… 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
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… from the California Kitchen How you doin”? The longer the pandemic continues the more we crave “comfort foods.” This is a recipe that restaurants serve to use up “ends and pieces” or the trimmings of the beef that was cut in-house. Since many restaurants no longer cut their own meat, beef dishes like this have all but disappeared from many menus. When you pressure cook in an Instant Pot the beef tips will be very tender and quite delicious. The braising and pressure cooking create a wonderful, unctuous (in a good way), rich gravy. Personally, I prefer to serve this amazing beef dish over mashed potatoes—that’s what mashed potatoes were invented for. The gravy even makes instant mashed potatoes taste great. But if you prefer, you can also serve them over rice or wide egg noodles. Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes Natural pressure release time: 10 minutes Yield: 4 servings Ingredients For the dredge seasoning 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon corn starch 2 teaspoons steak seasoning 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1-teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper For browning the beef 2 pounds beef filets tips, cut in 2-inch cubes 3 tablespoons olive oil For the gravy 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup chopped yellow onion 3 tablespoons minced garlic 1/3 cup red wine 1-1/2 cups beef stock 1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon thyme 1 bay leaf Directions To make the dredge seasoning
Chefs Secret: Not quite thick enough for your taste? Whisk together 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of cold water until dissolved. Turn on SAUTÉ function again and stir in the amount of cornstarch mixture until thickened to your taste. Quip of the Day: “God, grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.” ------------------------------------------- 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 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 #BeefTips #MashedPotatoes #Beef #BeefFilets #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 …from the California KitchenHow you doin’? I’m in a ducky mood today so that’s the subject of today’s edition of my recipe blog. Duck is the main ingredient of many delicious Chinese dishes. Some of the most popular ways of cooking duck include roasting, smoking, frying and steaming. I’ve brought it to a new level—Instant Pot! They couldn’t do that during the Ming Dynasty. The Chinese have been eating roast duck since the 13th century, when it was first prepared for one of the emperors of China. Duck was popularized during the Ming Dynasty when Peking Duck was a delicacy at the royal table. Although the dish has evolved over the years—in many different cooking styles—duck continues to be an haute symbol of Chinese cuisine. It's one of the most important dishes in the cuisine and is iconic within Chinese cooking. Migrating birds are copious over China. Both ducks and geese make plentiful fly-overs, but the “royal” birds were undoubtedly farm-raised with special care taken to what they were fed assuring that they were always tender and flavorful. Duck tastes wonderful and is one of the healthier meats you can choose with good reason. Duck is a lean meat–comparable in fat and calories to a skinless chicken or turkey breast. It's also an excellent source of selenium and zinc, both of which encourage good cellular metabolism. Since duck is a red meat, it contains higher amounts of iron than other poultry. When cooking, it is important to render out the subdermal layer of protective fat just under the skin. If roasting bring the oven temperature up to 450⁰F to start the rendering process. Then turn it down to 350⁰F when you start to see the fat running; then finish cooking. In my Asian-Style Duck with Cashews I use smoked duck breast (8 to 9-ounces). It is already fully cooked so you don’t have to spend the time roasting it. Smoked duck comes at a price--$19 to $25. You can find it at upscale supermarkets, specialty poultry stores or on Amazon. The duck with dark sauce is an elegant and eye-pleasing dish served on a bed of steamed rice with bok choy, wild mushrooms and shallots. Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 7 minutes Instant Pot time: 3 minutes, plus 10 minutes natural release Yield: 4 servings Ingredients 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce 3 tablespoons ketchup 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon minced ginger 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon Asian five spice powder 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (or more if you like it spicey, less if you don’t) 2 tablespoons peanut oil 2 cups sliced smoked duck 1 medium red onion, quartered 1/2 cup celery ribs, bias cut 2 cups large broccoli florets 1/4 cup chicken broth or stock 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons corn starch mixed with four tablespoons chicken stock or water 1 cup roasted cashews 2 tablespoons chopped parsley Directions
ChefSecret: This is the perfect recipe to use smoked duck. If you can’t find smoked duck, use a raw duck breast and cook it skin side up for about 30-40 minutes (per the oven instructions above) until a thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part of the breast. Quip of the Day: “I went to a bookstore the other day and asked the salesperson, "where's the self- help section?" The clerk said, “If she told me, it would defeat the whole purpose.” ---------------------------------------- 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 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 #SmokedDuckBreast #Cashews #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 …from the California KitchenHow you doin’? Do you know where the best French-style baguettes are baked? If you guessed Paris, you’re wrong. The most superb bread bakes are in Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it used to be known. HCMC is the largest city in Vietnam situated in the southeastern region where the city surrounds the Saigon River. This was once the seat of government for the French Colonials. Vietnam was ceded to France by the 1862 Treaty of Saigon. The city itself was planned by the French to transform into a large town for colonization. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, construction of various French-style buildings began, including a botanical garden, the Norodom Palace, Hotel Continental, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and Bến Thành Market, among many others. Saigon became known as "Pearl of the Orient" (Hòn ngọc Viễn Đông), or "Paris of the Extreme Orient." I can tell you after traveling there many times it still has that charm—both the land mass and the people. On 27 April 1931, a new region called Saigon–Cholon consisting of Saigon and Cholon was formed; the name Cholon was dropped after South Vietnam gained independence from France in 1955. The city grew from 256,000 in 1930, to an influx of 1.2 million people in 1950. With this growth in citizens the French and Asian cultures “inter-married” resulting in a unique blend of cultures including Franco-Asian cuisine. It is little wonder that next to Pho, Pork Banh Mi is one of the most popular foods. Ho Chi Minh City has a strong food and drink culture with lots of roadside restaurants, coffee shops and food stalls where locals and tourists can enjoy local cuisine and beverages at very low prices. It's currently ranked in the top five best cities in the world for street food. Okay, enough history, let’s get into sandwich making. First you have to find a source for the best baguette in your city. That’s important because bread makes this sandwich very special. Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 36 minutes Yield: 2-1/4 cups vegetable mixture; 4 cups pork; makes 4 to 6 Sandwiches Ingredients For the sandwiches 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1/4 cup Asian rice vinegar 2 teaspoons granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 2 Persian cucumbers 5 radishes 1 cup shredded carrots 2 to 3 soft baguettes with a crispy thin crust 1/2 cup mayonnaise 10 fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish For the pork 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 (1-1/2-pound) pork tenderloins 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons light olive oil 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 tablespoon fish sauce 2 tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce 2 cups chicken broth Directions To make the vegetable garnish for the sandwiches
ChefSecret: For a little added flavor, I add a light smear of hoisin sauce over the pork. Quip of the Day: Please join me in telling Walmart, “If I wanted to self-check I’d stay at home and shop on Amazon… for goodness’ sake, hire some cashiers." ------------------------------------------- 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 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 #Sandwich #PorkBahnMi #Vietnamese #Saigon #InstantPot #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 …from the California Kitchen How you doin’? There are 1001 gumbo recipes and I’ve tested and tasted a lot of them. There is no such thing as bad gumbo—just some gumbos are better than others. This recipe is traditional, very simple and a breeze in an Instant Pot. In addition to spicy andouille sausage, it’s full of chicken, shrimp, tomatoes, and other great veggies. It is wonderfully creamy with a pungent sauce. This is the original bowl of Cajun comfort food. The most important ingredient is the roux. It’s not complicated even though it does sound French. It‘s just equal measures of butter and flour. Any home meal provider can learn how to make a brown roux first time out. It comes down to patience: you must keep whisking, continuously and slowly, until the roux is a rich, caramel color and full of brown butter and toasted flour flavor. Gumbo is the perfect one-pot, one-bowl meal. It’s loaded with all the proteins and veggies you could want. And the sauce… that beautiful sauce is for the rice and a nice piece of crusty bread to sop it up. Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes (all in including the roux) Yield: 8 servings Ingredients 2 cups dry white rice 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 bell diced peppers, (any colors—orange, green, red or purple) 3 stalks of diced celery 1 medium diced yellow or red onion 12 ounces andouille sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 5-ounces chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2-1/2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes 1-1/2 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce (Tabasco work well if you don’t have Crystal) 3-1/2 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup white wine 2 bay leaves 12 ounces raw shrimp 2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen 3 tablespoons cup green onion, sliced thin Directions
ChefSecret: I know you may think this won’t work, but the residual heat in the Instant Pot will cook the shrimp and corn perfectly even though the power is off. Quip of the Day: “Things have gotten so bad in Washington, D.C. Exxon-Mobil had to lay off 25 Congressmen.” ------------------------------------------- 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 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 #Gumbo #Andouille #Chicken #Shrimp #CajunSpice #Tabasco #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 |
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