…from the Perspectives Kitchen How you doin’? With prices on all food stuffs sky-rocketing, here is a comforting baked pasta that won’t break the bank. You can use whatever style and shape pasta you have in your pantry from lasagna noodles to shells or spaghetti. This recipe uses 1 pound of ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey, or Italian sausage) and plenty of melted cheese. This can be the perfect take along dish for potluck meals, family gatherings, or a weeknight dinner. This recipe was a favorite on the national school lunch program served every Tuesday at my grade school. I loved it so much I asked my mother to talk with Mrs. Brady, the cafeteria lady, to get the recipe. The finished baked casserole can be frozen for up to 3 months and zapped in the microwave for quick serving. Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Bake time: 50 to 55 minutes Yield: 8 servings Ingredients 1 (16 ounce) package pasta (shape of your choice) 1 pound ground meat (your choice) 1 onion, chopped 1 (32 ounce) jar meatless spaghetti sauce 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (I prefer Lawry’s) 2 large eggs 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 5 tablespoons butter, melted (or olive oil) 2 cups ricotta cheese, divided (or cottage cheese) 5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided Directions
ChefSecret: I like to use a 50/50 mixture of Italian sausage and ground beef. Quip of the Day: How did the police solve the case of the stolen marinara sauce? They caught the thief red handed. ------------------------------------------- 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, 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 and/or American Red Cross. #Entree #BakedPasta #PastaBake #MeatSauce #Mozzarella #Parmesan #BudgetMeal #2023Recipes #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023
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…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen How you doin’? I believe all good food tell a story and Korean fried chicken is no different. Dishes can change as people adjust to the available ingredients, fine-tune to cultural preferences and deal with hardships. What seems like a humble chicken dish at first can reveal quite a lot about an interesting past. In the 1950s, South Korea, supported by the United States, was embroiled in a brutal proxy war with China in North Korea, which the former Soviet Union supported. The story goes that during Thanksgiving one year, American soldiers stationed in South Korea wanted to prepare a meal that reminded them of home, but they had no access to turkey. Instead, they used chicken and decided to fry it. They shared this meal with their fellow Korean soldiers. Most commonly, chicken was eaten stewed, steamed or boiled in Korea, like in Samgyetang where a small, whole, rice-stuffed chicken is cooked in a ginseng broth. At this time fried chicken was a novel concept. Korean fried chicken is extra crunchy and is tossed in a spicy sauce. Bone-in chicken thighs or chicken wings are most popular. The chicken is dipped in a thin cornstarch battered and double-fried, resulting in a shatteringly crispy exterior. It can be served plain, called huraideu for maximum crunch, but yangnyeom tongdak is probably the most popular preparation. The chicken is covered in a bright red sweet and spicy sauce that combines Korean fermented red pepper paste called gochujang, plus garlic, rice syrup and ketchup. Korean fried chicken is a hugely popular delivery item in densely populated Korean cities, and everyone has their favorite neighborhood joint to grab some takeout. That may be the reason why KFC is so popular in South Korea. Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes Ingredients For the chicken 3 cups peanut oil for frying 4 pounds chicken drumsticks or boneless thighs 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup corn starch, or as needed For the sauce 1/2 cup gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) 1/4 cup oyster sauce (Chinese style) 3 tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweet wine) 2 tablespoons ketchup 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce 2 teaspoons grated garlic 2 teaspoons white sesame seeds 2 teaspoons green onion tops Directions
ChefSecret: If using a larger skillet, add enough oil to fill it halfway. You can use chicken wings with tips removed and wings cut at joints or drumsticks instead of chicken thighs. Quip of the Day: Q. What do spicy fried chicken and sexy women have in common? A. Both can potentially give you heartache. ------------------------------------------- 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 and/or American Red Cross. #Entrees #SpicyKoreanFriedChicken #Mash4077 #KoreanFriedChicken #2023Recipes #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 …from the Perspectives’ KitchenHow you doin’? My new friend, Mark, owns Kiyoshi's Katsu House in Henderson, Nevada. It is a hallmark of true Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry—something you wouldn’t expect in Henderson. His curry sauce is the best I’ve had anywhere, and I have tried a bunch of them. That was the impetus of this recipe—Coconut Chicken Curry. When you think of curry, many instinctively think Indian or Thai cuisine. But curiously enough, no such word exists in the languages spoken on the subcontinent. The closest words you’ll hear are khari or caril, which usually refer to a type of sauce or gravy. The word curry likely came from a “British colonial misunderstanding.” As a result, a wide variety of saucy, spicy stews and ragouts get lumped together under the “curry” umbrella. Nomenclature aside, great curries are foods with maximum flavors and textures. In my recipe below, we have a stew that draws on some typical Indian flavors—think coconut milk, tomato, spinach, lime and fresh ginger. Of course, there’s plenty of curry powder, which here in the U.S. usually contains turmeric, fenugreek, cumin, black pepper, and cardamom. I added a splash of fish sauce for an umami note. All these spices and aromatics blend to create a sauce that turns chicken and potatoes into a rich, satisfying meal. I use jasmine rice as a base for this recipe. It’s a long-grain variety with a light, floral aroma and a soft, sticky texture. Basmati rice, another long-grain variety, is a good substitute, but it does best when it soaks for at least 30 minutes before cooking, so allow time for that in your prep. Serve the curry with naan, the leavened, oven-baked Indian flatbread, which can be used to mop up every drop of sauce. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of making your own naan, use a very fresh grilled flour tortilla or flatbread. I prefer my curries when they have been stored overnight in the refrigerator which allows the flavors of my curry to blossom even more. Any leftovers can be warmed up in the microwave for a quick lunch the next day. Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 25 to 30 minutes Yield: 4 servings Ingredients 2 cups rinsed jasmine rice 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1/2 cup small diced yellow onion 3 small, diced Yukon gold potatoes 2 tablespoons peeled and grated ginger (or 1 tablespoon dry ginger) 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves 1-1/2 tablespoon ground coriander 2 tablespoons curry powder (I prefer Penzey’s Maharajah Curry Powder) 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes with juice 1 14-oz can coconut milk 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or 1-teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce) 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar 5 oz spinach (thawed and drained, if frozen) 4 tablespoons toasted sweetened coconut 4 Naan bread or grilled fresh flour tortilla or flatbread (optional) Directions
ChefSecret: In India you don’t find many cooks that have curry powder in their kitchens. Some curries use up to 26 different spices to make their own curry profiles. Each dish has a different profile. I shop for most of my spices at Penzey’s Spice Company. For this recipe I used Penzey’s Maharajah Curry Powder which is sweet and rich but not hot. Use the curry powder that you prefer. Quip of the Day: My wife was furious with me when I told her I put ginger in her curry. She really loved that cat. ------------------------------------------- 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 and/or American Red Cross. #Entree #CoconutChickenCurry #Penzeys #Curry #Chicken #Coconut #Dinner #2023Recipes #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 …from the Perspectives’ KitchenHow you doin’? Perspectives has worked with two companies that have “exotic” ingredients trying to go mainstream. So I decided to put them both together (along with other ingredients) because the flavors of dates and Castelvetrano olives are too outstanding to keep secret. A date is a stone fruit. It has a single seed surrounded by an outer fleshy fruit (like peaches, mangoes and olives—more on olives later). They’re grown on date palm trees, on date farms where you would normally see coconuts. Just picture a big forest of palm trees with bunches of hundreds of dates! They are the oldest cultivated fruit in civilization. Think back 50 million years and you’ll find dates according to fossilologists. Humans quickly learned about their magic in Mesopotamia and the date has remained popular in that region (Iraq, Middle East, Northern Africa) ever since. Egypt is the largest producer of dates today, followed by just about every other Middle Eastern country. There are about a million and one varieties of dates grown around the world, but in the U.S., you’ll mostly find the plump and tender Medjool Dates. There’s also the slender Deglet Noor Date, supposedly the “Queen of Dates”. The Castelvetrano olive, also known as Nocellara del Belice, is an olive varietal from the Valle del Belice region of Sicily. Famous for its mild, buttery flavor, crisp bite and meaty texture, Castelvetrano olives are popular with both hardcore olive lovers and olive-eating newbies. They are harvested young and unlike other olives, they're not cured. They're simply washed in a lye and water bath for a few weeks until the bitter flavor is removed. Divina Castelvetrano Olives (sold at Amazon) take the top spot for their meaty texture and deliciously buttery flavor, perfect for martinis, other cocktails, snacking and Chicken Marbella with Medjool Dates. Ingredients 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks attached) Kosher salt, to taste Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 10 ounces drained, pitted Castelvetrano olives 3 ounces capers and their brine (small size) 7 Medjool dates, pitted, cut into eighths 7 tablespoon minced garlic 2 dry bay leaves 1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves, plus more for garnish 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon date syrup (or honey if you can’t find date syrup) Directions
ChefSecret: The longer you marinate the chicken, the mellower the flavor will be. Quip of the Day: A guy sits down at the bar and orders a Martini with two olives. The bartender gives him the drink, he takes out the two olives, puts them aside on a napkin, drinks the martini, asks for another. By the fourth Martini with two olives, the bartender asks the man "I don't mind, but I gotta ask....why do you ask for a Martini with two olives, then take the two olives out of it?" the man replies "My wife sent me to the store for a jar of olives but the store was closed."------------------------------------------- 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 and/or American Red Cross. #Entrees #Chicken #Dates #MedjoolDates #DegletNoor #CastelvetranoOlives #Dinner #2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 …from the Perspectives’ KitchenHow you doin’? I don’t know about you but when summer comes, I like to keep meals (indoors or outdoors) simple and safe as possible. Whether you’re hosting a feast or a family dinner, here is a bowl recipe for every type of spring or summer celebration—my favorite Chicken, Black Beans and Veggies Bowls–which just happen to be red, white, blue and delicious! I’ve included my most flavorful no-soak black beans recipe which is a great base for a perfect plant-based foundation to any epic bowl! If you want to cut the cooking time down by hours you can use canned black beans that have been drained and washed. Veggie-filled summer bowls make the perfect presentation for a DIY feast and might just very well be the easiest meal to serve at just about any celebration. Because so many of the ingredients like beans, salsas and toppings can be made in advance of the gathering, there is no need to light the stove. Summer is when fresh produce is at its peak of freshness! The sky is the limit with your toppings, and you should totally reach for it. Think fresh salsa, guacamole and fresh roasted corn. There are almost as many dietary preferences and restrictions these days at a party as there are guests! You can make the dietary equation easier on yourself with a DIY, a la carte bowl bar where guests can help themselves to all that is good and good for them. The recipe below can feed a crowd with minimal effort and can be made well in advance of your gathering. Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 3 hours Yield: 6 servings Ingredients For the black beans 1 pound dried black beans rinsed, picked through any small debris removed 1/4 of a red onion, rough chopped 2 bay leaves 3 sprigs cilantro 1 sprig oregano 3 cloves garlic smashed; peel removed 1- 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt For the roasted veggies 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 bell peppers, thinly sliced 1 white onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic minced 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt For the bowl 6 cups cooked rice of your choice 1/4 cup roasted corn 12 cherry tomatoes cut in half 1/4 cup slice bottled jalapeños 1/2 cup diced jicama 1/4 diced Oaxaca cheese 1 cup leftover rotisserie or roasted chicken Fresh-made salsa and guacamole 1/2 cup tortilla strips Directions To make the black beans
ChefSecret: Cooked beans can be stored tightly covered in the fridge for 4 to 5 days or can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 4 months. Quip of the Day: “What did the tortilla chip say to the avocado when the veggie bowl was empty? Answer: “We’ve hit guac bottom!” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your favorite recipes, pictures or thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. 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 and/or American Red Cross. #Bowls #Chicken #Veggies #BlackBeans #Rice #Guacamole #Entrees #Lunch #Dinner #OaxacaCheese #2023Recipes #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 |
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