…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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…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen How you doin’? One of the best dishes served at my China Rose restaurant were our Lettuce Wraps bursting with complex Asian flavors. They are delicious and a great idea for entertaining or a family-style meal. I know this is a pretty bold claim but China Rose Beef or Chicken Lettuce Wraps that you can make at home are far better than those served in most Chinese restaurants. It may be bold, but it’s true! This Lettuce Wrap recipe is one that took a lot of sweat and tears working at Sea World (the restaurant not the park) in Hong Kong. So, here is the best of my years of trial and error, and lots of taste-testing, to get it just right. To serve, allow each guest to spoon a portion of the meat mixture into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the like a burrito and enjoy! Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Yield: 6 to 8 servings Ingredients 16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves 1 tablespoon peanut cooking oil 1 pound lean ground beef or ground chicken 1 large onion, chopped 1/4 cup hoisin sauce 3 tablespoons minced garlic 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger (red ginger, if you can find it) 1 dash Asian chili pepper sauce, or to taste (Optional) 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped 1-1/2 cup chopped green onions (tops and bottoms) 2 teaspoons Asian roasted (dark) sesame oil Directions
ChefSecret: To add a little crunch and make this this dish very special, add 1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts. Quip of the Day: Why is lettuce the most loving vegetable? Because it’s got heart and a head. -------------------------------------------------- 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 #Appetizers #LettuceWraps #ChinaRose #AsianBurrito #2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 …from the Perspectives’ KitchenHow you doin’? I first discovered Casita del Campo when I was working at ABC Television—the older studio at Prospect and Talmage in LA. It was a place the production team and I went to enjoy a south-of-the-border, deliciously authentic Mexican meal—between dress rehearsals and show tapings for General Hospital. It was a place to go lift our spirits and delight our senses for a very reasonable price. Casita del Campo opened in 1962. This was a real West Side Story. The founder, Rudy del Campo had a successful dance career on Broadway and in Las Vegas. He was one of the Sharks in the film version of West Side Story. After the movie, he decided to open the restaurant. It was very modest at first, but over the years has grown to be a delightful Southern California oasis in what has become the uber-hot Silverlake area. At Casita del Campo you can find all your Mexican favorites—mine happens to be Enchiladas Suizas—two chicken enchiladas topped with green tomatillo sauce and melted Jack cheese topped with sour cream and guacamole. One great thing about Casita del Campo is the recipes never change—they taste today the same way they did when I first visited the restaurant years ago. Now you can make a similar dish at home. Serve 2 enchiladas on a plate and surround them with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes. Top with guacamole and sour cream. Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Yield: 6 servings / 9 x 13-inch baking dish Ingredients 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (you can use leftovers or store-bought) 1 cup sour cream 1 (10-ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce, divided (I prefer Las Palmas brand) 1/2 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 1 pinch ground black pepper 1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying tortilla 12 (5 inch) corn tortillas 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese Directions
ChefSecret: It’s a bit more work and a little messy but for more flavorful enchiladas, I dip the fried tortillas into a shallow dish of green sauce before filling. Quip of the Day: “Here’s a thought for you… Save business cards of people you don’t like. If you ever hit a parked car, just write, “Sorry” on the back and leave it on the windshield." 😂 ------------------------------------------- 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 #EnchiladasSuizas #CasitaDelCampo #Silverlake #LasPalmas #ChickenEnchiladas #2023Recipes #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 …from the Perspectives’ KitchenHow you doin’? Who is Mrs. Adler? Lea Adler was non-other than Steven Spielberg’s mother. Before she passed, Lea owned the Milky Way kosher restaurant on Pico Boulevard in West Los Angeles. Here was a lady in her 80s and 90s who loved to “work the floor” at the restaurant. We became great friends and from time-to-time Perspectives helped her and her husband with new recipes. Although Lea closed the restaurant during Passover when she and the family checked into a resort hotel where the food was kosher for Passover, she had a killer matzo ball soup. It starts by long-cooking a great, rich chicken soup. After simmering for 2 hours remove the chicken to cool and strain the soup. Next separate the chicken meat from the bones and skin (discard) add the chicken and the remaining carrots and celery and cook for another hour. That way you can enjoy perfectly cooked vegetables with your matzo balls. Prep time: 45 minutes (soup and matzo balls) Cook time: 3 hours Yield: 6 to 8 servings Ingredients 1 whole 3-pound+ chicken, cut into pieces 2 medium yellow onions, quartered 4 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces 4 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 4 fresh parsley sprigs 1 teaspoon kosher salt Additionally 2 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces Directions
Matzo Balls Make, cook and cool the matzo balls while the soup is cooking. Ingredients 1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or chicken schmaltz—that’s cooked chicken fat) 2 large eggs, slightly beaten 1-1/2 cups matzo meal 1/2 ounce kosher salt 2 tablespoons chicken stock Directions
Putting all together—Place 2 or 3 matzo balls in a soup bowl and pour hot chicken soup over them. Serve hot. ChefSecret: What is chicken schmaltz? After cooking chicken, whether roasting or boiling, you’ll see a yellow tinged thick layer of fat rising to the top. Skim this off and let it cool until ready to use. You can also take the raw fat off the chicken and simmer it for an hour or so. Some stores make it easy and sell prepared chicken schmaltz. Quip of the Day: The IRS Assigns an Agent to Audit a Synagogue. The agent sits down with the rabbi and starts asking his interview questions. "What do you do with the crumbs left from the matzos?" The rabbi replies, "we save them up and when we have enough, we send them to the matzo factory and they send us back a free matzo ball." "Ok, then, what do with all the candle drippings?" The rabbi replies "well, we save them up and when we have enough we send them to the candle factory and they send us back a free candle." At this point the agent is getting a little frustrated. "Well, then, what do you do with all the foreskins from the circumcisions?" The rabbi replies "The foreskins? We save them up and when we have enough, we send them to the IRS and they send us back a little prick like you." Lea would have loved this joke! Alternative Matzo Quip One day Joe Biden went out to dinner with a Jewish friend. The friend recommended a kosher place nearby. They arrived and Joe’s friend ordered them both the house specialty—matzo ball soup. The waiter brought the bowls and Joe looked at the soup suspiciously, but his friend urged him to try at least one taste. So, he took a bite of matzo ball and slurped some soup and clearly liked it. After Joe was finished, he said, “Mmmmm, that was good! But tell me, do you Jewish folks eat other parts of the matzo, or just the balls?” ------------------------------------------- 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. #Soup #MatzoBallSoup #ChickenSoup #Passover #LeadAdler #Spielberg #2023Recipes #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 …from the Perspectives’ Kitchen How you doin’? Van de Kamp’s was a commercial bakery and retail outlet in Southern California from the 1920s to the 1970s. The brand is still around in the baking space today. The company was ahead of its time selling meals-ready-to-heat, when most families were still cooking from scratch. They offered cheese and beef enchiladas, fried halibut fillets and chicken pot pies. The latter is the subject for today’s blog. The pinnacle of comfort foods must surely be the Chicken Pot Pie. It’s one of those foods that not only makes you smile when you eat it but is also powerfully soothing. It is a deeply satisfying one-bowl meal made with cooked chicken and vegetables smothered in a savory creamy sauce and tucked into a crust—who could want anything else? The funny thing about pot pies is that they’re country humble and intimidating at the same time. Making them from scratch seems like a heavy lift for a weeknight, but not with this recipe. I’ve eliminated a lot of the prep work by making it with leftover rotisserie chicken (or any cooked chicken) and a frozen puff pastry, pie dough or corm muffin mix. After baking, the chicken is tender and the veggies are perfectly cooked. It has the classic sauce with touches of garlic, wine and plenty of thyme to give it chef-touched depth. After a long day away from home (or just the next room if you’re working from home) it is like a warm motherly hug in a bowl. Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 22 minutes Bake time: 20 to 25 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings Ingredients 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup yellow onion, diced 1 cup Yukon Gold potato, peeled and diced (or other waxy potato) 1/2 cup celery, medium diced 1/2 cup carrots, medium diced 2 teaspoons kosher salt or to taste 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves 1/4 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock 1/2 cup frozen peas 1/2 cup frozen corn 3 cups bite-sized skinless rotisserie chicken pieces 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon black or white pepper or to taste 1 sheet thawed puff pastry (or 1 sheet of thawed pie dough or one box of corn muffin mix) 1 large egg yolk, beaten with one tablespoon water, for egg wash top Directions
ChefSecret: When serving, divide the rich, buttery crust evenly. Otherwise, people will be tempted to steal chunks of it to scoop up their filling and the last serving will sadly be a crustless affair. If you don’t have rotisserie chicken, you can substitute three skinless boneless roasted chicken breasts or 6 roasted thighs. Quip of the Day: Did you know if it weren’t for plumbers you wouldn’t have any place to go. ------------------------------------------- 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. We have added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. ------------------------------------------- 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 #ChickenPotPie #RotisserieChicken #VanDeKamps #PuffPastry #ComfortFood #WhatsForDinner #2023Recipes #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 |
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