How you doin’? I hope life is improving in your area and that your family is healthy and well. We’re hanging in there here in Los Angeles. It seems like there are changes every hour… never a dull moment!
 
I’ve been reading a lot about English cooking and potatoes as comfort foods. I started oven-roasting bakers for 2 hours at 400⁰ and found them to be the best baked potatoes ever—with a crisp, snappy skin and a light fluffy interior. Load it up with butter and cheese (or chili or vegetables and cheese) and it’s a meal-in-itself.
 
After discovering the English bakers I’ve been scouring sources for other great textured potato recipes— English or otherwise. The latest one I’ve seen is from a relative who lives in London. She claims that they are neat, crispy, roasted potatoes. The recipe promises crispy, lightly  browned potatoes with creamy insides with few ingredients and that’s good enough for me.
 
The recipe is as simple as any other roasted potato recipe, except this one has a couple of secrets—not Harry Potter secrets, but chef secrets. It’s more than chunks of boiled potatoes in oil, roasted in a hot oven—it’s much more.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Boil time:  8-9 minutes
Bake time:  45-60 minutes
Yield:  8 servings
 
Ingredients
1/3 cup light olive oil
3 to 5 quarts of boiling water
3 tablespoons table salt
3 to 5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)
 
Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400⁰F.
2. While the oven is preheating, place a rimmed sheet pan on the middle shelf of the oven with 1/3 cup of olive oil spread over the surface.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a full boil. When the boiling starts, add the table salt.
4. Add the potato chunks and boil for 8 to 9 minutes, until just fork tender.
5. Using a colander, drain the potatoes well.
6. Put the drained potatoes back into the pot, put the lid on and “shake, shake, shake” to rough-up the edges of the potatoes a little—creating more surface area for browning and crispiness while keeping the insides sweet and creamy.
7. Transferred the potatoes to a rack set over a sheet pan to cool off and dry out for about 10 minutes (not the sheet pan from the oven).
8. Toss the potatoes onto the pre-heated, oil slick sheet pan. Cook the potatoes until browned and crisp about 45 to 60 minutes. Using a wide spatula, gently turn the potatoes occasionally while roasting until they are golden-brown and crisp on all sides.
9. After carefully removing the hot sheet pan from the oven, finish the potatoes by sprinkling with 2 teaspoons flaky salt and a tablespoon of minced parsley.

ChefSecret:  Don’t be a helicopter cook (don’t hover over your food), flip the potatoes only after 35 to 40 minutes after the bottoms are starting to brown. If they are not brow enough for you, continue to cook for another 15 minutes or so.

#EnglishRoastedPotatoes #Potatoes #OvenRoastedPotatoes #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19

How you doin’? It has been suggested that I lighten up a bit. It’s not the first time I’ve heard that suggestion, but I think this time they are referring to the recipes.  After all it is really getting warm in Los Angeles and people just want to eat a little lighter. Also, it’s time we starting losing the “Covid-19”… the number of pounds many of us gained during the lock down. So, I’ve decided to share with you one of my favorite salads that was inspired by Houston’s Restaurant.
 
The original date on this recipe was 1992. I had just lunched at Houston’s and my entrée came with a couscous side salad—it was delicious. I asked our server if he could get a copy of the recipe from the chef. He took down my address (we didn’t have email in those days) and about a week later I got a handwritten recipe in the mail. Over the years I added two ingredients—chopped peanuts and lemon zest. The peanuts added a little texture and the lemon zest gave it a vibrant citrus halo. Yummmm!
 
What is couscous, you ask? Couscous is a word that comes from the classical Arabic word0 “kouscous” (pronounced in English as /kuskus/) and from the Berber word “kseksu,” that designates both the durum wheat semolina and the traditional dish of which it is the main ingredient. However, some think that the word “couscous” could be derived from the classical Arabic word “kaskash” (to pound small), that means crushing and grinding.
 
Actually, couscous is a Berber word and pasta dish.  As such, it’s funny to hear several rumors about couscous history and how it might have originated in China—it didn’t.
 
Utensils required to make the delicious semolina-based dish date back to the 7th century. The first written evidence of its existence was found in an Andalucian-Moroccan cookbook from the 13th century (thank you Wiki). While some think the origin of couscous is unclear, there is archaeological evidence its origins are in well-rooted in eastern to northern Africa, and that Berbers ate couscous by packing the it in the tips of their fingers. If you want to be invited back, use a fork.
 
Ingredients
For the couscous salad dressing
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
1-1/4 cups fresh lemon juice
1-3/4 cups yogurt, low fat or no fat
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups lite olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
 
For the couscous salad
2 cups prepared (cooked) traditional couscous
1/2 cup grated red radish
3 tablespoons confetti-cut carrot
2 tablespoons scallions tops, circles
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/2 to 3/4 cups couscous dressing
2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon lemon zest
 
Directions
For the couscous salad dressing

1. Add the garlic, lemon juice, yogurt, apple cider vinegar and sugar to a blender can and blend thoroughly.
2. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and blend again.
3. Set aside.

 For the couscous salad

1. Using a fork, fluff the cooked couscous while it still warm.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl, add the radish, carrot, scallions, tomato, parsley and the dressing. Mix it well.
3. Portion the couscous salad into individual ramekins.
4. Top each ramekin with the chopped peanut and the lemon zest.

 
ChefSecret:  When making a salad dressing or marinade always add the oil in last. That gives the herbs and spices a chance to blossom before being sealed by the oil. The leftover salad dressing works well on any green salad as well.

#Couscous #Houstons #Salads #Entrees #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #ComfortFoods

How you doin’? Did you ever try my recipe for Texas Cowboy Casserole (Lesson #14) using Original Bisquick? Why not? Don’t be a slacker. You’re at home with the kids and baking and cooking are great releases from all the stress you are going through. Okay, I’m going to give you another chance to be a “baking hero.”

Cheddar Corn Cakes make a great accompaniment to a nice dining room dinner or an informal outdoor cookout. It all starts with a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix and a box of Original Bisquick. Skip the standard bake-and-serve, store-bought dinner rolls and try these quick-to-fix biscuits studded with cheddar and corn kernels. It's almost impossible to resist eating one right from the oven!
 
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 20 minutes
Yield: 16 to 20 biscuits
 
Ingredients
Food release spray (Pam)
1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (8.5-oz.)
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
 
2-1/2 cups Original Bisquick Baking Mix
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground dry rosemary
8 tablespoons cold salted butter, cubed
1/2 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk, plus more for brushing the tops
1/4 cup melted salted butter for brushing the tops after baking
 
Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
2. Prepare 2-baking sheets with parchment paper sprayed with food release (Pam).
3. In a medium bowl combine the muffin mix, egg and milk; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the Bisquick, sugar, mustard and rosemary.
5. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
6. Add the creamed corn, cheese, eggs and milk; stir until just moistened.
7. Add in the prepared corn muffin batter.
8. Deposit batter on the prepared sheet pans using a #20 scoop (standard ice cream scoop).
9. Place the corn cakes 2-inches apart on the prepared sheet pans, brush biscuit tops with milk.
10. Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Turn and rotate pans midway through the baking time.
11. When the biscuits come out of the oven brush with melted butter.
12. Serve warm.

#Biscuits #JiffyMuffinMix #Bisquick #Brunch #Dinner #CheddarBiscuits #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19