to eggs. Below are some of the most common misperceptions.  

Myth: Brown eggs are different than white. 

Fact: The only difference between a brown and white egg is the color of the shell, which is merely a reflection of the breed of the hen. In general, but not always, hens with white feathers and earlobes lay white eggs and those with dark feathers and red earlobes lay brown eggs.

One isn’t healthier, more “natural,” or more eco-friendly than the other.  There aren’t any differences in nutritional quality, flavor, or cooking characteristics. 

Myth: Free-range eggs come from hens that roam freely outdoors.

Fact: The claims are not regulated for eggs, according to Consumer Reports. So there is no guarantee that the hen that laid the eggs ever saw the light of day. Of course, it may have spent time outdoors, but the “free range” label doesn’t mean anything. The following labels are also meaningless when it comes to eggs: “free roaming,” “hormone free,” and “raised without antibiotics.” 

Myth: Organic eggs are healthier.  

Fact: They certainly can be, but it all depends on the chicken’s diet. Organic eggs come from hens that are fed a 100-percent organic diet. However, what really matters when it comes to nutrition is whether the hens were raised on pasture. Studies, such as those conducted at Penn State University and by Mother Earth News, found that eggs from chickens that ate grass and insects contained higher levels of omega-3 fat, and vitamins E, A, and in some cases D. 

If you want eggs from hens that are raised on pasture or spend a lot of time outdoors, then you’ll have to find a farmer you trust at your local farmers’ market.

Myth: Egg substitutes are simply eggs (or egg whites) without the shells. 

Fact:  Most products have added stabilizers, thickeners, vitamins, carotenes, and, sometimes, spices, according to Marion Nestle, author of What to Eat. She also points out that they cost about twice as much as real eggs. (A pound of egg substitutes weighs slightly less than a dozen small eggs.)  

Of course, if you can’t eat egg yolks for health reasons or have no use for them, egg substitutes are a good option, and most products only have a tiny percentage of additives. Just read the labels before buying.

Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green's users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon.com.

edmar castaneda: tiny desk concert : NPR

 Click this link to view and hear the NPR music video:

Edmar Castaneda: Tiny Desk Concert : NPR

Edmar Castaneda is the sort of musician who isn't afraid to challenge the established order. He's carving out a place for himself in Latin jazz on an instrument you don't often hear in his chosen genre: the Colombian harp. He's adapted intricate traditional fingerpicking techniques to play jazz melodies along with the Afro-Cuban tumbao (bass line). As you can see and hear for yourself in this Tiny Desk Concert, he can switch between rural Colombian dance music and jazz with a twist of his wrist. Literally.

His musical vision is so invigorating that he's gaining fans like NEA Jazz Master Paquito D'Rivera, with whom Castaneda has performed. His Web site shows him constantly on the road as a guest artist with other forward thinkers, or with his latest touring trio, which consists of Castaneda, a drummer and a trombonist.

Castaneda recently parked himself behind Bob Boilen's desk and crafted a transporting mix of tradition and improvisation. Chances are, you've never heard anything like it.

aaron neville - to make me who i am - the man is a genius and a national treasure ...

I've walked through this world sometime without a friend
My life has been up and down, been close to an end
I've been through the mill and I've paid my dues
Walked so many miles in different peoples shoes

But I've been through the fire and I've walked in the rain
I've felt the joy and endured the pain

Once I was a schemer but I always was a dreamer
But it took me who I was and where I've been
To make me who I am

I've met a lot of lost souls in the bowels of hell
Traveled some crooked roads and got some stories yet to tell
I've shot up with the junkie in piss stench halls
Broken bread with the devil, fallen on my knees to God

Some days I was blessed, some nights I was damned
But I always tried to lend a helping hand

Once I was a deceiver, now I am a believer
But it took me, who I was and where I've been
To make me who I am

Oh, I've seen the little children all strung out on dope
No one to care about them, living without hope
But I've been lucky that I always had a song
I'll sing it with compassion, to try to right the wrong

Once my life was wretched but why should I regret it
'Cause, it took me, who I was and where I've been
To make me who I am

This is dedicated to my friends in jail
For my brother Jake who had to ride the rail
For my friend Roonie and Melvin who were so dear
They were so misunderstood but I wish they were still here
To hear this song I sing from my heart
They're forever in my soul even though we had to part

Once I was a deceiver, now I am a believer
But it took me who I was and where I've been
To make me who I am

God said, "I forgive you, wipe away the scars
'Cause I know it took who you were
And where you came from to make you who you are
'Cause I know it took who you were
And where you came from to make you what you are"

frank zappa - stairway to heaven

the only chance i had to see frank zappa and the mothers of invention was in the fall of 1970. it was in dayton, ohio, and the show was festival seating. if you brought your mother, she got in for free.

i liked the fact that nothing was sacred to frank, not even this rock and roll classic by led zepplin.

i first heard stairway to heaven at a concert at the boston garden. my dad bought 3 tickets. one for me, one for a friend claude durham and one for himself. my dad always new a good show when he saw one, rock, jazz, classical, it didn't matter. during the break jimmy paige came out on the stage all alone, sat down in a folding metal chair with his 12 string, and said he wanted to play us a song he was fooling around with. it was stairway to heaven and it appeared on led zeps next album.

elton john @ the brian wilson tribute ocncert

the thing i like most about youtube is that i can think about an event or a song from the past and its there.

what i find to be an interesting perspective of the response of my government to the events of 9/11

i thought you might like to see and hear what a decent thai pop video is like ...

an awesome mv that a friend turned me on to ...

how totally cool is this? the official music video of 70 millions by hold your horses . not only good music but a a very innovative and refreshing video concept for a change.

food fotos: pictures to accompany recipes and food cost analysis estimates

whenever i do a consulting job that requires recipes to be developed one thing i offer the client is accompanying photos. nothing beats a "seeing is believing" approach to teaching someone how to cook, and pictures also help to jar their memory once i have departed the training.

the following three dishes were developed for an american restaurant and martini bar that wanted to have not only a tapas type menu, but also some main dishes of note. the seafood cocktail in the over-sized martini glass was developed to coincide with the massive martini menu they offered at their bar.

these pictures were taken with a first generation logitech webcam, so please excuse the resolution and lighting. you will also notice i have marked up the images that were then put into an album which was kept in the kitchen so that the staff would have a quick reference guide when jamming out orders.

seafood martini: this has been on my menus in some sort of configuration 

since i worked for chef ted at nicoles in mendon, vermont. 

under all that deliciously fresh seafood is a cocktail sauce 

that has won praise for the over 27 years i have been making it. 

i will post that recipe one of these days.

proscuitto wrapped filet mignon: this was a dish we held over 

from the existing menu at the restaurant. we just dressed it up a bit. 

notice that i took the photo before the balsamic reduction was applied, 

so i photo-shopped some in. after all, its a working guide for chefs, not a magazine photo.

the veg in all these shots is one of my favorites, ratatouille. 

when you are serving a lot of guests, need a good sturdy veg and want to add some good colors, 

a good al dente rat will always have your back.

swordfish with 5 lotuses: nothing like a catchy exotic name to prod the guests 

into ordering something great that they may overlook otherwise.

the stuffing is made from sauteed until clear, minced garlic, shallots, leeks, onions and scallions 

that are bound with fresh chopped parsley and mozzarella, fontina and parmesan cheeses.

do not pocket and stuff the fish until you are a few minutes away from grilling it, 

otherwise it will taste like sh*t or possibly go sour. 

also cut as large a pocket as you can, and stuff the filling in as deeply as you can, 

because it has a tendency to ooze out while the fish is grilling.

also, before placing the fish on the flat hot steel put a few slivers of 

fresh ginger and a sprig of rosemary on it. 

this will sear the ginger and herbs into the flesh and infuse it with these flavors.

this is another great technique i learned from my mentor chef ted.

also, note that the plate is slightly glazed with a spoon of veal demi-glace. another chef ted-ism. some may think it inappropriate to put meat glaze
with the fish and my reply to them is:
you've never had a surf and turf dinner?
the fish is resting on a bit of sauteed spinach.

nuff said!

estômago: one of the best foodie movies every produced

i used to think that big night written, directed by, and starring stanely tucci in 1996 was as good as it gets for foodie movies of the past, and that julie and julia of last year was a pretty tasty film too, but the brazial film estômago  just might take the cake.

estômago  means stomach in portuguese and that is the title of this wonderfully delicious 2007 brazilian food film directed by marcos jorge. of all the films that have story lines derived from something to do with food i have to say it ranks at the top, if not the best, for food related plot and quirky lovable characters that i have had the pleasure view.

rather than write a synopsis of my own i have borrowed a good one from the imdb website that doesn’t spoil the movie for those who wish to see it.

The naive immigrant from the Northeast Raimundo Nonato has just arrived in São Paulo and is hungry and without money. After eating in a smalltime restaurant, the owner Zulmiro offers him to clean the kitchen to pay the bill. On the next morning, he offers a job to Nonato, cooking and cleaning the kitchen; in return, he would eat and sleep in a small storage room, but without salary. The restaurant becomes a sensation with Nonato's appetizers "coxinha" and "pastel" and attracts the attention of Giovanni, the owner of the classy Italian restaurant Boccaccio, who offers a better job for him in the kitchen of his restaurant and teaches him the secrets of a good meal. Meanwhile, Nonato falls in love for the always hungry streetwalker Íria, who refuses to kiss Nonato, although they have sex. Events take a turn for the worse and Raimundo Nonato a.k.a. "Alecrim" arrives in prison, sharing a cell with seven prisoners leaded by Bujiú. When the despised Nonato offers to improve their food cooking in the cell, he climbs in the inner hierarchy, sleeping no longer on the floor, but in the bunk bed immediately below Bujiú and earning respect from the other inmates. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

this film garnered 17 awards and 14 nominations

if the film is not available in your local you can find it here:

and for your reference:

the vengeance trilogy: korean cinema at its best

typically, since i was a child, dining out and going to the movies went hand in hand. as far as i am concerned nothing beats going to see a good flick and having a great meal with friends or family. usually the film comes first to stimulate a bit of conversation while eating. my favorite place to do this in bangkok is at the central world. they have the world cinema complex on the 7th floor which is surrounded by some great restaurants (predominantly thai and japanese).

another fun thing to do is to invite someone over to the house, cook a nice meal, and sit down to watch some classic film. since moving to thailand i have had the pleasure to be able to see many films that i would not have seen back home in the states because most asian films only make it to the larger population centers of america, if at all.  i have come to love the films of china, japan and korea. like the cuisines of these countries, their films are diverse and of many flavors. unbeknown to may westerners, a lot of the films that they are watching have story and plot lines that have first appeared in asian cinema. quentin tarantino, to name just one, has "borrowed" much from his asian counterparts to construct such films as kill bill and reservoir dogs.

as far as korean cinema goes park chan-wook is considered to be one of the finest and his vengeance trilogy is considered to be his best work: sympathy for mr. vengeance (2002), oldboy (2003), sympathy for lady vengeance (2005). if you like quirky plot lines that twist and weave and take you places that you never imagined, then watch these three films. although oldboy and sympathy for lady vengeance are not sequels, watching them in chronological order is recommended. in this way you will see how the director/writer has evolved in his story telling and movie making abilities.

chinese new year buffet menu: siam bayshore resort - 1999

when i was living and working at the siam bayshore resort in pattaya, thailand one of the perks of the job was the responsibility for overseeing the chinese restaurant.

i have been a big fan of chinese cuisine since i was child and the earliest memories of dining out are at a chinese restaurant in new york city with my family. as often as we could we would go. i was constantly amazed at the the cuisine and the culture. my dad would tell us stories of when he was with the 4th combat cargo squadron providing logistical support for the flying tigers in the CBI (china-burma-india theater) during ww2, which is how i got the bug to come to asia 30 something years later. he spent a lot of time in canton where they have the best sea food and the qing ping market. possibly the largest fresh food market on the planet.

when i say i was overseeing the bali hai restaurants that is exactly what i did, and no more. basically if they needed something, i got it for them, my domain was the western kitchens. the chefs that run the kitchens at the siam city hotels and resorts are some of the best in thailand, and the city property has one of the most outstanding chinese dinning rooms you will ever see, lin fa.

one thing i did get to do was write the buffet menus for the holidays and festivals, something i truly miss to this day. typically we would serve between 300 to 500 guests depending on the event and season. this leaves a lot of room for a lot of food. the smaller buffets would be set on the hotel balcony that over looks the gulf of siam but the larger affairs were out on the terrace, which overlooks their private beach. watching the spectacular sun sets from this perspective was another perk of that job.

buffets at siam city resorts require the cooperation of every department in the hotel. housekeeping provides all the linen, event specific uniforms, flowers, plants, trees (yes trees) and all the table decorations. engineering provides the stage, music, lighting and special effects. front desk took care of all the reservations and of course the food and beverage department provided all the rest.

every buffet had demonstration cooking as well. this is when chefs prepare the food right on the buffet line. huge bbq pits with whole pigs on a spit was a typical center piece, with smaller grills for skewers of meats and seafood, as well as giant woks filled with all the savory chinese and thai foods one would expect.

 this is the menu i wrote for the 1999 chinese new year celebration, which as it turned out, was my last time for doing that. the following year i left to open a place of my own in the neighboring beach side village of jomtien. (menu will follow in a subsequent post.)

when you read through this menu keep in mind that this is for an international clientele and there will always be other foods (not chinese) to make certain everyone has something they like. also, you will see notations about certain dishes. this was a working menu used as a proposal submitted to the general manager a few weeks prior to service.

 click image to view enlarged version.

 my dad: decorated captain in the cbi

 click image to view enlarged version.

some of the best thai food in bangkok is on soi 14 at suda ...

i've been eating at suda for 19 years and never had a bad meal!

one of the only thai restaurants in downtown bkk to be listed in the lonely planet guide book is one of suda's claims to fame, and a well deserved done. considered to be thai/chinese to a degree, and not strictly that, this ope-air restaurant is packed with local office people for lunch and tourists, expats and locals at night. the fact that the locals swarm this place in the day time is the real testament to the food they prepare.

the kitchen is helmed by a chef that i have always seen through the kitchen door in all my 19 years of going there, he is family. he produces 5 or 6 plates of each dish at a time in a huge over-sized wok that never stops giving. when the place is full to capacity you may wait a bit for a dish to arrive, but you will never regret having waited. the classic thai dishes such as tom kaa gai, tom yum kung, phad krapow moo sop and gaeng keowan, to name just 4, are top shelf and suda's "secret" recipe for cashew chicken is unlike any you will find anywhere in the world, let alone thailand. i think it has red curry past in it and there is nothing but succulent white meat, cashews and this sticky sauce. no veggies to confuse or adulterate this dish.

they do another classic thai chicken dish that you will not find most everywhere. morsels of marinated chicken wrapped in toei leaves and then deep fried. the aroma of the toei leaves is infused into the caramelized chicken to create a unique flavor unobtainable in other dishes. be careful, its hot! (not spicy hot, temp hot.)

it really doesn't matter what you order here, whether you're a party of 1 or 2 or a tour group of 18+, suda restaurant always delivers. the turn over is so great that everything is fresh and depleted and restocked each day. you can see the staff endlessly prepping veggies off to the side.

the owners are always present and khun suda greets and take orders from everyone personally 99% of the time. there is only 1 suda, no branches, no need to be confused, just satisfied.

image borrowed from here.

 image borrowed from here.

 image borrowed from here.

image borrowed from here.  

follow the link to a good article about suda and some more food photos.

the person in the green blouse is khun suda the restaurant's namesake.

 image borrowed from here. 

image borrowed from here.

 click on the image above to enlarge the map.

ps - i believe if you have a very large group they will reserve a table for you: +66 2 229 4518

if you follow this link you will go to a website that has a google map with suda on it. you will see that of the 18 reviews shown on that site only 2 people say its not what it is cracked up to be and did not meet their expectations. the average rating is 4.5 out of 5. not bad by any standard.

sandwiches are life ...

i have always been into sandwiches, eating them and serving them. i once managed a deli in boston, massachusettes that served an average of 3,000 sandwiches a week to yippies in the financial district. plus all the other stuff a deli serves. like 10,000+ cups of coffee a week.

as you will see from the image, sandwiches are serious business ...

click the image for a large view

or click on this link.

full credit goes to my friend paul who drew this graphic with his AutoCAD program.

note: despite spelling copyright incorrectly on the image, it still is.

fantasy menu: tropical mediterranean, or as i like to call it, provincial rim

i have an archive of about 100 menus i have engineered over the course of my career. i have decided to punch them up and post them as an ongoing series. this is the first, i hope you like it.

this particular menu is one that i generated 10 years ago for a client in phuket, thailand. after working on it for close to 2 months, conceptualizing, compiling recipes, sourcing all the ingredients, and ordering all the kitchen equipment and place settings specifically for it ... the client decided to change the theme from tropical influenced mediterranean to thai fusion. this menu, in its entirety never made it to the table, individual dishes have shown up in other venues over the years.

click on the image to see a larger version
and if that doesn't work
click here.

niu's on silom jazz blues bar and restaurant, bkk

i have followed chef marco cammarata as he has deftly navigated his way across bangkok's restaurant scene.

i first ate marco's cuisine when he was at the sheraton grand sukhumvit hotel here in bangkok. he was there for several years and he left of his own accord, which is rare for bangkok hotel chefs. i then followed him to a new venue where he was again in charge of the cuisine at the paragon center. this last incarnation of his at niu's is by far the best, and a perfect fit.

his menus are always varied italian and always a joy to not only read, but of course to eat from. the rather extensive wine list is a perfect match as well. the surroundings, whether indoors or out are tastefully designed and well attended by his staff who are quite knowledgeable regarding what they are serving. the music is superb when it is live and the recoded music is also well chosen for this type of venue.

on my last visit i had a starter of a chilled vegetable terrine with goat cheese that included beet root, pumpkin and carrot all wrapped in a cabbage leaf. it is moistened with green apple and tomato reductions that accent it and its small side of greens perfectly. i would say it is one of the top ten things i have ever had the pleasure to eat, anywhere.

i next had a half an order of fresh oysters au gratin. again, perfectly cooked and the topping was not so heavy as to obscure the taste and freshness of the oysters themselves.

for a main dish i opted for the new zealand rack of lamb. again, simply divine and cooked to a perfect medium rare just as i like it. it is sitting in a wonderful pool of pureed potato and veggies that is indescribably delicious. i am a firm believer that certain foods must be eaten with your hands and lamb chops fall into this class for me. as i removed the meat from the bone the ever so slight char gave the meat a taste that sets niu's chef apart from the mob of italians who claim to be cooking authentic cuisine here in bangkok's plethora of italian restaurants. (Truism: just because you were born somewhere does not mean you can cook the food that comes from there.)

not only is he a chef of great acclaim, he is also one of the most gracious and generous hosts i have met in all my years of dining around the world. he makes it a point to meet and greet all guests and offer them not only his assistance in ordering, but his ego allows him to customize any dish to your taste or dietary requirement. another rare trait in chefs as far as i have experienced. his ability to match wines to the food is also great. he simply wants you to have the best experience that you can have.

rarely do i have room to make it through to ordering desert, but on the occasions that i have they have always been the perfect ending to the meal. they do all the baking and deserts on premise and all the little side dishes and garnishes are always up to the same par as the dishes themselves.

although not a cheap or inexpensive place to eat, i have to say that it is true value for money spent. a similar meal in new york or europe would cost 3 or 4 times the price, and the service would probably not be the same either.

this cuisine is not overly garnished or presented in such away as to detract from the original intent of the dishes themselves. this is what i would call nuova cucina italiana, new italian kitchen. un-muddled nor heavy handed, this food teases and caresses the willing palette with new flavors and textures. world class cuisine for sure.

as i said in the beginning, i follow this chef wherever he hangs his hat and he has never let me down.

ps - if you like risotto, try some at niu's, you will be pleased.

• 661 Floor 1-2, Baan Silom Arcade | Silom Road (between Soi 17 and Soi 19), Bangkok 10500, Thailand
• 66 2 266 5333
• www.niusonsilom.com 

originally posted here. 

here is a good example of one of marco's wine dinner menu.

i wish i had gotten some better pictures, these do not do his food justice.

schnitzel: if you like crunchy food like i do, this is an easy dish to prepare

schnit·zel

n.

A thin cutlet of veal, usually seasoned, that is dipped in batter and fried.

[German, from Middle High German snitzel, diminutive of sniz, slice, from snitzen, to carve]

(Cookery) a thin slice of meat, esp veal See also Wiener schnitzel

[German: cutlet, from schnitzen to carve, schnitzeln to whittle

i know that everyone says to avoid fired foods and breading and batters, but if eaten in moderation, and if prepared in good oil, and eaten immediately, treat yourself to some schnitzel.

you can prepare this dish in the classic way with with veal - but pork, chicken, turkey or even lamb and beef can also be used. 
 

when i was working for chef rudy hilfiker in his connecticut restaurant that specialized in swiss cuisine, this was by far the most popular item on the menu.  he had a sous chef who worked days as an instructor at the cia, that would be the culinary institute of america, not the cia in langley, va. :-o between the two of us we were hard pressed at ties to keep yup with schnitzel production during meal time. because foods that are breaded and in this manner suffer incredibly indignities if prepared in advance of frying, we were only able to pound out and tenderize the veal before hand, and never were we to bread it until it was just going into the pan.

this restaurant sat 70 people at capacity, and we did 2 fully sold out seatings a night, 7 nights a week. with out fail, 140 pax a day, guaranteed. despite knowing that this would happen, rudy forbid use to bread schnitzel until the orders came in. but then, that is one very big reason that we were at capacity 365 nights a year. among all the other great dishes he had on his menu.

besides these great items that we prepared, every guest also had their choice of all they could eat of his fantastic (fresh) authentic rosti potatoes, buttered carrots, green beans almondine, spinach souffle and braised romaine lettuce (a simply elegant side veg).

we served so much food at this place that i had to peel and HAND cut no less than 50 pounds of carrots a day and snap no less than a bushel of string beans, too. and the day before we would steam, and then peel while hot, 100 pounds of potatoes (the linked image is 50 lbs. only) for rosti, but this is why they came in droves from as far away as nyc.

You will need:

• a meat mallet or tenderizing mallet as some call it (use the pebbled side and try to swing it level so as not to hit the meat with the edge only!)
• the meat, as portions as you see fit
• all purpose flour for dredging
• eggs, beaten
• bread crumbs, either traditional (home made or store bought) or the japanese panko crumbs that seem to be all the rage the last few years
• demi-glace, gravy or brown sauce, what ever you have on hand (you could use a cream or supreme sauce too if that is what you like, but it is in no way traditional)
• the garnishes shown in the picture below as well as a starch and veg of choice

How you do it:

1. as always, do the best shopping as you can, and gather everything together.
2. if you have not had the local butcher/grocer prepare your meat or poultry for you then thinly slice your veal or pork into escalopes. if using chicken breast and they are rather large and thick, filet them in to tow pieces each, the same goes for turkey. i like to use a boneless skinless chicken leg and thigh piece (one of my favorite cuts of poultry). this is not so easy to do and you can easily cut yourself trying. so if you wish to use this cut have buy it already prepared like this. (i happen to think that this is the most flavorful choice of them all if veal is off the menu. chicken prepared this way is actually called bachandle.)
3. sandwich the thin pieces between sheets of saran, bakers paper or recycled plastic shopping bags (my favorite). 
4. using a meat tenderizing mallet gently pound the pieces on both sides. if only on one side the pieces will have a tendency to retract back and also cup when they are cooked. if you are using chicken breasts that tend to be thicker at one end, pound that area a bit more. the object is to achieve a nice consistently thin (.05 cm) piece so it will fry quickly and evenly. the meat must be fully cooked when the bread crumbs are or you will not like what you are putting into your mouth, either raw meat, or burnt breading.
5. once the pieces are all pounded spread them out on so that they are all just touching edges. season with salt and pepper and also a bit of powdered mustard. you could also use a good paprika if you want.
6. IMPORTANT: prepare everything else that you will need and set aside to keep warm. the starch, the veggies, the sauce and the garnishes. once you start cooking the meat you will have no time for ANYTHING else.
7. then dredge each piece in the flour. Note: i use a plastic bag for this. it gets the job doe well and doesn't get flour all over the kitchen. eliminates cleaning a bowl and recycles a plastic grocery bag ta-boot.)
8. next wash the floured pieces in the well beaten eggs. if you use a bowl large enough you can get more than a few pieces into the egg at a time, this allows the flour to absorb the egg quite well and thus make the final step of breading a more complete one.
9. i then take a large bowl or pan (or another plastic bag) which i have previously filled with the desired style of bread crumbs and put one piece at a time into the crumbs. i then make certain that the crumbs have fully covered the piece of meat, press the crumbs ever so lightly into the egg wash to make certain it has adhered. and then repeat until all the pieces are breaded. you really do not want to do this any more than 5 or 10 minutes before frying. IMPORTANT NOTE: how you perform the breading is a major part of your success with this dish. 100% coverage is mandatory to avoid any of the oil getting under the breading and making the pieces greasy and soggy, YUCK! if you press to hard on the pieces the breading will not be able to puff up and away from the meat creating a casing rather than a coating. which will all effect the texture, the taste and the appearance of the finished dish.
10. using a heavy bottomed deep pan (not one with a non-stick finish PLEASE), or one of those nifty counter top fryers that are available for home use these days, and the best oil you can buy (typically not olive oil, but you can if you feel you must) is a quick and easy way to prepare this dish. however, the traditional method, and the tastiest method is to use butter ( or butter with a bit of oil added to up the flash point a bit) in a thin bottomed non-stick fry pan.  this second method requires expertise, a fast hand and if you are making more than 1 or 2 portions, a bit of a hassle. but the taste will be oh so much richer.
11. bring whatever shortening you are using up to a temperature that when tested with some loose breadcrumbs tells you that you are hot enough to fry, but not so hot as to burn your food.
12. fry the pieces of meat until they are golden brown, remove them to a wire rack or plate and repeat until all the pieces are done.
13. next put an amount of the sauce onto the plate, place the prepared meat on top of that, and then add whatever else you will be serving with the dish.
14. serve and enjoy!

The Usual Afterthoughts and Pointers: in the photos below you will see 2 versions. classic schnitzel ala holstein is garnished with a sunny side up egg and a slice of lemon topped with anchovy and capers. just sublime. the other picture shows a version i made one night because i just happen to love hollandaise sauce and there was some sitting on the counter in front of me and i could not resist.

no need to put sauce on top, this will ruin the crispy effect. if you like a lot of sauce either put it under the meat or in a side dish for dipping. 

rosti potatoes are perfect with this as is spaetzle. mash would be second choice and i would not be adverse to broad egg noodles either.  carrots is the classic side, but any veg will do. in the photo here i have sauteed the spaetzle noodles in butter with shallots, diced carrots, green peas and chopped parsley.

holstein in the traditional style with a side of veggie spaetzle
ratatouille and mash

fried egg and the lemon, anchovy and caper garnish
heavenly!

here it is with a bit of hollandaise and a strip of 'chovey.

we use a lot of lime in thailand as good lemons are not always available.

the beatles: as far as i am concerned, the greatest band there ever was, bar none ...

a friend sent me a list of links today that were compiled by a guy who is a beatles fan. this fanatic has taken the time and effort to find a video online to every beatles song every released (more or less), 214 titles in all. he has also gone so far as to include historical quotes, lyrics links and trivia about each song. here is the link to his home page, and here is the link to the complete list.

without the beatles, and their incredible talent and diversity, the music scene today would not be what it is. it might be safe to say that not a day goes by when you will not hear one of their songs, whether played by them, as a cover tune by another artist, background for a movie sound track or tv commercial, and even as muzak in an elevator.

i find the "about" for each song to be great. a perfect example is paul's quote about his song i'll follow the sun.

PAUL 1988: "I wrote that in my front parlour in Forthlin Road. I was about 16. There was a few from then-- 'Thinking Of Linking,' ever heard of that one? So 'I'll Follow The Sun' was one of those very early ones. I seem to remember writing it just after I'd had the flu... I remember standing in the parlour looking out through lace curtains of the window and writing that one. We had this hard R&B image in Liverpool, so I think songs like 'I'll Follow The Sun,' ballads like that, got pushed back to later."

right, he wrote that when he was 16 years old.

there is also a beatles radio station for those who want some streaming beatles.

this is another one of the sites where you find yourself still browsing an hour or two later.