​How you doin’? If you watched the Rose Parade on TV this year then you know that SoCal has been much colder than usual making it soup time. Soups are the perfect warming foods… from your tummy to the cockles of your heart. This is a traditional Italian soup recipe full of healthful, nourishing ingredients including lots of vegetables, beans and tomatoes. It’s a meal you will want to cozy up with not only when it’s chilly outside, but any time of year.
 
Minestrone has a rich history that dates back hundreds of years. Its popularity began to take off in the 2nd century BC when Rome conquered different regions of Italy. During this time of geographic growth, a wide variety of new vegetables were introduced.
 
Minestrone varies by season and by region: In the northern region of Lombardy, minestrone might include pasta and winter squash; farther south, in Tuscany, cannellini beans and cabbage or kale; in the coastal city of Genoa in the northwestern region of Liguria, it could be finished with pesto (my favorite). Joan’s Instant Pot Minestrone Soup as written is one of the very best Instant Pot soup recipes. It's full-flavored, easy to make, and healthy, too!
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Cook time:  4 minutes
Pressure release time:  30 minutes
Yield:  8 servings
Calories:  only 285 calories per serving

Ingredients 
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 cups chopped Yukon gold potatoes 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 28-ounce can fire roasted crushed tomatoes, drained
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, cannellini beans or Great Northern beans (rinsed and drained)
3/4 cup dry short pasta (small shells or elbow pasta), cooked separately
1/2 cup chopped green beans
 
For Finishing (optional, for serving)
A splash of lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (skip if keeping vegetarian)
 
Directions

1. Set a 6-quart Instant Pot to SAUTÉ and heat the olive oil until shimmering.
2. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onions, carrots and celery. Sauté, stirring often, until the vegetables soften, about 7 minutes.
3. Add the minced garlic, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Press CANCEL to turn off the sauté function.
4. Sprinkle with the flour and coat the sauteed vegetables, herbs and spices.
5. Pour in the broth and stir, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
6. Add the potatoes, beans (not green beans), tomato paste, and fire roasted crushed tomatoes. Stir.
7. Close the Instant Pot lid and seal the pressure release valve. Set the pressure cook time to 4 MINUTES at HIGH PRESSURE. The Instant Pot will take about 20 to 25 minutes to reach temperature and pressure.
8. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pot on the stove, according to the package directions for al dente. Rinse and drain the cooked pasta.
9. When the cook time on the Instant Pot ends, allow the pressure to RELEASE NATURALLY for 5 MINUTES.
10. Then QUICK RELEASE the remaining pressure by carefully and slowly turning the valve to the venting position.
11. Stir the green beans and cooked pasta into the soup.
12. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
13. If desired, serve the soup with lemon juice and/or a small pinch of red pepper flakes, to taste.
14. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
15. Serve hot.

ChefSecret:  Joan’s Healthy Recipe Minestrone is merely a suggestion of ingredients that can be used. You can vary the vegetables in this soup depending on what you have in the refrigerator and your personal taste.

• Vegetables with longer cook times, like sweet potatoes and butternut squash, should be added to the soup when sautéing. The pressure cook time will stay the same.
• Peas, zucchini or yellow squash would be added after pressure cooking, but before adding the cooked pasta and beans. Simmer the soup using the sauté function until the vegetables are tender.
• Chopped fresh spinach or kale can be stirred into the cooked soup without further cooking.

Quip of the Day: “I saw this guy on the scale in the gym the other day sucking in his stomach. I said, ‘that’s not going to do any good to lower the weight.’ ‘Sure it is,’ he replied, ‘that’s the only way I can see the dial on the scale.’”
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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.
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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 #InstantPot #Soup #Minestrone #Vegetarian #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup​

                                                ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

How you doin’? It doesn’t have to be winter to enjoy a bowl of soup… especially a bowl from Italy. Italian Wedding Soup is a hearty, healthy and delicious soup. If you think it has something to do with Italian weddings you would be all wrong. Having said that, I’ll bet you’re wondering where and why this tasty soup got its name. If Italians actually serve this soup at their weddings, it is pure coincidence. 
 
Italian folklore romances this soup as traditionally served at Italian weddings to provide the bride and groom to “energy” throughout the evening. However, if serving this dish appeals to the romantic in you, we hate to burst your bubble, it isn’t true. The English translation got this dish all mixed up.
 
Italian Wedding Soup originated in Naples and its original Italian name is really minestra maritata, which means “married-up soup” which implies the unity of all the ingredients which consist of leafy, bitter greens (chard, kale, chicory, spinach, etc.) and a hearty meat broth with pork, beef, ham hocks or sausage. Although the Americanized version includes tiny meatballs and a little bit of greens, traditionally this soup is heavy on the veggies and doesn’t include meatballs at all. Really, there is nothing fanciful and elegant about the soup, as it was considered a peasant dish using whatever meat or chicken bits and greens were available to throw in—kind of like the old “Stone Soup Story.”
 
This is my gussied-up Americanized version of the original and I can tell by experience this is a hell of a lot better than anything I found in Naples.
 
Prep Time:  20 minutes
Cook Time:  25 minutes
Yield:  6 to 8 servings
 
Ingredients
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
 
For the Meatballs
1/2 pound lean ground beef (80%)
1/2 pound ground pork (or 1/4-pound ground veal and 1/4-pound ground pork)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs, homemade is best
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated into a powder
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
 
For the Soup
1-1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1-1/4 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
8 cups chicken broth (homemade is best when made in an Instant Pot)
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup dry orzo pasta
8 ounces fresh leafy spinach
 
For the Garnish
Fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
 
Directions

1. Gently combine the meatball ingredients. Don't overwork the meat.
2. Roll the meat mixture into 1-inch balls.
3. Set the Instant Pot to SAUTÉ mode and add the olive oil.
4. Brown the meatballs in batches for about 3 minutes, until all sides are brown.
5. Remove the meatballs from the pot and add the onions, carrots and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes, until softened.
6. Add the garlic, sauté for 1 minute longer.
7. Add the chicken broth. Run a wooden spoon along the bottom of the pot to release the brown bits. This helps mitigate the burn indicator that we tend to see with some models of Instant Pots.
8. Add the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and meatballs.
9. Close the lid and seal the valve. PRESSURE COOK for 5 MINUTES.
10. Open the quick release valve and allow the steam to escape.
11. Open the lid and add the orzo pasta and press the SAUTÉ button. Cook for 9 MINUTES or until the orzo is tender.
12. Stir in the washed spinach.
13. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh Parmesan cheese and parsley and serve.

ChefSecret:  In step #7 you can de-glaze the pot using 1/4 cup dry white wine for a fuller flavor.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  “The longer I stay at home during the pandemic the more homeless I look.”
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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 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 #Soup #ItalianWeddingSoup #Meatballs #Orzo #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                               ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? Probably the best known 5-star hotel in Los Angeles is The Hotel Bel-Air. It is a beautiful garden setting hotel that has attracted the famous (and some infamous) since 1946 after it first opened. Personally, I consider the hotel to be one of the most beautiful resorts in the world.
 
Long before Wolfgang Puck took over the food services at The Hotel Bel-Air, they had several signature dishes served in the café. One of my favorites was the original Tortilla Soup. At one point in time the executive director and our client, Carlos Lopes, shared the hotel’s famous Tortilla Soup recipe with me.
 
How did this hotel come to be in such a posh residential area of Los Angeles, you ask? Alphonso Bell, a wealthy oil tycoon, bought 600 acres of land to the west of downtown Los Angeles. He named the area ‘Bel-Air’ and created the most exclusive neighborhood. After Clark Gable bought property in the compound it was like his wild cat well came in and many other well-known people followed Gable’s lead.
 
Mr. Bell built a design and estate planning office nestled in the Santa Monica canyons. This building was later converted into Hotel Bel-Air’s main mission-style building.
 
In early 1946, a Texan hotel entrepreneur named Joseph Drown purchased 18 acres of land from Bell, including the original building and transformed the site into an elegant and secluded hotel. Mr. Drown restored the original buildings and added a series of new guest rooms before the hotel officially opened on August 24, 1946.
 
Hotel Bel-Air became very popular with many famous and wealthy celebrities of old Hollywood and world dignitaries, who were attracted by the luxury and privacy of the hotel. Well-known guests during this time included Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.
 
Aside from the beauty of the property the service and hospitality were the biggest draws and, of course, you couldn’t have al fresco lunch or dinner without enjoying a bowl of their famous Tortilla Soup.
 
After the last major hotel renovation, Chef Puck made many changes to the menu, but the Tortilla Soup has remained with a slightly different recipe. If you are so inclined, try the original.
 
Prep time:  30 minutes
Cook time:  45 minutes
Yield:  10 10-ounce servings
 
Ingredients
For the soup:
1/4 cup corn oil
10 corn tortillas (6”), chopped
1/4 cup fresh garlic, minced
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1 large fresh brown onion, pureed
1 tablespoon cumin
4 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicier)
18 ounces tomato puree
1 cup chicken base (I prefer Better Than Bouillon)
16 cups hot water
 
Setup for a single serving portion
1-1/4 cups prepared tortilla soup (from recipe above)
1/4 cup fried corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
3 tablespoons grilled chicken, julienne cut
1 tablespoon Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon avocado, peeled and cubed
1 fresh cilantro sprig
1 fresh lime wedge
 
Directions

1. In a saucepan, heat the corn oil and sauté 4-ounces of chopped tortillas with garlic and cilantro. 
2. Add the onions and bring to a hot sauté.
3. Add cumin, bay leaf, cayenne and tomato puree.
4. Combine chicken base and water to make a stock; add this chicken stock to the above ingredients. 
5. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Strain through a fine strainer and remove all large particles.
7. Add the remaining 6 ounces of chopped tortillas and puree with an immersion blender.
8. Ladle 10 ounces of hot soup into a heated soup bowl.
9. Garnish each bowl with fried tortilla strips, chicken pieces, cheese, avocado, cilantro and lime.
10. Serve hot.

ChefSecret:  When making creamy smooth soups one indispensable tool is an immersion blender. An immersion blender, also known as stick blender, mini blender, hand blender or wand blender, is a kitchen blade grinder used to blend ingredients or purée food in the container in which they are being prepared. The immersion blender was invented in Switzerland by Roger Perrinjaquet, who patented the idea on March 6, 1950. He called the new appliance "Bamix", a portmanteau of the French "battre et mixer." Larger immersion blenders for commercial use are sometimes nicknamed boat motors (popularized by Emeril Lagasse and Alton Brown). Uses include puréeing soups and emulsifying sauces. Prices for the home units range from $30 to $150.
 
If you’re looking for a quicker and more ingredient-friendly recipe try my Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.
 
                                           Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup
 
When was the last time you did a thorough inventory of the canned goods in your pantry? If you haven’t taken inventory recently you may be surprised to find that you have several delicious meals just waiting to be made. Personally, I’m not a big user of canned foods, but during these turbulent times and shortages of certain supermarket items I bought and stored a lot of canned goods—just in case. I’m not a hoarder and I don’t have a closet full of toilet paper, but I do have at least one can each of the items listed below just crying out to be used.
 
For this recipe, you’re not going to need a lot of skills training unless you flunked can-opening 101. And, if that’s the case you want to buy or borrow an electric can opener. If you think this is a tinny-tasting solution, you’d be wrong. Not only is this a fast and easy soup to prepare, but this zesty soup is also delicious and only 5 canned ingredients! Serve this soup over store-bought tortilla chips, and top with shredded Cheddar cheese and avocado slices. Now, throw away the empty cans and no one will ever know that it wasn’t from scratch!
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  15 minutes
Yield:  6 servings
 
Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (10 ounce) can chunk chicken
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, drained (Ro-tel)
3 ounces sharp Cheddar or pepper-jack cheese
1 chopped avocado
 
Directions

1. Open the cans of corn, chicken broth, chunk chicken, black beans and diced tomatoes with green chilies.
2. Pour everything into a large saucepan or stock pot. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is heated through.
3. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese and chopped avocado.

ChefSecret:  Canned products are best used within 12 to 18 months.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Today I will live in the moment unless it is unpleasant in which case, I will eat a cookie.”
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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 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.

#Soup #TortillaSoup #HotelBel-Air #Chicken #Entree #BetterThanBouillon #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                              ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? When the weather tuns cold it makes me think about great soups, but it doesn’t have to be chilly outside to enjoy this French classic.
 
French onion soup (French: soupe à l’oignon) may be served as a meal or as a first course and is usually based on beef or veal stock and onions—lots of onions. It is most often served gratinéed with a French bread crouton covered with cheese floating on top. After becoming a little obscure in culinary circles, this soup underwent a resurgence of popularity in the 1960s in the United States because of the renewed interest in French cuisine.
 
The Romans enjoyed a good onion soup. Throughout history, onion soup was food for the less fortunate as onions were cheap, plentiful, and easy to grow. The modern version of this soup originated in Paris in 18th century, made from beef broth, and a variety of caramelized onions. As it is told, it was introduced in the United States by the New York restaurant of Henri Mouquin in 1861, where his wife Marie Julie Grandjean Mouquin was the chef.  The crouton with the melted cheese on top is reminiscent of ancient soups served in Greece and Italy.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Cook time:  30 minutes
Yield:  6 large servings
 
Ingredients
For the soup
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
4 cups fresh white onions, julienne cut
1/2 cup fresh red onions, julienne cut
1/2 cup fresh green onions, circles
1/2 cup fresh shallots, julienned cut
1/2 tablespoon sherry wine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce (I prefer Lea & Perrin)
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fine grind black pepper
2-1/2 tablespoons beef base (I prefer Better Than Bouillon bases)
5-1/2 cups hot water
 
For the bowl garnish per portion
1 slice Gruyère crouton (see ChefSecret)
2 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon grated Monterey jack cheese
 
Directions
To make the soup

1. In a large pot, sauté all the onions and shallots in olive oil until translucent.
2. Deglaze the pan with sherry and Worcestershire sauce.
3. Add salt and pepper.
4. Combine water with the beef base; mix well and add to the onion mixture. Bring it to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

For soup service

1. Place about a cup of soup in each bowl.
2. Garnish with the crouton, shaved Parmesan and grated Monterey Jack cheeses.
3. Place under a broiler to melt the cheese.

ChefSecret:  To make the crouton, start with a thick piece of lightly toasted French bread. Set it on the bowl of hot soup like a raft, top with the cheese and melt the cheese under a broiler or with a kitchen torch. This is soup is even better the second day.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “There are so many Coronavirus jokes out there, it’s a like a major pundemic.”

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 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.

#Soup #FrenchOnionSoup #4OnionFondueSoup #Fondue #Entree #BetterThanBouillon #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                            ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? A few years back I was traveling to Lisbon every month to work on projects for two clients. Two foods I fell in love with were Bacalhau (dried cod) and Portuguese sausage (Linguiça), which I was told every Portuguese person craves, too.  Apparently, there are over 1001 ways to cook Bacalhau and there are almost as many formulations for homemade Linguiça.

Almost every meal in Lisbon starts with soup and my hearty and tasty Portuguese Sausage Soup is the perfect way to begin a lunch or dinner. At the Pingo Doce central kitchens we produced over 25,000 liters of homemade-style soup every day to ship out to their grocery stores and restaurants. This soup was on the weekly rotation—you might want to put it on yours. The best thing about this recipe is that you really have to work hard to screw it up. Don’t have an ingredient? No problem... substitute it with something else you have in your pantry.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Cook time:  30 minutes
Yield:  8 servings
 
Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1 pound sliced smoked sausage (I prefer Linguiça)
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 medium head cabbage, rough chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (use Yukon Gold or White Rose; do not use Russets)
2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups of beef stock
8 cups water (you can fill the insert pot to the maximum limit line)
2 tablespoons beef bouillon (I prefer Better Than Bouillon brand)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup white vinegar
 
Directions

1. Set the SAUTÉ function on the Instant Pot and heat the oil in the insert until it ripples.
2. Cook the onions in oil until just tender.
3. Stir celery and carrots and cook 5 minutes more.
4. Sir in the sausage and cook an additional 5 minutes
5. Add the garlic, cabbage, potatoes, beans, tomato paste, stock, water and bouillon in the pot.
6.  Season with the garlic powder, pepper and salt.
7. Add the red wine and vinegar.
8. CANCEL the SAUTÉ function
9. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the PRESSURE on HIGH for 22 MINUTES.
10. Let it sit for FIVE MINUTES, then NATUALLY RELEASE by opening the pressure release valve; carefully remove the lid.
11. Stir the soup and add more water if necessary.

ChefSecret:  Linguiça is a type of Portuguese sausage and refers to a smoke-cured pork sausage seasoned with garlic and paprika used in recipes from Portugal and Brazil.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “My therapist told me to write letters to people I don’t like and then burn ‘em.  I’ve done that and now I don’t know what to do with the letters.”
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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 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.

#Soup #PortugueseSausageSoup #InstantPot #Entree #SmokedSausage #Cabbage #BetterThanBouillon #PingoDoce #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                              ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021