How you doin’? Πως είσαι'? I bet you never knew my Greek was so good—I’m multi-lingual. In Greece the salad is called “Horiatiki,” which translates to village or peasant salad. It’s a combination of tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, green peppers, olives and feta cheese, dressed in olive oil and sprinkled with oregano. Let me tell you a little bit about traditional Greek salads. The Greek isles have been conquered by many people and Greek salads are no different. Greek salads did not reach world popularity until the end of the 19th century when the tomato became popular in Greece. There is no lettuce or any other leafy greens in a traditional Greek salad. The salad is never mixed before it is served. The feta cheese is never cut in cubes but rather large slices are placed on top of the salad. In Greece, Horiatiki, is served most often from early spring to the early part of fall when the season’s quality produce including juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and onions are at their peak. What goes best with a Greek Salad? Grilled ribeye steak with sautéed onions and mushrooms, loaded baked potato, cheesy broccoli and a horseradish cream sauce is delicious with this salad. Grilled shrimp and peppers are delicious on salad. Grilled steak over this salad is also delicious! Prep time: 20 minutes Yield: 4 servings Ingredients For the Greek salad dressing 1-1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (1 large clove) 1 1/2 tablespoon finely minced fresh parsley 1 teaspoon dried oregano 3/4 teaspoon honey Sea Salt, to taste 6 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil For the salad 4 medium Roma tomatoes, diced 1 medium English cucumber, peeled and sliced into circles 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced shreds, rinsed and drained 1 small red or yellow bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped 3/4 cup kalamata or black olives, drained and sliced 1 cup (4 ounces) sliced (not cubed or crumbled) feta cheese 1 medium firm avocado, diced 1 loaf warm crusty bread (Optional: omit if gluten-free is desired) Directions To make the dressing
ChefSecret: Add the olive oil as the last step in making any salad dressing or marinade giving the rest of the ingredients a chance bloom for full flavor. Consider adding slice grilled ribeye, grilled chicken breast or grilled shrimp as a topper to your Greek Salad. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Wash your hands like you just finished a bag of hot Cheetos con limón and you need to remove your contact lenses.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are also being 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—that’s the American way. If you have a little extra in your pocket to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Entree #Salad #EntreeSalad #GreekSalad #Tomatoes #Horiatiki #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020
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How you doin’? Three of my favorite pork roast recipes are carnitas, kalua pork and pork belly. The best pork belly I ever tasted—until now—was at Tom Colicchio’s Craft Restaurant in Century City, where the meat is unctuously delicious and the skin is so snappy crisp. I saw rolled pork belly roasts in the display case at Huntington Meats at the Los Angeles Original Farmer’s Market last week. I didn’t really know how I was going to cook it, but I did know I wanted to duplicate that Colicchio pork belly taste and texture. I found some recipes for Lechon Roll slow roasted in the oven with super crispy skin and super moist meat. So, I knew I didn’t have to order a whole pig cooked in an imu pit to get my kalua pork and I didn’t have to boil a pork roast in lard and Coca Cola to make it moist like carnitas. I decided that none of the recipes I researched were going to give me exactly what I wanted so I went off on my own and created my own rolled pork belly roll roast recipe. I always try to provide somewhat decent pictures of my finished work at its best, but in this case, I didn’t have a chance. It smelled so good, it was dinner time and I had hungry people waiting to, so what you see is that all that was left—an end piece and lots of string. I know you would understand. Prep time: 15 minutes Roast time: 4 hours Chill time: 24 to 48 hours Crisp time: 30 to 45 minutes Ingredients 1 (4 to 5 pounds) tied whole pork belly, skin-on without ribs 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon freshly-ground black pepper 1 tablespoon sweet paprika 1 tablespoon garlic powder Instructions
ChefSecret: By triple wrapping the roast it allows the meat to roast until very tender, while the skin and fat are rendering free of most fat. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “The government doctors said, ‘a mask and gloves were enough to go to the supermarket.’ They lied; can you imagine how embarrassed I was when everyone else was wearing clothes?” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? 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—that’s the American way. If you have a little extra in your pocket to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Entree #PorkBelly #RoastedPorkBelly #LechonRoll #Pork #TomColicchio #CraftRestaurant #HuntingtonMeats #OriginalFarmersMarket #FarmersMarketLA #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020 How you doin’? Every time I think of King Ranch Chicken (KRC), it reminds me of an old TV series, Sky King. That series sparked my fascination with planes, leading to my learning to fly. I would dream of having my own Twin King Air, flying through the clouds to my ranch in Texas, Oklahoma or Montana. It was a child’s wonderful dream and it came true!... not with a King Air but an Aero Commander years later. The fact is I never felt freer than when I was piloting my own plane up in the wild blue yonder. Cute story. Of course, King Ranch Chicken has nothing to do the with Sky King. It’s just one of those associations in my mind. KRC is a classic American casserole that many remember as one of the best meals from their childhood. It’s chicken and peppers layered with tortillas and cheese—lots of cheese. Although the exact origin of King Ranch Chicken is somewhat of a mystery, one thing is certain, whoever created this American classic had a pretty good idea of what they were doing. It is made with readily available ingredients and is a fantastic way to use leftover chicken. It consists of layers of smoked, grilled or roasted chicken, roasted or grilled peppers, and toasted corn tortillas, all smothered in cheese and sour cream, then baked until bubbly and golden brown. It’s an easy, make-ahead, take-it-anywhere type of casserole. Some people use a concentrated canned soup as a base in their recipe, which very well may be the original—I don’t. My King Ranch Chicken is from scratch and is much healthier and fresher tasting. It takes me only 35 minutes for all the cutting and sautéing, 10 minutes for assembly and about 30 to 35 minutes in the oven (while I enjoy a couple of fingers of Bourbon and Branch—that’s a cocktail in “western speak”). A little effort, but worth it. It’s the type of meal that your stomach tells you to stop eating, while your brain keeps telling you to go back for seconds. Prep time: 35 minutes Assembly time: 10 minutes Bake time: 30 to 35 minutes Yield: Serves 8 to 12 Ingredients A couple of spritzes of Pam non-stick cooking spray 6 tablespoons unsalted butter or vegetable oil 1-1/2 cups chopped red or yellow onions 1 cup chopped red bell pepper 1 cup chopped poblano pepper (about 2 medium peppers) 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, seamed and chopped 3 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1-3/4 cups chicken stock 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained (Ro-tel is great) 1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish 1-1/2 cups sour cream 5 cups cooked chicken meat, coarsely chopped or shredded 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 18 (6-inch) corn tortillas 1/4 cup vegetable oil, for grilling the tortillas Directions
ChefSecret: One of the best things about casseroles (aside from their yummy taste) is that you can just slide the baking dish into the oven and forget about it while it cooks—no tending required. The preparation must be done before you get to that point of just effortlessly sliding it into the oven, and my King Ranch Chicken recipe is no exception. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Half of us going to come out of this pandemic as amazing cooks. The other half will come out overweight with drinking problem.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? 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—that’s the American way. If you have a little extra in your pocket to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Entree #Casserole #KingRanchChicken #Chicken #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, Inc. 2020 COUNTY FAIR WEEK: HAPPY HOUR Before we get to celebrating Happy Hour... a few thoughts on the importance of this day, September 11th. This day has very personal meaning to me. I left New York on a flight to Las Vegas on September 10th. I had been staying at the Millennium Hotel across the street from the World Trade Center during my visit. I had a drink with a client at Windows on the World just days before. Then, in just a few minutes, happy memories turned to fear, sadness and rage. I often think about the people who lost their lives in New York City, Shanksville, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon, and the many first responders who tried to come to their aid and were also lost in the conflagration (over 350 firemen, nearly 60 policeman and Port Authority Officers). We can never forget about the nearly 3,000 innocent people who lost their lives when the buildings fell, or in desperation jumped from the upper floors that were engulfed in flames. I think about the 40 people on American Airlines flight 93 who prevented the radical savages who had overtaken the flight crew on their way to destroy our nation’s Capitol. It is something I can never forget or ever forgive. I look at some of our young people today who are destroying our great cities—Portland, Seattle, NYC, Chicago and Los Angeles—many who may not have even been alive or are today old enough to remember what our nation went through on 9/11. I often replay in my mind watching the day unfold on my hotel television in Las Vegas. One thing I know for sure, the events of that day proved it didn’t make any difference what color you were, what religion you believed in, what your job was, who you loved, how much money you had or how much you owed—we were all Americans who, on that day and for a few weeks that followed, deeply cared for one another. Wouldn’t it be nice if, as Americans, all we could support one another with respect and affection? To all those who lost love ones (mothers, fathers, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, coworkers and friends) we will never forget them and all you have been through. May God bless us all and may God bless the United States of America. ~ Ed Engoron How you doin’? I want to share with you a drink that can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. The adult version of this beverage has a little added vodka to make it a real Happy Hour treat. Warning: Do not allow children to drink the adult version Orange Julius. I want to take a few minutes to tell you a little history of an American icon in the food space—Orange Julius. Did you know that Orange Julius was the signature beverage at the 1964 New York World’s Fair? Some of you younger folks out there probably didn’t know that Orange Julius has been an American chain of fruit drink beverage stores since the late 1920s. The beverage is a mixture of ice, orange juice, sweetener, milk, powdered egg whites and vanilla flavoring, similar to a morir soñando (see Ed’s Note below) or orange Creamsicle. The drink became popular after being introduced at an orange juice stand opened in Los Angeles, California in 1926 by Julius Freed. Sales were initially modest, about $20 a day (equivalent to approximately $290 in 2019 dollars)—not bad for the middle of the great depression. In 1929, Bill Hamlin, Freed's friend and real estate broker, developed a mixture that made the acidic orange juice less bothersome to his stomach. Freed's stand began serving the drink, which had a frothier, creamier texture. The sales at the stand increased substantially after the introduction of the new drink, going up to $100 a day—it was a devil of a drink. During the 1950s and 1960s, Orange Julius drinks were sold at a variety of outlets, including state and county fairs and freestanding and co-branded Orange Julius stands. It now has hundreds of stores in malls across America and Canada, in Singapore, Puerto Rico, South Korea, the Philippines and Japan. In 1987, the Orange Julius chain was bought by International Dairy Queen—a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway (yes, Warren Buffett) which owns the rights to all Orange Julius stores. For a short time, Orange Julius was offered at many of its Dairy Queen stores—it no longer is. When you think about it, the icy-cold texture of an Orange Julius regulates how fast you drink it. If you’re feeling relaxed with some sweet summer vibes—slowly sipping on some OJ is like a wonderful soft stroll along the beach. Try to shotgun the stuff though, and it’s going give you “brain freeze.” An Orange Julius hack takes just a minute or so to make and is a favorite treat for many families! So, here’s what I like to do… I like to make the copycat Orange Julius, following the recipe below and then “goose-it-up” a bit with a 1-1/2-ounces of vodka which makes an adult happy hour treat. Prep time 2 minutes Yield: 2 servings (one for you and one for your favorite friend—everyone loves an Orange Julius). Ingredients 6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate (don’t use plain orange juice) 1 cup milk 1 cup water 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon powdered egg whites (optional—it makes it foamier) 1-1/2 ounces of vodka (for adults only) 1 cup ice cubes Directions
ChefSecret: If you want this to be a drink treat for the whole family, omit the shot of vodka. Ed’s Note: Morir soñando (To die dreaming) is a popular beverage of the Dominican Republic which has made its way to other Caribbean and Latin American countries, usually made of orange juice, milk, cane sugar, and chopped ice. Sometimes vanilla extract is also added, or evaporated milk is used instead of regular milk. The recipe varies greatly depending on the region and family heritage. Observers have described the drink as resembling an orange Creamsicle or the Orange Julius of the Caribbean. ------------------------------------------- Covid-19 quip of the day: “Another Friday night in the house and I just realized, even the trash goes out more than I do.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? 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. If you have a little extra in your pocket to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #VodkaOrangeJulius #Creamsicle #BerkshireHathaway #DairyQueen #Vodka #Cocktails #HappyHour #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, Inc. 2020 County Fair Week How you doin’? At of all the things I miss most about not going to restaurant is the fried food. I love fried chicken and French fries and fish and chips and that’s why I love going to county fairs. At the Los Angeles Country Fair and county and state fairs across the country, fried is king! No kidding, if it walks salute it, and if it doesn’t fry it. Aside from the Corn Dog recipe from earlier in the week, there’s fried green tomatoes, fried pickles, fried chicken, fried pizza, fried ice cream and yes, I even seen fried escargot (French snails) and so much more. It seems concessionaires try to outdo themselves finding new things to fry every year. A couple of years ago I found a concessionaire deep frying bacon. I mean, really that’s like deep frying butter. Oh, wait a minute, there was actually deep-fried butter at the fair, too, so why not batter dipped Chicken-Fried Bacon? When I was frying the bacon up in the test kitchen one of my associates said that it would also make a fantastic bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. Just when I thought a BLT couldn’t be any better, BOOM! It’s also a great brunch treat and can easily be used as a topper for a hamburger (at the fair or not) and in a new-fangled breakfast egg and bacon biscuit. Once you add the gravy it is an essential southern treat and the uses are seemingly endless. Batten down the hatches (or something like that) and give this recipe a try. Prep time: 10 minutes Fry time: 10 to 12 minutes (bacon and gravy) Yields: 12 servings Ingredients For the bacon batter 2 large eggs 1/3 cup whole milk 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper 12 slices thick-cut bacon (I prefer Benton Bacon) 1 quart vegetable oil For the gravy 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1-1/4 cups whole milk 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika (if you’ve got it) Directions To fry the bacon
ChefSecret: Let the bacon drain on paper towels and cool for several minutes after coming out of the fryer so that it won’t burn anyone. ------------------------------------------- Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Having some cities locked down and other cities not locked down is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? 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. ------------------------------------------- If you have a little extra in your pocket to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Snack #CountyFair #CountyFairFoods #FairFoods #Bacon #CountryGravy #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020 |
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