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Los Angeles Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
A contest to crown L.A.'s best community college culinary program
As a graduate of Orange Coast College, I'm honored to speak to community college students whenever I can. That's why I was more than happy to accept an invitation months ago to be a judge at something called the Culinary Cup, which happened Friday at Los Angeles Mission College in Sylmar. I figured I'd taste a couple of dishes, say some inspirational words, and that would be that. Oh, how wonderfully wrong I was. The Culinary Cup is a tournament between Mission College, L.A. Trade-Tech College, and L.A. Harbor College going on five years. Hundreds of people streamed into Mission College's huge Culinary Arts Institute building to cheer on the dozens of students ready to face off in three categories centered around Caribbean cuisine: savory, pastry and tablescaping — the art of setting a table that's as exacting as it sounds. I was assigned to tablescaping along with Greg Martayan, representing the Valley Economic Alliance. We were asked to judge as meticulously as possible, down to inspecting glasses to make sure there were no water spots and looking for any stray wrinkle on a folded napkin. 'Looks like it's going to be a 15,000-calorie day!' Martayan joked as we pregamed on Bananas Foster French toast and strawberry tarts. The competition itself was less 'Top Chef' and more of an open house. Guests peered into industrial kitchens to see students prepare their dishes, or sat in on demos ranging from how to make Belizean stewed chicken over coconut rice to an ice sculpture presentation by Trade-Tech professor Martin Gilligan. The president of each college strolled around in chef's jackets. Other Mission College departments also participated: The school's choir sang calypso and reggae standards while wearing tie-dyed shirts, and photography students staged dishes to take photos worthy of Serious Eats. Instructors stood by to cheer and mentor participants. One of them was Diamond Bar Golf Course executive chef Fionna España, who was in charge of the tablescaping competition. 'It's humbling, but it makes [students] say, 'I need to do better,'' she replied when I asked what was the value in having students compete against each other. 'It's a good thing because in the world, judging is happening constantly.' Success stories were everywhere. One of them was 53-year-old Sam Arenas, who played baseball for Mission College 30 years ago before embarking on a successful career in car sales. He recently retired to reenroll at Mission College and pursue his true passion: food. He wants to open a restaurant based on his grandmother's recipes. 'This is a great way to be under pressure but still have fun,' Arenas told me over shouts of 'Behind!' and 'Corner!' He was finishing up a Jamaican beef patty with colors that represented the country's flag: a crust tinted black from activated charcoal, spinach sauce and a mango chutney. 'To be able to start over in my career is just a blessing. But an even better blessing would be if our team wins!' Upstairs, Linden Grabowski was making nonalcoholic cocktails in the VIP reception — I especially liked her ginger-spiked Jamaican punch. Last year, the Santa Clarita resident was part of Mission College's tablescaping team. She's going to transfer to a four-year university after finishing degrees in culinary arts, restaurant management and professional baking. 'If you were to have told me two years ago I'd be at this point, I wouldn't have believed you,' Grabowski said. Political heavyweights showed up, like San Fernando Mayor Mary Mendoza, L.A. Community College District trustees David Vela and Kelsey Iino, and even longtime Congressman Tony Cárdenas, who retired last year. I caught him in line waiting for jerk chicken, picanha and lobster. I asked if he had ever been invited to judge. Cárdenas immediately shook his head no. 'You have a bunch of competitors and just one winner. You don't need a bunch of people mad at you.' The competition ended with a delicious buffet lunch attended by 500 people. I unfortunately had to leave before the winners were announced, so didn't have the chance to congratulate Mission College, which swept all the categories and thus won the Golden Chef's Hat Trophy. Harbor College will host next year — see you there! Andrea says, 'Ripple by Grateful Dead.'Pamela says, 'Dancing Queen by Abba.' Email us at essentialcalifornia@ and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. Today's great photo is from Friends of Big Bear Valley at the nest of two eaglets, Sunny and Gizmo, who are expected to fly for the first time soon. Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew Campa, Sunday writerKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
Daily Record
06-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Keep your oranges 'fresher and juicier' for longer by storing them in this one place
Making these few small changes will mean you get the best out of your oranges. The majority of UK households store oranges in their fruit bowls. As pretty as this may look, experts believe having your oranges exposed to the air and next to other fruit, could actually be doing more harm than good. Oranges are a common staple in British homes and diets due to their health benefits. They are rich in vitamin C which supports a strong immune system and acts as an antioxidant. They also provide fiber, folate, and potassium, contributing to healthy digestion, heart health, and overall well-being. The freshness and juiciness of an orange can reduce rapidly if they are not stored properly. They can be kept at room temperature, out of direct sunlight for a few days, but they 'prefer a cool, dark environment'. If you want to get the best out of your oranges, then you should keep them in the fridge, according to Serious Eats. This can extend their shelf life and keep them juicier and fresher for longer. Riley Davies, a manager at Misfits Market – an online grocer – said that the ideal temperature for citrus fruit is between 40F and 45F (around 4.4C to 7.2C). This is likely colder than the countertop in your kitchen and warmer than the fridge, but the latter is the preferred option. The cool temperature in the fridge slows down the ripening process and inhibits the growth of mould and bacteria. It's best to place them in a mesh bag or keep them loose, allowing for good air circulation. Many people choose to store oranges at room temperature which can make them taste juicer because the natural sugars are more flavourful when not chilled. There's also a widespread belief that citrus fruits don't need to be kept in the fridge but while keeping oranges on the counter is fine for short-term storage of up to about a week, it's not ideal for long-term freshness. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Warm environments can cause the fruit to dry out or spoil more quickly, especially in humid conditions. If you buy oranges in bulk or don't plan to eat them all within a few days, keeping them in the fridge is the smart choice. You could store most of your oranges in the fridge and leave a few out to enjoy over the next couple of days if you don't want to keep them all in there. By changing this one simple storage habit, you could extend the shelf-life and freshness of your oranges without any extra hassle. As much as an orange's juiciness has to do with storage, its quality also hinges on its condition at the time of purchase. For this reason, it's important to first select the right oranges. The freshest kind are usually a bright colour, have thinner skin, and a more solid feel. Cassie Howard, based at Sunkist – a citrus growers cooperative – told Martha Stewart: 'Choose a firm, heavy orange when buying as they tend to be juicier.'
The Guardian
04-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
How to make the perfect vegan caesar salad – recipe
If I've learned anything from almost 40 days of plant-based eating, it's that an homage doesn't have to be indistinguishable from the original to hit the same spot; it simply needs to sing equivalent notes to much the same tune. Those notes, in this case, are a green salad, a thick, umami-spiked dressing and savoury croutons, all tossed in a pitch-perfect combination of flavours (milky lettuce, salty fish, rich fat) and textures (crisp leaves, creamy dressing, crunchy toasted bread). So, while the recipe below isn't pretending to be an authentic classic caesar, consider it a very decent and, I hope, similarly pleasing cover version. The caesar is a simple salad, however much people like to complicate it with toppings and other nonsense (of which more later), which means it stands and falls on its dressing. Yes, we can and will argue about whether it's acceptable to deviate from the usual cos lettuce, but, really, the leaves are a mere vehicle to convey this rich, fiercely savoury substance from bowl to mouth; a fig leaf of fibre floating on a lake of 'good' fats. The problem here is that, in its original form, the dressing, which gets its substance from egg yolk and much of its flavour from salty little anchovies, is very much not vegan-friendly. My first task was to replace the egg yolk. I tried several bases: cashews, as recommended by Becky Hughes in the New York Times; almonds and silken tofu, as used by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero in their book Veganomicon; Ashley Madden's tahini, from her Plant-Based Cookbook; and Ixta Belfrage's coconut yoghurt and Tom Hunt's aquafaba, both from the Guardian recipe archive. All work, but my testers and I aren't overly keen on the flavour of coconut here, and find the cashews a little sweet and grainy – soaking, we surmise, might have helped with the texture, or perhaps I might just need to invest in a more powerful blender (there seems to be a lot of blending involved in vegan cookery, I'm discovering). Silken tofu and tahini both work well, the former giving a lighter, creamier result that's more reminiscent of that other great American favourite, ranch dressing, and the latter blending in better than I anticipate, but the overall favourite is Hunt's aquafaba. This, for anyone new to Guardian food content, is the cooking water from tinned chickpeas (the cooking liquor of home-cooked ones is apparently less reliable, because the liquid can be less concentrated). Though some people find it has a slightly leguminous flavour, if you can taste it here you simply haven't added enough garlic. Once whizzed up with the same olive oil used in the classic caesar dressing, it has a surprisingly voluptuous richness that works a treat, especially with a few chickpeas thrown in to stabilise the emulsion, as suggested by J Kenji López-Alt on Serious Eats. The flavourings I find easier to pin down. In keeping with tradition, there will be garlic (I infuse the olive oil with it) and lemon juice, but instead of salty anchovies, I like the idea of Hughes and Veganomicon's caper brine. You could stick in some whole capers, too, as Hunt and Madden do, but I prefer the deeper, richer savouriness of Belfrage and Hughes' white miso paste (the lightest, sweetest variety, ideally). I prefer the miso to Hunt's vegan Worcestershire sauce, which, like Madden's cider vinegar and maple syrup combo, brings sweet-and-sour notes that I don't remember in the original. The same goes for the coconut sugar in Veganomicon's version and, much as I enjoy mustard (Madden uses dijon, Chandra Moskowitz and Hope Romero mustard powder), I don't think it has a place in a caesar dressing. To try to mimic a little of the maritime notes of the fish, I've crumbled in some of Hughes' roasted nori – my testers are divided as to whether the seaweed actually tastes anything like anchovies, or whether the effect is purely psychosomatic, but, because plant-based diets tend to be low in iodine, it feels like a good addition either way. I've also added some cheesy nutritional yeast, because, while the cheese goes on top of a traditional caesar salad, in this case it's useful to include another source of umami in the dressing itself. As usual, however, you may like to adjust to taste, adding more or less of any of the above as you fancy. As Madden writes: 'Kale caesar salads are popular for a good reason – they're incredible!' I first came across the idea in New York more than a decade ago and would echo her enthusiasm – the dressing clings to the frills of both her curly kale and Hughes' cavolo nero with far more enthusiasm than to even the most meticulously dried cos. But, having removed the eggs, anchovies and parmesan from the equation, I feel I at least ought to stick with the original lettuce. Should you be braver in the privacy of your own home, other suggestions include Belfrage's cucumber, Veganomicon's spinach or rocket and Hunt's wild sea kale, dulse and dandelion leaves (OK, I couldn't get hold of the sea kale in central London, but, Tom, I did raid the garden weeds for you and can confirm that well-rinsed dandelion leaves are deliciously bitter). Whatever you use, I'd recommend tearing or cutting it into bite-sized pieces, and drying it very well after washing, so the dressing coats it, rather than sliding off into a watery mess. You might also, as Belfrage does, fancy popping in some herbs – she suggests chives and basil, both of which pair beautifully with the other flavours here. Croutons are a must in a caesar salad – I like to keep them fairly simple and bite-sized. I bake them, but, as Hunt's recipe proves, they can be made successfully in a frying pan, too, which will use less energy, as would an air fryer. But you might like to get fancy and, like Belfrage, coat them in sesame seeds, maple syrup and chilli, or in Chandra Moskowitz and Hope Romero's roast garlic and lemon juice. Fried, air-fried or baked, make sure they're nice and crunchy, so leave the crusts on to help with that. Both Madden and Hughes top their salads with chickpeas – roasted until crisp in Hughes' case, fried in a smoky spice mix for Madden – while Hunt recommends walnuts. Your choice, but I don't think the salad needs either. But I do like it topped with a blizzard of parmesan, which is where Madden's 'cashew turmeric parmesan' comes in, made from blitzed nuts, sesame seeds, nutritional yeast and turmeric for colour. Sceptical as I am, I really enjoy it – it tastes more one-dimensionally, almost artificially 'cheesy' than actual parmesan, but with the creamy dressing and blandly crisp leaves as a foil, it works. That said, I've left out the sesame seeds in my copy-cat version, because I don't think they add anything to the experience. Heap it over the top, or replace with your favourite vegan parmesan alternative as you wish. If you want to bulk out the salad, top it with smoked tofu, seitan or similar, but I think it's pretty damn perfect as it is. Prep 15 min Cook 20 min Serves 2-4 as a side 1 thick slicecrusty bread (about 100g)Salt and black pepper1 large cos lettuce, or 2 little gems, washed and well dried For the dressing1 plump garlic clove 100ml olive oil 4 tbsp aquafaba (ie, the liquid from a tin of chickpeas)10 cooked chickpeas 6cm x 6cm piece dried nori, crumbled (optional)2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp caper brine 2 tsp white miso paste 2 tbsp nutritional yeast For the cashew 'parmesan' (optional)35g unsalted cashews, plus a small handful extra to finish 2 tsp nutritional yeast ¼ tsp turmeric Scant ¼ tsp fine salt Crush the garlic into the oil and leave to infuse while you get on with everything else. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 and cut the bread, crusts and all, into crouton-sized chunks. Put these on a baking tray, drizzle over a little of the garlicky oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss the bread to coat, then bake for about 20 minutes, turning over once halfway, until golden all over. Meanwhile, put the aquafaba, chickpeas, nori, lemon juice, caper brine, miso and nutritional yeast in a container just wide enough to fit the head of a stick blender. Whizz until completely smooth, then, still whizzing, gradually trickle in the remaining garlic-infused oil, running it slowly down the side of the container, until you have a creamy dressing. Season to taste. In a mini chopper, pulse all the ingredients for the cashew 'parmesan', if making,until reduced to a rough powder; don't overdo it, though, or you'll end up with nut butter. Tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and put them in a large bowl. Add just over half the dressing and a good spoonful of the cashew mixture, if using, and toss to coat (add more dressing, if necessary). Transfer to a serving bowl or plates, then top with the croutons, a sprinkle of extra cashews and a good grind of black pepper. Serve with the rest of the dressing on the side, for people to add as they wish. Vegan caesar salad – assuming the very concept doesn't have you rushing for the anchovies and eggs, what's the secret to success? And, given how much fun this piece was to research, which other classic recipes would you like to see plant-based alternatives for?
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
This 'secret' East Side restaurant offers an authentic taste of Peru
Highly Recommended is a weekly spotlight on some of food writer Keith Pandolfi's favorite finds as he eats his way across Greater Cincinnati. Come back every Tuesday for more. Inkazteka in Deer Park's Dillonvale Shopping Center is a family-owned restaurant that serves excellent versions of Peruvian and Mexican cuisines, though it's the Peruvian dishes that really shine. Given the importance of potatoes in Peru (they grow more than 4,000 varieties), I suggest starting with the papa a la huancaina ($9.99), a cold appetizer of sliced boiled potatoes drenched in creamy, spicy huancaina sauce, which is a mixture of aji amarillo peppers, queso and evaporated milk. Set on a bed of lettuce and garnished with black olives and hard-boiled egg slices, the dish might look like it's straight out of a 1960s issue of Gourmet magazine, but it's far more timeless than that. One of the most classic examples of Peruvian cuisine is lomo saltado, a stir fry of beef or chicken, red onions (cut into wedges) and tomatoes sauteed in soy sauce and wine vinegar and served with french fries and rice. According to my former co-worker Daniel Gritzer at Serious Eats, lomo saltado is an example of chifa cooking, "a term that describes the Chinese-Peruvian hybrid cuisine created by Chinese immigrants who moved to South America more than a century ago." Here, the indigenous American ingredients of potatoes, peppers and tomatoes are seasoned with soy sauce and then stir-fried. Instead of ordering my lomo saltado the traditional way, I enjoyed it in the form of the Burrito Inkazteka ($16.99). Here, lomo saltado (complete with the french fries and jasmine rice) is stuffed and rolled into a flour tortilla and served on a festive yellow platter. The enormous burrito is burnished with shimmering chipotle sauce that adds a layer of smoky flavor. If you'd like a little more spice with your meal, ask for a side of the restaurant's green hot sauce – which should satisfy even the most ardent heat freak – then wash it all down with a refreshing pineapple soda. My guess is that you'll be revisiting this shopping center secret sooner than later. 3920 E. Galbraith Road, inside the Dillonvale Shopping Center, Deer Park; 513-921-5663. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Looking for authentic Peruvian food? Head to this Deer Park restaurant
Epoch Times
25-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- Epoch Times
Pork and Asparagus Stir-Fry With Spicy Cucumber Salad
Fresh ideas for dinner can spring from so many places: the pages of a new cookbook or food magazine, a funny TikTok or instructional video on Instagram or (among my favorite sources for inspiration) websites like Food 52, Serious Eats, or Smitten Kitchen. It also can depend on what you happen to stumble upon while grocery shopping. This week's recipe hinges on what I was thrilled to find on sale in my local produce section: big bunches of spring asparagus priced at just $1.99 a pound. I couldn't resist swooping up two bundles of the tender spring veggie along with a couple bunches of spring onion and two fat cucumbers that were one sale for 99 cents. It's so easy to get excited about green foods in the spring—especially when they're so affordable—and I knew I'd figure out how to best put them to good use in my kitchen. I ended up with this easy stir-fry. Lots of recipes calls for steaming, blanching or roasting asparagus, and you can also saute it. Here, the stalks are diagonally cut into bite-sized pieces and then cooked hot and fast, gently blistered, in a skillet with oil and salt. Then, they're tossed in a pan with ground pork that's been cooked with Asian aromatics—garlic, ginger, and green onion—along with soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Related Stories 3/7/2025 8/4/2024 It was incredibly quick, and really hit the spot when paired with a super-simple (and spicy) cucumber salad that also took just minutes to throw together. Both include the gentle heat of chili crisp, which you can easily omit if appealing to tamer taste buds. When choosing asparagus, look for bright green stalks with tightly closed and compact tips. To keep it fresh in the fridge until cooking, store it upright in a glass or cup with about an inch of water, and cover the tops with a plastic bag. I generally prefer super-thin asparagus because I believe it's the most tender, but you can also use thicker spears. Just be sure peel the bottom third after snapping off the knobby ends. Pork and Asparagus Stir-fry PG tested Serves 4. 2-3 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil, divided 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on a diagonal into 1- or 2-inch pieces Kosher salt 1 pound ground pork 6 scallions, white and pale green parts only, finely chopped 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or medium-dry cooking sherry 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1-2 teaspoons chili crisp, plus additional for serving Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving, optional Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet on high. Once the pan is hot (oil will be lightly smoking), add half of the asparagus and a couple pinches of salt and cook, tossing only once or twice so the pieces have a chance to blister, until crisp-tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus to a plate. Add another teaspoons olive oil to skillet (no need to wipe it out) and repeat with remaining asparagus. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil to skillet, then add ground pork, spreading it out in an even layer. Season with a couple pinches of salt and cook, undisturbed, until meat begins to brown underneath, about 2 minutes. Break up meat with a wooden spoon and add chopped scallions, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring, until pork is crisp and mixture is very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add wine or sherry, soy sauce, and chili crisp, and return asparagus to skillet. Cook, turning to coat with pork mixture, until heated through, about 1 minute. Transfer stir-fry to a platter or large shallow bowl and drizzle with sesame oil. Serve with rice and additional chili crisp, if desired, garnished with chopped cilantro. Recipe adapted from For cucumber salad Serves 4. For a less spicy salad, omit the chili crisp. 1 pound cucumbers, sliced very thin 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 1 heaping teaspoon chili crisp 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, plus more for garnish Red chili pepper flakes, for garnish In a medium bowl, toss cucumber and salt. Let them sit for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the dressing. In a large serving bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, chili crisp, garlic, ginger, sugar, and sesame seeds. Set aside. Rinse cucumber slices with cool water in a colander two or three times to remove the salt, then strain into a bowl. Pat dry with paper towels. Pour cucumber slices into the bowl with the dressing and toss well to combine. Garnish with sesame seeds and red chili flakes for extra heat. Thin stalks of spring asparagus are blistered, then tossed with ground pork, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS Recipe by Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette Dear Readers: We would love to hear from you. What topics would you like to read about? Please send your feedback and tips to
