Gerry Furth-Sides Archives - Page 20 of 82

How Katie Chin’s Global Family Cookbook is a “Must-Have”

August 24, 2021 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Katie’s book filled me with menu ideas from the minute I first looked through it at the suggestion of our friend @Tableconversation. Markers of recipes to cook soon filled own copy.

And I loved her book launch party demo. How can you resist a sophisticated lady who turned aside from the crowd while trying to tear off the paper guard from a seasoning bottle top, while she called out, “I don’t want you to see me opening this with my teeth but I always do.” So do we!

Markers quickly filled the pages my copy of Katie Chin’s “Must-have” **Global Family Cookbook**

“Must-have” Global Family Cookbook’s compilation of clearly written, ingeniously updated, enticing ethnic recipes plus one of the most comprehensive, compact sections on global pantry items; international noodle, chile and pepper varieties; cooking techniques and tools – are all thoughtfully photographed, making it a go-to reference book for all time.

Katie learned to cook alongside her mother and it’s an experience she now loves to share with her daughter. In a throw away line, she mentioned that her mom catered David Burkus’ bar mitzvah (Neil Patrik Harris partner). “But that’s another story,” she laughed. And we intend to hear it.

Katie Chin showing a recipe from her “Must-have” **Global Family Cookbook**

We already made two recipes that we loved: The Grilled Corn and the Grilled Shrimp with Tequila and Lime. We loved them, so did guests, and we would make them again anytime. Thanks go out to the inspiration prep and products for renewed favorite: corn on the cob.

Grilled Corn with Mexican Pesto on p. 207 features the flavors associated with the culture: lime, tequila and spices. We added the “shucked” version made for Katie’s daughter Becca, who wears braces on her teeth, as a choice for our guests.

Mexican flavors in Katie Chin’s Corn on the Cob from her GLOBAL FAMILY COOKBOOK

Our version of Corn on the Cob from Katie Chin’s GLOBAL FAMILY COOKBOOK

Katie’s version and our’s of Corn on the Cob her GLOBAL FAMILY COOKBOOK

Gelson’s Market came through with the one adamant corn 🌽 grilling tip of starting with quality, fresh corn (plus cilantro for the pesto). So juicy, flavorful you can almost eat it raw!

Fresh, quality corn that is vital to good eating, is so fresh at Gelson’s you can almost eat it raw.

We substituted Melissas’s Ground Green Hatch Chile for chili powder in the recipe to add just the perfect heat enhancing the cotija and pesto.

Hatch seasonings can be substituted for peppers in recipes for “heat” not jabs of spiky pepper

Thanks to @tableconversation and writer Mona Day who got me back to eating fresh corn – decades after I adored picking it to eat on my uncle’s gentleman farm near Ann Arbor. Thanks to CleverOne (TM) Board for our 2-year old mainstay, pliable NFlex “wood” backdrop and to Pots & Co for the little tub that originally held a decadent dessert. You can find links to those stories on: //localfoodeater.com/pots-cos-perfect-lava-cake-in-a-ceramic-pot/ and //localfoodeater.com/the-cleverone-board-for-a-smart-original-gift/

The irrepressible Katie Chin at her charity book launch party

We already Gelson’s Market fresh cilantro, minced garlic, plus a stash of 16-20 shrimp for the Grilled Tequila Lime Shrimp.

Grilled Tequila Lime Shrimp from Katie Chin’s Global Family Cookbook

Our Grilled Tequila Lime Shrimp from Katie Chin’s Global Family Cookbook

Our Grilled Tequila Lime Shrimp at bottom from Katie Chin’s Global Family Cookbook

We toasted Katie for this special “spirited” dish. We toasted the Jalisco Mexico highlands-based tequila line named in honor of fearless Adelita, who led the female fighters in the Mexican Revolution.

La Adelita named after an iconic woman who led fighters in the Mexican Revolution

Pad Thai (serving 4) is an example of the global holiday recipes developed for a home kitchen. It is perfect to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Katie gives the tip of substituting brown sugar and lime juice to mimic the classicTraditional Pad Thai recipe ingredient of tamarind concentrate to mimic its sweet tart signature taste.

Pad Thai from Katie Chin’s “Must-have” **Global Family Cookbook**

Even Katie Chin’s Global Family Cookbook Launch Party was filled with the international, community spirit of the book with a food demo, cocktail party and activities for the fund raiser. Katie Chin is just one of those capable, food-passionate people who draws the best around her. and, yes, you can see from the photos that she is as effervescent as in her TV cooking demonstrations, and as humble. Even meeting her for the first time amidst scores of guests she greeted me personally with a fellow writer’s affection and respect. Wow.

At the **Global Family Cookbook** party. LocalFoodEater friend Cathy Arkle at bottom left

You can find Faye Levy’s Hanukah recipe in Global Family Cookbook. Here she is pictured with photographer-husband, Yakir, and podcast host, Linda Grasso.

Book contributors Faye and Yakir Levy, Linda Grasso of “Must-have” **Global Family Cookbook**

Katie Chin co-hosted the national PBS cooking series Double Happiness, has been a guest judge on Food Network’s Iron Chef America and appeared as a contestant on Cutthroat Kitchen and Beat Bobby Flay. Recently, Katie and her kids teamed up for the online series CoopedUp Cooking with Katie— meant to inspire people stuck at home during COVID-19 to get creative in the kitchen. She is the author of Everyday Thai Cooking and Katie Chin’s Everyday Chinese Cookbook and the Culinary Ambassador for The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Find her @chefkatiechin

Ericka Sanchez’s New Aguas Frescas & Paletas Book

August 10, 2021 Comments Off

Ericka Sanchez/definitive Aguas Frescas & Paletas cookbook

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Summer in Mexico means aguas frescas and paletas. They are the much older “coca cola” of Mexico. Erika Sanchez brings 40 recipes to make these popular street food treats at home in her delightful, engaging book, Aguas Frescas & Paletas. “Frescas” literally translates to “cool or fresh waters.” The Mexican drinks and popsicles are made fresh and come in a variety of fruity and flowery flavors that are as refreshing to look at as to drink -and so is Ericka’s book, one of the most beautifully designed we have seen.

Ericka Sanchez, who created the charming, definitive Aguas Frescas & Paletas cookbook

Made of one or more fruits, cereals, flowers, or seeds blended with sugar and water, the drinks are the rage in Mexico, Central America, and parts of the United States, especially the southwest. Traditional aqua fresca flavors are tamarind, hibiscus and horchata.

The Strawberry Horchata recipe and story in Ericka Sanchez’ AguasFrescas & Paletas

Aguas frescas are sold by street vendors and you can also buy them in bodegas, convenience stores, restaurants and juice bars. Now Erika Sanchez shows you how to make and enjoy them in your own backyard.

One thing that is different about this home version: recipes in Aguas Frescas & Paletas uses less sugar than traditional Mexican treats. They also use simple ingredients that can all be found at your local supermarket. All drinks are alcohol-free.

We used Melissa’s Produce pink pineapple for a palette

Everyone familiar with Ericka Sanchez’ popular culinary website Nibbles & Feasts, or anyone who loves traditional Mexican fare will love the book. Ericka includes the familiar flavors, such as lime and strawberry. And she also includes more unique combinations like Hibiscus & Spiced Orange, Mint Blackberry, and Avocado Coconut.

Ericka Sanchez is a recipe developer, food stylist, and the creator of the award-winning culinary website nibblesandfeasts.com. Ericka’s cooking style is inspired by her life as a bicultural Latina living in California and her cherished memories in the kitchen with her grandmother and mother in Mexico, where she lived until she was eight years old.

Chef Sanchez does a wonderful job of explaining the Aqua Frescas and Paletas with just enough description, direction and history to make them understandable and enticing.

We also caution that we went through three different popsicle freezer molds before finding a silicone one that released the treats after being pulled from the freezer

We added Melissa’s Produce cherries and yogurt to complete this summer strawberry Paleta

Five Ethnic Secret Garden Restaurant Surprises for Summer

August 6, 2021 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Los Angeles as the city with most diverse ethnic cuisine in the world also boasts “secret garden” venues that surprise and delight. Two are classics that have renewed themselves with outdoor dining. We start with a favorite, actually a “sand garden,” Back to the Beach, and work our way east. On the list: Tiato Kitchen + Venue (Santa Monica); newly realized back patios of Marino Ristorante (East Hollywood)and Casita Del Campo (Silverlake); and the classic The Raymond 1886 Restaurant.

(1) Back to the Beach, Santa Monica

A place that reminds you of why you live in LA just minutes down the Pacific Coast Highway off the 10 freeway. Coming out of the tunnel and seeing the ocean is one of my favorites views in town. Owner Fred Deni is on hand, with decades of ownership behind him. He oversees a seamless operation of a staff happy to be there, too.

People watching, ocean watching and eating at **Back On The Beach** **Cafe**

Owner Fred Deni of **Back On The Beach** **Cafe** with Cynthia Mamukari, owner of Taste Catering Company who both do party food for the Annenberg Center

Plant your feet on a solid floor or at a table on the beach. The simple menu of favorites, salads & sandwiches, is capped by the best baker in town’s desserts (including my favorite lemon hazelnut torte). You just want lunch to last and last, and stay all day – and we always do.

Burger or Cheeseburger with yam fries or regular at Back to the Beach

THE Lemon Hazelnut Torte at **Back On The Beach** **Cafe**

Plant your fat in the sand (the best!) or inside on the floor at **Back On The Beach** **Cafe**

Back On The Beach Cafe, 445 Pacific Coast Hwy, Santa Monica, CA 90402, (310O 393.8282. www.backonthe beach cafe.com

(2) Tiato Kitchen + Venue, literally tucked into a tree-filled Santa Monica neighborhood so that it is hidden from street view, has no rival as the prettiest, most lush indoor-outdoor garden eatery, let alone the city’s biggest outside dining space. Indoors, the soaring ceilings and polished concrete floors, reclaimed wood furniture and eco-friendly materials lend an organic sensibility and a contemporary sense of grandeur at the same time.

It is fitting that Tiato is named after the “tia to” Vietnamese perilla plant, which has a fresh flavor similar to the Japanese herb shiso. It is one of Catherine’s favorite. The fragrant leaf also symbolizes the cooking style of Executive Chef and family matriarch Helene An (Crustacean Restaurant). For the story, please see: //localfoodeater.com/titan-brings-california-inspired-vietnamese-vietnames-inspired-california-cusine/

img_2305-1 — Catherine An of **Tiato Kitchen + Venue**

The Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-free and Gluten-free menu is dotted with ingredients like kale, blueberries veggie smoothies and antioxidant-rich ingredients. Health conscious dishes even include a Kale Caesar Salad. An described the food as “California-inspired Vietnamese and Asian-inspired California cuisine.’

Fresh Pressed Juices can turn out to be a welcome meal in itself. We love the name and ingredients of the rich Royal detox (beet, carrot and green apple) and the Green Goddess (broccoli, celery, green apple, honeydew and spinach). The cafe also offers draft and bottled beers, organic wines and a sake bar.

Fresh pressed juices at **Tiato Kitchen + Venue**

Fresh herbs abound in the outdoor garden and are used in the kitchen whenever possible. Meyer lemons, kaffir limes, blood oranges, mulberries and bushels of herbs grow seasonally. What makes the original east-west fusion Chicken Banh Mi Burger ($12), special, along with the house-made potato chips, pillowy brioche bun and spicy mayo is that the veggie slaw is pickled and dotted with cilantro grown in the garden.

Espressos and warm over-sized chocolate cookies are favorite customer picks. The Tiato muffin is usually sold out by the afternoon.

Engaging proprietor, Catherine An heads up Tiato + Venue, initially created as the family restaurant’s catering division with the garden as an event space. Read about mom, Helene An, (Crustaean in Beverly Hills) and sister Hannah’s District in West Hollywood. (www.anfamily.com).

Tiato Market Garden Café, 2700 Colorado Avenue, Suite 190, Santa Monica, CA, 310.866.5228 to leave a message. For hours and more information, please see, www.tiato.co

(3) Marino Ristaurante

Friend and second generation proprietor, Mario Marino, and I daydreamed about the day when the family could create backyard al fresco dining area under an old olive tree in the back of the restaurant. And the pandemic made it happen, with the feeling of some good out of the overall. It had the the same immaculate service and authentic Neapolitan cuisine. Chef Sal heads the kitchen and Mario is “front of the house” as always. Consistent classic southern Italian cuisine in a white tablecloth setting – whole branzino offered three ways; roman bread; ricotta cheesecake; the best anti pasti in the world. Legendary Dad Ciro Marino started 50 years ago and would be proud.

And summer is tomato season. It was Marino Ristorante Chef, Sal Marino, put one on a plate, insisting on dotting it with salt, and I fell in love. But until now it was farmers market, Melissa’s Produce when available or nothing.

**Marino Ristorante** Chef Sal Marino with brother Mario and a tomato supper menu

**Marino Ristorante**‘s patio- the olive tree is opposite the building

Dad Ciro Marino’s signature ricotta cheesecake, a must-have, at **Marino Ristorante**

Marino Ristorante, 6001 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, Ca 90038, (323) 466-8812, www.marinorestaurant.com

(4) Casita del Campo

A historic, neighborhood place for all ages with delicious, carefully made Mexican food — founded by one of the dancers in West Side Story for his entertainment friends! Patio, dining room, private room seating makes any lunch or party special. Excellent, friendly service and parking lot out back!

The Casita de Campo patio carved out of the back parking lot behind the restaurant is new. It is relaxing and lively with beautiful plants and fountain. After an inconsistent winter-spring season, the patio is once again open for dining with protocols in place. And the same attentive staff is there.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_6007.jpg — **Casita del Campo’**s relaxing fountain in its new back patio

**Casita del Campo’**s leisurely patio with lively food and service

The original recipes and cooking practices have stayed the same since the day the restaurant opened 57 years ago. Every morning, fresh vegetables are chopped for the tasty salsa, the guacamole and chips all made fresh daily as evident in the enormous amount of food carried out from the kitchen. The new vegan menu items such as the tacos and fajitas, already popular with customers, reflect the current health-conscious times and neighborhood’s gentrification.

This image has an empty alt attribute — Casita del Campo’s classic menu with new vegetarian options

Casita Del Campo, 1920 Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027. is open for take out and delivery. For more information please visit www.CasitaDelCampo.net or call 323.662.4255.

(5) The Raymond 1886

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_1078.jpg — The Raymond 1886 veranda you never want to leave

The Pasadena’s Craftsman cottage on South Fair Oaks Avenue with its high-ceiling, captivating veranda is another nostalgic nod to the past. The Grand Raymond Hotel at one time fronted this South Pasadena estate and its spirit lives on.

It’s always fun to people watch and just relax after pulling into the shady glen of patio, a sharp turn off the road just northwest of the Arroyo Freeway, and out of the blazing sun outside.

A sample of the meals at The Raymond 1886 with brilliant pastry chef Roberto Morales’ desserts

The Raymond 1886 open for Lunch Tuesday – Friday from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm; Dinner every Tuesday – Sunday from 5:30 to 10:00 pm and Brunch Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 am to 2:30 pm.
For information or reservations, please visit www.theraymond.com or phone 626.441.3136. Week-end Brunch from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm, and for Dinner from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm; 1250 South Fair Oaks Avenue; Pasadena, CA 91105; 626.441.3136; www.TheRaymond.com

How Hatch Chile Peppers are Like a Fine Wine –and Back Now!

August 3, 2021 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) What gives Hatch Chile Peppers its distinctive taste? Answer: hot days and cool nights in Hatch, New Mexico. The same reason for the distinctive taste of fine wines from the Central Coast of California. Melissa’s Hatch peppers harvested from fertile soil along the Rio Grande, bring about these prized Hatch peppers. Rows and rows of mild, medium, hot, and extra hot peppers thrive in the river valley.

The combination of nutrient-rich soil, intense sunlight and cool desert nights, result in this sought-after pepper with thick walls and meaty, flavorful flesh unlike any other. The weather in Hatch gives the mildly hot and savory pepper an obsessively delicious spicy and sweet flavor. When perfectly roasted the flavor pop is totally original. No wonder the peppers – and the sweet onion crop grown right before them – have developed a cult following. See more at //localfoodeater.com/an-insiders-guide-to-hatch-chili-season-starting-now/

Gelson’s will once again continue the tradition of celebrating Hatch Chile Season and some stores will offer a variation of heat levels depending on the crop.

Hatch chilies polenta you cut, braise and add to any plate with a protein and grilled summer veggies for an extra special meal

Made with in-house Hatch Pepper Powder, salt, oregano, cumin and garlic.Hatch peppers add mild to hot heat to the popcorn, as well as a flavor distinct to this pepper. The comparison is apt of as with adding a fine mustard, hatch chilies enhance and bring out flavor.

Named after the original growing area in Hatch, New Mexico, authentic Hatch Peppers are truly a Southwestern favorite. No other pepper is prized more than this variety, which grows in the Hatch Valley, just north of Las Cruces. The valley, which stretches along the Rio Grande’s southern-most bend before crossing into Texas and Mexico, is covered with row after row of these green leafy pepper plants for most of the summer.

The New Mexican restaurant notice to dedicated Hatch Chilie followers! Read about it in //localfoodeater.com/celebrates-hatch-chile-month-2018-with-panxa-cocinas-menus-roastings/

The Panxa Restaurant hatch chilies cornbread — $60 for a wow Xmas gift

The The Panxa Restaurant Hatch chilies special tasting dinner – plus pepper roastings on the week-end in Long Beach

Hatch peppers are prized because they are harvested within a short six-week season. Melissa’s delivers these full-flavored peppers to local markets, where customers may have the option of having them roasted during special events or home roasting. Many customers purchase the peppers in 25 pound batches to freeze for the year.

Chef Marco Zapien’s at Zapien’s Salsa Grill in Pico Riviera with his Hatch chilies special tasting dinner – plus pepper roastings on the week-end! Read about it at//localfoodeater.com/special-events-at-award-winning-zapiens-salsa-grill-in-pico-rivera/

Melissa’s Produce has created a Hatch Essential line for those customers unable to do this. The line includes: Hatch Clean Snax®, Hatch dried pepper pods, Hatch pepper pecans, Hatch popcorn, Hatch polenta, Hatch salsa, Hatch seasoning powder and more.

For a special gift: Melissa’s Produce Hatch Chile Basket

An array of For a special gift: Melissa’s Produce Hatch Chile Products!

Live roastings are back at a few Gelson’s stores this year: Westlake Village on August 8; Carlsbad on August 14; Valley Village in North Hollywood August 21, Long Beach August 28; NoHo on August Long Beach on 8/28. Beginning July 25, customers can order chiles by the case online and orders will be available for pick-up starting Saturday August 7.

The Gelson’s Kitchen also offers Hatch Chile Cornbread, Hatch Egg Salad, Hatch Chile/Grilled Corn/Heirloom Tomato Salad, Hatch Macaroni & Cheese, Mini Quiche Hatch Chile, Hatch Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla. New on the menu this year are Hatch Shrimp and Cheese Quesadilla are among the many offerings from the Gelson’s meat department. The quiche is absolutely phenomenal.

The Hatch Chilies Roasting Season is on!

Customers can order their chiles for any Saturday, up to the Thursday immediately prior (while supplies last) before 4pm. Pick-up will be from 10am -6pm and customers can choose a pick-up window. For more information, please visit, //gelsons.com/hatchchiles

Founded in 1951, Gelson’s currently operates 27 full-service specialty grocery stores in Southern California. Customers can find out why Life Tastes Better Here® at Gelson’s website, //gelsons.com to reserve their cases.How

Chicken Troopers and How Korean Fried Chicken Became Crazy Popular

August 3, 2021 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) What makes Chicken Troopers head and shoulders above the rest: the crispest, most perfectly seasoned (heat not spiky pepper) fried chicken meticulously made by Chef-owner Sean An, executive chef formerly of Slow Fish and other fine dining restaurants in the area. He also happened to cook for officers in the Korean army, the origin of the ingredients for spam dishes and the idea for such American favorites as fried chicken.

**Chicken Troopers** sauces: Traditional Korean Sweet and Spicy; a Special (mouth-watering) Sweet and Spicy with Fresh White Onion & Cilantro and a Spicy BBQ.

Chef Sean An in his **Chicken Trooper**, Norwalk. Chicken pieces are cut small to get more crunch with each piece

The sauces on the chicken include Traditional Korean Sweet and Spicy; a Special (mouth-watering) Sweet and Spicy with Fresh White Onion & Cilantro and a Spicy BBQ. Chicken pieces are cut small to get more crunch with each piece. The coleslaw is the best anywhere. Also a must-try is the Army Base Stew (Budae Jjigae) and the Spicy Korean Chicken Stew.

Jennifer An holds **Chicken Trooper’s** charbroiled sweet honey chicken and spicy “angry chicken”.

**Chicken Troopers** coleslaw is the best anywhere

The infamous Spam (also a favorite in Hawaii since World War II’s American influence), shows up on the Chicken Trooper menu in the Americanized Korean army stew., Budae Jjigae ($11) chicken. The beef based broth stew holds beans, franks, Korean black pig sausage, spam, onion, pork bear, corn, kimchi, ramen noodles. Cheese can be added ($1.50). Sean’s beef broth is sublime, and I remember first having it 15 years ago at e3rd Steakhouse before an event!

There is also a Spicy Korean chicken stew (Dakbokeumtang) ($12) Drumsticks in a spicy red sauce along with potatoes, carrots, onions. Served with rice. The kimchi fried rice, a kimchi chicken sandwich are other popular

**Chicken Troopers** is kid/family friendly and welcomes “kids” of all ages

The soaring, clean space at **Chicken Troopers**

Fried chicken has been huge in South Korea for a decade. There are about 50,000 fried chicken restaurants throughout the country, dozens in one neighborhood that laws had to be written to regulate the number opening on one block. Most are small franchises that deliver to your door on motorbike.

The ingredients and ideas may have started with the Korean war, mid-century, but Jeong Eun-jeong’s book “The Tale of Chicken in the Republic of Korea,” reports these restaurants exploded onto the scene 20 years ago, following the devastating Asian financial crisis. Many Korean men lost their jobs and opened chicken franchises at that time,” she says.

Talented Chef Sean An designed the Chicken Troopers restaurant interior and the logo

She says that has a lot to do with why South Koreans eat so much fried chicken today — suddenly there were just so many of these restaurants. entrepreneurs continue to open chicken franchises because of the low initial investment and overhead costs, even if they have no experience in the food industry or don’t know how to cook.

Chicken Troopers, 13302 Rosecrans Ave., Norwalk, California, 562. 219.0593. Hours: Monday – Saturday. Chickentroopersla.com .

Parking front and back at Chicken Troopers, right off the 5 freeway in Norwalk

Happy National Lasagna Day: “Meat or Plant?”

July 29, 2021 Comments Off

Vegan or meat Lasagna? A hard call because Celestino Drago developed both

(Gerry Furth-Sides) This National Lasagna Day (July 29 or week!) celebrate Sicilian style with Celestino Ristorante at home or in the beautiful Celestinorestaurant.

**Celestino Ristorante**, Pasadena, dining indoors or al fresco (photo by Celestino)

Owner and Executive Chef Calogero Dragoprepare his special Homemade Authentic Family-Style Lasagna Bolognese ($19.50) made with homemade lasagna and a meat sauce for dine-in at the restaurant or pre-ordered 24 hours in advance for pickup to be eaten home. Read about the restaurant at: //localfoodeater.com/tag/celestino-restaurant/

Lasagna is also available at the Culver City Commissary the same day. It was our own first party meal after lockdown 2020, unforgettable in taste or feeling.

Every Celestino Catering dish order turns into a party at home, especially lasagna

Drago Bakery and Catering at 3828 Willat Avenue, Culver City, CA 90232, (310.280.6004) turns a lasagna meal a meal into a feast, with plenty of the abundant serving left for more meals. To the Lasagna Bolognese, all we added for a main course was farmers market asparagus topped with homemade mayo aioli. Carrot soup, ciabatta rolls and a beet salad started this Sunday spring meal. Apple Tart, in the shape of a rose, made a beautiful dessert on its own with a dollop of freshly whipped cream. Read the story //localfoodeater.com/drago-ristorante-catering-and-good-cheer-comes-home-with-us/

National Lasagna Day celebrations also includes helping fight hunger and climate change with every order of Vegan Sunday Supper’s delectably delicious 100% Plant-Based Lasagna. This dish is a completely new take on the traditional sausage recipe, with sweet peppers and vegan cheeses. The unique Scandanavian secret ingredient, Pulled Oats®, has been developed by Celestino Drago and his team to make this Lasagna into a replication of traditional meat Lasagna, without the meat. Pulled Oats®, a Finnish innovation from Gold&Green Foods, is the perfect protein, made with just five simple plant-based ingredients: Oats, Yellow Peas, Fava Beans, gently pressed Rapeseed Oil and Salt.

Vegan Sunday Supper’s story is fascinating. Read it at //localfoodeater.com/finland-shares-its-pulled-oat-favorite-in-vegan-sunday-suppers/

It is 100% plant-based, of course. 25% of the profits from Vegan Sunday Supper go directly toward benefitting and funding Support + Feed, a non-profit organization created during the pandemic by Maggie Baird (Actress, Voice Artist, Screenwriter), while fighting climate change one meal at a time!

Celestino Ristorante is open for Lunch every Monday through Friday for Indoor Dining, Outdoor Patio Dining, and Takeout (11:30 am- 2:30 pm); Dinner Sunday through Thursday (4:30 pm to 9:30 pm), Friday and Saturday (4:30 pm to 10:00 pm); 141 South Lake Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105; 626.795.4006; www.CelestinoRistorante.com

Drago Bakery and Catering at 3828 Willat Avenue, Culver City, CA 90232, (310.280.6004) //www.dragobakery.com

Vegan Sunday Supper can be delivered anywhere Nationwide today from Buffalo Market. For more information, please visit www.VeganSundaySupper.com.

Sharlotka: Iconic Careme’s Royal Gift to Homemakers

July 12, 2021 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) My birthday last month was the second time I was treated to Sharlotka baked by @tableconversation, and the home grown apples and loquats in it got my attention. The attraction from the beginning was the light-as-chiffon stone fruit cake texture. And as it turned out, the cake alone has a surprisingly, royal and complex history! Elegance is simplicity, and the Sharlotka, long one of the most popular Eastern European kitchen mainstays, is making its way into western kitchens because of its streamlined five-ingredients and easy directions.

Sharlotka was created by legendary French chef, Marie Antoine Careme.” It was made in honor of the wife of Tsar Alexander I of Russia. Early names for this recipe was Charlotte a la Parisienne, and then became famous as Charlotte Russe. In fact, because of the confection, The Joy of Cooking notes, a charlotte has come to be defined as “a mousse corseted in ladyfingers or slices of cake or jelly roll and served unfolded.” The filling can be any mousse or pudding… but the best choices are stabilized with gelatin -already complex.

Photo credit FTN, Classic Charlotte Russe by Alex Guanaschelli. Other recipes are in Nancy Silverton’s DESSERTS and JOY OF COOKING

This may be why, as the original Charlotte à la Parisienne (with lady fingers) became popular, the home kitchen version needed to be far simpler. So, along with its new diminutive name, Sharlotka, today’s more rustic, Russian home version “apple pie,” has done away with both the complicated mousse filling and lady finger casing into an almost equally light, airy, almost chiffon-like cake. And the pared-down recipe for the modern day, more streamlined Sharlotka was also made economical plus fool-proof by home bakers during the frugal Soviet era.

@TableConversation added her garden loquats to apples

Recipe for Sharlotka

This recipe is similar to @Table Conversion. It is from my Russian neighbor, Natalia. Other recipes increase the fruit and eggs. We found this one makes the fluffiest cake, and the fruit is sure to come to the top when turned out.

4 medium apples, sliced thin (we followed @table conversation and added loquats she offered).
3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 cup regular flour (sifted)
Bread crumbs to coat the bottom of the pan. We used extra crunchy panko.

Sharlotka in the over (the apples still on the bottom)

Directions:

Coat baking pan with butter. Sprinkle crumbs on the bottom (which will become the top after baking) Beat eggs and sugar (mixer is best, but can be done in blender or by hand) until white. Gradually add flour.
Coat baking pan with butter, sprinkle crumbs on the bottom.
Layer sliced apples (and any fruit being added) over the crumbs.
Pour batter over the apples (making sure to cover apples as much as you can).
Preheat oven to 400F. Bake for 45 min or until the matchstick inserted n the cake comes out clean.
When cool enough, turn cake over onto a wire rack.

**Sharlotka** unfolded – the apples baked on the bottom are now on top!

There are many versions of the home version this recipe, some still using lady fingers, others crushed cookies to emulate the original. It has evolved to a simpler cake recipe with ingredients that everyone has in their pantry. In Poland, this recipe is known as Szarlotka.

Barbara learned this recipe from Feride Buyuran. Barbara highly recommended her blog, where you can also find the recipe and a video on how to make it. The recipe is only slightly different from the one we used, which had one apple and one egg less, than the four and three we used — a useful ratio. //azcookbook.com/2017/11/17/apple-sharlotka/

My neighbor who grew up in Moscow, Natalia, was the most enthusiastic about this cake. An easy cake to whip up at the last minute when guests pop over unannounced for tea. Simple and unpretentious, a classic Russian dessert.

According to Natalia, “It’s a popular cake I think because it is so simple to cook and all the ingredients are always available in any store any time if the year. It’s funny, knew people who cooked it on gheir backpacking trips. I don’t think each family has their own recipes. There are definitely slight variations from household to household.

“Yes, I think people here are conditioned that pies are all they may ever desire. it’s wrong. Long live Sharlotka cake!,” she laughed.

Natalia added, “A round baking pan with hole in the middle works very well for this recipe. Any apple will work. I sometimes use Granny Smith to offset the sugar.”

New Potato Salad Platter Salutes Spanish Explorers

July 6, 2021 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) According to culinary history, American potato salad most likely originated from German and other European immigrants’ recipes during the nineteenth century. We were so excited to try a Spanish version because as our staff writer, Roberta R. Deen pointed out, it was the Spaniards who took potatoes (and tomatoes) back to Spain, where people thought they were poisonous nightshades so only used them only as decoration!

Our deconstructed **Melissa’s** red, white and blue peewee potato salad

In addition, it follows up the LocalFoodeater.com post about the first documented Thanksgiving in America, a Spanish one, and to salute the explorers who inspired it. //localfoodeater.com/garcia-de-la-cruz-inspires-this-authentic-spanish-thanksgiving-in-america/

Melissa’s Red, White & Blue Potato Medley for Salads, Grilling

Recipe: Warm Potato Salad with Basil and White Wine

Note: Use waxy (rather than floury) potatoes for a salad for texture, and cook them in their skins for more flavor when they are cooked in their skins. I actually love baked potato skins much more than the potato inside. We kept the traditional salad accompaniment of hot garlic sausage in the form of Spanish ham and sausage (see below). Basil was substituted for the flat-leaf parsley or tarragon.

1 1/2 lb waxy potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled
1/4 cup rose wine (or white)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
basil, julienned fine
1/2 cup olive oil
Place potatoes in a steamer pot over cold salted water, or in the pot to boil. Cover, bring water to a boil, and simmer until done, 15-20 minutes. Test for softness with a fork. Drain.
When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into quarter-potato chunks. Sprinkle with the wine. Season and gently stir to thoroughly season. Cool to room temperature.

The Melissa’s Red, White and Blue peewee potato salad

Although basil, or albahaca in Spanish, is very much associated with the Mediterranean, it isn’t a very popular herb in Spain. In fact, many standard cookbooks and gastronomic encyclopedias there don’t even list it.

**Fresh basil**, called *albahaca* in **Spanish**! We used the rest of the large bunch for pesto.

We chose complimentary ingredients to go with the salad that could make up an entire meal, or different individual meals.

Deconstructed Spanish Explorer Salad:

Melissa’s freehand Roasted Peppers; heirloom teardrop and roasted tomato; Catalonian dried sausage and ham; buffalo and Urgèlia Catalonian semi soft aromatic cheese; Carmona black and green Spanish olives. Alex introduced us to “Picos” Camperos, the very popular mini artisanal bread sticks from Andalusia. A crusty, rustic bread would also be fine.

We now have an entire meal with one deconstructed potato salad and wine! We bought our’s at La Espanola Meats with the help of partner Alex. He was able to guide us to the regional wine, cheese and sausage specialties. He remembers we favor Catalonia.

Alex at La Española Meats guided us to Spanish regional specialties to go with our deconstructed Melissa’s potato salad

We offered our roasted tomatoes, mayo and pesto, and Spanish olive oil for a salad addition. The recipes are on localfoodeater.com

**Spanish potato salad platter** options: roasted tomatoes, mayo, pesto (made with leftover basil), olive oil

Then, all there was left to do was set the table for six. And, for a fewer number eating, the leftovers are also varied.

Ready for our holiday Spanish-influenced Melissa’s red, white and blue potato salad

Upper West’s Surprising New Ethnic Menu

July 4, 2021 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Reopening at our gorgeous rustic neighborhood favorite means pared down hours (dinner only five nights a week) and a pared down menu from Chef Nick Shipp that is SENSATIONAL!

Even with Nick’s obsession-worthy, take-away Burger Box last year, it was like “coming home” to have a dinner in the glassed-in patio in front of the open French windows with the partners and chef’s welcome. Thank you for the menu suggestions. We were ecstatic.

The Upper West Restaurant Burger Box on a Plate

Just enough unexpected, California-fresh, ingredients enhanced each Mediterranean inspires dish to make each one feel like a classic: Sweet & Spicy Spare Ribs with samba-honey glass, watermelon and cilantro. Grilled Artichoke Hearts with an ethereal citrus aioli, as stunning in color as in the mellowed, tart flavor, with fennel pollen, parmigiana-reggiano and herbs. Coffee Crusted Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin with goat cheese mashed potato, a citrus semi and roasted jalapeño apple sauce proves this hearty dish is just as appealing the summer as any time of the year. And so is the Adelaida Cab (2016) from Paso Robles that just always has to be on the wine list (by the glass and bottle). Guests like me are usually affectionately labeled “prima Dona” — I get stuck on items I .

Grilled Artichoke Hearts at Upper West Restaurant

Sweet & Spicy Spare Ribs at Upper West Restaurant

Coffee Crusted Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin with goat cheese mashed potato, a citrus semi and roasted jalapeño apple sauce at Upper West Restaurant

Partner Elad Benisti waited until after dinner to tell me how surprised he is that I didn’t even mention (I forgot!) my decade-old order of corn soup + burger!

Fun through the open window at Upper West Restaurant

Upper West Restaurant, 3321 W. Pico Blvd. (33^rd Street), Santa Monica, CA. (310) 586-1111, www.theupperwest.com.

New (Original) French Commerson

July 4, 2021 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Now is the time to visit Commerson, open for indoor and outdoor dining. Usually fully booked on week-ends, we were delighted to be welcomed by the original executive chef who created the menu concept, Executive Chef Sascha Lyon, and his wife who designed the muscular restaurant interior.

It took a glass of wine to choose our dishes. The wine: a Happy Hour Special 2019 Proverb Pinot Noir from the Central Coast, a choice that took us through a meal of seafood and beef.

The friendly, light 2019 Proverb Pinot Noir

The best of French bistro fare and fresh tastes and ingredients started with Seafood ceviche with special Kumiai oysters from Baja.

Executive Chef Sascha bringing out Seafood ceviche with special Kumiai oysters from Baja at COMMERSON Restaurant

The Garnish Olives alone reflect Chef Sascha’s mastery of complex ingredients were prepared with a variety of Glossy picholine, Castelvetrano, Kalamata, Capers, Cornichons AND Nicoise. olives The rich combination was dressed with a blend of garlic, tomato confit, an oil blend, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, star anise and cinnamon stick.

The Garnish Olives by Chef Sascha at COMMERSON Restaurant

The perfectly prepared, wood, grilled Creekstone Farms hangar “Bar Steak” followed – known to be “the steak challenge. It arrived with a pile of crisped garlic fried and herb butter. Flank steak is one of the healthiest beef cuts. Ounce for ounce, the very lean, very flavorful flank steak cut has fewer calories and more protein than a ribeye or porterhouse. The trick that Chef Lyon has mastered with this very lean cut is not to overcook it and know how to slice it (across the grain).

**Creekstone Farms hangar “**Bar Steak” at COMMERSON Restaurant

A slightly lighter dish was the sublimely wood-grilled, dry-aged, Half-pound burger layered with grand pasando, aioli, mizuna and caramelized onion. The chef sources all his ingredients carefully, also using his own firsthand experience with farm to table cooking practices.

**Half-pound burger** at Commerson Restaurant

Commerson restaurant was named after a French explorer by the husband-wife team to honor the original French cuisine. Their partner remains the young, tech genius, Raymond Eng from Hong Kong.

Commerson’s outdoor dining at the hub of busy LaBrea and Wilshire close to LACMA

Add unexpected genuine hospitality to the food and come up with a memorable dining experience that instills lingering good feelings. So don’t miss this hidden treasure practically slid under a brand new loft high-rise in the midst of the Metro Purple Line Extension construction that we’ve driven right by so many times.

Hands on, brilliant owner Raymond Eng comes from a tech background.

Other dish options include a Garlic Shrimp Caesar with all-natural bacon for $12; a Grilled Paillard ofChicken with frisbee and upland watercress dressed in a mustard vinaigrette, confit of tomatoes, jus natural and grand pasando, and a Bar Steak we ordered for $24.

State of the art ovens at Commerson Restaurant

Who would think that this cavernous space with such a muscular feel with white walls, blonde wood simple chairs and metal tables would encourage such happy dining. The room when we were there was filled with groups of ladies, couples, single customers at the bar and families with children of all ages.

Nancy Silverton and Mark Peel’s Campanile revived the La Brea Street restaurant row a generation ago, long replaced with the booming Republique. Commerson Restaurant book-ends the neighborhoo’s trendy, boutique-filled long street. 788 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, (323)813-3000.

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Gerry Furth-Sides