…from the California Kitchen How you doin’? Chinese workers first brought their unique cuisine to America during the gold rush in California and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Back then, the food was mainly for the immigrants Chinese only. In the 1930’s Chinese-American food (Cantonese-style) was growing in popularity. A rich brown sauce began to be served with many stir-fry dishes. This “gravy,” as it was called, was rich with an array of complex umami flavors. Egg Foo Young (a Chinese omelet) was no exception. Egg Foo Young has become one of the most popular Chinese take-out dishes in America today. But it is so much better to make at home when it can be served fresh and hot right out of the pan. Don’t cringe at the thought of it—making Egg Foo Young at home is easier than you might think. All you need are some eggs, fresh veggies and your favorite meats (Chinese sausage, beef, pork, chicken, shrimp or a combination—even tofu can work), and you will soon be making delicious, better than take-out Egg Foo Young at home. No need to head out to a Chinese restaurant—you’re now the pro—when you can cook great Chinese food so well at home. This omelet style dish has become sort of ubiquitous and can be found in the Chinese-American, Chinese-British, and Chinese-Indonesian cuisine. Like many dishes, this one has been adapted depending upon where it is served and the local available ingredients. What is common is that Egg Foo Young is served with fresh vegetables like bean sprouts, spring onions, mushrooms, cabbage, and water chestnuts. This is the perfect dish that can adapted to whatever you have on hand—even leftovers from your visit to a Chinese restaurant (I often include leftover steamed or fried rice—just toss it in). This is an easy meal to make at home. Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Additional time to make the sauce: 10 minutes Yield: 2 servings Ingredients For the Egg Foo Young omelet 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion 1/4 cup chopped green onion bottoms 1/4 cup chopped celery 1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts 1/4 cup sliced white mushrooms 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch 1/2-pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped (or other precooked proteins) 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce 1-1/2 cups bean sprouts 6 eggs, well beaten 2 tablespoons green onion tops For the Egg Foo Young gravy 1/2 cup plus 5 tablespoons chicken stock 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1/4 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon soy sauce 1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch Directions To make the Egg Foo Young
ChefSecret: I use two (2) small sauté pans and divide all the ingredients equally. That way I can easily serve two perfect Egg Foo Young omelets. Quip of the Day: “Recently, I’ve put a lot of thought into it and I just don’t think being an adult is gonna work for me.” ------------------------------------------- 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. ------------------------------------------- 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 #EggFooYoung #ChineseFood #ChineseOmelet QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021
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The Cinco de Mayo Collection How you doin’? Carnitas is one of my favorite Mexican foods. It is very versatile and can be used plated on its own or in tacos, enchiladas and/or tostadas. The literal meaning of Carnitas is "little meats." It is a dish of Mexican cuisine that originated in the state of Michoacán. Carnitas is made by braising or simmering the meat in pork lard until tender. The process takes three to four hours, and the result is very tender and juicy meat, which is then typically served with chopped coriander (cilantro leaves), pickled red onion, salsa, guacamole, tortillas and refried beans. You wouldn’t think that any meat “boiled” in lard would come out tasting great and not be greasy at all. It’s kind of an unusual dish to cook as well. When you first start cooking in pork lard the smell around the kitchen is a bit off putting, but it transforms into something sublime the longer it cooks. Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 3 to 4 hours Cool time: 1 hour Yield: 4 Pounds Ingredients 5 pounds Lard 6 ounces cola soda 2 small oranges, cut in quarters and seeded 6 whole cloves garlic, smashed 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, 2 whole fresh jalapeño chiles, halved lengthwise 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder 1 medium white onion, quartered 2 teaspoons kosher salt 5 to 6 pounds pork butt, cut in 3- to 4-inch cubes Directions
ChefSecret: There are some recipes that utilize an Instant Pot to make carnitas. These recipes don’t fry the meat in lard—they braise them in liquid. While the Instant Pot makes a great pulled pork, I wouldn’t call it carnitas. By the way, you should never use your Instant Pot or any pressure cooker for frying in oil under pressure. It’s very dangerous. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “A great practical joke now is to go up to someone’s door, ring the doorbell, then instead of running away, just stand there.” 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. #Carnitas #Pork #Lard #CincoDeMayo #DutchOven #Braise #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 The Easter Collection How you doin’? I love the flavor and texture of old-fashioned smoked hams. Last year I bought a commercial brand ham and it was so “pumped” with water and chemicals that there was relatively little ham to taste after cooking, and relatively little actual ham flavor. Yes, they’re easier to cook, but if you’re cooking for compliments—forget it! There are hams and then there are Benton’s Smoky Mountain Hams. They’re a little pricey and take a lot of time and effort, but they’re well worth it. Simple stated, Allan Benton produces great American hams. Now, you might have noticed in the name of this post that this recipe is part of The Easter Collection. We’re posting this one a week early to allow time for you to order, receive and prepare this special ham. So, go… order it now. We’ll wait. I wanted to do justice in the preparation to match the effort that went into it at the Benton smoke house. Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams are slow cured using salt, brown sugar and sodium nitrite. They are typically aged 9-10 months, although they do sell hams that are a year and older. This time-honored practice dates to colonial days when the preparation and preservation of meat was a way of life. Allan Benton has upheld the traditional dry-curing process to produce world class country hams and bacon. A Benton’s ham weighs in at between 16 and 18-pounds. You can also purchase bacon and other cuts of ready-to-cook hams on their website at www.bentonscountryhams2.com. How to make a whole, bone-in Benton’s Country Ham Preparation for the whole ham Allow a good 6 or 7 days to do it right. Hey, you only live once, right?
Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams 2603 Hwy. 411 North Madisonville, Tennessee 37354 Phone: (423) 442-5003 Hours: Monday - Saturday: 8:30am 5:00pm Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I was watching the news the other day and they advised that you contact your older friends and relatives for a welfare check to make sure they’re okay. Being a little older, I’m very fortunate to have someone check on me almost every day. She is from India and is very concerned about renewing my car warranty.” ------------------------------------------- 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. ------------------------------------------- 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 #Ham #SmokedHam #BentonsCountryHams #Easter #Pork #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 … from the California Kitchen How you doin’? Let’s do something a little different today. When I sold my house a few years ago, I had to give up my large smoker and grill. The smoker was the kind that had a trailer hitch and could smoke about 2,500-pounds at a time. I don’t want to brag (yes, I do), but my smoked brisket won best BBQ in Austin 3-years running. As I told my Texas client, “it took a California guy to teach a bunch of big strappin’ Texans to smoke delicious brisket, ribs and pork butt.”
Now that I live in a high-rise condo that does not allow any grilling on the balcony, I had to find ways to satisfy my need for smoked barbecued meats. How do I do it during the pandemic? I CHEAT. Without buying any new equipment and not breaking any condo rules or regulations here is a plan for making the best South Carolina pulled pork dinner with all the fixin’s. You may have to shop for a few convenience ingredients (that’s where the cheatin’ comes in) and allow the right amount of time to season and hold the pork butt overnight and about 7-hours of slow cooking. After you buy the boxed and canned goods you can flavor them any way you please. It’s really quite easy—I’ve given some guidelines below. Here’s the menu—get started. Hallelujah! Barbecue Flavors That’ll Bring You To Your Knees Boiled South Carolina Peanuts Corn Bread Muffins Vinegar-Based Dirty Cole Slaw w/Roasted Peanuts Brown-Sugar Baked Beans Pulled Pork Plate Chocolate-Pecan Tartlets For the boiled peanuts My friend Jared Jester owns the Heritage Peanut Company down in Bluffton, SC. He makes boiled peanuts. You can order a mess of ‘em tasty little things on his website. All you have to do to eat them out of the bag is stick them microwave for about 30 to 60 seconds to hotten’ up a bit. For the cornbread I use Krusteaz Honey Cornbread & Muffin Mix or you can just use Jiffy Cornbread Mix—either way you can dress it up a little with a few enhancements. I used bacon fat for half of the called-for butter or oil; I added a few drops of Tabasco sauce, half cup of Cheddar cheese and I sometimes I add up to 1/2 cup of frozen corn. Bake as directed on the package. For the dirty coleslaw I start with a bag of pre-washed and cut, store-bought coleslaw mix. I add 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 tablespoon Everything Bagel Seasoning (I prefer Trader Joe’s brand), 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon roasted garlic powder, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (that’s what makes it dirty) and 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I prefer peanut oil). Mix well and let it sit for at least 4-hours or overnight. Salt to your taste. Or fool around with it and make it your own. Always add the oil at the end to make sure all your spices have had a chance to blossom. When serving top it off with some roasted peanuts—that’s the South Carolina way. For the brown sugar baked beans I like to doctor a can of store-bought baked beans. This time I used Bush’s Brown Sugar Hickory beans. To a 28-ounce can I added 1/4 cup molasses, 1 teaspoon Wright’s Liquid Hickory Smoke, 1 heaping teaspoon yellow mustard (or you can use grainy mustard), 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 2 teaspoons hot sauce and 3 tablespoons brown sugar. Mix it all together and microwave it on high for 6 to 7-minutes (take out and stir about every 2 minutes). The sauce will thicken up. Serve while piping hot. Here again, these ingredients are just suggestions—make it to your own taste. For the “BBQ” pulled pork Go to your favorite butcher and buy a nice hunk of fresh pork butt—4 to 7 pounds. The night before you are going to cook it massage it all over with a nice rub. Here’s what I used this time. For the rub I suggest 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1 tablespoon sweet paprika, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper. Rub-a-dub-rub it all over the pork. Put in a clean plastic shopping bag (check for holes or you’ll have a mess in the morning) and refrigerate overnight. In the morning take the pork out of the refrigerator. Take the pork butt out of the bag and put it in a roasting pan and rub the fat side of the pork butt with 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of smoked salty (I prefer to use SaltWorks Hickory Smoke Salt, easily found on Amazon). Finish off the prep with a light drizzle of balsamic vinegar. The pork roast will take 5 to 7-hours to cook, depending on the size of the butt. Take the butt out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking. Preheat an oven to 225⁰ F and roast. If it’s starts to get a little too dark, cover with foil. ChefSecrets: After nearly 250 editions of our Survival Guide, you are trusted to change and innovate these recipes to suit your family’s tastes. There are no secrets here, if there’s an ingredient you think will work, add it—if there’s something you don’t like, leave it out. Have fun and let me know how everything turned out… send pictures. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Why do they call it the novel coronavirus? It’s a long story.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to send 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 added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. ------------------------------------------- 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 #PulledPork #BBQ #HeritagePeanuts #NPB #NationalPeanutBoard #Krusteaz #BushsBeans #Saltworks #Pork #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 … from the California KitchenHow you doin’? Italian Sausage has such marvelous flavor and texture, and it is so adaptable to many styles of cooking. Traditional Italian Sausage is made from seasoned ground pork stuffed into casing skins to produce links about 6 inches long. But it doesn’t have to be only links… it can be country sausage patties. I use most of my Italian Sausage out of their casing and blend it with sauces and pasta dishes such lasagna. Initially known as lucanica, the first evidence of the sausage dates to the 5th century BC when the Roman historian Marco Terenzio Varrone described this use of stuffing his meat into the pig intestine together with spices and salt. The original lucanica was “a minced meat stuffed into a casing, because our soldiers learned how to make it, transport it and prepare it from the Lucanians." Confirmation of the birth in Basilicata are also the writings of Cicero and Martial that mention Lucania as the birthplace of the sausage. Typically, Italian Sausage is made from roughly ground pork seasoned with fennel seed and red pepper flakes. That combination gives Italian sausage its distinctive flavor and character. Homemade Italian Sausage is easy to make and very tasty. My recipe uses lean meat; it’s low in sodium and sugar with full flavor in every bite. You can use this recipe in any recipe that calls for Italian sausage, even an Italian Sausage sandwich that can be served like a burger. The most common varieties marketed as "Italian Sausage" in supermarkets are hot, sweet and mild. The main difference between hot and mild is the addition and amount of hot red pepper flakes to the spice mix. The difference between mild and sweet is the addition of sweet basil in the latter. Prep time: 25 minutes Cool and freeze time: 8 hours Yield: 24 – 2-ounce sausage patties Ingredients 1/4 cup dry red wine, chilled 1 tablespoon raw sugar 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon roasted garlic powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 2 teaspoons black pepper 2 teaspoons paprika 1-1/2 teaspoons fennel seed 1/2 teaspoon anise seed 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon dried minced onion 1/8 teaspoon coriander seed, coarsely cracked 1/8 teaspoon ground mace 2 pounds extra-lean ground turkey breast or extra lean ground beef 1 pound lean ground pork Directions
ChefSecret: If you have the time, patience, and a sausage link attachment for your Kitchen Aid mixer, you can buy casings from your local butcher and fill them into tube sausages. To make a perfect sausage that cooks properly, balance out the fat ratio to 70% ground lean meats and 30% ground fats. Give it a try—it can be fun. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Is anyone else’s car getting three weeks to the gallon?” 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 #Pork #Sausage #ItalianSausage #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 |
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