tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12610987415947466272024-03-05T14:06:22.235-08:00Anything to EatAll Things Food, life in Hawai'i, recipes, restaurants, photos, parties, events, travel, hula, family, friends, loving Godfoodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-42412032664708204822011-02-16T12:33:00.000-08:002011-02-23T12:56:04.936-08:00Sausage FestI know I've neglected this blog so finally here's a new post. <br />In December I invited some family members and friends to a sausage making session at our church. My friend, David, and I hatched this session because we were both interested in learning to make really good sausage. He had tried before but was not happy with the results. After some research using the Internet and my own, as well as my friend, Elsie's, extensive collection of cookbooks, I came up with the following recipe. <br /><br />I gave some sausages to Elsie and family. My favorite comment was from Elsie. She said that she took one bite and it transported her back to her childhood eating her Aunt Bina's Portuguese sausage! <br /><br />Now don't expect it to taste like commercially prepared sausage. This has a much more full bodied flavor.<br /><br /><br />Easy Old Timey Sausage<br /><br />Combine with hands:<br />1 lb. of pork butt, about 2/3 lean and 1/3 fat, diced fine<br />One-half tsp. each of sherry, whiskey and vinegar<br />1 tsp. ea of garlic powder and onion powder<br />Place in fridge<br /><br />Grind One-half tsp. ea. of cinnamon, chili, oregano, ground black pepper, sugar<br />and one-quarter tsp. of cayenne<br />1 T. ea. of paprika and Hawaiian salt,<br />1 tsp. chili pepper flakes and<br />1 bay leaf <br />with a mortar and pestle or better- a spice grinder.<br />Set aside. <br /><br />Saute 1 large clove of garlic, minced and 3 T. finely minced onion in a pan w/ 1 tsp. of oil, until garlic and onion are translucent. Turn off heat. Dab off any excess oil with a paper towel. Add herb mixture to garlic-onion mixture in pan while the pan is still hot. <br />Combine well. Cool completely.<br /><br /><br />Add garlic-onion-herb mixture to the pork mixture with your hands until well-combined.<br />Let sausage mixture sit in fridge at least overnight and up to 18 hours. (Do not skip this step. The spices and herbs need time to mellow and meld with the other ingredients)<br />Form into compacted logs with a diameter of 2 and one-half inches and wrap in cheesecloth to hold shape.<br />Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Cut into slices and fry. <br />Or, form into compacted flat patties and fry immediately.<br />If you are ambitious you can force the mixture into casings for sausage and smoke the links.<br /><br />Drain on paper towels.<br /><br />Wanda Adams wrote an article that appeared in today's Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the Today's section for 2/16/11. To see the article, you can click the link to the left of this posting (under the photo of Wanda and David) or go to the Star-Advertiser's website for 2/16/11. If you scroll down to the bottom of their site you will see the article titled " How Sausage Is Made".foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-58460554654441710212010-09-18T00:37:00.000-07:002010-10-06T15:14:47.252-07:00Loco Moco Drive Inn-MoanaluaMy friend's, Onna's, son recently became the co-owner of the Loco Moco Drive Inn at Moanalua Shopping Center. Onna's definitely passed her cooking skills to her son. Several blog entries ago I wrote about Onna's fabulous green onion chicken demo at Elsie's home.<br /><br />We had lunch at Loco Moco at Onna's invitation. Right off it is clear that it is the only truly local eating establishment in the area. The rest of the places are franchises from the Big, Big Island. Loco Moco Drive Inn has the usual plate lunch favorites (Chicken Cutlet, Beef Stew, Pork Chops, e.g., even Oxtail Soup) but these are executed with care. A flavorful Pork Adobo was featured as a special on the day we were there.<br /><br />Onna is one proud mama and for good reason. Everyone we met was friendly and helpful. This place has that perfect combination of what I call fast slow food. What's that? Well it has fast service but it's also the kind of slow comfort-food cooking you would expect from home. Fast, fresh, LOTS and reasonable. <br /><br />Case in point, the mini-sized ($5.25) mochiko chicken. Each mini plate is heaped with the entree and a generous scoop of rice and either potato or toss salad. The mochiko chicken was about as perfect as they come. Hot from the fresh oil. Crispy, thin coating surrounding well-seasoned, slightly sweet and moist chicken. I think a mini plate would generously satisfy most people unless you are plain starving.<br /><br />Word has gotten around because it was constantly busy while we were there. One sure sign of a good pick-policemen on break chowing down on the 'ono kaukau! Have you ever been stuck near the airport waiting for a flight or hungry after leaving Target nearby? Now there's a great little place to grab some grindz.foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-19616682856766163452010-07-03T12:23:00.000-07:002010-07-03T17:57:25.132-07:00Brownies From Heaven"Taste of Heaven Brownies" article from the Honolulu Advertiser, November 11, 2009 by Wanda Adams<br /><br />This brownie dish is perfect for sharing<br />By Wanda A. Adams <br /><br />Had a taste of heaven the other day.My friend Marylene Chun (who, at this point, ought to be named associate food editor, since she helps me so much) was dropping off something I'd forgotten at a cooking demo, and as a bonus, left us some brownies.I, unfortunately, am starting to put on pounds, so I only had a bite, but they were perfect: crisp on the outside, meltingly tender on the inside. My husband had them for dessert several nights in a row. (Actually, one night, I think he had them for dinner!)The recipe comes from the Web site tasteofhome.com. This recipe makes a large pan, so it would be perfect for family gatherings, school events, sports potlucks and such. (Most brownie recipes only make an 8-by-8-inch panful.)One important rule with brownies is not to overbake them. Be sure to keep track of time and check them.<br /><br />Brownies from Heaven <br /><br />1 cup butter• 2 cups sugar• 2 eggs• 1 teaspoon vanilla• 2 cups flour• 1/2 cup baking cocoa• 1 cup chopped walnuts.<br />In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Combine flour and cocoa, add to creamed mixture just until combined. Stir in walnuts.Spread in ungreased 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 23 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.Makes 2 dozen brownies.<br /><br /><br />from Marylene-<br />I've made this recipe at least a dozen times and I can report that it is foolproof. Some personal Notes: <br /><br />Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.<br /><br />I line the pan with foil which makes for easier cleanup and removal. You can place the pan on top of a sheet of foil, mold the foil around the outside of the pan and then you can easily fit the foil inside of the pan. No need to grease.<br /><br />Use good quality cocoa powder like Callebaut, Sharffen Berger or an Extra Dark Dutch-processed cocoa. <br /><br />For my oven, baking it the full 28 minutes gives me a sturdy brownie that is easy to cut with a pizza cutter or a long serrated knife. Brownies baked for 28 minutes and then cooled are also easy to cut into hearts or other shapes using a large cookie cutter, as in the photo to the left of this blog post.<br /><br />At 23 minutes, you get a more fragile but fudgier brownie. <br /><br />I put half the walnuts in the batter and 1/2 on top before baking, gently pressing down so that they won't fall off after baking.<br /><br />-the foodiewahinefoodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-8046147181500935302010-06-10T15:09:00.000-07:002010-06-14T17:44:52.892-07:00Small favorI've heard many complaints from friends and family about the closing of the Honolulu Advertiser but especially about the fact that the new paper, the Star-Advertiser, did not pick up Wanda Adams as a columnist. I think we all felt it deeply, and with a sense of loss and shock, when we opened the Food section on Wednesday and there were no bylines by Wanda.<br /><br />A possible remedy. You can write to a Vice President and editor of the Star-Advertiser, Frank Bridgewater, and make a case for Wanda based on how you feel about her and her writing. Mr. Bridgewater REQUESTED feedback on future columnists in the first issue of the new paper. His email address is<br />fbridgewater@staradvertiser.com<br /><br />Many thanks. I figure it's the very least we can do for Wanda after all the excellent and enjoyable articles and recipes she's blessed us with all these years. Do you want to see more?<br /><br />UPDATE: June 14, 2010 <br />Keep those comments coming to the Star-Advertiser. Wanda's been offered a monthly column in the new paper's Wed. Food Section. And if it proves popular and people are VOCAL about it (hint) then they may give her a bi-monthly or weekly column. Thanks for the support!foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-12959167759599573162010-06-01T20:24:00.000-07:002010-06-01T21:10:13.691-07:00Big Island RetreatMaybe I should start calling this blog anythingtoeatonthebigisland. I'm so caught up with the BI's great eating places. Earlier last month I had one day's notice to join our church's, Hope Chapel Kaneohe Bay's, Timesetters' retreat to the BI. Of course I said YES. <br /><br />We were advised to bring one carry-on for the weekend which proved to be challenging but ultimately quite doable. I went with these time-honored packing tips: making sure every bottom went with several tops, bringing the smallest possible amount of each cosmetic or lotion, bringing clothing that could serve dual purposes like a windbreaker that is also water repellent.<br /><br />We had a wonderful time staying at the Kilauea Military Camp which is quite comfortable with it's own dining room, coffee cafe and a sundries and souvenirs store. Not to mention their bowling alley, tennis courts, etc. It's right in the Volcano National Park so we spent one evening at the Glow (the orange glow reflected onto a large fume above Halema'uma'u Crater). Jaggar Museum Lookout, where we shivered as we watched the Glow, is just 10 min. from KMC. It was great to be able to wake up early and walk through the park listening to birdsong before all the buses arrived.<br /><br />I digress. We hit the two most important can't-miss Hilo places on my list: Ken's for grilled mahi and Kuhio Grill for locomoco. At KG's we were stuffed from a huge lunch when Iris in our group innocently asked just to "see" the dessert menu. Well, the people at KG's are no dummies! They brought out their dessert TRAY. And it worked well on us, we ordered 5 desserts between the 6 of us.<br /><br />Omiyage stops: Two Ladies Kitchen for the best mochi and the KTA at Puainako for locally made cookies and jam. It happens that I'm working with the owner of Two Ladies, Nora, to develop some cream-based mochi. We also picked up heavy duty bentos at Hiro's Place, just down from KTA in the strip mall, to eat at Lapahoehoe Point.<br /><br />I enjoyed being in a spacious van and not having to drive for a change. I went with the flow and did several things I'd never done before like going up to the Onizuka Visitor's Center on the flank of Mauna Kea. <br /><br />Even more important than the food was the fact that while I already knew 10 of the retreatgoers I ended up making 20 new friends. God is Good.<br /><br />________________<br />Note: Wanda Adams is starting a new food blog. Find her at <br />waa-ourislandplate.blogspot.comfoodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-78192888602202543642010-02-20T15:22:00.000-08:002010-02-21T01:28:03.391-08:00Onna's Cold Ginger Chicken<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iT38frkky9NgElqpUFgtInMJjH6PObSmX5SgQt9HnQZh79tfURgdXmzfw6_WMozH1ZVeNr98M3zerfYyZ30rIh-gQUEfN5BbJ2V195jVm609_7yuaQwBuchVM0tzEieAuv-ofV45LKs/s1600-h/Demo+2+12+10+%2BNC+09026.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440470238738288770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iT38frkky9NgElqpUFgtInMJjH6PObSmX5SgQt9HnQZh79tfURgdXmzfw6_WMozH1ZVeNr98M3zerfYyZ30rIh-gQUEfN5BbJ2V195jVm609_7yuaQwBuchVM0tzEieAuv-ofV45LKs/s200/Demo+2+12+10+%2BNC+09026.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Chicken on the left simmered for 45 min. (well-done) Chicken on the right, 30 min. (pinkish and a bit underdone, the way most Chinese eat it)<br /><br />My friend, Elsie, hosted a Chinese New Year's gathering last week which included a demo of four Chinese dishes by her housekeeper/cook Onna Liang. Onna is from Guandong with solid cooking cred. Her son cooks for and owns Aloha Barbecue on Kapahulu Ave. and her husband works at a restaurant as well. We were fascinated as we watched her whip up Cold Ginger Chicken, Eggplant and Tofu in Black Bean Sauce, Chao'd Pumpkin and Fried Rice for 20 people in under 2 hours.<br /><br />The Cold Ginger Chicken is an ubiquitous dish on Chinese restaurant menus but Onna's was truly outstanding. I always knew that the restaurants must either have access to exceptional ingredients (super tender, fresh chicken from a farm?) or specialized techniques to make the chicken so meltingly tender and with so much flavor. Turns out it's the latter.<br /><br />Use the HECO recipe(from the Hawaiian Electric Company's website) below but add these tips.<br /><br />This is what we learned from Onna:<br />1.) Simmer the chicken (instead of turning off the heat) in 1/4 c. of Hawaiian salt, and a stockpot 2/3 full of water for 45 min. This Hot Brine plumps the chicken and flavors it perfectly.<br />2.) Whiz the ingredients in a Cuisinart until it is a <em>fine </em>puree. I'd always chopped it up fine but the puree is much better. Optional: Im sai, Chinese parsley and sesame seed oil for the sauce.<br />3.) Pour 1/4 c. of oil in a saucepan and heat the sauce on Med., stirring constantly for 2 min. before serving.<br />The chicken was delicious warm with the hot sauce.<br /><br />These tips together produced the best Ginger Chicken I'd ever had from a home kitchen. It was indistinguishable from chicken from a good Chinese restaurant. I was very pleased at my first try at duplicating Onna's dish. However, still tinkering with the amount of Hawaiian salt because while I do want the advantages of what I call a Hot Brine, I also want a stock leftover that is not rendered inedible by the salt.<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Cold Ginger Chicken</strong><br />Demonstrated by: 2002 2nd Princess Sherri Seto<br />Ingredients<br />1 whole (3 to 5 lb) chicken fryer, Water, 1 cup cubed ginger root, 4 to 5 green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths, 3/4 cup salad oil, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon white pepper<br />Instructions<br />Clean and trim excess fat from chicken. Fill a large stockpot 1/2 full of water; bring water to a boil. Add chicken and additional water, if necessary, to completely cover the chicken. Cover and bring water to a boil again. Turn off heat and let stand for 1 hour. Remove chicken from pot and drain. Cover chicken and refrigerate until chilled. Cut chicken into 2 x 1-inch pieces; place in serving dish. Combine ginger and green onions in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add oil, salt, and pepper; chill. To serve, pour ginger mixture over chicken or serve ginger mixture in a separate bowl. Makes 4 to 6 servings.<br /><br /><br /><div><strong>-foodiewahine</strong></div><div></div>foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-83059452305700906352010-02-10T13:54:00.000-08:002010-02-10T13:59:08.446-08:00Copyright 2009--2010. Anything to Eat. All rights reserved. This material and all material on this site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The author disclaims all liabilities in connection with the use of the information contained within.<br />Please note: leave a comment with your email address in order to obtain permission to publish articles, blogposts, photographs and/or recipes from this blog in any media (including the Internet).foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-33179836724275431062010-02-09T22:09:00.000-08:002010-02-09T23:30:19.789-08:00Simple Soothing Chicken Soup<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr15jIa30z3Oi1ACiiFj72P6Nq8UecUFuHnkCaOTczvFkm6K2aVdYPPUjH1DVPaaCViAVNlu2EUD6pABn4bNcxj-8NSOqTBAKa-HQGJRNFl9jLqslCEeKSfSjex30bujjJbnpYHEPKIG8/s1600-h/Soup+2-10002.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436493310149443522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr15jIa30z3Oi1ACiiFj72P6Nq8UecUFuHnkCaOTczvFkm6K2aVdYPPUjH1DVPaaCViAVNlu2EUD6pABn4bNcxj-8NSOqTBAKa-HQGJRNFl9jLqslCEeKSfSjex30bujjJbnpYHEPKIG8/s200/Soup+2-10002.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>Sometimes nothing is more satisfying than a bowl of homemade, from scratch soup. Last week I was down with the flu and my stomach still was not 100% up to par. I'd been given gai choy (mustard cabbage) that had been picked from my friend, Elsie's, garden just hours before. The gift of gai choy immediately made me think of local oxtail soup with its rich steaming broth, the mustard cabbage and the dried peanuts. But, too rich. So my fall back plan turned out perfect- a simple chicken soup with gai choy. Locavore fare. And as a bonus, Science has proven Mother right. Chicken soup has antibiotic qualities. </p><p>I think, I <em>know</em>, what elevated this soup was using Edna Lewis' technique of gently coddling the chicken, coaxing the juices out. Her technique is in her book "In Pursuit of Flavor" It's faster, simpler and way more flavorful than boiling chicken for hours.</p><p>This is how I did it and I included brands because I believe they make a difference. Mostly I've been cooking with a dry Sherry but when I tried making a chao'd dish with whiskey in the marinade I instantly knew that that was the distinctive ingredient that my Mom and Aunties used. I made this Soup a bit more Asian than Edna's original version, although I used her technique. If you read the recipe through once you will see it is quite simple and endlessly adaptable to whatever soup vegetable is available. On the second try you won't even need to reread the recipe.</p><p><strong>Simple Soothing Chicken Soup with Gai Choy</strong></p><p>Thaw 2 pounds of chicken thighs in water with 1/4 c. of Hawaiian salt. If using fresh chicken, use the same water-salt mixture (brine) and leave in the fridge for 1/2 hour. Drain and rinse chicken. Discard water-salt mixture. Marinate the chicken in 1/4 c. Kikkoman or Yamasa shoyu and 2 T. of Seagram's 7 whiskey for at least 1/2 hour. Pat the chicken dry but reserve the marinating liquids. </p><p>Brown the chicken and 2 slices, pounded, of ginger in a soup pot with 2 T. of oil. Stir briskly with a wooden spoon for 5 min. on Med-High. Turn down to a high simmer and cover pot. Let it simmer for 15 min. Check to see if the juices from the chicken have started to come halfway up the sides of the chicken pieces. If not, turn the heat up a notch. Add 2 c. of water and the marinating liquids. Let this simmer for another 15-20 min. Check to see if the chicken if fully cooked, if not, simmer for another couple of minutes. Remove the chicken and debone. Chop the chicken into large 2" pieces. </p><p>At this point, you can make the Soup right away or you can keep the stock and chicken in separate plastic containers in the fridge or freeze them so that you have both deboned chicken and stock on hand. The stock will be so concentrated that you may want to add more water when you use it.</p><p>To make the Soup, add the deboned chicken back into the stock and heat. Chop the gai choy into 1" widths. Add the green stalks first, let that cook for 1 min., add the leaves. Let that cook for another minute and the soup is ready to savor. </p><p>You can use most any type of soup vegetables, instead of or in addition to the gai choy-bok choy, wong bok, watercress, sauteed carrots or mushrooms.</p><p>-foodiewahine</p><p>____________________________________________________________________</p><p>Chinese New Year falls on Valentine's Day this year. There will be a number of events revolving around Chinese food that I'll be blogging on this month. Gung Hee Fat Choy!</p>foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-24000475036722576432010-02-01T14:34:00.000-08:002010-02-01T19:12:48.632-08:00Mahalo, Wanda!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433410903612526418" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitva5WpfWupJitJV4Qy730vs4OdyvIIXinvEOyss6zOjFS4bKedBXrC4N3CDz47cvStYFgZPRf1eRO5LD2p6hZaoPv0yTBNq8dSBJ0IxSsrhwTc-bvQPCdU-5go1vcvdfSz3JusaF1qXY/s200/Brownies-decorated-1-10002.JPG" border="0" /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjydwFkeM_2yd7TUs4Jh0jnb7OwC8u7txowMJ5WAKWw7iKGrU4dtHKDhicVw15fXgfCkuAceOKNeNxjbhmbx-YmZR8a-c5gHpwGbQhiercMogSIIAKr18s-70QcXLwO2hLMcBCVg_mQgs/s1600-h/VDay+1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433410885370797202" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjydwFkeM_2yd7TUs4Jh0jnb7OwC8u7txowMJ5WAKWw7iKGrU4dtHKDhicVw15fXgfCkuAceOKNeNxjbhmbx-YmZR8a-c5gHpwGbQhiercMogSIIAKr18s-70QcXLwO2hLMcBCVg_mQgs/s200/VDay+1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />My buddy, Wanda Adams', food blog, sponsored by the Honolulu Advertiser, is called My Island Plate. Her posting today, Feb. 1, is all about becoming a better baker. She graciously included some of my favorite baking/freezing tips and a number from my friend, Tina Ho Wing. Tina is a culinary arts instructor at Glendale High School in California. Thank you, too, Tina, for generously sharing all your top secret tips with me all these years!<br /><br />Last week, Wanda innocently asked me "What's up?" I went into a big discussion about my passion, baking, because of the Tea we'd recently had. There's lots of food events on the horizon. I recently baked a mess of brownies for a fundraiser for my Kalamas' church group from Hope Chapel Kaneohe Bay. Punahou Carnival is this weekend and bonus! both Chinese New Year's (two banquets) and Valentine's are on the same day this year, Feb. 14. Also, two Chinese New Year's food demos are in the works. Our talk turned from events to baking technique and tips. Hence, the blog.<br /><br />I really appreciated that Wanda gave me a nod for my baking and freezing tips and mentioned this blog. Those are the tips that have greatly assisted me in my baking.<br /><br />-foodiewahine<br />____________________________________________________________________<br />Photos above<br />On the left are <strong>Brownies</strong> I decorated for the fundraiser with a chocolate glaze.<br />On the right is the latest iteration of my <strong>"Heart to Heart"</strong> dessert. I described it in the previous blog. It has a brownie base, liliko'i curd, pound cake heart, more curd, whipped cream and sprinkles.<br />____________________________________________________________________<br /><br /><a href="http://myislandplate.honadvblogs.com/">My Island Plate My Island Plate blog, honoluluadvertiser.com ...</a><br />Musings, tips, recipes and ideas from Advertiser food editor Wanda Adams, and a chance to share your own thoughts.myislandplate.honadvblogs.com/<br />Another way: To find Wanda's blog, go to the Hnl. Advertiser website. Hit the Forum/Blogs icon at the top. It will take you to the Lifestyles blogs and hers, My Island Plate.foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-28061020512787348852010-01-23T17:20:00.000-08:002010-02-01T16:36:58.224-08:00Elsie's Excellent TeaNothing like a party for a little lift during these days of earthquakes, the Haiti relief effort, aftershocks. severe weather everywhere... My friends, Elsie and Cathy, and I threw together a little Tea yesterday at Elsie's home. Cathy brought a yummy, flaky, warm!, cinnamony, raisin-apple coffee cake. Elsie made a fresh, coconutty and chewy gau. I made a pound cake heart-brownie-liliko'i curd tower. It was good to sit with friends and sip some of Elsie's amazing jasmine tea from China. We talked old-old recipes, Hawaiian Electric cooking classes and technique the whole time.<br /><br />Elsie's wonderful housekeeper from China, Onna, spontaneously showed us how to make black bean bittermelon with pork and a glazed pumpkin dish in a wok. AND we got to take home samples, enough for a large lunch the next day. In about 20 minutes Onna had three heaping plates of food ready. It was amazing to watch her stir fry two-handed with spatulas: toss and turn, toss and turn.<br /><br />Elsie generously shared a box of community and school cookbooks with us. Cathy and I happily plopped on the floor like kids and pored through the bin. Many treasures there, but my absolute favorite was finding the last Maili Yardley (beloved longtime food editor at the Honolulu Advertiser) cookbook out of five that she wrote. All of these are out of print. This was the one that I've looked for for years. Elsie is a force of nature and willing to give you the shirt off her back. Once we discovered these wonderful titles she kidded that she'd sell it to us for a million dollars. We said we'd exchange our labor for the price.<br /><br />This is Hawai'i: On the leisurely drive back from Elsie's home, my tummy and car filled with goodies, I drove the Waimanalo way. That is, past the Lookout where you can watch whales leap, past Makapu'u and Waimanalo. One chocolate and one cream colored horse with their teenage riders ambling on the side of the road. The Mary Bonita Mexican lunchwagon advertising Garlic Shrimp along with their tamales. Only in Hawai'i.<br /><br />-foodiewahinefoodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-54290192484095754072009-11-08T21:05:00.000-08:002009-12-16T19:04:55.264-08:00Naki Family of Moloka'iOC16, a local tv channel, has started to show and replay a "Skindiver" episode this week about Moloka'i featuring two brothers, Walter and Raymond Naki. There are two families in particular on Moloka'i that everyone on the island knows or are related to- the Nakis and the Dudoits.<br /><br />I am very fortunate that I know the Naki family through its matriarch, Juanna ("Auntie JoJo") Naki Pi'iali'i. JoJo is one of those rare joyous salt-of-the-earth people. She is a strong Christian and her favorite phrase is "Thank You, Jesus!" I felt an instant heart connection to her when I met her on the Big Island with Auntie Dutchie, oh, fifteen years ago. I was giving a retreat based on the teachings of Nana Veary and Auntie Dutchie agreed to be a guest speaker.<br /><br />Walter is Auntie JoJo's son and Raymond is Auntie JoJo's youngest brother. They are close in age so they were brought up together on Moloka'i like brothers. Auntie JoJo's father, the pastor and founder of "The Gospel Shoes of Christ" church outside of Kaunakakai, taught his boys all the secret places on the island and in the sea to fish and hunt. Walter has a business appropriately called "Ma'a (familiar with) Hawai'i" where he takes visitors on hunting, fishing and boating trips around the island.<br /><br />I won't forget that Auntie JoJo told me proudly when I first met her that when the Nakis have a luau or pa'ina on Molokai'i that they have the most crashers (so cute!) because everyone knows that they have the best fishermen and hunters in Walter and Raymond. They, along with their sons and nephews, will start stocking the freezers with fish, lobsters, crabs, hihiwai (freshwater opihi)and game for weeks before the event.<br /><br />Getting back to that episode, I was just so touched to hear Walter and Raymond speak movingly of their Hawaiian stewardship of their island home's bounty. Walter talked about taking what they need, not what they want, and sharing the rest. When he drives home he might come across a less fortunate fisherman and he would offer part of his catch to him. He talked of sharing with the kupuna who love to fish but maybe "no can already". This is Moloka'i style, their culture.<br /><br />Raymond is active in restoring the ancient Hawaiian fishponds on the island. Both brothers have quietly helped scores of previously troubled youths who have become ohana. Auntie Ruthie (JoJo's sister) told me that she came across a young man she didn't know, who told her that his "Dad" was Walter because the young man had hanai'd Walter (usually it's the other way around with the adult adopting the child, of course).<br /><br />On this episode Raymond said "We care and share. We live to give." To hear Raymond say it, it is simple but profound.<br /><br />The shots on this show are astonishing. It shows both guys free diving down to 20 or 30 feet or more. Then incredibly it shows them <em>waiting</em> patiently, all the while holding their breath, for the perfect shot of their prey. This is old style, no scuba gear, no metal rods, using wood spear guns although I did notice they had the latest fins. I don't know how much time it took to do the filming but it shows them gathering Kahala, Opelu, Moana Kea, He'e... and going after Ula (lobster, also affectionately called "Bugs"), Ulua and Uhu.<br /><br />As I've said several times before I feel honored to know such interesting and passionate people in these Islands, our home.foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-76386784159569396822009-07-21T09:43:00.000-07:002009-08-04T01:55:36.392-07:00Julie & Julia- an experienceVery blessed. I am very blessed. My buddy, Wanda Adams, food editor at the Honolulu Advertiser, invited me to an advance screening of the movie "Julie & Julia" last night. Chef Mavro has a connection to the theater and was able to invite his 100 or so closest friends and food associates and <em>their </em>friends to a showing. Chef Mavro and his wife, Donna, are very tight with Wanda, so my degree of separation was once removed.<br /><br />In two words, Loved It.<br /><br />Recommendations:<br />1.) See it with a friend who is as passionate about food as you are.<br />2.) Either eat before you see the movie or anticipate a good meal after.<br /><br />Nora Ephron directed and wrote the screenplay. That alone should get you to come. She's done many of everyone's favorite movies-When Harry Met Sally, Michael, Moonstruck, and of course, Sleepless in Seattle.<br /><br />The movie is based on two books based on real life and separated by fifty years- an autobiography of Julia Child and a recent bestseller about a blogger turned writer, Julie Powell, who tackled all 524 recipes in Julia's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in 365 days.<br /><br />Backstory. I, along with millions, consider Julia an important cooking mentor. The liner notes for the book "The French Chef" calls her famous cooking show the "most widely attended cooking course ever given in America." I was right there at the tv in the early 60's, fascinated by this honest, real woman dispensing invaluable tips with flair, humor and grace. Reassured by Julia's warble, my first recipe that I attempted from Julia's book was Boeuf Bourguinon. Wanda said that was often the first choice of other cooks.<br /><br />I avidly followed Julia's rise to fame and her life in the culinary universe. Read everything about her with interest. Collected her books. When the butter police came down hard in the 80's it was Julia, a voice of reason, that countermanded "Butter is Good. Everything in Moderation." I probably smirked along with Julia when it was discovered that margarine was the enemy and butter, less so. I knew of Julia's enduring love story with Paul Child, a marriage that lasted fifty-four years. I drilled my friend Tina for details when I found out that Julia had been a guest speaker at the culinary school in LA where Tina got her degree.<br /><br />The Movie.<br />I was as excited to see this movie as I was about "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" last week when I snuck into a matinee. (To my surprise, the whole theater was filled not with shrieking kids on summer break but ADULTS. Adults like me besotted with the HP books and the movie series.)<br /><br />So, both Wanda and I were kind of bouncing in our seats. Wanda found the extra long seats uncomfortable for her petite frame so she tried sitting backwards for fun. A friend on her right said "You look like you're six!" Chef Alan Wong was sitting on the opposite end of our row. The Culinary Institute of the Pacific team from KCC that won a national competition last week, beating out 400 teams, was in the house. Chef Mavro spoke briefly and in his ebullient way told charming stories of meeting both Julia and Jacques Pepin.<br /><br />From the first frames of a Woody station wagon and Paris in the early part of the 20th century, we were totally engaged. So engaged that the whole audience would gasp when culinary giants like Simone Beck's or Irma Rombauer's characters appeared. So engaged that we'd actively scrutinize each food porn/money shot to see how they filmed it. So engaged that it felt as though <em>we</em> were scarfing down the glistening tomato bruschetta right along with Julie's husband, Eric.<br /><br />Meryl Streep's portrayal of Julia was right....on....point.<br />Amy Adams made blogger/author Julie Powell your newest foodie BFF.<br />Wanda's astute comment was that there were layers to the film. She said that those who know publishing and those who work in food will appreciate the honest portrayals.<br /><br />Throughout the film I wondered who did the food and who did the the food styling because they did a superlative job. When the movie was pau, I asked Wanda if she knew anything about the food prep and she said that she will be interviewing the food stylist for the movie by phone today. That means, lucky us!, Wanda will be doing an article in the near future in the Honolulu Advertiser.<br /><br />The two stories were seamlessly melded together with a completely satisfying and sweet ending. I won't tell you anything about the plot nor spoil any surprises. Go see it. Anyone who eats will enjoy it.<br />Shall I say it, so very trite?<br />You will hear Julia's high-pitched and passionate command trilling<br />"Bon Appetit!"<br /><br />____________________________________________________________________<br />Charles, Tess and Marian,<br />Below is a link to Wanda's article re: the food stylist who did the movie. It's an interesting read.<br /><a href="http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090802/LIFE/908020318/Styling+the+real+star+of++Julia+++delicious+dishes">http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090802/LIFE/908020318/Styling+the+real+star+of++Julia+++delicious+dishes</a>foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-83230694976246679312009-06-06T18:34:00.000-07:002009-06-07T18:16:17.856-07:00Keiki Palaka Band and FriendsUncle Mel and Aunty Lynn Murata are a wonderful couple who truly embody the soul of Aloha. For thirteen years Uncle Mel has taught and led the Keiki Palaka Band ("KPB") out of first Waimanalo and now Kailua Elementary.<br /><br />Aunty Lynn retired last year as the cafeteria head of Enchanted Lakes Elementary. Uncle Mel heads up the Kailua Elementary cafeteria. These people know FOOD and MUSIC. All year round they host a number of luaus not as fundraisers but to showcase both their keiki band who sing and play 'ukulele and also Hawaiian music legends. These are the kupuna musicians who have made a mark on Hawaiian music. The idea was the Muratas wanted the keiki to get to know and appreciate prior generations of musicians. Everything is done on a strictly volunteer basis.<br /><br />I just returned from an all-day invitational luau or pa'ina, the Kanikapila 2009, for friends and supporters of the KPB. The food you ask? Kalua pig, chicken long rice, squid luau, lomi salmon, sweet potato, poi, rice, haupia, pineapple, banana muffin, 'ahi poke, fried fish, smoke meat, edamame, pickle onion and drinks. The music which lasted three hours? The KPB headed by Uncle Mel, Nicki Haines, Aunty Momi, Aunty Cissy, Eddie Kamae, Audrey Meyers, many others and impromptu hula by those in the audience called upon by Aunty Nicki. The price of a ticket? Twelve dollars (which only barely covers the food) and undying support of these kids which just comes naturally.<br /><br />I have in my mind's eye a couple of sweet images from today's luau. There was an elderly woman who in very kolohe fashion, was gently tickling her guy friend across the table using the tip of a laua'e leaf. He was trying hard to ignore her. Another woman was unravelling and redoing her friend's upswept hairdo which carried a garden of gardenias. She was doing this so that she could share some of the gardenias with their other friends around the table.<br /><br />Earlier this morning during the food prep I had a cup of coffee in one hand, I'd just finished an all butter, old school, cafeteria-style, shortbread cookie and a big slice of Paula Deen's Mt. Dew Pound cake made by Tracy. The guys were rehearsing so I was eating to rousing live Hawaiian music. Radford, one of the cooks from Ench. Lakes, offered me a sizzzzling hot early morning pupu of Korean fish directly from the hot wok. My kind of breakfast. That reminded me of a luau prep at 7:00 a.m. on Molokai, four years ago. We were sitting at a picnic table at a park pavillion. I had my ever-present cup of coffee and my hands were busily separating sticky crab from cartilage. My friend, Ruthie Naki Manu asked me if I'd had breakfast, I motioned "No". So, she obligingly popped chunks of local LOBSTER in my mouth. That's what I call a Breakfast of Champions.foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-69411810022097847882009-05-05T16:58:00.001-07:002010-02-09T23:25:17.105-08:00Eating Your Way Through HiloI got back last week from the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo. It is a weeklong celebration of hula culminating in three evenings of the dance from Thursday to Saturday nights. There is also a free performance, the Ho'ike, on Wed. night that is not televised as the last three nights are. I call it a hula marathon because you have to pace yourself and your energy in order to be at your best and most observant as hula cognoscenti when the performances start.<br /><br />Not only is there world class hula every evening for 5 hours at the Edith Kanaka'ole Stadium but there's also yet more hula, craft fairs, art exhibitions and cultural presentations at the hotels, the malls throughout Hilo and and at 'Imiloa, UH-Hilo's Astronomy center. One of the biggest attractions for me, to Hilo, second only to the people, is the high quality and variety of the food. I can say that for a week every single meal I had was exceptional. It isn't just that this is my favorite island. The cooks really do seem to put more love and care into their offerings.<br /><br />My first stop was Ken's Coffee House, open 24 hours, for broiled mahi, eggs and pancakes. The mahi has a wonderful smoked flavor, grill marks and very moist flesh. The pancakes come with homemade syrups of guava, coconut and liliko'i. If you order a cup of coffee you get that along with a thermal carafe so that you can pour yourself as much coffee as you like.<br /><br />That first day I also went to Two Ladies Mochi to pick up mochi and drop off omiyage for my friend Nora Uchida, a co-owner. Had to stop by Big Islands Candies where Lance, their floral designer, was creating a beautiful tableau of yellow and red lehua blossoms in dozens of glass cups. It was a Wednesday, so I picked up ruby-red and luscious Waimea strawberries and 3 bundles of gardenias from the Farmer's Market. On my way out to Volcano I popped into KTA at Puainako for some POG (passion, orange, guava juice) and eggs for my breakfasts.<br /><br />I did something different this year and reasoning that I spend half my time at the Park anyway I elected to stay at a place in Volcano Village. The round trip by car from Volcano to Hilo is 45 minutes, something that you would want to do only once a day. So, I spent my time hiking and hanging out at Volcano National Park during the day and in the evening I would drive to Hilo for the hula performances.<br /><br />My friend, Ku'ulei, who lives in Volcano, tipped me off to the soups that they have at the two general stores, Kilauea and Volcano. On previous visits to these stores, I'd noticed crockpots by the chili, the hot dogs and coffee but didn't pay any attention to them. They contain country style, hearty, chunky soups. A pint of these are perfect for picking up before you go into the Park for hiking. I had a Portuguese bean soup that was much like something I'd make at home and a satisfying Mulligatawny soup. The temperature in Volcano ranged from 60 deg. during the day to a chilly 44 deg. at night, good soup weather.<br /><br />On Sunday I woke up at 6 am after going to bed at 1 from the last night of hula. I thought "I'll get to the Volcano Farmer's Market when the true locals arrive, at 6:30 am!" Not! I could barely find parking and the place was jumping. Turns out the reeaal locals start arriving at 5: 30!<br />Went straight to Joyce to get the best pastries ever. For, say a bearclaw, you get half mincemeat and half flaky pastry in every bite. Then, on to something I dream about when I'm home in Kailua, the Thai Lady's Tom Yum chicken soup. Try as I might I've never been able to perfect her clear stock, the homemade sambal oelek or the secret flavored oils she adds, the correct proportion of cloud's ear to potato to long rice and fresh basil leaves.<br /><br />The produce is always outstanding but I noticed the addition of a new dessert lady offering mile-high apple and banana pies, liliko'i squares, dark chocolate brownies cloaked in ganache and ohelo berry tarts. Another vendor had freshly fried doughnuts dipped in chocolate and caramel!<br /><br />My favorite way to enjoy breakfast was to wake up early before the buses arrived in the Park. I'd make the short hike out to Byron's Ledge with a true concert of birdsong around me and the crunch of my boots on the dirt. In the distance I could hear but never saw, nene geese. I'd sit on a log with my hard boiled egg, my POG, apple bananas, Waimea strawberries and hot Puna coffee as I contemplated the mile high cloud plume coming out of Halema'uma'u Crater in the distance.<br /><br />And people ask me why I love the Big Island so much.foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-11832346812091676662009-04-04T14:26:00.000-07:002009-04-04T15:04:14.202-07:00A Grandfather's LegacyOur grandfather is C. Q. Yee Hop or Chun Quon Yee Hop. He came to Hawai'i from Guandong, China in the early 1900's and established a number of businesses here. Wanda Adams attended our C. Q. family's Chinese New Year's banquet this last February. She was particularly taken by a steamed fish fillets and tofu dish served that night. Locally, this technique is often prepared with blistering hot peanut and sesame oils poured over a whole steamed fish, like Moi.<br /><br />The link below is to a an article that Wanda did after Golden Palace's chef demonstrated the dish for us. Wanda, the photographer and I scarfed down most of the banquet-sized platter in the middle of the afternoon even though we'd already had lunch. It was just so delicious!<br /><br />I was pleasantly surprised that Wanda wrote an extensive article on my Gung Gung's life history, in addition to the recipe.<br /><br />Here is an email I sent out:<br />Hi, Family and Friends,<br />Here is an article in today's Advertiser that has some background about my grandfather. Having Wanda and her husband at the family dinner and seeing it all through her eyes made me appreciate my family and its place in Hawai'i's history more. There is also an accompanying article on this site at the top, with recipes for this fish dish that was really 'ono.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090318/LIFE02/903180363/-1">http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090318/LIFE02/903180363/-1</a><br /><br />Ed. note: If you do make this fish dish I would highly recommend using soft tofu for it's custard-like texture and Kim Lan Light Soy Sauce, available in Chinatown.<br /><br />-foodiewahinefoodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-77407026549350768952009-04-02T18:09:00.000-07:002009-04-03T10:11:03.996-07:00"Fried Chicken and Sweet Potato Pie"Did that heading make you 'ono (hungry)? It is the title of a 21 minute documentary about celebrated Southern chef and author, Miss Edna Lewis, which was filmed, produced and directed by gifted filmmaker Bailey Barash of Georgia.<br /><br />Bailey wrote to me, I imagine, because I've cited the subjects of her documentary, Miss Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock, as two of my culinary heroes in my blog.<br />Her note follows:<br /><br />Hello -I am a filmmaker in Atlanta. I just wanted to let you know I produced a 21 minute documentary about Miss Edna Lewis. The film is called "Fried Chicken and Sweet Potato Pie".It is viewable in its entirety on Internet at a Gourmet Magazine website:http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/video/2008/01/Edna<br />and at a Georgia Public Broadcasting website:http://www.cforty7.com/film/theater?film_test=16<br />My website, http://bbarash.com/bb_friedchicken.htm has more information about the film and the story of Miss Lewis.<br />Sincerely,<br />Bailey Barash<br /><br />This documentary has been nominated for and won awards. Bailey has done a super job of capturing the times of Miss Edna's life. Her passion and love for Southern food is evident in every frame. Miss Edna is considered to be THE chef who put real, local Southern cooking on the map. Not unlike the Hawaiian Renaissance, her cooking at Cafe Nicholson and Gage and Tollner in NY and her own award winning cookbooks, created an upsurge of Black pride in the culture and the food.<br /><br />Watch the documentary! I loved seeing Miss Edna and Scott working together, cooking together. Up to this point I've only seen photos of them. Be sure you have some good food at the ready to eat <em>after</em> the viewing because it's going to make you very hungry for some authentic Southern food. Crispy, golden, fried chicken! Luscious caramel cake! Vine-ripened tomatoes! Fortunately, I happened to have made a batch of Shirley Corriher's (yet another of my heroes and from the South, too) Touch of Grace biscuits last night. I heated that up with my son's killer chili!<br /><br />I wrote to Bailey to thank her profusely for the link.<br /><br />-foodiewahinefoodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-66498330418994945162009-03-02T17:15:00.000-08:002009-03-04T15:38:49.009-08:00Smokeout SequelSmoking foods has changed the way I cook. Several weeks after the Smokeout I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't forget all the tips and techniques I'd learned. So, I fired up the grill again. This time I checked out some websites that taught me how to use newspaper sprayed with Pam or vegetable oil, rolled into a "snake" and used with a charcoal chimney starter to get the coals going. It took only 15 minutes to get the coals ignited.<br /><br />Once I got the coals to the white ash stage and piled it with both 'ohia and kiawe woods, I smoked red bell peppers, guava jam-honey candied pecans, plus cream and cheddar cheeses, for half an hour each. I then smoked raw pork butt in chunks and five pounds of chicken thighs for several hours. I used only salt, pepper and garlic powder on the meats. The whole smoking process and alternating the dishes took about four hours. This bounty is enough to provide you with an array of dishes for several weeks, if not months, once you freeze part of whatever you smoke.<br /><br />The cheeses were eaten first at two gatherings with Ritz crackers, smoked crab dip and kiwi pico de gallo. I must say they were a hit at both parties. Some of the pecans were given away while the remainder is in the refrigerator and to be snacked on. Chopped, the pecans can elevate almost any baked good (imagine cinnamon rolls, brownies, frosting topping) to a whole other level.<br /><br />I removed the skins from the smoked peppers and added balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Smoked peppers can be kept in a jar for weeks to be used in pastas, subs, soups and sauces.<br /><br />The smoked pork butt added a delicious addition to saimin, fried rice and fried noodles, just as one would use char siu. You can also slice it thinly, quickly saute it with onions, remove the meat and make a gravy for the pork slices with the grillettes, the browned bits in the pan.<br /><br />My favorite has to be the smoked chicken. It has a depth of complex flavors which enhances any dish. A decent chicken stock normally requires, at the very least, an hour of slow simmering and alot of skimming. With smoked chicken as a base, a complete and flavorful soup can be served in half an hour!<br /><br /><strong>Simple Smoked Chicken and Green Papaya Soup</strong><br />I used Edna Lewis' trick of coddling a couple of the smoked chicken thighs in an inch of water for 20 minutes in a covered saucepan. Much of the juice (Edna calls it the "essence"which gives you an idea of how tasty it is) is extracted from the chicken. Cut the chicken into cubes and add back into the broth. Then add a cup and a half of water and large cubes of green papaya. Simmer until the green papaya is barely cooked. This is a simple rendition of Chicken and Papaya Soup. If you do not have green papaya, a Chinese squash can be substituted. If neither of those are available, you could add in any of your favorite soup vegetables.<br /><br /><br />Now that I know how to smoke I've started to notice how many other products there are on the market: smoked almonds, potato chips, paprika and cayenne spices, ancho peppers (chipotle), deli meats, pork belly for bacon, ham shanks and hocks. It will be interesting to continue to experiment with other foods in the near future. David Izumi has hinted that the response to the Smokeout was good so Hope Chapel Kaneohe Bay may be sponsoring another class soon.<br /><br />-Foodiewahinefoodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-17055608829864110512009-01-23T15:23:00.000-08:002009-02-06T21:27:17.913-08:00SSSMOKIN'<strong><span style="font-family:arial;">David Izumi is a culinary genius. Once in a great while you meet someone who understands food very well. He appreciates each nuance of the food he cooks and knows how to marry flavors well. He even makes his own smokers. By trade he is an underwater robotics teacher at Kailua High but by passion he is the consummate cook, "...not a chef" he humbly contends.</span></strong><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">I, along with about 20 others, had the opportunity on Monday to learn from and assist David at my church's, Hope Chapel Kaneohe Bay's, Smokeout. It was a prelude to our SuperBowl tailgate party to be held at HCKB on Feb. 1 at noon. Visit the HCKB website and look under "events" for more info if you are interested in attending. </span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">Three members of the Men of Hope Ministry, which hosted the Smokeout and will host the upcoming tailgate party, stayed up all night to stoke the fire in Kaneohe's freezing weather. Freezing to us is in the low 60's. Charcoal (without the use of lighter fluid so as not to spoil the flavor) was used to ignite the kiawe wood which was kept at a low 220-225 deg. F.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">The sharp, enticing smell of the smoke mingled with the cool Kaneohe morning breeze when I got there at noon. </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">We were told to bring anything to smoke-"pasta, eggs, cheese" and meats and fish, of course. There were two upright smokers made out of water heaters, one made from a vertical oil drum and one conventional Weber smoker. </span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">David's taught classes at WCC on smoking and has done this many times so he relies on instinct to tell everything: when the wood is ready for the food, when the food is fully smoked, when the fire is too hot or cold. He said that food can be fully cooked by smoking or just partially cooked with the final cooking left for later.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">This is not roasting, grilling or broiling the food. It is exposing the food to a low heat over an extended period of time to impart some cooking and alot of smoke flavor.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">Our feast that evening started with a teaser of wild pig smoke meat, succulent and surprisingly tender, a pupu straight from the grill of cod, then on to smoked candied walnuts, two pico de gallos (like salsas) of peaches and kiwis, a smoked cream cheese and crab dip, smoked hard boiled eggs, smoked cheddar cheese for dipping, smoked wet and dry rub pork ribs, smoked juicy brisket and whole chicken, creamy and cool coleslaw and the best baked beans any of us had ever had. Oh, and virgin mojitos with peach juice!</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">This would have been an impressive spread if it had been a potluck and everyone had brought their Best dish but no. All of these recipes were floating around in David's head and he had just to delegate to us what to do to create them. Nothing written down, not even a shopping list. And, in between the feast for 60 or so, each of us class participants had our own packets or pans of food smoked. </span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">I marinated two racks of pork ribs in the recipe I created below which includes homemade guava jam, red wine vinegar, brown sugar. I left the ziplocs in the fridge for three days. The ribs were smoked for 5 hours. That's a photo of my ribs to the left of this post.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">Mahalo, David,Sharon, Rodney, Rob, Eric, Bert, Charlie and all the Men of Hope Ministry helpers. We were truly Sssmmokin'!</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">- foodiewahine</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong><br />David's Pico de Gallo<br />from the Honolulu Advertiser, Taste Section, Jan. 28,2009<br />· 4 (14 1/2-ounce) cans peaches (note: can use 10 kiwi fruit in a rough dice instead, use more mint, less cilantro, 1. ea. of fish sauce and chili sauce, 1 onion, 2 limes)<br />· 1 onion, finely chopped<br />· Juice of 2 limes<br />· 1 large handful cilantro leaves*<br />· 1 large handful fresh mint leaves*<br />· 1 tablespoon Sriracha chili sauce (or to taste)<br />· 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce (patis)<br />· Black pepper to taste<br />Mix all together, taste and correct seasonings. Allow to sit a short time before serving. Refrigerate if holding longer than a half hour.<br />Makes LOTS. A serving is about 2 tablespoons.<br />· Per serving: 71 calories, .2 g fat, 0 cholesterol, 1 mg sodium, 17.7 g carbohydrate *<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:arial;">My Guava Lacquered Smoke Ribs<br /></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:arial;">Marinade<br />1 c. red wine vinegar<br />2 crushed bay leaves<br />4 T. brown sugar<br />1 t. chili flakes<br />2 crushed, minced garlic cloves<br />1 onion cut in 1/4 in. segments<br />1 juice of tangerine and ½ of it’s peel torn<br />½ c. guava jam<br />¼ c. red wine<br />Marinate 2 racks of raw pork ribs in Ziplocs for two to three days. Smoke, Barbecue or Broil.<br />___________________________________________________________________________</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:arial;">Note: Wanda Adams graciously attended our Smokeout and wrote three fabulous articles about David, HCKB and Smoking in the Food/Taste Section of Wednesday's, Jan. 28th's, Honolulu Advertiser. It will be available for viewing online on the Honolulu Advertiser's website for three months. </span></strong><br /><p><strong><span style="font-family:arial;">This is a link to the main article:<br /><a href="http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090128/LIFE02/901280340/-1/islandlifefront">http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090128/LIFE02/901280340/-1/islandlifefront</a><br /><br /><br /><br /></p></span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong>foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-83709866848997792212009-01-07T18:29:00.000-08:002009-01-09T11:22:47.414-08:00I'm Back/Food Equipment Tips<span style="font-size:130%;">Back on track for '09. I've been working the holiday seasonal shift at Williams-Sonoma Ala Moana doing food and equipment demos. It's been a hectic time but also rewarding in terms of what I've learned. Below is an email that I sent to friends and family.<br />________________________________________________________________________<br />Having breaks with the Williams-Sonoma associates who are all avid foodies or food professionals can be very interesting. Plus, bonus!, the treats are always especially yummy in the break room. Here are some great tips I've found so far.<br /><br />W-S sells a commercial nonstick spray called Baklene that is terrific for all those Nordicware specialty pans, like their bugs and roses. The Nordicware rep told the crew that to make your cakes shiny as well, brush the pans with melted Crisco and then spray with the Baklene. Baklene costs more, 8., than Pam or Baker's Joy but it doesn't leave a sticky residue, it works better and the can weighs about twice as much as Pam in the regular markets. As far as I know, no one else in Hawaii carries this.<br /><br />Breville makes the best pannini press. It can open wide for thicker sandwiches. You can also grill asparagus, chicken, etc. on it. One associate rhapsodized about it to the rest of us. Oprah had it on her O list this month so we have a little card advertising that next to the product.<br /><br />Villaware makes the best Belgian waffle maker. The gal I work the most with, who's been there 14 years, says that she has 3 Villawares and you just need to butter the waffle iron once and it's good for the whole session. I've been demo-ing the All Clad Belgian Waffle Maker using the Baklene on the cold waffle iron. The All Clad faithfully churns out perfectly crisp waffles.<br /><br />Just FYI. Oh, and if you do like to shop at WS anyway you should sign up at the counter for their email list which will tell you about most of their sales and samplings. I also think it's worth it to be on Borders and Barnes and Nobles' email lists for their monthly coupons!<br />______________________________________________________________<br /><br />Another tip:<br /><br />My wonderful church, Hope Chapel Kaneohe Bay, serves serious food several times a week at services and meetings. I volunteer at our Courtyard Cafe every other Sunday. So far, I'm aware of 3 professional chefs-church members who help out at events.<br /><br />Steve, one of HCKB's chefs on staff, was the head chef at Longhi's Ala Moana for three years. I'd read Alton Brown's suggestions re: nonstick pans in his book "Gear" and wanted Steve's opinion. Alton says to forget buying an expensive and heavy nonstick pan and just get an inexpensive and lighter pan which you will have to resign yourself to replacing every so often. Steve agreed. He said that the double pack of 8" nonstick pans at Sam's Club for just 20. is better than what you can buy at restaurant supply stores. I got a set and am happy to report that they ARE a great weight and are easy to handle. It's a breeze to do a one hand flip of the egg for over easy eggs. Problem solved!<br /><br />-foodiewahine</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><br />Copyright 2008-2009. Anything to Eat. All rights reserved. This material and all material on this site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The author disclaims all liabilities in connection with the use of the information contained within.foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-26384598209706844692008-11-01T17:21:00.000-07:002009-01-07T19:03:56.225-08:00Food and Love<span style="font-size:130%;">My oldest daughter, Collette, calls my cookies my little ambassadors. She understands that special link between food and love.<br /><br />I have four stories to share.<br /><br />In July, our family member was facing a serious medical challenge. My sister-in-law, Hedy, arranged to meet me in town to drop off a pot of jook for us. She's famous for her jook. We are constantly teasing her to make us her ham and chicken jook which is like silk. Jook is what is known as rice congee. It is a soft rice porridge that is one of the ultimate comfort foods for locals along with other favorites like Portuguese bean soup, ochazuke and oxtail soup. As I ate each spoonful it was like I was eating a bowl of Hedy's love and caring for me. I could feel it warming my body. It was infinitely soothing. That's a loving gesture I'll never forget.<br /><br />Two weeks ago I felt the urge to bake and bring some pineapple bars to my cousin's home. Her husband was seriously ill and was fast failing. All of their four adult sons had returned home and were helping their parents tremendously. I thought they might appreciate something home-baked for themselves and their many guests stopping by. When I delivered the pineapple bars I found out at my cousin's door that her husband had just passed away an hour previously. You know I wasn't fearful, I just felt calm and I had a certainty that I was meant to be with the family at this time. I wouldn't have wanted to be there earlier, that was a precious time for the immediate family.<br /><br />The next day I felt the strong urge to make a big pot of my mother's shoyu chicken for that cousin's family. To me, this would be the a favorite "nursery" food and I hoped it would comfort. I thought it was funny in Paula Deen's book "It Ain't All About the Cooking" that one category that she describes of Southern food is food for funerals. Everyone brings their best dish, the actual beautiful plate and their most celebrated food, to the home of the bereaved. As it turned out a party sprung up around my Mom's shoyu chicken. My cousin with her sons, invited her brother and sister-in-law, her sister, myself and cousins over for dinner. I felt my Mom was there in spirit, partly responsible for getting us together, just as she used to for the whole family.<br /><br /><br />I attend Hope Chapel Kaneohe Bay, my wonderful, new church home. There is an intercessory prayer/healing ministry meeting that I attend called "The Upper Room", as in Pentecost. I've been going for a number of weeks now and just felt happy that Tuesday. I bake when I'm happy so I decided to make my liliko'i cupcakes for the Upper Room meeting that evening. The tropically flavor of this cake is one that everyone seems to enjoy. We usually don't bring snacks, instead concentrating on prayer and inviting the Presence of the Holy Spirit. I got a phone call just as I was dipping the cupcakes in their liliko'i glaze. Teresa, at whose home the Upper Room is held, called to tell me that tomorrow was her teenage son's, Freman's, birthday and she was going to pick up a cake on her way home from work before the meeting. I just told her "No need. I'm frosting it right now!"<br /><br />These are just four examples of how baking and cooking with love, tapping into intuition and moving in the Spirit can bring about some pretty surprising results.<br /><br />I used the recipe below but substituted my own Pineapple Chutney (Sam Choy's, published in a previous blog on anythingtoeat) for the cherry jam to make<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:georgia;">PINEAPPLE BARS</span></strong><br />Cherry Oatmeal Crunch Squares(Adapted slightly from the </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&tag=bakingsheet-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&path=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2F0848727797"><span style="font-size:130%;">Essentials of Baking</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> by Williams Sonoma, This recipe and the photo on the left were online at the blogsite called “Baking Sheets" )<br />1 3/4 cups flour<br />1 1/2 cups rolled oats<br />1 cup brown sugar<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1 1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />1 cup butter, very cold and cut into pieces<br />1 cup/10-oz cherry jam or non-chunky preserves<br />Preheat the oven to 325F and grease a 9-inch square baking pan.In the food processor, combine flour, oats, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Pulse to combine.Add butter and pulse 8-10 times, or until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs. Set aside 2 cups of this mixture.Pour remaining crumb mixture into prepared pan and pack firmly against the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of the pan. Stir jam to loosen, then spread evenly onto this layer. Top with reserved crumb mixture.Bake for 50-55 minutes, until bars are a light, golden brown.Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack, then cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.Makes 25.<br />Note: If you do not have a food processor see the 5th comment below to learn how to make this by hand. I like to use the heartier preserves myself like guava jam, Meyer Lemon marmalade, any sort of chutney. I'm even considering mincemeat.</span>foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-82293008677744487452008-09-20T13:04:00.001-07:002009-01-07T19:17:22.108-08:00HO! FOODS!The first of four planned Whole Foods Markets was unleashed on Hawai'i last week at Kahala Mall. Swarms of foodies with pent-up desires were there, as I was, at the jamming opening. Every fifth person had a "Media" button on interviewing earnest managers and customers with a pleased, yet dazed look on their faces. So many new choices!!! Ho! Foods! I had to jockey with a professional photographer to get that one perfect shot of the whimsical frosted rose cupcakes in the display case.<br /><br />Combine a raucous country fair with an elegant gourmet deli and that about sums up the atmosphere. The mainstream shopper has discovered what natural, organic and/or vegetarian devotees have known all along-that unadulturated, natural foods equates to healthier, cleaner and more defined flavor. Cooks behind the pizza counter were loudly hawking their samples with great gusto. A caveat. Many of the canned and boxed products can be gotten elsewhere on O'ahu at better prices. However, it's the freshly made food counters of pizza, plate lunches, fresh fish, sushi, et. al. that line the perimeter of the Market that sets it apart from others.<br /><br />The Market has the largest array of specialty butters as well as a hefty selection of bar chocolates and cheeses. A few local producers are in evidence. Natural soaps from Maui, produce (e.g.,'ulu and herbs) packaged cookies, honey and jams. Throw in an in-house bakery of tempting pastries, recently baked breads, organic and natural meats and produce, a coffee/tea bar and a natural bath and body department and you've got the complete organic shopper's dream.<br /><br />If you've ever been to a Whole Foods on the mainland you already have an idea of what to expect. The three destination places that I head to in any city while travelling includes a Trader Joe's, a Target and a Whole Foods. I have literally one duffel of omiyage I bring to my family from Hawai'i and the same duffel for bringing omiyage back home. That is a great time to find future birthday and Christmas gifts as well.<br /><br />Forget the ripe bananas and yogurt smoothie smell we've come to associate with natural food stores. Whole Foods is the Valrhona of organic foods. I will still faithfully patronize the Kailua Down to Earth for their local-tastes savvy and the wide selection from their bulk bins. You just cannot beat the freshness and prices of their loose spices, teas and grains. I'll continue to be a faithful consumer at the two beloved Thursday Kailua Farmers' Markets and KCC's. Whole Foods just adds another welcomed option to the bountiful food offerings. Here's hoping they expand the local foods presence in their stores.foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-64068171690178999802008-08-16T13:50:00.000-07:002008-09-25T19:35:15.110-07:00Samantha's ArtThe painting on the left is entitled "Come Up Here!" and is one of a number of inspirational works which my daughter, Samantha, has done. I know I may be biased but I think her Art is beautiful and uplifting. Many others have told her the same. God has blessed her with so many gifts. Following is an email which she sent to family and friends after making the decision to have a painting of hers professionally scanned in order to make it available in high quality prints. Her contact information follows if you are interested in ordering a print.<br />-foodiewahine<br />___________<br /><br />Here it is! I finally had one of my paintings professionally scanned and available for print(giclee). If you are interested in purchasing a print, please contact me through my email address at the end of this email message.<br /><br />This is definitely a new venture for me. There is no pressure for you to order at all! My interest is to bless others with a more affordable copy of my work rather than having to pay higher for an original. I should be offering a wider selection but right now I'm experimenting with the whole idea of printing my work, and it does cost a lot to have a piece scanned into a giclee.<br /><br />Thank you for supporting me in this endeavor whether its been through your encouraging comments or suggestions.<br /><br />If you want to know more about this artpiece titled, "Come Up Here!" and my work in general, read on:<br />"Come Up Here" was originally painted at the request of a friend in Nov. '07. In Revelation 4:1, God invites John to heaven where he is given revelation about who He is and what His plans are. I wanted this painting to invite onlookers to encounter God. The eagle represents the person flying past the earth's atmosphere and into a heavenly realm. Its to encourage you that God wants to reveal Himself to you in all His glory.<br /><br />In regards to my work in general, the Lord gave me three dreams in 2005 to start painting again after stopping when I was young. I didn't value art that much and didn't think it would take me anywhere. But I realize now it is a gift He has given me, not for my sake, but for others. Within the past year, I have had about three more dreams this time where I see the face or figure of Jesus in my paintings. He is telling me that my work is producing an invitation for others to encounter Him.<br /><br />Thank you! May you be showered with God's love everyday and be filled with His joy!<br />*♥´¨)¸.·♥ ¸.·*♥´¨ ) ¸.♥·*¨)(¸.·´ (¸ ..♥·<br />Samantha Ah-Tye<br /><a href="mailto:ahtye7@gmail.com">ahtye7@gmail.com</a><br />Note: Samantha has a new blogsite for her Art at Encounterart.blogspot.com You can click the address in the column to the left of this post to view a sampling of her work.foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-88988696448813770162008-08-13T12:26:00.000-07:002008-08-13T20:38:20.067-07:00Foodie VisitI have to apologize for the delay in getting out this latest post. Suffice to say life has been interesting and challenging.<br /><br />My dear friend, Tina Ho Wing, from LA and her daughter, Elisa, were here for a short visit Tina's graduated from a culinary school, has been a buyer for Wolfgang Puck's Food Network shows and is a culinary arts instructor at an LA high school. Tina has VERY discerning tastes and is a wicked cook and baker although very humble and down to earth about it all.<br /><br />Tina's been to Hawai'i many times since her Mom is from here and she has an extensive network of local family and friends. From the airport I proffered Nico's Fish Market, Sam Choy's BLC or Young's Fish Market. Without a moment's hesitation Tina opted for Young's. This is the best direct-from-the airport choice for ex-pats or anyone who loves Hawaiian food. While Tina reminded me that L and L is populating the mainland with new Hawaiian Barbecue franchises we agreed that there's still something to be said for laulau freshly made and freshly steamed. I admit that I haven't been to a pa'ina lately and have gotten by on frozen laulau. Young's reminded us of how superior the real deal is. The juices from the laulau practically spurted out when we cut into the bundles with a fork. It had the perfect ratio of pork to luau leaves. It's no wonder Young's is the best place to go on O'ahu for Hawaiian food if you don't have a luau/pa'ina in your near future.<br /><br />The second day was my choice. It was a delicious dilemma. We narrowed our options down to a plate lunch but of course it had to be something a bit out of the ordinary, likely from that new food genre of gourmet plate lunch. Although Sen. Barack Obama recently gave a nod to Zippy's and Rainbow, I wanted something more. I'd tried Kelvin Ro's baked goods before at KCC so I checked out Diamond Head Market and Grill ("DHMC") a day before Tina was to come in. It was one of those, where have I been all this time, moments. I know, I know, people will say, "What??? You are only discovering this place, now?"<br /><br />DMBC is a small storefront on Monsarrat Ave. It's divided into a smallish deli on the left and a plate lunch counter on the right. Kelvin Ro, formerly the owner/chef at Kahala Moon, is the owner/chef of DMBC and does catering on the side. We loved the myriad and imaginative choices for entrees, sides and desserts on the Deli side in particular: from duck confit to take home and heat for a special dinner to mochiko salads in plastic clamshell containers. The desserts were alluring: Lemon Crunch Cake (just like Alexander Young Hotel's but with the addition of a bright lemony filling), Liliko'i Cheesecake (Tina's comment was that while it tasted "tropical", truthfully, not that much of that distinct passion fruit flavor) and about a dozen other offerings. Maybe the most intriguing of the plate lunches was the Kim Chee Fried Rice for breakfast which Tina will save for a future visit.<br /><br />From Waikiki we went on up Tantalus Drive to the Gift Shop at the Contemporary Art Museum. We intended to have tea and yet another dessert from their award-winning Cafe but unfortunately were too full to eat another bite. The grounds are beautifully kept with a spectacular view of Diamond Head. Don't forget to spray yourself with bug spray at the Entrance because the mosquitoes can be bothersome.<br /><br />The last day of Tina's visit we decided to check out the restaurants at McCully Shopping Center. Just a bite to eat because Tina and Elisa had been feted at Nobu's (!) by her cousin, Dr. Edward Ho, and his gracious wife, the night before. I highly recommended Phuket Thai to Tina based on my past pleasant experiences with both of their restaurants. That turned out to be Tina's pick. So glad we went there because it was the perfect ending to her visit for us. We shared the special of Thai Green Curry Chicken with Green Papaya Salad, Sticky Rice (absolutely critical) and Thai Iced Coffee. It was exactly the kind of light meal we both craved and it was perfectly executed.<br /><br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />I made a Thai Red Curry Pork at home a couple of days after our shared meal and included some fresh bamboo shoots from the Kailua Farmer's Market. I've posted about this little gem of a food find before. The market is held in the parking lot next to Kailua Intermediate School on Thursdays at 9 a.m. Bamboo shoots have to be boiled for 20 minutes in water to extract the bitterness but the resulting flavor is outstanding and the texture is much more crisp than the canned product.<br /><br />-foodiewahinefoodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-25349712512544521672008-06-11T16:51:00.000-07:002008-06-13T12:07:52.124-07:00Lychee TimeA large paper shopping bag's worth of red, plump lychee. What a delight! Thank you, Alanna, Wendy and Blake who have carried on their family's tradition of delivering lychee from their Aiea home to us, fortunate recipients. When I think of it I believe this tradition is going on 60 years. It was first started by Blake's parents and has continued on through the next generation.<br /><br />Lychee and mangoes were the first indication that summer was here when I was growing up. We'd eat green lychee with a slight pink tinge straight off the tree at Judd St. because we couldn't wait for the fruit to ripen. We'd then have an upset stomach for the rest of the afternoon. I'm sure that people on the mainland have stories of doing the same thing as an impatient kid with ripening but still greenish Georgia peaches or pink-red strawberries on the vine.<br /><br />I'd have to say that lychee is my favorite fruit. The first ripe lychee of the summer may just about be the best. You break the red, spiked, papery peel of the lychee with your thumb. At first the surface of the translucent flesh is shiny. If the lychees have been in the fridge then in just a second a light matte coating of condensation covers the fruit. You take that first bite (juice may drip down your arm) and you receive that distinctive floral taste through your taste buds and your nose. The texture of the tart sweet flesh of the lychee is firm and cold. There's really no fruit like it. Not even the longan, the dragon's eye, compares.<br /><br />It's a ton of work to upkeep a lychee tree. There's fertilizing, raking the leaves, watering when it's too hot, pruning and finally picking the lychee being careful to take a branch with a bundle on the end so that the lychee will last longer. When our extended family is annually blessed with this gift from the Aiea Vance family it comes fully loaded with their love and our own happy childhood memories.<br /><br />Lychee is best eaten as is. Blake and Wendy have been to New Orleans. So, I dedicate, in gratitude, this simple dessert recipe to their family. It's a take on Bananas Foster.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Bananas Lychee Vance</strong><br />Place 2 Tablespoons each of butter and Myers's rum (or lychee vodka) and 8 Tablespoons (1/2 cup) of brown sugar in a cold, high-sided pan. Heat on Med. High briefly, just until the sugar melts and starts to caramelize, about 3 minutes, being careful NOT to allow the rum to ignite. Too scary. Add 2 small, sliced, partially ripe but still firm apple bananas, 6 unbroken pecans and 1 tsp. of cinnamon. Cover the bananas and the pecans with the syrup. Take off the heat as soon as the bananas are warmed through. Pour over very cold vanilla ice cream. Makes two servings for dainty, polite people or 1 serving for one hungry, greedy person. Top each serving with a 2 Tablespoon dollop of lychee yogurt (Meadow Gold sells it locally) or whipped cream and four seeded lychees cut in half.</span>foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1261098741594746627.post-52560260643367943872008-05-22T18:29:00.001-07:002008-06-04T15:29:40.850-07:00Clean FishMy brother-in-law is a no nonsense kind of guy. If there is a task to be done he likes to do it quickly and immediately. This is what I noticed when I talked to first my sister, then her husband.<br /><br />Sister to sister, when I'm asking Sherry for a favor I'll launch into a whole long 15 minute explanation to her of the who, what, why, when and where. I found two gorgeous whole four pound 'Ahi at the Kailua Farmer's Market and I'm not that ma'a (familiar) with cleaning and filleting fish that size. Give me a smaller red fish, 'Aweoweo or Menpachi, no problem, but, a larger 'Ahi or Aku, and I get a bit worried. After some internal hemming and hawing and even walking back to the car I told myself to turn around and go back. Just buy the fish already, because I can't go on being forever intimidated by cutting up whole fish.<br /><br />I reasoned if I tackled this task of cleaning and filleting by myself, using a cookbook, it would take me an hour or two and I would be left with something that looks mangled and like fishcake. On the other hand, if he was willing and I was able to watch my brother-in-law, Nathan, a lifelong fisherman, I would pick up all those expert tips and great shortcuts that would simplify the whole process. And, I know he would create perfect matching 'Ahi fillets.<br /><br />Right after talking with my sis about asking her husband to teach me to clean the fish I called her husband on his cell phone. That conversation lasted 15 seconds.<br />Me-"Hey, Nathan, can you show me how to clean 'Ahi? I have two, gonna give you guys one."<br />Nathan-"Nah, no need, no need. It's on ice, yeah? Come after lunch"<br />Me-"(slightly offended) Of course it's on ice. (cheerfully) OK, I'll be there."<br /><br />I showed up with an apron, a camera, ziplocs and the cooler full of ice and the fish. Nathan sharpened two knives, a smaller one for the detail work and a larger one to chop the bones. We went outside their home to a sink that was made especially for fish cleaning. They also have an outside wok so all those smells and smoke don't linger in the house.<br /><br />A disclaimer here, I'm not using the technically correct terms for parts and bones of the fish. Nathan expertly sliced the side fin off starting two inches behind the side fin, working in the direction from the tail to the head and also taking with it what he called the fish armor. This armor is a two-inch in diameter configuration of cartilage. Then, he came up to the vent in the head and snapped the spinal bone with a blow using the larger knife. He discarded the head, guts, gills and any soft red matter.<br /><br />Nathan sliced the back bone horizontally off, again working tail to head, taking off more fish armor in the process. He took off that sharp, small, pointy back fin (careful, I've been poked by these fins before and it isn't pretty). Some people like the darker red blood meat strips next to the pinker flesh but many find it too gamy so you can cut that off as well, he said.<br /><br />Nathan slit off the bottom belly fin, again horizontally, slit open the belly and removed the guts from the stomach cavity. He cut the bottommost belly portion off from the rest of the fish. He cautioned me to cut off the greenish one-inch by four-inch bile portion with a scissors later. Nathan said that 'ahi belly is a delicacy and to always fry it, dredging in seasoned flour first.<br /><br />Nathan made a small cut just above the bone that runs down the middle of the fish, right past the tail and inserted the index finger of his left hand as a convenient handle to grip the fish (Excellent tip! See photo on left). With his smaller knife in his right hand, he skimmed over the middle fish bones and created tension by holding the tail portion with his left finger. Nathan cut the fish in half horizontally. He flipped the fish over, created another handle for his finger to hold and cut the second fillet off the middle bones the same way. He continued to pull off pieces of red matter as he went along. It was only at this point that he chopped the tail off.<br /><br />Nathan used his very sharp smaller knife to skim the fillet off the skin. He placed the fillet with the skin side down and he skimmed over the skin separating the skin from the flesh. He very skillfully took the skins off both fillets in almost one intact piece, no easy feat. Discard the skin, the head, the red matter, the guts, the gills and the blood meat. Keep the bones and the tail for the recipe below.<br /><br />I thanked him profusely and kept the bones for the very best miso soup imaginable. My mind has been happily conjuring up images of what to do with these gorgeous, super fresh fillets. 'Ahi sashimi with hot mustard-soy or ginger-sesame oil-soy sauces? 'Ahi poke? Fried 'Ahi steaks sizzling in butter, salt and pepper? Jessie Kiyabu's super fried 'Ahi cakes? This makes me happy. Even though Nathan did all the cutting in a flash, 15 min. max per fish, I felt that with my photos, my memory and his super tips, I could confidently tackle my next whole fish by myself.<br /><br />Easy 'Ahi Bone Miso Soup<br />Bring the 'ahi bones, a couple of dried shrimp (ama ebi) and 4 cups of water to a boil. Turn down to a high simmer and skim off scum occasionally. Simmer for 30 minutes. Take out and discard the bones and ama ebi. Strain the broth through two layers of cheesecloth over a colander to get rid of extra scum. In a bowl, using a wire whisk, whisk 1 cup of miso with 1 cup of water until the miso is dissolved. Pour into the 'ahi broth. Turn to Med-High but do not boil. Serve immediately with shredded and cooked 'Ahi or chicken, small cubes of tofu and chopped green onions.foodiewahinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15397888993709132824noreply@blogger.com3