Buffalo Chicken Schnitzel

Q.  What do you do when you’re watching the games on Sunday?

I eat! 

I guess like most Americans do when they sit down to watch America’s second favorite sports pastime (I’m still a baseball fan).  And since I’m from Buffalo, home of the spicy wing and the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, I usually eat wings.   

Today, maybe because it’s a new day in the history of my beloved Buffalo Bills, maybe because Orchard Park, NY, home of The Ralph, has now become Pegulaville, perhaps because I just wanted to do something different, I did just that -- I took a chicken schnitzel recipe, from Bon Appetit, which I had used on a few occasions and modified it to make what I call Buffalo Chicken Schnitzel. 

It’s an easy recipe, simple to make, and it’s really delicious, if I do say so myself. Here’s the recipe and some pictures so you can see what yours should look like.  These are pictures I took myself so you can see the steps I took.

Buffalo Chicken Schnitzel

Ingredients:

• 2 4-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in half (butterfly) and pounded to 1/8 inch thickness
• 1 ounce TJ Gallivan’s Buffalo Wide Right seasoning
• Ground Black Pepper
• 1 cup flour
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ounces of TJ Gallivan’s 1-2-3 Heat Cayenne Pepper Sauce
• 2 cups (or more) panko bread crumbs
• 1 TBSP canola oil
• 2 TBSP butter

Method

1. Split the breasts and pound with meat hammer or other implement to get to 1/8 inch thickness.
2. Season chicken breasts with a liberal amount of TJ Gallivan’s Buffalo Wide Right seasoning and black pepper.
3. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for  1 hour 
4. Beat eggs and add the TJ Gallivan’s 1-2-3 heat in a shallow dish.
5. Put flour in a shallow dish to dredge the chicken
6. Put 1 cup of panko and the remaining Buffalo Wide Right in a shallow dish.
7. Working with 1 chicken breast at a time, dredge in flour, coat completely and shake off excess, then dip the chicken breast in the egg/hot sauce mixture, make sure the breast is completely covered; coat the chicken with the panko bread crumbs, pressing the breast in to completely over. Set aside on a plate. Repeat. Add panko as necessary.
8. Heat 1 TBSP oil and 1 TBSP butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remember the no-stick hint, “hot pan, cold oil.” Pan should be large enough to hold the 4 pieces of chicken.
9. Add the breasts to the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, which is about 2-3 minutes on each side.
10. Serve with lemon wedges and parsley as garnish, with portions of bleu cheese and hot sauce.

The products used here are available if you’d like to use them to start your own food business, or in your restaurant, as well. If you have your own products and you want to market then, please let us help you with the approval process of going from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace.

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

The Responders

One of my high school friends, Peter Kaczorowski, had won the Tony Award for lighting design for The Producers, which was THE hottest show on the great white way. My wife and I got tickets for our weekend anniversary in mid-September for another show he had worked on. It was to be my first trip to the city ever. We were really looking forward to it.

Then IT happened. We thought about not going on our vacation in the days that followed. Then one day Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared on TV imploring people to please keep visiting the city. So we went - 10 days after.

It wasn't like it was, as I had imagined, nor was it like anything we had encountered in subsequent years. There were no jets flying overhead. There wasn't a lot of tourist traffic and the air had a certain smell and feel to it, not unlike, I would imagine, that of a war zone after the smoke had cleared.

I spent my Friday night, September 21, 2001, standing in line for about 4 hours just to see if I could get tickets to the hottest show in town.  At about 5 minutes before the curtain was to open, I was at the front of the line, losing hope that I’d get those tickets.  A lady came up to the front door and said, “Oh…Nathan Lane’s not performing tonight…”  Then she approached me and sold those 4th row tickets to me at face value.

It was a time of great generosity in The Big Apple.

We were at a diner and there was hardly anyone in the diner except for us and a table of 6 or 8 of the responders in this usually jam packed eatery near Times Square. They looked pretty weary, like they had worked 24/7 which they probably nearly had. We called the waiter over and offered to pay for their meal.

The offer was refused. He simply said, "those guys eat for free here."

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Wing Sauce and Other Buffalo Stuff

Q.  Wicked Wilson’s Wing Sauce?  That sounds interesting and it sounds like there’s a story.  Please tell me about it.

I grew up in Buffalo and enjoyed the traditional wings served by its originators and others in my hometown.  I had always searched for the perfect wing sauce - not too hot, not too bland, not too much vinegar or butter, and with a bit of sweetness and a savory flavor – without much success. 

My friend, Wilson, and I derived this recipe by trading/combining our own recipes and making a batch each Sunday as we sat down to watch our beloved Buffalo Bills play.  We sampled each others’ wares (with the requisite celery and bleu cheese dressing), then cooling our palettes with an ice cold beer.  We then documented our recipe changes and shared those changes.  The next week it was the next guy’s turn.  Finally after much trial and error, we each thought that we had perfected it through our combined efforts.  Our friends and families agreed.

As Professor Higgins would say, “I think you’ve got it.”

In manufacturing though, it’s a much different process.  Not only do you have to make sure that the taste is correct, you have to make sure that the ingredients are fairly inexpensive when you mass produce it. Not only is your formula repeatable, it’s also scalable.  Usually, one would have to start with a reputable, award winning, hot sauce.  That’s exactly what I did, too, by using our very own 1-2-3 Heat Cayenne Pepper Sauce as our base and adding the other ingredients that Wilson and I agreed upon.

We interrupt this blog to bring you the breaking news that Terry and Kim Pegula have been approved to become the next and second owner of the Buffalo Bills!  I think that this is fabulous and my understanding is that Kim (the Western New Yorker) will become the chief decision maker.  With what the heck has been going on with the NFL with its ambivalence to the domestic violence issue and its problem with driving women away from its fan base in droves, perhaps it’s time to have a woman as the next Face of the Buffalo Bills. 

This new product is part of our exciting line of An Assorted Array of Bold Flavors, which is available for your own private labeled brand.  You, too, can become a food entrepreneur today!  Don’t be shy.  Ask me how we can help make this happen for you, by filling out this form.

This is just one of many products that are available if you’d like to use them in your restaurant, as well. If you have your own amazing wing sauce, perhaps you should consider letting us help you with the approval process of going from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace.

By the way, we Buffalonians believe that the term Buffalo Wings is redundant!

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Angry Italians

Considering that, along with TJ Gallivan himself, yours truly will be likely writing this blog for the long haul, I figure it's time I introduce myself. I'm Joel Durham Jr, a half-Italian guy with a Jewish first name and an English surname. I mention the nationalities to assure you that, although my name doesn't sound very Mediterranean, my mom's side of the family is full of surnames like Bianchi, Cocuzzi, Corleone, Ferrari, and such. My late grandma Bianchi made the finest pasta sauce on the planet. It was smooth, tangy, and delicious!

I learned from Mr. Gallivan, however, that pasta sauces can be as angry as the famous Italian temper. In fact, TJ Gallivan's Arrabbiata pasta sauce has a startling, and then oh-so-satisfying, kick of spice that you wouldn't normally associate with such sauces. Arrabbiata is the Italian word for angry, but don't fear the TJ Gallivan's sauce - while undeniably spicy, it's as full of well-balanced flavors as the other two pasta sauces under the banner.

But why "Angry?" Of all the words to describe a bold sauce, why that?

Well, Italian folks are sometimes known for their tempers. I can attest to that because I witnessed it sometimes, when the unwieldy large family would get together.

Italian men have this amazing ability to blow off steam with some of what other people might consider a brutal throw-down, complete with fisticuffs and some seriously choice language. It's nothing to the two or so guys involved. They get mad, argue, shout, rough each other up a little, forget what they were angry about, laugh it off, and make up over a pasta meal. The guys are fine. It's the women you want to worry about.

Kidding, Mom!

Regardless of the arguments, everyone's usually happy when dinner's served. Whether it's my grandma's sauce flavoring up the pasta, meatballs, manicotti, ravioli, tortellini, or what have you, or whether it's TJ Gallivan's Arrabbiata pasta sauce, all the riled nerves around the table are sure to be soothed. It's the taste buds that TJ Gallivan's Arrabbiata sauce excites!

(Oh, and full disclosure: I was kidding, I'm not really a Corleone.)

Don’t forget that we can help you do what TJ did and that is to manufacture your very own homemade delicacy, whether it’s a condiment, dressing, marinade, sauce, or salsa, let foodproductlaunch.com help you with the process of going from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace.

Joel

Seasonings and Rubs Recipes Part 3 – Buffalo Wide Right

Q.  How did you come up with the name Buffalo Wide Right?

Well, I’m originally from Buffalo New York and I am a long-suffering Buffalo Bills fan.  We had a very successful run in the 1990s – going to the Super Bowl four consecutive times, but winning none.   The first one (Super Bowl XXV) was the best one and the most painful, because we lost in the last seconds when our kicker, Scott Norwood, missed a field goal to the right.  Now, whenever you mention Wide Right to a Buffalonian they think of that dreadful loss.  Hopefully between our Buffalo Wide Right seasoning and my friend’s classic rock band, Wide Right, we can change that feeling of dread whenever we hear that term.

Buffalo Wide Right is a spicy and delicious blend of hot peppers and butter flavor which make this a great rub for chicken wings. You can sprinkle it on the wings after they’re cooked for a mouthwatering feast on any given Sunday. Ask your tailgating guests  if they want their wings wet or dry! One thing to note – in Buffalo they’re called Wings because calling them Buffalo Wings is considered redundant. The next time you visit the Buffalo area be sure to stop by the Anchor Bar, where this taste treat originated.

Here is another recipe for your collection. 

Yummy Turkey Burgers!
 
Ingredients:
· 1 1/3 lb ground turkey
· 1 tbsp mayonnaise
· 1/2 tbsp mustard,
· 1/2 tbsp TJ Gallivan's Wide Right rub.

Method:
1. Mix well, make into patties.
2. Cook for 7 minutes each side.
3. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
4. Serve with lettuce and pickles and an iced cold Molson’s Golden.

This is just one of many seasonings that are available for your own private label if you’d like to use them in your restaurant, if you have your own food business or store or even if you’d like to start your own food business.  We’re here to help you in any way we can in your food endeavor.

Don’t forget that we’re also available to help you get your food product through the approval process so that you can go from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace.

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Take the Red Pill

You know the scenario. You reach into the cupboard for some pasta sauce to go on your penne. The options aren't numerous.

Source: Warner

There's the jar of that big-name brand, maybe it begins with a R or a P or something. How did you end up with that syrupy mess? Oh yeah, your mother-in-law gave it to you, because heaven forbid it should go to waste or something. Then there's the one you've never heard of, that office gift. TJ Gallivan's La Matrice pasta sauce. Looks like one of those fancy, expensive ones.

Now it's time to decide. Of course, you remember the scene in the 1999 film The Matrix, the one in which Morpheus offers a bewildered Neo two pills from which to choose. The blue pill is the safe alternative, and had Neo taken it he would have gone home and forgotten all about the cyberpunk shadow world. The red pill, however, shows him the real way: The way out of the dream world the robots built to fool him, the way to the truth of what can be accomplished.

Culinary Heaven

In our scenario, the sugary, goopy sauce from the leading brand is the blue pill. It's safe, you know what it tastes like (sweetener), it's somewhat satisfying, and will aid the pasta in filling your belly. You'll go to bed, wake up in the same world, and nothing will have changed or, most certainly, have altered your perception of one of your senses.

La Matrice pasta sauce from TJ Gallivan's is the red pill. La Matrice is Italian for The Matrix. This spectacular pasta sauce will excite your tastebuds and give you a rush of bold, interesting, and balanced flavors that may even challenge your notion of what a pasta sauce can be. It's traditional, yet, it's not. There's something more, something that elevates it well above the droves of jarred sauces on the supermarket shelves. Exploding with peppers and onions, La Matrice pasta sauce is aeromatic and delightful, with a gentle kick of spice for good measure.

TJ Gallivan's La Matrice pasta sauce is the obvious choice. Unless, that is, you have a better recipe. If you do, we'd like to help you take it to market. Get in touch with FoodProductLaunch.com.

In the mean time, trust us: take the red pill.

Seasonings and Rubs – Recipes Part 2 Seattle Bacon Hickory

Here is another recipe from our Seasonings and Rubs collection. 

It’s a really easy one and it’s one of our favorites – grilled porterhouse steak with bacon!  Yum.

This one is for our Seattle Bacon Hickory seasoning.  I had to show off our new label design and label material.  Thanks to our resident graphics person and to Quick Label Systems for their beautiful print and blank labels, we now have an awesome looking label (compare the one on the right to the one on the left) to go along with our great product line.

Seattle Bacon Hickory – The exquisite combination of bacon and hickory make this rub a favorite on all cuts of pork. Use this rub generously on beef or pork ribs 24 hours before cooking and they will be fallin’ off the bone delicious.

Bacon Wrapped Porterhouse Steak
Ingredients:
- 2.5 pound porterhouse steak
- 2 slices of bacon
- 1 ounce of TJ Gallivan’s Seattle Bacon Hickory Rub
- Toothpicks

Method
1. Wrap the bacon around the steak and secure with toothpicks
2. Slather rub on both sides of the steak, wrap it in plastic wrap and let sit for an hour (you should do this to get the steak to room temperature)
3. Cook to Perfection

Of course this is not the only way to cook a steak to perfection.  I’m sure you know more than I do what you like best! 

Please remember that we enjoy helping you go from your Kitchen to the Marketplace – contact us if you want help in doing so.  Also, we offer these rubs and seasonings as part of our line of private label products.  Contact me for more information. 

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

 

 

Seasonings and Rubs – Recipes Part I – St. Louis Steak

Q.  Thanks for describing the rubs and seasonings that you have to offer.  Would you have any recipes you’d like to share? 

Would I?  Would I?

I sure would. How about if I post one recipe per blog? And if my readers would want to share any that they use with the same rub, that would be awesome.

First up – St. Louis Steak Seasoning, which is a mouth-watering blend of seasonings with a hint of mesquite that enhances each and every steak you grill.  It can also be used on thick juicy pork chops or tuna steaks.

Flank Steak

Try this recipe on any of these cuts of meat - chuck steak, flank steak or London Broil. The key is the marinade. Let it sit for at least 8 hours, preferable overnight. It’s like the German Sauerbraten (German sour roast) that can be prepared with a variety of meat.  The difference being the marinade and the length of time for the marinade.

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 pound Flank Steak
• Marinade consisting of:
  • 1 ounce of TJ Gallivan’s St. Louis Steak Seasoning
  • ¾ cup cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl mix together the seasoning, vinegar and water.
2. Add oil and mix well.
3. Put steak in a large (gallon size) ziplock bag. Pour marinade over the steak.
4. Refrigerate and let marinade overnight (or at least 8 hours)
5. Grill on low temperature (between 200 and 250) for at least an hour or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
6. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice with the grain and on a slight angle.
7. For gravy - strain the marinade into a sauce pan, heat and add a smooth blend of corn starch and warm water, stirring constantly.  Heat to desired thickness.

Serve with mashed potatoes, cooked carrots and caramelized onions.  This is the very definition of comfort food.

Not only do we help you go from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace, we can enhance your food product line by offering you the best in private label products, including rubs and seasonings, sauces, marinades, condiments, dressings and salsas.

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Rubs and Seasonings

Q.  I see from your website that you have some rubs and seasonings.  They look really good.  Would you please let us know more about them? 

They are pretty good if I do say so myself! 

We currently have 12 different rubs and seasonings.  Some were designed for specific foods and others are for general use. 

In general a spice rub is any mixture of spices that is made for the purpose of being rubbed on raw food before the food is cooked. The food can be marinated in the spice rub for some time for the flavors to incorporate into the food or it can be cooked immediately. The spices are usually coarsely ground. In addition to spices, salt and sugar may be added to the rub, the salt for flavor and the sugar for caramelization.

Cooking with rubs is almost always done using a dry heat method of cooking where almost no water based liquid is used in cooking – in other words…grilling.

Here’s a listing of the rubs available and the general use for them.

Austin Lil Butt Mesquite – This Texas style blend of garlic, onion, and mesquite oil makes all of your grilled food taste as big as the great state. Texans like it on ribs or brisket. Vegans like it on zucchini. One of our best sellers.

Blackened Louisiana – A classic rub straight out of the bayous of Louisiana. If you want a different tasting spice that will make you feel like you’re eating in the French Quarter this is for you. Great on fish and shrimp.

Buffalo Wide Right – This spicy and delicious blend of hot peppers and butter flavor make this a great rub for chicken wings. Ask your guests if they want their wings wet or dry!

Cayuga Falls Chicken – A mouthwatering combination of citrus and savory. A blend designed especially for grilling chicken.  Add to olive oil and brush on before putting the chicken on grill.

Florida Orange Habanero – A spicy, citrus blend of deliciousness makes this seasoning a favorite for all fish and veggies. It adds an incredible zest when used on seafood. Watch out for the habanero kick! It’s great on shrimp.

Kingston Jamaica Jerk - Island heat and spices blend with the famous traditional Carribean flavors. Apply liberally to chicken, fish or shellfish. The only blend you need for all your jerking, Mon.

Portland Buttered Apple – Sweet butter and sweet apple reminiscent of a clear and crisp autumn day. This rub is excellent on tenderloin and spectacular on a slice of Vidalia onion on the grill.

Sarasota Seafood Seasoning - A taste of the ocean or the bay.  This savory blend of pungent spices is reminiscent of spending the day on the boat with the wind and spray on your face. This rub is excellent on crabs and lobster or your favorite choice of seafood.

Seattle Bacon Hickory – The exquisite combination of bacon and hickory make this rub a favorite on all cuts of pork. Use this rub generously on beef or pork ribs 24 hours before cooking and they will be fallin’ off the bone delicious.

St. Louis Steak Seasoning – A mouth-watering blend of seasonings with a hint of mesquite enhances the taste of each and every steak you grill. It can also be used on thick juicy pork chops or tuna steaks.

St. Paul Sweet on Fire – A perfect blend of a little bit sweet and a little bit hot. Another excellent blend for fish or chicken. Brush or spray a little olive oil on asparagus, sprinkle the rub on and grill it. You’ll love it.

Wildcat Bourbon – This blend of bourbon, molasses, coffee, and chili peppers, make this one of our most popular blends. It’s great on pork, steaks and especially on chicken wings. Try it on grilled veggies or your morning home fries.

We know that if you try ‘em, you’ll like ‘em.  Please make sure to use your favorite wet sauce as a complement to them and if you need help in going from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace, just contact us.  We do everything in research and development to get you going!

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Dare We Say: Just as Good as Grandma's Sauce?

Ask any good, properly raised Italian about his or her favorite pasta sauce, and the answer will almost certainly be either one of two things: Mama’s, or Grandma’s. At least, that’s what the answer should be. If it’s not, let us know and we’ll call Mama or Grandma and tattle.

Then ask about store-bought, jarred sauces. At best, he or she will laugh in your face, and at worst you may be in for an ugly encounter for even daring to suggest a commercial sauce is comparable to a lovingly crafted, homemade sauce. Unless, that is, he or she has experienced TJ Gallivan’s Tradizionale Pasta Sauce.

It’s really that good.

TJ Gallivan's Tradizionale Pasta Sauce

This isn’t food designed by an industrial think tank to maximize profits by selling a gazillion jars of mediocre disappointment. Crafted in a real kitchen, just like yours, TJ Gallivan’s Tradizionale Pasta Sauce (one of TJ Gallivan’s Private Label Products) is a tomato-based delight, built upon a homemade recipe full of bold and exciting flavors that perfectly complement each other. The word “tradizionale” is Italian for “traditional,” and TJ Gallivan’s Tradizionale Pasta Sauce is traditional partly in the sense that any chef, budding or experienced, would be proud to be able to take credit for it.

The sauce itself is thick, tangy and satisfying, not overly sweet like the those cheap sauces that populate the most real estate on the grocery store shelves. Those other sauces cover up their mediocrity with sugar (or, more likely, high fructose corn syrup), but TJ Gallivan’s Tradizionale Pasta Sauce imparts a smooth flavor that belies the delicate balance of herbs and spices, which in turn makes it stand out from the crowd. Mr. Gallivan himself developed the recipe from scratch over years of testing; he sent jars to friends and family, listened closely to honest feedback, tweaked the recipe, and tried again. And again, and again, until he’d finally developed a homemade sauce that pleased all the people, all the time. It can be done!

In fact, maybe you’ve already done it. Maybe you’re well on your way. If you have a recipe you think could be a success, FoodProductLaunch.com is here to help you on your way. Whether you would prefer assistance with every step through Food Product Launch’s Full Service R&D, or just need some of its Ala Carte Services, FoodProductLaunch.com can guide you and your recipe from your kitchen to supermarket shelves. Feel free to contact the experts whenever you're ready to take your cooking to the next level!


© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.