I see some of our fellow citizens are finally going back to work. I think many of the changes we made in our lives over the last several months will stick around including preparing our own meals.

Many of our readers have finally figured out what to do with the Instant Pot they got for Christmas a couple of years ago. If you don’t have the time or inclination to cook for the family for a week over a weekend you can conjure things up in minutes with your Instant Pot. I am using mine more than ever.
 
No matter what the weather, I love soup. Even on the hottest summer day, a bowl of soup seems to make me cooler. My recipe for Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup is thick and cheesy with and loaded with broccoli. This recipe is easy to double to insure you have enough for later in the week. 
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  15 minutes
Yield:  4 to 6 servings
 
Ingredients
To make the soup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup diced potatoes
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1-1/2-pounds chopped broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
 
To thicken the soup
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
 
To finish the soup
6 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
2 cups half and half
 
To garnish the soup
4 to 6 whole broccoli florets, microwaved
6 teaspoons shredded Cheddar cheese
 
Directions

1. Before starting, measure all your ingredients and have at your side.
2. Prepare all the vegetables and shred the cheeses.
3. Turn on the Instant Pot SAUTÉ setting. When hot, add the butter and olive oil.
4. Add the onion and cook for a 4-minutes.
5. Add the carrots and the potatoes and cook for 3-minutes to soften.
6. Add the black pepper, red pepper flakes, salt, nutmeg and garlic. Cook for a couple minutes, stirring continuously.
7. Add the broth and stir.
8. Add the broccoli, but don't stir. Put the lid on and lock it in place. Make sure the steam release is sealed.
9. CANCEL the SAUTÉ function. Then press the PRESSURE COOK button. Then the + or - to select 5 MINUTES on HIGH PRESSURE.
10. When the cooking cycle is finished, allow for a 5-MINUTE NATURAL RELEASE.
11. Turn OFF the Instant Pot.
12. Use a stick blender (immersion blender) to breakdown all the veggies.
13. Mix the flour and butter together in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 15 seconds. Then mix very well until it is smooth.
14. Turn the SAUTÉ setting ON and mix in the flour/butter mixture and stir until it starts to thicken.
15. Stir in the cheeses.
16. CANCEL the SAUTÉ function and add in the half and half. Stir well.
17. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
18. Portion out the soup and garnish each bowl with some shredded cheese and a broccoli floret or two.

ChefSecret:  If you don’t have a stick blender you can use a blender, but don’t fill it any more than half full to prevent splash over and burns. If you prefer a thinner soup, reduce the amount of "thickener" you add.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  “And, it’s starting all over again… Due to the recent worsening of an outbreak of Stupidity and Panic-Purchasing by complete idiots, the nation is again experiencing a shortage of toilet paper and common sense. Expect supplies to be replenished once these sheep-minded morons have all starved to death in their homes surrounded by toilet paper, but without anything to eat.”
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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.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Soup #InstantPot #BroccoliCheddarSoup #CreamOfBroccoliSoup #Broccoli #Cheddar #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                             ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020

How you doin’? Roast beef Chili? I can see you scratching your head. Who makes chili out of roast beef?  I do! Making a long story short, I used to work for Lawry’s (both the food company and the restaurants). My first couple of months as a food and beverage consultant I was entertaining buyers at Lawry’s the Prime Rib several times a week.
 
Lawry’s was great family business and I loved the story and the Frank family behind it. Even before joining the company, I already had a nostalgic feeling for the restaurant where we held our family milestone events—birthday, anniversaries, graduations—and where I first tasted fine prime rib.
 
Lawry’s was a dining experience. When you dined at Lawry’s your cut of prime rib is served to you by a carver in a spiffy white chef’s outfit with a medallion around his neck. He rolled a hefty, gleaming stainless-steel serving cart to your table (that costs as much as a new Cadillac) filled with cooked prime ribs, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and creamed corn. The carver slices off the appropriate cut—Diamond Jim Cut (over a pound), Lawry’s Cut (over a half pound) and English Cut (thin slice of roast beef). Lawry’s is known for their efficient, spectacular service and you can be seated and served and out the door in under an hour.
 
Prime rib of beef is rich, somewhat fatty and a lot of beef to consume in a short amount of time. I found myself taking home “doggy bags” and making the best damn chili with the leftovers. It doesn’t take much prime rib to make a really great chili.
 
Use the recipe below as a guide—feel free to tailor it to your own tastes and the availability of roast beef. This is a great starter Instant Pot recipe and what I call a dump-and-cook chili—not much to it except the great taste in a little over a half hour.
 
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes, plus 10 minutes (release time)
Yield:  8 Servings
 
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 to 2 cups of diced prime rib
1 cup of diced yellow onion
2 (30-ounce) cans of mild chili beans
1 (10-ounce) can of original Ro·tel chili and tomatoes (mild)
2 cups corn off-the-cob or frozen corn kernels
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon dried cumin
2 cans of dark beer (I prefer Guinness)
1 to 1-1/2 cups of Frito® brand corn chips
 
Directions

1. Set the Instant Pot to SAUTÉ and heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering.  Add the diced prime rib and onion and sauté for about 5 minutes,
2. Cancel sauté function. 
3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.
4. Cover and seal the lid and cook on the HIGH PRESSURE setting for 25 MINUTES. Make sure the pressure release valve is closed.
5. Naturally release the pressure on the Instant Pot for 10 MINUTES using the pressure release valve before opening. Open the pot carefully. 
6. Stir the chili well to mix all the ingredients.
7. Eat now or let it cool and refrigerate for later use.

ChefSecret:  Don’t have any leftover prime rib? You can make my chili with a pound of ground beef and a half pound of chorizo sausage. Sauté both together with the onions.  No matter how you make chili, it always tastes better the next day.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I’ve had a lot of things to think about over the last 8 months.  One is, why do they put braille on the drive-through bank machines?”.
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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.
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Here is wishing you the very best during the holidays. To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Entrees #InstantPot #RoastBeefChili #Lawrys #Rotel #HolidayRecipes #Holidays2020  #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica  #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                                ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020

How you doin’? New Orleans is one the most enticing cities in America. It is a patchwork quilt of many different cultures and nationalities. It is a bustling international port city situated on the banks of the gulf and the Mississippi River. It was once a refuge for pirates and a smuggling capital for the Confederates during the Civil War. It has its own heritage and attractions and once you’ve been there you will want to go back whenever possible.
 
Great food, drink and music are important parts of what brings people to New Orleans.  Shrimp Étouffée (pronounced ‘eh-too-fay’) is one of the more popular dishes from Louisiana, along with gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and shrimp creole. The word ‘étouffée’ is translated from French as “smothered and can be made with crawfish or shrimp. Shrimp Étouffée is one of the most iconic classic New Orleans recipes that people crave. Étouffée is made with Creole spices and plenty of shrimp in a spicy tomato-based sauce.  The rich and delicious stew tastes great served over rice. This recipe is perfect for Mardi Gras parties, but is also so easy that you could make a regular weekday meal extra special.
 
I always keep a bag of frozen shrimp—peeled and de-veined—in my freezer so I don’t have to run out to the store at the last minute when I want to make a quick Instant Pot entrée dinner!
 
Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée is similar to Instant Pot Gumbo, but there are a few differences.

• This étouffée is made with shrimp whereas the Instant Pot Gumbo has shrimp, sausage and chicken.
• Étouffée is made with a blonde roux (pronounced ‘roo’ it is flour and oil/butter cooked together) compared to the dark roux in the gumbo.  This changes the taste of the sauce and reduces the cooking time!
• I use olive oil and flour for the roux in the gumbo, but for the étouffée I use unsalted butter and flour.
• The gumbo recipe also has okra for thickening, Étouffée doesn’t.
• Some people prefer shrimp étouffée without tomatoes. I have made this with tomatoes. You can omit the tomatoes if you wish.
• I add a tablespoon of tomato puree with the tomatoes to give the dish more of a sweet tomato flavor.
• I use seafood stock because there is marked taste difference from  chicken broth. It’s really easy to make homemade seafood stock; you can even make it ahead of time. Just peel the shrimp and toss the shrimp shells and some aromatics to the Instant Pot and go about your business!  Strain and store in the fridge (up to a couple of days) until ready to use. Or use Better Than Bouillon Fish base to save time.

 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  45 minutes
Yield:  6 servings
 
Ingredients
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, divided (see homemade recipe below)
4 tablespoons unsalted  butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup diced yellow onions
1 cup diced green bell peppers
1 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups seafood stock (I prefer Better Than Boullion Fish Base)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato puree (I always have a tube of tomato paste in the refrigerator)
2 tablespoons dry sherry (for finishing)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions, green tops only
Chopped parsley to garnish
12 crawfish, cooked (optional; 2 per bowl for garnish)
 
Directions

1. Rub the dry shrimp with 1 teaspoon of the Creole seasoning; set aside.
2. Press SAUTÉ and when the Instant Pot has heated, melt the butter in the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
3. Add the all-purpose flour to the inner pot and cook butter and flour until the mixture resembles a light caramel color, stirring frequently, and being careful not to burn. This will take about 5 minutes.
4. Add the onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Stir until vegetables are slightly soft, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in remaining Creole seasoning, white pepper, black pepper, thyme, salt.
6. Using a spatula, scrape the bottom of the inner pot to make sure there are no burnt bits stuck to the bottom. Deglaze with a tablespoon or two of stock if needed.
7. Add seafood stock, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and stir.
8. Add tomatoes and tomato puree and gently push down with a spatula; don't stir.
9. Close the Instant Pot and set to PRESSURE COOK mode for 10 MINUTES.
10. Do a 10-MINUTE NATURAL RELEASE and open the Instant Pot.
11. Immediately stir in the shrimp and sherry and close the lid of the Instant Pot for 10 MINUTES. The shrimp will cook in the residual heat.
12. Open the Instant Pot again and gently stir the shrimp.
13. Ladle Shrimp Étouffée over Jasmine Rice or steamed rice of your choice.
14. Sprinkle the Shrimp Étouffée with green onions and parsley.
15. Place two crawfish atop each bowl (if using).
16. Serve piping hot.

ChefSecret:  I like my Louisiana food to finish on a spicy note and use a dash or two of Tabasco sauce to liven up the dish. You can serve Shrimp Étouffée over pasta or even grits instead of rice.
 
                                                   Ed’s Cajun Seasoning
 
You probably have all these ingredients on your spice shelf. Use Cajun Seasoning on all types of foods—broiled steaks and chicken, soups, pasta and salads. I also use it in the flour mixture of my fried chicken.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  2 minutes
Yield: About 1/2 cup.
 
Ingredients
4 teaspoons garlic powder
4 teaspoons onion powder
2 tablespoons sweet paprika powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (or less if you don't want it as hot)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 
Directions

1. Place all the spices in a sauté pan and toast for about 2 minutes. Cool.
2. Transfer the spices to a coffee grinder or a blender and pulse until you get a very fine powder.
3. Store in an airtight jar in a dark, cool place until ready to use.
4. For optimal flavor use within 2 months.

ChefSecret:  Cooking the spices releases all the volatile oils and helping the flavors to blossom.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  Arguing with a woman (and many men, too!) during the pandemic is like reading a Software License agreement. In the end you must ignore everything and click, “I agree.”
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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.

Here is wishing you the very best for the upcoming holidays. To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind welcoming in the 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. Thanks for reading.

#Entrees #InstantPot #ShrimpEtouffee #NewOrleans #Louisiana #HolidayRecipes #Holidays2020  #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica  #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                                  ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020

How you doin’? Many people are never sure whether to serve mashed potatoes or yams (sweet potatoes) for their Thanksgiving Day feast. Either works for me. Since your oven and range top are probably going to be tied up with a multitude of other foods you may need to cook your spuds in the Instant Pot. Once your sweet potatoes are ready, you can enjoy them however you'd prefer—mashed, in sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, or simply with a little butter and brown sugar. Any way you decide to cook them they will be a treat for family and friends.
 
Have you ever wondered where sweet potatoes came from? Sweet potatoes originated in Central and South America. But archaeologists have found prehistoric remnants of sweet potatoes in Polynesia from about A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1100, according to radiocarbon dating. Scientists have hypothesized that those ancient samples came from the western coast of South America.
 
Scientists believe that sweet potato was domesticated thousands of years ago in Central America. After his first voyage to the Americas in 1492, Christopher Columbus took sweet potatoes back home to Spain and eventually to all of Europe. So now you know the rest of the story.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Instant Pot cook time:  35 minutes
Yield:  4 cooked sweet potatoes
 
Ingredients
4 medium sweet potatoes
 
Scrub brush
Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker
Stainless steel trivet
1 cup water
Tongs
 
Directions

1. Using a vegetable scrub brush thoroughly scrub the sweet potatoes.
2. Place the stainless-steel trivet inside the Instant Pot. Add 1 cup of water. Place the sweet potatoes on top of the trivet.
3. Lock the lid and turn the pressure release vent to the "sealing" position.
4. Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes. Note that it will take about 10 minutes for the pressure to build.
5. Allow the PRESSURE TO RELEASE NATURALLY for 10 MINUTES.
6. Once the 10 minutes are up, release the rest of the pressure on QUICK RELEASE.
7. Carefully open the lid and remove sweet potatoes using tongs.
8. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

ChefSecret:  Mash the cooked sweet potatoes along with butter, cinnamon and salt Taste them. If you’d like them sweeter, add up to 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Sprinkle with mini-marshmallows and pecan pieces and bake in an oven until hot and the marshmallows are toasty.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Nothing like relaxing on the couch after a long day of being tense on the couch.”
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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. We have added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. 
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Here is wishing you the very best for the upcoming holidays. To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind welcoming in the 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.
Thanks for reading.

#ThanksgivingRecipes #Thanksgiving #SweetPotatoes #InstantPot #Yams #SideDish #HolidayRecipes #Holidays2020 #Thankful #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                             ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020

How you doin? We have done a lot of Food Consulting around the world which requires quite a bit of Research & Development. Over the last several decades we have touched every continent on this planet, and I have visited over 137 countries.
 
In the early 1980s I had an opportunity to visit the Philippines and have dinner with President and Madame Marcos. It was an honor to represent the United States in a foreign country as a good will ambassador for President Reagan. I have been back there several times since.
 
The Philippines have a very long and storied culture having been touched by Chinese, Indian, Spanish and, of course, The United States. It is little wonder that the food of the Philippines is so rich in culture and steeped in wonderous flavors.
 
Chances are, if you’ve had Filipino food at one time or another, you’ve probably had adobo: a dish common in the Philippines that usually features some sort of meat, poultry, seafood, fruit, or vegetable cooked in a mixture of vinegar, bay leaves, onion, garlic, black pepper, and a combination of salt and/or soy sauce. Although simple in nature, these home-cooked braises are always complex and robust in flavor yet remain nuanced and very well balanced.
 
A good adobo requires hours of long slow cooking. In a crock pot or Dutch oven slow braising can take up to 5 to 6 hours to develop the flavors and textures. That lengthy cook-time is cut down to 30 minutes when done in an Instant Pot. You can have a slightly exotic, island-style meal in about 45 minutes from start to the table. Here’s how to do it.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes
Instant Pot time:  30 minutes
 
Ingredients
1-1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (the secret ingredient)
1/3 cup dark or black soy sauce
1/3 cup traditional soy sauce
20 to 24 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, plus more as needed
2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs or legs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup minced red onion
1/2 pound of Andouille sausage, cut into rounds
1 pound of bacon ends and pieces (half the price of strips)
Salt to taste (soy sauce is already very salty)
Steamed white rice, for serving
 
Instructions

1. In a medium size bowl prepare the chicken marinade by adding the vinegar, soy sauces, garlic, bay leaves, and black pepper. 
2. Pierce the chicken all over with a skewer so that the pieces can absorb the flavors from the marinade.
3. Let the chicken pieces soak in the marinade until you are ready to put them in the oven. It doesn’t take long to pick-up the flavors from the marinade.
4. Next, set your Instant Pot to SAUTÉ; add the oil until hot and shimmering.
5. Sauté the onions and Andouille sausage while you prepare the next step of the chicken.
6. Place the marinaded chicken pieces, skin-side up on a foil-lined sheet pan; salt and pepper to taste.  Scatter the bacon ends and pieces over the top of the chicken thighs and place under a broiler for about 10 minutes being careful not to burn the bacon. 
7. Using tongs, transfer the chicken skin-side up to the Instant Pot over the cooked onions and sausage.
8. CANCEL the SAUTÉ function.
9. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and lock in place.
10. Set the Instant Pot to HIGH PRESSURE for 30 MINUTES.  It will take about 10 minutes to build up pressure before cooking starts.
11. After the cook time is finished QUICK RELEASE the pressure and when safe remove the and discard the bay leaves.
12. Serve the chicken pieces over steamed white rice and ladle the sauce over the chicken and rice.

ChefSecret:  A quick 10-minute broil of the chicken together with the bacon brings a wonderful, smoky grilled flavor to the chicken pieces. Don’t skip this step.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  I’ve had a lot of things to think about over the last 6 months.  One is, I think the main reason that Santa Claus is always so jolly is because he knows where all the naughty girls live.
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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.
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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.

#Entrees #InstantPot #Chickenf #ChickenAdobo #ComfortFood #Adobo #Manila #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica  #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                               ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020