…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen How you doin’? Lawry’s California Center was the Southern California home office for Lawry’s Foods and Restaurants. It was 26 acres of curated gardens, just moments from downtown LA. This urban oasis was the creative spark for the company.
La Cocina was the center’s original south-of-the-border-style restaurant where menu offerings were all made with Lawry’s retail products. Everything except salsa… that was not a Lawry’s retail product which was a shame because salsa soon surpassed ketchup in sales as the leading condiment of choice. You’ll know what I mean if you’re a regular salsa-snacker… chances are, you have an open jar in your refrigerator right now. Some like it hot. Some like it mild. Whichever way you like it, salsa is undeniably one of those food items you'll never regret having on hand. Snack on it with chips, use it as a taco Tuesday accoutrement, or spoon some over eggs to add a zesty touch to your daily breakfast or weekend brunch. A great tasting salsa offers the flavors of fresh tomato, onions and garlic, lime juice and a bit of cilantro. And with so many options for conveniently jarred or fresh-packed salsa on the market, you're likely to find the perfect one to suit your taste. There’s a difference between homemade and jarred salsa. Recipes for a homemade salsa commonly call for ripe tomatoes, yellow and green onions, an acid such as lime or lemon juice, garlic, and fresh cilantro. Jalapeño peppers are optional for adding a kick of heat to the ingredients to your own taste. Seasonings include seasoned salt and maybe an earthy touch of cumin or chipotle. A salsa made in your own kitchen is made with fresh ingredients and will last for about 1-3 days when properly covered and refrigerated. A store-bought salsa with relatively the same ingredients will contain preserving agents. An airtight unopened jar of a commercially-produced salsa can stay fresh for up to a year, even without any refrigeration. Jarred salsas are specifically made to be stored on shelves and in pantries for extended periods of time—12-18 months in a cool and dark kitchen cabinet or pantry. You should always check the expiration date printed on the jar before opening a container and serving. Unlike salsa, which can take on a lot of different variations, the ingredients in pico de gallo don't really vary from recipe to recipe and are always fresh. While traditional salsa has a thinner consistency with more liquid, pico de gallo is chunkier, with each chopped ingredient distinctly visible. That said, pico de gallo is still technically a type of salsa. If you’re like me and don’t like to fuss too much to make a homemade salsa and like it kind of on the chunky side here’s a no-fail recipe that will please every time. Pico de gallo is a great condiment enhancer to any party appetizer with tortilla chips or use it as a topping for tacos, hamburgers or even hotdogs fresh and hot off the outdoor grill. For more intense flavor, chill for up to 3 hours before serving. Prep time: 20 minutes Chill time: 1 to 3 hours Ingredients 6 roma (plum) diced tomatoes 3/4 cup minced red onion 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper, seeded, seam removed 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin salt and ground black pepper to taste Directions
ChefSecret: Jalapeños can be found red or green. The only difference is that reds are left on the vine a little longer. Red jalapeño peppers are a little milder in heat with a lot fuller jalapeño flavor. Quip of the Day: What did the Mexican hangman serve his victims as a last meal? Pico de Gallows! ------------------------------------------- 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. #Snacks #Sauces #PicoDeGallo #Salsa #Tomatoes #Jalapenos #2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023
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…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen  How you doin’? If you love steak as much as I do but are confused on which cut to select when you’re at the meat counter here’s a quick primer on steaks. We’re all familiar with the words Sirloin and Ribeye. These are the two words listed most often in grocery stores, on menus and on cooking shows. In fact, these two steaks are often pitted against each other as to which is best. Actually, they are both wonderful cuts of meat that, when cooked with care, are juicy, tender and deliver big time for your beefy cravings.
But which steak should I put in my shopping cart? A Ribeye Steak, as the name suggests, comes from the rib section (ribs nine through eleven, to be exact) of the steer. Once cut, the rib bone remains attached (hence the name bone-in ribeye) bringing with it a good amount of fat from the ribs (fat is where the flavor is at). This bone is sometimes removed, but I prefer the bone-in cut. The ribeye is known for its marbling running through the meat that breaks down when cooked providing a lot of rich flavor. This is what makes the ribeye so popular. This center rib section of the steer--where the ribeye cut comes from--doesn't see much exercise during the animal's life, resulting in the beautiful marbling and tender nature it's known for. A ribeye might also be known as Delmonico, Spencer, Beauty Steak, Scotch Filet or even Prime Rib, which is what you would have if you leave the rack intact, slow roast it and carve to demand. The best way to cook is grilled or in a cast iron skillet. A Sirloin Steak can get a little confusing because many different cuts of steaks come from this large cut, located behind the ribs but in front of the rump. Such well-known favorites like T-Bone, strip Steaks (New York, Kansas City, Omaha) and Club Steak, as well as roasts like Tri-tip, all come from this area. These cuts are leaner than the ribeye, without the same degree of marbling, making them a little less tender and a bit milder. That said, cuts from the Top Sirloin (T-Bone, strips, etc.) still pack a meaty punch, and their chew is flavorful without being tough. Bottom sirloins are not usually sliced into individual steaks, but the lean, flavorful roasts like Tri-tips are excellent when slow roasted or smoked, making a hearty meal for everyone at the table. Inevitably, ruling which cut of beef is better is purely personal preference. When you consider flavor, texture and fat your taste will be the arbiter. For the beefiest flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture, go with the Ribeye. Ribeyes also cook faster on the grill or in a pan and that can come in handy. If you prefer to go lighter on the fat content, have a little more time to cook your steak, or are slicing the meat for a dish, like a steak and eggs sandwich, select the sirloin. Sirloin tends to be a few dollars less per pound as well, delivering a satisfying beefy steak meal while being easier on the wallet. Dry aging is a technique commonly used to increase flavor and increase tenderness, so a Ribeye prepared in this way is a guaranteed hit and a Sirloin prepared this way will mean all the flavor of a Ribeye without the fat. For some, dry aging is the best of both worlds. No matter your preference, if something boasts dry aging, you can't go wrong unless it’s over done. In our testing for our restaurants, the best for us is 28-day dry aged meats (outside the Cryovac plastic packaging) hung in a temperature and humidity controlled chilled cabinet. Best Steak Cuts for Your Tastes
How Long to Dry Age I prefer 28-day dry aged steaks. For my taste that maximizes flavor without becoming too gamey. Aging any longer than 10 days does not increase tenderness. Marinate or Not A delicious Ribeye steak can be cooked on the grill with a brushing of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Personally, I brush my Ribeye steaks with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, roasted garlic powder, salt and pepper. Don’t be bashful with the salt—it enhances flavor of the already flavorful steaks. For less tender cuts of meats a longer marinade process is in order. Here is a marinade that adds both flavor and tenderness. The Palm Grill Steak Marinade Prep time: 15 minutes Yield: 1-1/3 cups Ingredients 1/2 cup olive oil 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 3 tablespoons dried basil 1-1/2 tablespoons roasted garlic powder (I prefer Penzy’s Spice) 1-1/2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes 1 teaspoon ground white pepper 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce Directions
ChefSecret: Don’t be tempted to re-use the marinade straight from the bag. Used marinade is not safe to use. All that flavorful marinade doesn't have to go to waste, however. Make it safe-to-eat by boiling the liquid for several minutes. This process will also reduce the liquid, resulting in a thickened sauce that'll work well with your freshly grilled steak. Quip of the Day: Complete happiness is having a rare Ribeye steak, a bottle of American whiskey, a buttered baked potato and a loyal dog to eat the leftovers. ------------------------------------------- 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. #Entrees #Marinade #Beef #Steaks #Ribeye #Sirloin #Filet #NewYork #2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 …from the Perspectives’ Kitchen  How you doin’? If you’re bored with the same-old, same-old salads, try adding a tangy twist to your repertoire.
This tangy and flavorful dressing has a smooth 'zip' to it because of nutritional yeast and garlic powder. It's a great dressing for salads of any kind. It works great as a dipping sauce as well. Anyone who is looking for something different will definitely enjoy this dressing. The best part is that it takes only minutes to make. Vegetarians will love it for its protein- packed, light, clean taste. Prep time: 10 minutes Yield: 2 cups—16 servings Ingredients 1 cup olive oil 1 cup nutritional yeast (I prefer Bragg) 2/3 cup tamari (gluten-free soy sauce; I prefer Kikkoman) 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/2 cup lemon juice 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme Directions
ChefSecret: The lemon juice is the key ingredient to heighten freshness and brightness of flavor. Adding a thin slice of lemon to a sandwich does the same thing. Quip of the Day: “Your mind is a garden, your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds.” ------------------------------------------- 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. #SaladDressing #AsianDressing #Tamari #Bragg #CiderVinegar #VeganDressing #2023Recipes #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 …from the California Kitchen How you doin’? Lots of chefs are obsessed with creating new, never-before-seen cooking techniques—some of them actually very good. On the other hand, just because something is new and created by a “star” chef doesn’t mean it’s better.
Before we moved our offices and test kitchen last year we dismantled our large library of cooking books—many of them were older collector’s items. These were collections of old-school recipes and cooking school techniques that worked well for hundreds of years—and the results today are still absolutely delicious. Take for example the attached recipe for a century’s old Béchamel Macaroni & Cheese. This is nothing like that blue box of Kraft Mac & Cheese which can’t hold a candle to this recipe. Béchamel sauce is the basic sauce of a creamy mac and cheese. It is a silky white sauce made from milk and thickened with butter and flour (no cheese in the basic sauce). It is one of the five “mother sauces” used in French cooking, meaning it is a base used for other, more complex sauces such as Mornay or Alfredo. Béchamel is a sauce traditionally made from a white roux (butter and flour) and warm whole milk. Béchamel may also be referred to as besciamella, besamel, or white sauce (yes, even Aunt Penny’s is a basic white sauce). Basic Béchamel sauce recipes can include salt, pepper and nutmeg as a seasoning base. Basic white sauce was the culinary invention of Duke Philippe De Mornay in the 16th century. He was the Governor of Saumur and Lord of the Plessis Marly. Béchamel Sauce is a variation of the basic white sauce of Mornay. He is also credited with being the creator of Mornay Sauce, Sauce Chasseur, Sauce Lyonnaise and Sauce Porto. One of the oldest recipes goes back a couple of centuries. It is what I consider the mother of all mac and cheese recipes. It is very simply written—start by making a basic Béchamel sauce by melting butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the same amount of flour and whisk it in. Gradually add warmed milk and a pinch of salt, keep whisking constantly until the mixture starts to thicken--voila!... Béchamel. Next, add some cooked pasta (small shells, elbow, rigatoni, macaroni or penne are all good choices) to the warm Béchamel sauce, and mix in cubes of Fontina cheese and grated Parmesan. Toss everything together, then top it all off with more Parmesan, ground pepper, and a few slices of butter to make the dish simply scrumptious. You’re not done yet… as a final step of this cheesy mixture, sprinkle a handful of bread crumbs over the top and bake it in the oven until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Just because this recipe for Mac and Cheese Bake is centuries old, that doesn’t mean it has any formal measurements. Tossing around some cooked noodles in a classic Béchamel sauce and then adding a ton of cheese and butter isn’t a revolutionary idea. After all, this recipe has been around for hundred of years. Ingredients 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2-1/2 to 3 cups warm whole milk 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon white pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3/4 cup Fontina cheese 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese 1/2 pound cooked pasta Directions To make the Béchamel sauce
ChefSecret: Get creative, try different cheeses or add breadcrumbs as a topping. I add a tablespoon of bleu cheese for a sharper flavor. You can use different shapes of pasta or add some extra spices to amp up the flavor. And don’t forget to butter or spray Pam on your baking dish or you’ll be using elbow grease to remove the baked-on cheese . Quip of the Day: “I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of being part of a major historical event.” ------------------------------------------- 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. In this New Year, seek out the good in people and avoid conflict. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. #Entrees #BechamelSauce #MotherSauces #Mac&Cheese #Pasta #Noodles #ComfortFood #Cheese #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022 …from the California Kitchen  How you doin’? I was always under the impression that Peanut Sauce originated in Thailand where it is used as a multi-purpose condiment. But actually, it’s an international favorite, maybe one of the first to stretch across Europe, North America and Asia.
Introduced from Mexico by Portuguese and Spanish merchants in the 16th century, peanuts found a place within Indonesian cuisine in a popular sauce. Peanuts thrived in the tropical environment of Southeast Asia, and today, they can be found roasted and chopped finely, topping a variety of dishes and in marinades and dipping sauces. Peanut sauces reached the peak of sophistication in Indonesia, with the delicate balance of taste achieved from various ingredients according to each recipe of peanut sauce; fried peanuts, gula jawa (palm sugar), garlic, shallot, ginger, tamarind, lemon juice, lemongrass, salt, chili, pepper, and sweet soy sauce all ground together and mixed with water to achieve the right texture (in this recipe I use peanut butter). The secret to good peanut sauce is to make it not too thick and not too watery. Indonesian peanut sauce tends to be less sweet than the Thai version (which is a hybrid adaptation). Gado-gado is eaten with peanut sauce throughout Indonesia showcasing the delicate balance of sweet, spicy and sour. Satays are commonly served with peanut sauce. However, satay doesn't actually mean peanut sauce. Southeast Asia’s favorite street food snack is a plate of skewered, grilled meat (pork, beef or chicken) with an infinite variety of sauces. This Peanut Sauce Recipe is my Thai version, because I first learned to make it at the cooking school at the Oriental Bangkok Hotel. It can be used as a dipping sauce or a salad dressing, and can be used on peanut noodles, a drizzle on pizza or with chicken satay. Ingredients 1/2 cup peanut butter natural, unsweetened 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce (use tamari or coconut aminos for gluten free) 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or better yet palm sugar if you can find it) 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (or to taste) 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 3 garlic cloves pressed or grated 1 tablespoon ginger root grated 2-4 tablespoons warm water Directions
ChefSecret: My preference is for unsweetened peanut butter. If you use some commercial brands of peanut butter that include sugar, the sauce may turn out too sweet. Try reducing the sugar to 1 tablespoon—taste and adjust. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Have you ever found yourself in the ‘What can I do with a pound of green beans and chocolate cake mix? I think I’m at that stage of needing to go grocery shopping." ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a with our readers? 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 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. #Sauces #PeanutSauce #Peanuts #ThaiPeanutSauce #Satay #NPB #NationalPeanutBoard #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 |
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Copyright © 2021 Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC | Henderson, NV 89052 | 310-477-8877
Copyright © 2021 Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC | Henderson, NV 89052 | 310-477-8877