… from the California KitchenHow you doin’? I love soup! There are no if’s, and’s or but’s. Here’s a winter twofer for you. A soup that can be 100% vegan or a heartier version with ham, pork, beef or chicken. In this recipe I use lightly sautéed white mushrooms and pearl barley. You can use most any variety of mushroom—white, brown or Portabella—it all depends on the final flavor profile that suits your tastes. Mushroom-Barley Soup may go back hundreds of years to the Middle East. My recipe is a simple and hearty Polish soup made from barley and various root vegetables. It was one of the standards in many homes in Eastern Europe and particularly in Poland. The aroma of a fresh-cooked soup signaled a delicious bowl of a hearty opening for dinner. Mushroom and Barley are the two essential ingredients. I added the meat to make it a complete, easy-to-make meal. Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings Ingredients 3 tablespoons olive oil 12 ounces white mushrooms, rinsed and thick sliced 4 tablespoons red onions, finely chopped 1 cup celery, rinsed and finely diced 1/2 cups carrots, finely sliced 2 bay leaves 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 32 ounces, chicken or vegetable broth 1/2 cup pearl barley, rinsed and sorted 1 pound dice ham (1/2-inch cubes) 3 tablespoons minced garlic 1 tablespoon dried parsley 1 tablespoon dried basil 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Directions
ChefSecret: You can use cubed pork shoulder instead of ham or make it vegan by using vegetable stock and omitting the meat. Quip of the Day: “The most difficult part of being vegan is waking up at 5 am to milk the almonds.” ------------------------------------------- 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. Have a wonderful safe and healthy holiday season. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. #Entrees #InstantPot #HamMushroomBarleySoup #Soup #MushroomBarley #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021
0 Comments
The 2021 Holidays Recipe CollectionHow you doin’? It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas and cardamom may be the aroma wafting through many kitchens. Some of you may not be all that familiar with cardamon, but it is well known in the spice world. The flavor is kind of hard to describe… it has an extremely complex flavor, lending itself to both sweet and savory dishes. As the third most expensive spice in the world (only behind saffron and vanilla), cardamom has made quite a name for itself, even earning the nickname The Queen of Spices. Cardamon is a prerequisite for dishes from Indian curries to braided Scandinavian breads—the subject of today’s blog. What is Cardamom you ask? It is a pod spice in the ginger family. You can find cardamon as a whole pod, shelled whole seeds, or ground powder. Although cardamon was originally found in southern India, today Guatemala is the largest producer of this valuable spice. Green Cardamom is the more common variety of cardamom. It is often used in sweeter dishes. Green cardamom's flavor is warm, herbal, citrusy, spicy and even a bit minty all at the same time. Wow that’s impressive for a single for a single spice. Black Cardamom is a larger, dark brown pod, black cardamom is more commonly used in savory dishes due to its smokier flavor. When you see black cardamom called for in a recipe, it's usually the whole pod that is meant to be used. While many Indian and Indian-inspired dishes call for cardamom, i.e., curry dishes, Kheer (Indian rice pudding) and chai, Indian spice blends such as garam masala also feature cardamom. You'll also find that cardamom adds warmth and depth to baked goods such as cookies, bread pudding, cheesecake and Scandinavian Pulla and Julekaka where it is widely used in baked goods, such as (Swedish Christmas breads). Aside from the exciting flavors and delightful aromas there are health benefits of cardamom. One 2009 study showed that the high levels of antioxidants in cardamom may help lower blood pressure. An earlier study from 2007 found cardamom to have diuretic properties, meaning it can promote urination. It has also been used as a breath freshener and this claim was backed up by a another more recent study that found cardamom to be effective at disrupting bacteria that can lead to gum disease or oral infections. Swedish Braided Cardamom Bread is a traditional holiday loaf that's a delicious, enriched dough topped with pearl sugar or sesame seeds. Cardamom breads, including pula are a type of morning dessert. It is typically served all year round as a table treat with coffee or tea. In Finland, pulla is typical in caffes where its quality is considered as a sign of the establishment's quality. Pulla can be baked as a small round brioche style loaf or a braided loaf called pullapitko. Also popular is korvapuusti (cinnamon roll). This variant of the sweet, aromatic pastry is sometimes topped with vanilla icing, or almond flakes (or both) and usually requires about three to four hours of preparation—plan accordingly. Cardamom bread is considered a traditional food among Swedish Americans. Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes Proof time: 60-90 minutes Bake time: 30 minutes Total time: Allow 4 hours Yield: 2 braided loaves Ingredients 2 cups whole milk 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter 2 envelopes active dry yeast or instant yeast 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 6 cups all-purpose flour, divided 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons ground cardamom 2 large eggs divided 1 tablespoon whole milk 2 tablespoons Scandinavian pearl sugar Instructions
ChefSecret: How so you know when the bread is full baked? You can use the thump method—tap the bread with your finger and if it sounds hollow it is probably done. Personally I like to use a temperature probe and when the bread reaches 190⁰ F, it’s time to take it out. Quip of the Day: “Two men were talking at the bar… one asks, ‘Does your family say a prayer before you eat dinner?’ The other man replies, ‘Nope, we’re Irish and my wife knows how to cook.” ------------------------------------------- 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. Have a wonderful safe and healthy holiday season. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. #Baking #SwedishBraidedCardamomBread #Cardamom #Bread #Yeast #2021HolidaysRecipeCollection #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 … from the California Kitchen Happy Hour BarHow you doin’? The hot toddy is a classic winter warmer. In its simplest form a Hot Toddy is a mixture of liquor, hot water, honey, lemon and cinnamon. There is no one definitive recipe for the hot toddy. The purists insist on using only hot water while others prefer a cider, black tea, or herbal tea, citing the healing properties of the herbs. Even the type of liquor—rum, brandy, whiskey or bourbon—is a personal preference. Traditionally prepared to warm a body on a cold and blustery night, Hot Toddies developed a reputation for relieving the aches and pains that are associated with the common cold, flu and even old age. The steam from the warm liquid helps you breath better (particularly if you use an herbal tea), the honey and lemon soothe the throat, and the little nip or two of alcohol in the toddy helps one relax, fall asleep, and get a good night’s rest. While a Hot Toddy can provide some temporary relief from a cold, it can't really cure or prevent illness. So go easy on the toddies and be sure to seek out a doctor’s advice when you're sick. There are conflicting theories as to where the Hot Toddy was invented and by whom. Some believe it originated in Scotland in the 1700s and others believe the drink was named after Dr. Robert Bentley Todd, an Irish physician who prescribed hot drinks of brandy, cinnamon and sugar water to his patients. Another popular theory is that the toddy has its roots in the colonial era, when the British soldiers became fans of a drink they discovered while stationed on the Indian continent. Regardless of its origin and whether served hot or cold, the Toddy eventually made its way across the ocean to the colonies where plantation owners created their own version of the drink using rum, spices and hot water sweetened with sugar. Cooled and served in large quantities as a punch, this drink, or bumbo, was offered to guests at social events, business dealings, and even political rallies. Truth be told, it's good any time of year and works particularly well if you're got a sore throat or the sniffles. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 3/4 cup hot water (to warm the glass) 1 tablespoon honey 2 ounces American bourbon 3/4 cup hot water 1 twist lemon peel or slice 1 cinnamon stick (optional) Directions
ChefSecret: This toddy also works well with an equal amount of rum in place of the Bourbon. Quip of the Day: “There are two kinds of people in this world: the workers and the hustlers. The hustlers never work and the workers never hustle.” …from the movie Cocktail ------------------------------------------- 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. Have a wonderful safe and healthy holiday season. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. #Cocktail #HappyHour #FallCocktails #HotToddy #Bourbon #Rum #Cinnamon #Cheers# QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 … from the California KitchenHow you doin’? There is a Mexican restaurant in West Los Angeles called Don Antonio; we go there fairly regularly. You can count on the ever-predictable Joan to always order Chili Verde. I must admit it is one of the best in Southern California. My Pork Chili Verde is a great hack on this restaurant’s entrée. It’s great served with grilled corn tortillas, a little red Mexican rice and refried beans. Usually made with pork shoulder Pork Chili Verde is a stew that originated in Northern Mexico. It's known by a number of names including puerco con chile verde, chile verde con cerdo, cerdo en salsa verde, and carne de puerco en salsa verde. Pork was brought to the new world by the Spanish conquistadors. By late in the 1840s the average Mexican ate chicken, beef and pork and needed a quick, delicious and easy way to prepare the meats. They would sauté some meat in an iron skillet over an open fire, add the Chile Verde sauce, simmer and serve until tender. There are a number of variations on the basic recipe and purists will usually argue that their version is “authentic.” In fact, like many ethnic dishes, chili verde is prepared in a variety of ways in its native country, so it is safe to say that whichever version a person likes the best is probably authentic enough. My Pork Chili Verde is a very authentic, great hack on the restaurant entrée, and is even better when garnished with Pickled Red Onions (see recipe below). Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 2 hours Yield: 4 to 6 servings Ingredients 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces 1 cup diced yellow onion 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided 2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 10 fresh tomatillos 3 green jalapeño chile peppers, seeded 1 poblano chile pepper, seeded 3 tablespoons garlic 1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves 2-1/2 cups chicken stock, or more as needed 1 bay leaf 1-1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup sour cream pickled red onions, garnish (optional) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish Directions
Pickled Red Onions Ingredients 2 medium-size red onions, peeled 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar 1-1/2 cups red wine vinegar Directions
ChefSecret: Green Pork Chili can easily be made in an Instant Pot. For tender pork pieces, follow the directions above up to the cook; then load and lock all the ingredients in the Instant Pot and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 45 MINUTES. NATURALLY RELEASE after 10 minutes. If you are in a rush and don’t want the mess you can skip the pork sauté step. Quip of the Day: “I’m thinking of taking my wine box back to Target. It said, Once opened it will last 6 weeks. It only lasted me 4 hours.” ------------------------------------------- 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. Have a wonderful safe and healthy holiday season. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. #Entrees #PorkChiliVerde #Pork #PorkShoulder #Tomatillo #DonAntonioRestaurant #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 |
For over 4 decades collaboration and vision have been the cornerstones of our approach to developing innovative solutions. We fuel innovation, uncover opportunities, discover trends and embrace sustainability, turning imaginative ideas into profitable realities. Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|