…from the CaliforniaHow you doin’? I took stock of my published recipes this morning and discovered that I have yet to include off some of the easiest and most delicious fish and seafood recipes. Many home meal providers are somewhat apprehensive about cooking fish. This is one of my very favorite seafood dishes… it’s easy, delicious and won’t leave an unpleasant aroma in the kitchen/house. In Fanny’s Fish Market, one of my restaurants, Miso-Glazed Black Cod was one of the most requested menu items. Even people who don’t usually eat fish, can’t resist the taste and texture. It just takes a few minutes to make the sauce, and after a little application of the sauce and a short wait, you’ll be broiling up dinner. Serve atop a small mound of jasmine rice or a wafer thin sautéed fennel slices and a side of grilled asparagus. Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Additional time: 15 minutes Yield: 2 servings Ingredients 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (for the pan) 3 tablespoons white miso paste 2 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweet wine) 3 tablespoons sake 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 (7 ounce) black cod fillets Directions
ChefSecret: You don’t have to cook both sides of the fish. Just let the heat penetrate from the top. This makes for a nicely textured caramelized top and a super juicy interior. Cooking times will vary, but simply broil the fish until the bones pull out with no effort, and the meat flakes. Quip of the Day: “Some go to church and think about fishing, others go fishing and think about God.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide . ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. #Entrees #Dinner #BlackCod #MisoGlazedBlackCod #JapaneseFish #Fish #Mirin #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022
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…from the California Happy Hour BarHow you doin’? When you travel to Ukraine it isn’t like any place in the United States. A few years ago, Joan and I were working on a project in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It was an independent country then and were involved in their elections process. Sadly, as I write this Russian troops are poised take over the county. One of the memories of that trip was how well Ukrainians can hold their liquor—they love to drink to celebrate. They celebrate the rising of the sun, a full moon, when the clock strikes any hour… you get the idea… any moment of the day is cause for celebration. Our client introduced us to horilka (Ukrainian vodka) at an Azerbaijan restaurant featuring folk music and a 50-year-old belly dancer for entertainment and lots and lots of food. Eldar (our client) loved his horilka served from a block of ice with a beer chaser. Most Ukrainians will tell you, when you start to drink horilka don’t mix it with anything else. I’m here to tell you it was one of the strongest vodka-like liquors I’ve ever had. Ukrainian tradition has produced various derivatives of horilka. Some of these are available as commercial products, but most are typically homemade. This includes various kinds of fruit infused liquor. Fruit-flavored horilkas are dangerous as they are inconsistent in alcohol content and can really creep on up you. Most of these preparations are aged with fruit for several weeks or months, then strained or decanted. Some recipes call for the jars to be placed on the rooftop, for maximum bleaching and steeping by the sun. Many include the addition of homemade syrup for a stronger liqueur, others yield a very dry, clear spirit. Some involve the fermentation of fruit as well as addition of horilka. There are even preparations which are baked in an oven, in a pot sealed with bread dough and are called zapikanka, varenukha or palynka. My recipe for this White Ukrainian Cocktail uses Ukrainian horilka, but if you can’t find it at your local liquor store you can just use inexpensive American vodka. It uses a lot of other ingredients including milk (to sort of pad your stomach). Today, nearly all industrially produced horilka is 40 percent (80 proof). Try this concoction on a night when you are not driving. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 2 cocktails Ingredients 1 ounce of Ukrainian horilka (vodka) 1 ounce of Kahlua coffee liqueur 1 ounce of Malibu coconut rum 1 ounce of Bailey's Irish Cream 1 ounce of Frangelico hazelnut liqueur or 1 ounce of amaretto almond liqueur 6-10 ounces of milk Directions
ChefSecret: Straight Horilka plays a role in traditional weddings in Ukraine. Quip of the Day: Overheard from the bride’s father. “Bring us a lot of horilka, but not any of that fancy kind with raisins or with any other such things—bring us horilka of the purest kind. Give us that demon drink that makes us merry, playful and wild!” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. #Cocktail #HappyHour #UkranianWhiteCocktail #Horilka #Vodka #Kahlua #MalibuCoconutRum #BaileysIrishCream #Frangelico #Cheers #2022 #Cheers# QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022 Joan’s Healthy Recipes How you doin’? Ukraine has been in the news lately, and I thought Ukraine might be of interest to our readers because of its importance to agriculture and food in general. Ukraine is the second-largest country in Eastern Europe, after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine also shares borders with Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the south; and has a coastline along the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Ukraine is often referred to as the “breadbasket of Europe” because of how much the Ukrainian people value wheat and grain, a staple in Ukrainian cuisine due to their historical relationship with it. Most original Ukrainian dishes are popular in Russia and other Eastern European countries (with some changes in ingredients from country-to-county). Many of these Ukrainian foods are even enjoyed in English-speaking countries, as well. Traditional Ukrainian dishes are derived from ancient peasant meals that made use of plentiful grain resources such as rye, as well as essential vegetables such as potatoes, cabbages, mushrooms, and beetroot. The cuisine is also heavily influenced by the rich dark fertile soil in which many ingredients are grown. Because of the changes to borders, many of these dishes incorporate both Slavic and Eastern European influences as a result of years of foreign occupation, enslavement and jurisdiction. Ukrainian Holubtsi, or stuffed cabbage leaves, are the perfect warm comfort food for a chilly day. Traditional stuffed cabbage mixes pork and beef with barberries, giving the dish a complex sour note. If barberries are hard to find, you can substitute cranberries, currants or raisins soaked in lemon juice. Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes Yield: 4 servings Calories: 321 kcal Ingredients 12 to 14 large savoy cabbage leaves (from 1 large Savoy cabbage; use the inner smaller leaves for coleslaw) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup finely diced yellow onion, divided 3/4 cup peeled and finely grated carrot 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1 can chopped tomatoes (14-1/2-ounce can, undrained) 1-2/3 cups water 2 bay leaves 1-1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste 8 ounces ground beef 8 ounces ground pork 1/4 cup barberries (optional) 1/4 cup parboiled white long-grain rice (cooked for only about 5 minutes) 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill Sour cream, for topping Sliced grilled sourdough bread, for serving Directions
ChefSecret: European barberries have a tart flavor, like cranberries, while barberries from North America are sweeter. Barberries contain several beneficial compounds, most notably berberine, which acts as an antioxidant and may help to manage conditions like diabetes, fight dental infections, and treat acne. Barberries can be purchased at Whole Foods or Amazon online. Quip of the Day: “A Ukrainian proverb: A stupid Russian gives straw to his dog and bones to his horse.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. #Entrees #Lunch #Dinner #Ukraine #Holubtsi #CabbageRolls #SavoyCabbage #Beef #Pork #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022 |
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