Sonia Tastes Hawaii

The Makahiki - or the original Hawaiian Time of Thanksgiving

 

Back since ancient times, hundreds of years before the Pilgrims even existed, there has been a Hawaiian custom of observing the Makahiki.

Makahiki means New Year (the Hawaiian greeting for Happy New Year is: Hau'oli Makahiki Hou) but it also signifies the period of time when the Hawaiians would put aside wars and work and celebrated the harvest and their blessing with cleansing, feasting, games and much more.

Unlike our own Thanksgiving, the Makahiki was not observed for just one day....it lasted between 4 to 5 months starting sometime between October and November and ending between February and March...it all depended on "The Pleiades", a cluster of stars that appears in the eastern sky close to sunset sometime in late October....the "Time of the Makahiki" lasted as long as you could see The Pleiades in the sky. 

The Makahiki was observed as an homage to their god Lono who was the god of fertility and abundance and though details of the celebration varied slightly from island to island, they all featured Lono as the center of the feasting.

We commonly call the Pleiades the 'Seven Sisters', although the cluster is composed of about 500 hundred stars unseen by the naked eye, and they usually appear in the sky during the harvest season and have been associated with harvest even as far back as during the time of Homer who mentions them in The Illiad written about 750 BC.  According to Robert Burnham's book (Celestial Handbook:An Observer's Guide to the Universe - 1978) they were seen in connection to the agricultural seasons of that time.

Burnham also points out that the name "Pleiades" may be derived from either the Greek word for "to sail", or the word "pleios" meaning "full" or "many".   

It is amazing to me that the early Hawaiians associated the "Pleiades" with full or many (plenty) and that they carried banners, which looked like sails made of kapa (tapa) cloth on poles as they progressed in processions from settlement to settlement all around the island in honor of Lono.

Some people even put the first mention of them earlier than that, but it has not been proved.

By the way, the name of The Pleiades in Japanese is "Subaru".  The Japanese telescope on top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island is appropriately called The Subaru.

A traditional Hawaiian Makahiki Blessing:

As it has been through time, may this season of Makahiki be a time of new growth and rejuvenation for you physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually.

To learn more about Makahiki, please click on the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makahiki

http://www.hawaii.gov/hidocs/makahiki.html

http://www.moolelo.com/ancient-celebration.html

http://www.kaahelehawaii.com/pages/culture_makahiki.htm

Hau`oli Lâ Ho`omaika`i - Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Sonia

Hamakua Alive!

As part of the 'Eat

Hawaii Island

Grown' challenge during the month of October, the first of what will turn out to be the annual Hamakua Alive! Fest was held Saturday, October 27th at the Pa'auilo Elementary and Middle School grounds in conjunction with the school's annual Blue & White Fundraising Fair.

Showcasing the bounty of the

Hamakua

Coast

, the event was exciting and a lot of fun, with early promises of becoming the foodie happening on the East side of

Hawaii Island

for years to come.

The idea for this event germinated several months ago from a conversation during a dinner party at the Hawaiian Vanilla Company dining room, where three farmer friends and their wives were discussing the growing issue of sustainability and the variety of foods that could be found already growing on the

Hamakua

Coast

.

As any of us who has planned any type of event knows, it takes more than just an idea and many people working together to make it happen. To this effect, several more people were contacted and as the idea caught on, several more meetings were held with more and more farmers and other food producers, chefs, food writers and interested parties joining in.

The result was Hamakua Alive! Each of the following farmers, growers and producers were there manning booths with samples and tastings of their products. Food samples ran from $1 to $3 each for what was more than generous portions.

Chefs from two of the Kohala hotels were performing magic preparing wonderful food using the locally grown products. I can attest that

the food was delicious!

Hawaii Island Goat Dairy from Ahualoa, owned by Dick and Heather

Threlfall was represented with an assortment of samples of their different flavored chevre; plain; dill-garlic, chipotle pepper, Tocoro (manzana) pepper and their best seller, macnut basil pesto.

Assisting Dick Threlfall was Jim Zampathas, publisher and creator of

Hawaii Conscious Living, a quarterly magazine, in partnership with his wife Nancy who serves as editor, was passing out copies of their

Fall 2007 issue. info@hawaiiconsciousliving.com

The High Country Protea Farm from Honoka'a owned by Anne St. Johns and Richard Berman was also represented with a beautiful arrangement using an assortment of protea and silver dollar eucalyptus.

The Long Ears Coffee Company also from Honoka'a was represented by their owners Wendell and Netta Branco with an assortment of coffee and coffee tastings, mugs, T-shirts and other products their company produces.

The Hawaii Tea Society was well represented by two tea growers and producers;

The Onomea Tea Company of Papaikou booth was manned by partners Rob Nunally and Mike Longo offering tastings of a variety of the teas they have been growing and processing at their farm overlooking beautiful

Onomea

Bay

. At this time they offer oolong, black and green tea and hopefully soon they might be able to produce enough of their delicious white tea to offer for sale.

The Mauna Kea Tea Garden located on the slopes of

Mauna Kea

in the

Waimea area was represented by owners Kimberly and Takahiro (Taka) Ino. Three of their teas were offered for tastings.

JJ Meat Market in Honoka'a owned by David de Luz was represented by Jill Mattos, general manager and her husband Roy Mattos, Dougie, Ku'ulei and Lita, showing an ample selection of beef cuts from 100%

Hawaii Island

grown grass feed beef. Their booth was offering samples of teriyaki beef on sticks and spam musubi as a plate lunch.

The musubi was part of the fund raising effort by the school.

Volcano Island Honey Company owned by Richard Spiegel of Honoka'a was showcasing their certified organic and rare white honey. Displayed were samples and tastings of the original plain white and also Winter

Honey; White with Ginger, White with Liliko'i, White with Lehua

Blossom honey and also beeswax tapers.

The Hawaiian Vanilla Company of Pa'auilo was represented by husband and wife team, Jim and Tracy Reddekopp displaying an assortment of both culinary and toiletry products made from their own

Hawaii Island

grown vanilla beans including Roselani Hawaiian Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Hawaiian Vanilla Lemonade and Hawaiian Vanilla Coffee.

As main organizer and chair for the event, Jim was also busy running all over the campus tending to every minute detail and sharing duties with Hawai'i County Councilman Dominic Yagong as part time emcee.

The Hamakua Heritage Mushroom Farm of Laupahoehoe owned by Robert and Janice Stanga showcased samples of their Brown Hon-shimeji, Pepeiao, Kea Hon-shimeji, Grey Oyster and Ali'i Oyster mushrooms. 

Anchoring between the Vanilla Farm and the Hamakua Mushroom booths was Executive Chef James Babian from The Grill, The Fairmont Orchid Hotel's signature restaurant. His rich and earthy Hawaiian Vanilla Lobster Bisque and the Sautéed Hamakua Heritage Mushrooms were big hits with the crowd.

The Wailea Agricultural Group owned by Michael D. Crowell and Leslie

Hill is located in Wailea, between Honomu and Hakalau on the lower eastern slopes of

Mauna Kea

. Growers of several tropical fruits including Meyer Lemons, avocados, lychee, and rambutan among others, they are also the largest grower of fresh heart of palms in

America

.

Their booth was offering two dishes created by Sous Chef Will Queja from the Four Seasons Resort. Heart of Palm, Watercress and Baby

Bok-Choy Kimchee and delicious Crab, Sweet Corn and Heart of Palm deep fried fritters served with a drizzle of Thai Spicy Sweet Chile

Glaze.

As part of the event there was a pie and jams and jelly recipe contest. One of the rules was that locally grown fruit had to be used in the recipes presented for judging.

The judges for the contest were Councilman Dominic Yagong, Chef James Babian and Anthony Mathis. The judges seemed to be having a very good time tasting the offerings. Anthony, who is my son, later mentioned that even with just small tastings he was later bouncing off the walls due to all the sweets….!

Winners of the contest and prizes were:

Pies & Cakes Category

1st Place - Christine Young – Liliko'i Cheesecake - $100.

2nd Place - Emma Reddekopp - Hawaiian Vanilla Pumpkin Spice Pie -$75.

3rd Place

- Elizabeth Glenn – Liliko'i Cream Pie - $50.

Jams & Jellies Category

1st Place - Pat Anderson – Liliko'i Plus - $100.

2nd Place - Noah Glenn - Keanakolu Apple Butter - $75.

3rd Place - Mistuko Uyeda – Liliko'i Butter - $50.

Live entertainment was provided by a mother and son duo from Kea’au; talented 16 year old ukulele prodigy Kris Fuchigami and his mother Keiko at the electric keyboard. Keep your eyes and ears open for more from this talented young man.

Lots going on in Hamakua and I predict this event will grow every year....If you're a farmer, grower or producer of any food product in

Hamakua, please make plans to join in next year.

Already the date is set for October 25, 2008 - Harvest Moon!

Mark your calendars and for more information, please contact:

Jim Reddekopp at the Hawaiian Vanilla Co. - 776-1771

Heart of Palm and Garden Salad

We recently attended a wonderful food event nearby which I predict will become "the foodie event of East Hawaii" very quickly. 

I will share more on this a bit later, but I wanted to share this salad which I made with Hawaii grown heart of palm I received as a gift from our friends Michael and Leslie who own Wailea Agricultural Group not too far from us.   Leslie and Michael's company had a booth at the 'Hamakua Alive' event. 

First, let me explain, there are some varieties of heart of palm that to get to the edible part you need to chop down the whole plant, thus killing it, which never made sense to me.  The heart of palm grown and sold by Leslie and Michael is from the peach palm, which sends out 'shoots' around the main palm trunk, and these shoots are what is cut, so the palm continues to grow and produce without having to be killed. (*)  I will write more about heart of palm in the near future, but today I just wanted to share this wonderful salad.

(*) CORRECTION: Michael was here this morning and he corrected my impression of how the heart of palms were harvested.....

Actually it is the main trunk that is cut, but there are always several keiki (baby) plants coming around it to renew themselves, so using this variety is a sustainable way of harvesting...    Eat your heart and grow it too.... ;-)

Heart of Palm and Garden Salad

1 stem fresh heart of palm

a couple of handfuls of spinach (*)

a handful of pineapple sage leaves

a scattering of pineapple sage blooms

Liliko'i (passion fruit) vinaigrette

(*) I used a combination of Malabar and Moluccan (Dawn Dewa or Sambung Nyawa) spinachs from our garden.  The pineapple sage leaves and blooms also came from our garden.  The passion fruit vinaigrette was also made from fruit collected from our yard.

Pick and wash the greens early in the morning.  Pat dry with paper towels and refrigerate stored in separate ziplock bags until ready to put the salad together.

Slice the heart of palm stem in thin slices.  Store, covered in refrigerator until ready to assemble the salad.

Scatter the Malabar spinach around the platter.  Take bunches of the Moluccan (Dawn Dewa) spinach and cut into a thin chiffonade (*).  Scatter some over the Malabar spinach and save some to scatter over the sliced heart of palm.

Scatter some of the pineapple sage leaves over the two other spinachs.

Place the sliced heart of palm on top of the greens and then scatter a bit more of the chiffonade of Moluccan (Dawn Dewa) spinach and a few more pineapple sage leaves on top.  Scatter the red blooms of the pineapple sage over all.  Drizzle with the liliko'i (passion fruit) vinaigrette.

For instructions on how I make my passion fruit vinaigrette check the blog entry for the Demo at the Farmers Market

(*) A chiffonade of greens is actually any fresh greens that have been cut in thin ribbons.  To make a chiffonade, take a handful of green leaves: basil, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, etc. and loosely wad up under your hand over a cutting board.  With a very shap knife (I like to use my Santuko knife) and with rocking motions, cut across the wad of greens to make thin slices to form the ribbons.

As you can see, it makes a very festive salad.  It was also very ono (delicious) or like we sometimes say in Hawai'i, onolicious!

Hawaiian High Tea at the 'Imiloa Cafe

The pleasant custom of taking a leisurely tea in the afternoon was adopted by Hawaiian Royalty between the mid and the late 1880's even though it had long been the practice of the British families who first settled in our islands in earlier years.  There are several hotels and Inns around the different islands who continue the tradition of serving a Hawaiian High Tea to this day.

Although to the British the term High Tea refers to an evening meal, to the Hawaiian Royalty who adopted the custom if meant a very substancial repast consisting of a big assortment of fancy finger foods and decadent desserts, and that is how it is still known today.

 

On a recent Sunday afternoon we attended a Hawaiian High Tea at the 'Imiloa Cafe.  The event was a collaboration between ‘Imiloa Café, Joseph Figaroa of the Figaroa Collection on

Kiawe Street

in

Hilo, who was exhibiting his new line of handbags,

and Kate Johnson, a tea expert and importer of tea from all over the world.

The guests tasted seven tea blends during the event and each blend was explained by Ms Johnson as the staff served at the tables.

 

The tea selections were:

Pink Palace Garden Palace: Black & Green tea- Jasmine & Earl Grey notes.

Hunwal: 2nd Flush Estate Black Tea

Russian Caravan: a Toasty (smokey) Black Tea

Mim: 2nd Flush Estate Darjeeling

CO2 Decaffeinated Assam: India Black Tea

Creamy Earl Grey: Sri Lanka Black Tea with hints ofBergamot and Vanilla

Rainbow Rooibos: South African Rooibos harmoniously blended with Cornflower and Calendula Petals

Each table was decorated with a glass bud vase and a ceramic or porcelain tea pot.  A printed card listing the tea selections was also available on each table.

The delicious food was the inspiration and creation of ‘Imiloa Café Chef Rebecca Cook and her staff using as much of the Big Island's produce and products as possible.

 

Chef Cook’s passion for food becomes obvious as soon as you tasted the goat cheese tarts, sausages wrapped in curried puff pastry, choux paste tidbits filled with crab salads, mini scones with fresh cream and delicious mini Russian tea cakes.

 

Small open face sandwiches were made with local poi and guava bread garnished with thinly sliced cucumbers and tissue paper thin slices of Hamakua grown tomatoes.

The 'Imiloa Cafe is located at the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center just above the University of Hawaii at Hilo Campus.

Easy Thanksgiving Dessert

Pumpkin Mousse

One of my foodie internet friends, an American who lives in Lebanon shared a version of this recipe a few years ago.  It has since become one of our traditional desserts for Thanksgiving or any other Fall event dinner.

The original recipe called for vanilla pudding.  I have since started using a combination of vanilla and butterscotch puddings which everyone seems to like better. I have also been using homemade whipped cream instead of the cool whipped topping as originally given.

1 large package instant sugar and fat free vanilla pudding
1 large package instant sugar and fat free butterscotch pudding
3 cups of skim milk
1 (29 oz) can pumpkin puree
3 cups homemade whipped cream or (12 oz) tub lite cool whipped topping
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional)

Get all the ingredients together before hand as the pudding will set quickly and you don't want to waste time hunting for anything.

Mix pudding with skim milk; when almost set (which will be almost instantly), quickly fold in all the other ingredients, being careful to not overmix the whipped cream as you fold it into the pudding mix.

Serve in individual wine glasses or in a clear glass pedestal bowl and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice on top, if using.

Yield: 16 - 20 servings

For another ono pumpkin recipe suitable to serve as an appetizer at anytime during the holidays find the Spiced Pumpkin Dip