How you doin’? Πως είσαι'? I bet you never knew my Greek was so good—I’m multi-lingual. In Greece the salad is called “Horiatiki,” which translates to village or peasant salad. It’s a combination of tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, green peppers, olives and feta cheese, dressed in olive oil and sprinkled with oregano.
 
Let me tell you a little bit about traditional Greek salads. The Greek isles have been conquered by many people and Greek salads are no different. Greek salads did not reach world popularity until the end of the 19th century when the tomato became popular in Greece.
 
There is no lettuce or any other leafy greens in a traditional Greek salad. The salad is never mixed before it is served. The feta cheese is never cut in cubes but rather large slices are placed on top of the salad. In Greece, Horiatiki, is served most often from early spring to the early part of fall when the season’s quality produce including juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and onions are at their peak.
 
What goes best with a Greek Salad? Grilled ribeye steak with sautéed onions and mushrooms, loaded baked potato, cheesy broccoli and a horseradish cream sauce is delicious with this salad. Grilled shrimp and peppers are delicious on salad. Grilled steak over this salad is also delicious!
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
 
Ingredients
For the Greek salad dressing
1-1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (1 large clove)
1 1/2 tablespoon finely minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon honey
Sea Salt, to taste
6 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
 
For the salad
4 medium Roma tomatoes, diced
1 medium English cucumber, peeled and sliced into circles
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced shreds, rinsed and drained
1 small red or yellow bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
3/4 cup kalamata or black olives, drained and sliced
1 cup (4 ounces) sliced (not cubed or crumbled) feta cheese
1 medium firm avocado, diced
1 loaf warm crusty bread   (Optional: omit if gluten-free is desired)
 
Directions
To make the dressing

1. Add all of the dressing ingredients, except the olive oil, to a blender jar and blend well.  Let the dressing rest for 10 minutes and then blend in the olive oil.
2. Season with salt to taste and store in refrigerator until ready to use.
3. In a large salad bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onions, bell peppers, olives, avocado and feta cheese.
4. Drizzle dressing over top and gently toss to evenly coat. Add dressing within a few minutes of serving for best results.
5. Serve with warm crusty bread.

 
ChefSecret:  Add the olive oil as the last step in making any salad dressing or marinade giving the rest of the ingredients a chance bloom for full flavor. Consider adding slice grilled ribeye, grilled chicken breast or grilled shrimp as a topper to your Greek Salad.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Wash your hands like you just finished a bag of hot Cheetos con limón and you need to remove your contact lenses.”

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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 also being 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.

#Entree #Salad #EntreeSalad #GreekSalad #Tomatoes #Horiatiki #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica

                                              ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020

How you doin’? When I was just a little kid my family took me to Los Angeles County Fair. I didn’t give a hoot or damn about the midway rides or prized-winning heifers. I was too busy with the carney food. Two of the main “gastronomic” attractions were corn dogs and cinnamon rolls and I would beg to have one of each the minute we got to the Pomona Fairgrounds. They weren't called corn dogs way back then—they were "Pronto Pups."  The Pronto Pup was introduced in 1947, and lays claim—along with about 20 others that demand the same honor—to being the first corn dog made in the U.S.
 
Later, when I lived in Texas, I enjoyed "Corny Dogs," as they were called, at the Texas State Fairgrounds in Dallas. Same delicious treat, different name. The Corny Dog was introduced at the fair in 1938 (although some say ‘42). The New York Times remarked that there were corn dog stands at the city's beaches in 1947.  By the way, you can still get a corn dog on the Coney Island boardwalk. If left up to former Mayor Bloomberg and his food police had their way, they would have been banned long ago.
 
Corn dogs are just wieners that have been thrust on a stick, dredged in a batter containing cornmeal (hence the name), and deep-fried. During the health-conscious final decades of the last century, corn dogs took a big hit, since their greasiness, carbohydrate intensity and shear hot-dogginess made them “off limits” to many diners. Yet they lived on at street fairs and Coney Island concessions—and in the supermarket freezer cases, though I don't know anyone who's ever bought them there. Well, not quite true—I tried them once, but oven baked corn dogs just weren’t the same.
 
Okay, so last night while rummaging through a couple of books in my food library I found my mother’s original corn dog recipe she used for my eleventh birthday party. I seemed to remember that her corn dogs were pretty darn good, but not better than anything I found in Pomona.  So here it is…
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Fry time:  4 minutes
Yield:  20 Corn Dogs
 
Ingredients:
1 quart oil for deep frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 egg, beaten
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 pounds all-beef hot dogs
20 wooden sticks
 
Directions:

1. Heat oil in a deep fryer or large Dutch oven to 365ºF. Use a thermometer to make sure you get the temperature right.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Stir in melted bacon drippings. You can use vegetable oil, but bacon fat is so much better.
4. Make a well in the center and pour in the egg, buttermilk and baking soda.  Mix until everything is smooth and well blended.
5. Pat the hot dogs dry with paper towels so that the batter will stick.
6. Insert wooden sticks into the ends.
7. Dip the hot dogs in the batter one at a time, shaking off the excess.
8. Deep fry a few at a time in the hot oil until they are as brown as you like them.
9. Drain on paper towels and hold in a low-temp oven until all are fried and ready to serve.
10. Serve on paper plates with a strip of parchment paper.
11. Have plenty of old-fashioned yellow mustard and ketchup available for dipping.

ChefSecret:

• There is also an adult version of corn dogs using cocktail sized weenies and toothpicks.
• Look, just because I prefer all-beef hot dogs you can use whatever you like, chicken, turkey, pork tofu (if you really must)—the corny batter covers all sins.

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Covid-19 Quip of the Day: If you believe all this nonsense will end and we will get things back to normal once we reopen everything—raise your hand! Now slap yourself with it, you silly fool, you.
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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,

#Entree #DeepFried #CornyDogs #CornDogs #ProntoPup #CountyFair #FairFoods #Snack #Lunch #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica

                                           ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, Inc. 2020

How you doin’? This week’s blogs are a celebration of County Fair Food no matter where you live. There is nothing better than munching your way through the fairgrounds. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles County Fair has been cancelled this year—sob, sob, weep, weep—I am shedding real tears. I don’t think they even closed the fair during World War II. This is a real tragedy. But alas, why should this be any different from other events that have closed? Schools are closed, graduations were cancelled, weddings postponed… you can’t even get a haircut! But taking away my sin-a-mon buns is the real sin… more or less the last straw for me.
 
Whenever I go to the fair, I always start at the beginning. There is one particular stand that makes humongous cinnamon buns that look as big as flying saucers.  We like to develop recipes that bring us back to happier times and back together. This is just one of those great midway recipes that match the giant cinnamon buns for the county fairs across this fine land.
 
Read all instructions completely before beginning. Make sure to measure all ingredients and have them at your side before you start mixing.
 
Prep time:  40 minutes
Proof time:  1 hour + 1 hour or overnight
Bake time:  30 to 35 minutes
Yield: 12 large cinnamon buns
 
Ingredients
For the cinnamon bun dough
1/4 cup warm water (no warmer than 110⁰F)
1 package active dry yeast (7 grams)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4-pound unsalted butter, chilled (1 stick)
3 large egg yolks
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
Butter (to grease the baking pans—2 cake rounds or 1 rectangle)
 
For the powdered sugar icing
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 to 4 tablespoons milk or half & half
 
Directions
To make the cinnamon buns

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and stir.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and stir. Allow the yeast to dissolve for 5 minutes.
3. Stir together 1/4 cup of sugar, the flour and salt.
4. Cut the stick of butter into small pieces and add to the flour. Mix until there are coarse little lumps of butter throughout.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the yeast mixture, egg yolks and milk. Beat until blended.
6. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture. Knead until a smooth dough forms.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to ferment until dough has doubled in size; about 1 hour.
8. Butter your baking pans, both bottom and sides… either two 9” cake rounds or one 9” x 13” rectangle.
9. Punch down dough and knead for two minutes to pop all the air bubbles. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.
10. Divide dough in half and roll out each ball to a 10 x 12-inch rectangle.
11. Cut remaining 1/3 cup of butter into 1/4-inch cubes and place evenly on each piece of rolled out dough.
12. Sprinkle half of the granulated sugar, cinnamon and brown sugar over the first dough rectangle.  Reserve the remaining granulated sugar, cinnamon and brown sugar for the second one.
13. Roll the dough up. With a think sharp knife, cut into 1”-1-1/2” slices.
14. Place the slices of dough in the baking pan, cut side down, leaving space between the buns to allow for rising.
15. Repeat steps 12-14 with the second dough rectangle.
16. In a warm draft-free place, allow the dough to rise in the baking pan(s) until doubled (about 1 hour or you can let the dough rest overnight in the refrigerator) (see the ChefSecret below).
17. Preheat an oven to 350ºF. If you have refrigerated the dough overnight, allow it to come to room temperature before putting it into the pre-heated oven (about 2 hours).
18. Bake the buns for 30 to 35 minutes.
19. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning out of the pans

To make the powder sugar icing

1. In medium bowl, combine all ingredients until smooth, adding enough milk for desired glaze consistency.
2. Drizzle the cinnamon buns with powdered sugar icing. Serve and enjoy!

ChefSecret:

• Allowing the dough to proof a little longer overnight will develop more flavor in the dough.
• If you have refrigerated the dough overnight, remember to pull the pan(s) from the refrigerator and allow the dough to come to room temperature before baking. If the dough is cold when put into the oven, the rolls will only be baked on the outside but will be doughy and under-baked on the inside.

 
Covid-19 Quip of the Day: Do you remember when you were a little kid and all your underwear had the days of the week on them. Those would be helpful right now.
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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,

#Baking #CinnamonBuns #CountyFair  #CountyFairWeek #FairFoods #Breakfast #Brunch #Dessert #Snack #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica

                                           ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, Inc. 2020

How you doin’? How about a little lobster today? There is this little restaurant in West Los Angeles that specializes lobster rolls (and beer). You might think that this is usually a New England favorite, but at Lobster and Beer they have a few great Lobster Rolls on the menu—one with just drawn butter mixed with the lobster meat and stuffed into a split brioche roll and the California-Style Lobster Salad Rolls. I love them both! For those who don’t live in the vicinity, this one’s for you!
 
How much do you know about lobsters? Here is a quick primer Lobster 101—read it well…  there will be a pop quiz next period. When the first European settlers reached North America, lobsters were so plentiful that they would wash ashore in piles up to 2 feet high. Native Americans used lobsters to fertilize their crops and bait their fishing hooks. They also occasionally ate the abundant crustaceans by covering them in seaweed and baking them over hot rocks. This was the inspiration for the New England clambake.
Lobsters were sooo cheap because they were so many of them. Lobsters were routinely fed to prisoners (where can I sign up?), apprentices, slaves and children when America was just growing up. A servant’s diet was so lobster-heavy they included stipulations in their contracts that they would only be served lobster twice a week.

Lobsters—monsters from the deep. Maine lobsters can weigh more than 40 pounds and grow up to 3 feet long. The largest lobster on record was caught off Novia Scotia in 1988. It weighed more than 44 pounds and was 42 inches long—it was at least 100 years old—twice the lifespan of the average lobster. The fisherman who caught the mega lobster reportedly released him back to the sea.

This is really strange lobster stuff. The lobster, which has evolved little over the last 100 million years, is known for its unusual anatomy. Its brain is in its throat, its nervous system in its abdomen, its teeth in its stomach and its kidneys in its head. It also hears using its legs and tastes with its feet. One of the few things lobsters have in common with humans… they can be right-clawed or left-clawed.

A healthier solution. Although considered a rich and decadent food, lobster meat contains less calories than an equal portion of skinless chicken breast. It also boasts healthy omega-3 fatty acids, potassium and the vitamins E, B-12 and B-6.
 
Now, put on your bib and let’s eat some lobster!
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Chill time:  60 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Yield:  4 to 6 lobster rolls
 
Ingredients
For the lobster salad
1 pound fully cooked, steamed Maine lobster meat, cooled (free of shell and cartilage)
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon of white vinegar
3/4 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon fresh dill finely chopped
3 small scallions, thinly sliced
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
lemon wedge, for garnish
sweet gherkins, for garnish
 
For the buns
4 to 6 hot dog buns (I prefer King’s Hawaiian split-top hot dog buns)
4 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
 
Directions
To prepare the lobster salad

1. Cut the lobster meat into 1/2” diced chunks.
2. Gently combine the lobster meat, celery, vinegar, mayonnaise, dill and scallions. Do not beat up the lobster.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cover with food film and chill for at least an hour.

To prepare the rolls and assemble

1. Using a large sauté pan, melt the butter and grill the hot dog buns in the pan just until they are golden brown on the interior surface. (King’s Hawaiian hot dog buns are split on the top)
2. When the buns are ready, stuff them with the chilled lobster salad.
3. Place each roll on a plate, garnish with a lemon wedge and sweet gherkins.
4. Serve while the rolls are still warm.

ChefSecret: I like to add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest (microplane) about 30 minutes before making up the lobster rolls for the freshest flavor. If you get bored with eating too much lobster, you can use the same recipe for shrimp or crab.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  On day 127 of Social Distancing—I struck up a conversation with a spider. Seems nice.  She’s a web designer.
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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 also being 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.  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.

#Lobster #LobsterRolls #LobsterSalad #LobsterAndBeer #KingsHawaiian #Entrees #Sandwiches #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica

                                         ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, Inc. 2020

How you doin’? California is an amazing food innovation factory. It is where Ralph Rubio first introduced Southern Californians to Fish Tacos; where a Chinese lady, with some strange hardware, invented the fortune cookie; where the first theme restaurants were introduced in the late 1960’s; and where taquitos, as they now exist, are claimed to have been invented in San Diego, California, by Ralph Pesqueria, Jr.

It was a way to bring foods to home and work when customers at his tortilla factory began asking for prepared food items to take across the street at the Consolidated Aircraft Company factory as a portable lunch to help the war effort.  Pesqueria used a recipe developed by his grandmother, who claimed credit for introducing the word "taquito" for the dish. The tortilla factory became El Indio Restaurant, where taquitos and other Mexican food are still served today.

But history—especially food history—can be cruel and fickle. The taquito, or small taco, was first referred to in the 1917 Preliminary Glossary of New Mexico Spanish, with the word noted as a "Mexicanism" used in New Mexico. The modern definition of a taquito as a rolled-tortilla dish was given in 1929 in a book of stories of Mexican people in the United States where the dish was noted as a particularly popular offering at railroad stations. Taquitos were referred to, without definition, in a 1932 issue of the Los Angeles School Journal.
 
A Los Angeles restaurant is also often given credit for their role in the early development of the taquito. Cielito Lindo was founded by Aurora Guerrero in 1934 and located on Olvera Street in Los Angeles (a great tourist destination in downtown Los Angeles—the original pueblo of the City of Angels). Guerrero's daughter used her taquito recipe in opening chain restaurants in Los Angeles and soon competitors were selling similar dishes. Even Van de Kamp's (another innovative bakery and food company in California) introduced a successful frozen taquito offering by 1976.
 
Crispy fried taquitos are served with several toppings and sides that include cabbage, crema (Mexican sour cream), guacamole, green chili or red chili, salsa and a crumbled Mexican cheese such as queso fresco.
 
Prep time:  30 minutes
Cook time:  30 minutes
Yield:  6 servings
 
Ingredients
1 cup water
1-pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3-1/2 cups vegetable oil (such as Crisco®), divided
1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup minced green onion tops
6 tablespoons chicken broth
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
12 wooden picks
1 cup shredded lettuce, or to taste
1/2 cup guacamole, or to taste
 
Directions

1. Bring water to a simmer in a skillet over medium heat; add chicken. Cover skillet and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165⁰F. Remove chicken from water and cool; shred with a fork.
2. In a dry skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium heat; cook and stir chicken, tomatoes, green onion tops, chicken broth, flour, garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and salt until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Heat remaining vegetable oil in a heavy 10-inch skillet over medium heat; carefully dip tortillas in the hot oil to soften, about 1 minute. Remove tortillas with tongs and drain on paper towels, reserving oil. Heat oil to 375°F (190°C).
4. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla around the filling and secure with a wooden toothpick.
5. Fry rolled-up tortillas, working in batches, in hot oil until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove taquitos with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve taquitos on a bed of shredded lettuce with guacamole on the side.

 
ChefSecret:  Use a thermometer, to make sure the oil temperature is at 375⁰F to prevent taquitos from getting greasy.
 
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Covid-19 Quip of the Day: When does season two if 2020 start? I don’t like season one.
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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.

#Taquitos #OlveraStreet #Rubios #ElIndio #VanDeKamps #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica

                                                ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, Inc. 2020