Sonia Tastes Hawaii

Ho'oulu Lahui – Revitalizing Breadfruit Festival

Ho'oulu Lahui - Revitalizing Breadfruit Festival

On Saturday, March 3^rd, 2012 –Kua O Ka La Charter School  in Pu'ala'a/Kapoho area of the Island of Hawai’i, will host a Spring Breadfruit Festival. 

A lot of activities are being planned from a cooking contest, several workshops and 'ulu (breadfruit) poi pounding demonstrations; also how to make 'ulu pounding boards and many other activities all related to celebrating this versatile and life sustaining fruit.

Cooking Contest Categories:

Appetizer
Main Dish/Entrée
Dessert

Each dish will be judged for:

Best use of breadfruit
Taste
Appearance/Presentation
Originality
Healthy ingredients

Prizes:

First, Second and Third prizes in each category
One entry will be selected for ‘Best of Show’
One entry will be selected for ‘Healthiest Choice’

For general information on the rules for participating and for downloading the entry forms, (info is to be added within the next few days) please visit:

kuaokala.org

hawaiihomegrown.net

www.Breadfruit.org 

Deadline for Entries:

When you download the Entry Form and the Recipe Forms, complete and submit no later than Feb. 26 - please contact me to find out where to send them cubanwahine@hawaii.rr.com

Location of Festival:

Take Route 130 to Pahoa. Turn left at traffic light to Route 132. Bear left at fork just after Lava Tree State Park. Turn right at the four corners to Route 137. Next to Ahalanui Hot Pond Park in Pu'ala'a/Kapoho. Contest location and entry drop off on Makai side of road. Look for Contest Entry Drop-Off location. You must also drop off your completed Contest Entry Form and a Recipe Form per each dish entered.

 

New Year's Eve 2011

 

I never did make it to midnight last evening...but we did bid goodbye to the old and celebrated the coming of the new with a simple meal composed entirely of pupus and we did light a few pieces of fireworks just to join in the sporadic popping noises around us.

The 'menu', if you can call it that, was composed of just a few spreads on toasted slices of French baguette; whipped cream cheese to which we could add spoonfuls of Caramelized Red Onion & Figs, (a gift from a mainland friend); chunky guacamole made from the very last avocado of the season on our tree mixed with some of the delicious Harry & David Pepper & Onion Relish, (a gift from another friend) and my own pâté made with chicken livers.

My chicken liver pâté evolved from trying different recipes.  Although quite simple to make, the taste is complex and yet deliciously smooth.  If you like the taste of Pâté de foie gras but object to the force-feeding of ducks or geese to obtain the fattest livers possible, this recipe, albeit not the ultimate in haute cuisine, comes a very acceptable second.  Originally made with Sherry, a friend who tried it used Madeira instead and renamed it for me.

Sonia's #2 Chicken Liver Pâté -
Pâté de foie de volaille avec Madeira

2 Tablespoons sweet butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 pound chicken livers, chopped

1/4 cup dry Sherry or Madeira (*)

1 envelope plain gelatin such as Knox

Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

 

2 or 3 heads of garlic, unpeeled but tops cut

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese 

Sauté the chopped onion in butter until translucent.  Add the rinsed, dried and chopped chicken livers and sauté until all red is gone and livers are done.  Dissolve the gelatin in the Sherry or Madeira and add to the mix.  Add the salt and pepper to taste and finish cooking. 

Meantime roast 2 or 3 heads of garlic to which you've cut the tops and drizzled with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Quantity depends on your taste, but the roasted garlic taste will be quite mellow and will not intrude but enhance the taste of the livers.

To make the pâté:

In a food processor:  process the cream cheese and add the cooked chicken liver mixture.  Squeeze the roasted garlic into the mix and process until smooth.  Pack tight into a crock or ramekin.  Chill to firm up and serve with crackers, Melba toast, toasted bread points or rounds.

(*) Do not use the so-called cooking sherry.  Use a good dry drinking Sherry instead.  The Madeira is even better.

Whether your own celebrations were as simple as ours or very elaborate, I hope they were enjoyable.  

I am very grateful for all the blessings received the past year and am looking forward to seeing what the New Year has in store for us.

Wishing everyone a very Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year!

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou, E pili mau na pomaika`i ia `oe! (Happy New Year, May blessings be ever with you!)

 

Celebrating with friends...Arroz con Pollo a la Chorrera

We had friends over for late lunch/early dinner yesterday and I wanted to serve a Cuban Style Arroz con Pollo a la Chorrera.

I had a really outstanding dish of it served at one of the La Carreta Restaurants in Miami just a few weeks ago and after watching a couple of YouTube cooking videos demonstrating how to make it and reading a few recipes on line, I called the restaurant to find out how they made theirs.

When I asked if I could have the recipe I was told no, because the chef was quite protective of his recipes BUT....then the person I was speaking with proceeded to tell me how they made it... No exact measurements or list of ingredients were given, but he did tell me that the chicken was cooked as fricasé de pollo first (no wonder it fell off the bone!) and the rice cooked separately and then put together towards the end of cooking...and replied to my question that yes, the chef used beer and chicken stock for the rice and sherry when making the fricasé...

 

Arroz con Pollo is a typical Cuban dish made with rice (arroz) and chicken (pollo).  A la chorrera is a coloquial term used for a 'wetter than usual' rice.  Most Cuban rice dishes call for the arroz to be 'desgranado', term used to mean fluffy rice, but for paella or arroz con pollo a la chorrera, you want the rice to be much wetter.  You achieve this by drenching it with liquids and cook as you would an Italian risotto, adding liquid as it evaporates or gets absorbed by the rice until you get it to the desired consistency.

 

Some people start the cooking process on the stove and finish in the oven.  I decided to use a combination of the recipes and techniques that I had been told, read and watched on video and came up with my own version.  I have made Arroz con Pollo in the past, but this was my first try 'a la chorrera'.  The entire process was done on the stove.

 

I first served a salad of thin, lightly cooked zucchini ribbons, raw carrot curls and avocado slices on red lettuce leaves drizzled in Calamondin Vinaigrette.

 

For the entrée, I used plump, boneless and skinless chicken thighs, as the results are moister and much easier to eat without having to pick the meat off the bones on the plate.

 

Arroz con Pollo a la Chorrera

 

8 chicken thighs, fat removed as much as possible

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1 Meyer lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

 

Marinate the chicken in the above ingredients in a plastic bag or covered glass Pyrex dish for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

 

When ready to start cooking, sauté the drained and dried chicken pieces in a small quantity of olive oil.  You don't want to bathe it in the oil, but enough that the meat doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.  Turn over a couple of times to get the desired golden-brown crust.  Place on a dish and reserve, covered until later.

 

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green or red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium shallot, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, minced

2 dried bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon Spanish or smoky paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt to taste

1/2 small can tomato sauce

1 cup dry Sherry

2 1/2 cups Valencia, Arborio or any other risotto rice

1/2 of a 32 ounce box of chicken broth (no MSG)

1 24 ounce can of beer

A generous pinch saffron threads (*)

1 Tablespoon capers (*)

1 Tablespoon fresh oregano

1 1/2 cups Petit Pois or sweet English peas

Strips of red pimento for garnish (optional)

 

Using the same pan and oil in which the chicken was sautéed, start your sofrito (the Cuban version of a mirepoix or Cajun holy trinity) by adding the chopped onion, bell pepper, shallot, garlic and bay leaves, and sauté until the onion and peppers are soft and translucent, but before the garlic turns brown.  Sprinkle with the paprika, cumin and salt (or you can use one of the Goya all-purpose seasonings with no MSG); add the tomato sauce and Sherry scraping the bottom to deglaze the pan and simmer for a couple of minutes.

 

Add the rice and stir around for a bit, a couple of minutes.  Add the chicken broth and half the can of beer, reserving the rest for later.  Add the saffron, capers and fresh oregano (I used the tiny leaves of my stick oregano bush)

 

At this point, put the chicken back into the pan with whatever juices collected while reserving, nestling the pieces into the rice.  Cover and turn heat to the lowest level; let simmer until the liquid is almost all absorbed.  Add the rest of the can of beer and let it continue cooking, covered, until the liquid is almost all absorbed.  Add more chicken broth or sherry if needed.

 

Let it sit, covered for a few minutes until time to serve.  The rest of the liquid will be completely absorbed and the rice will be plump, succulent and full of flavor.

 

The Petit Pois or English peas are not added until the cooking process is done so the peas maintain their plump roundness.  Garnish with red pimento strips if desired.  I didn't, since I used red bell pepper in my sofrito.

 

(*) To get more color and flavor from the saffron, first soak in lemon or lime juice for a little while and using a spoon, mash it a bit to extract as much color as possible.  Since I used Meyer lemons in the chicken marinade, I used Meyer lemon juice to soak the saffron.

(*) When adding salt be careful if you will be using capers since they are also salty.  I waited until after I added the capers and tasted the broth before I added the salt.

 

Dessert was Crema Catalana, a Spanish version of crème brûlée and I served it with deliciously thin Moravian Ginger Snaps, a gift from a niece and nephew who live near the Moravian Village in Winston-Salem, NC .  I will share the recipe soon.

My table setting was in keeping with the eclectic ethnic mix that live in our island paradise;  this time, a mixture of my love for Oriental porcelain (Chinese Canton Rose Ware) and my Cuban and Spanish heritage and a touch of Moravian influence in the food served.

Happy New Year!

Feliz Año Nuevo!

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

Our Christmas Eve or 'Best Night'

Christmas Eve day and evening celebrations are a tradition in our  Cuban side of the family...There is, of course, Noche Buena, which translates to Good Night but not as a 'retiring for the evening' greeting of farewell, but more like "Best Night"... Later the Misa de Gallo, or Midnight Mass and also earlier in the day, at least in my family when we were children, there was the tradition of visiting the convents, old people's homes and churches that displayed huge, elaborate Crèche depicting the Nativity.

My Hummel Crèche survived our fire of July 2000 and as such, doubly special...Some pieces are damaged....Mary's blue mantle is smoky and donkey has lost a lot of it's gray coat; Cow's head and neck lost coloring and Baltazar's head had to be glued back on...but I love it and love displaying it year after year nevertheless.

 

Some of the displayed Crèche from my childhood took up whole rooms and showed villages, lakes, rivers, mountains, shepherds, sheep, cattle, palm trees, villagers, of course the manger scene (sans Baby Jesus until Midnight) and off in the distance, the Three Kings on their camels following the Christmas Star.  No, Santa did not make an appearance in these Crèche scenes.

The Cuban celebration of Noche Buena started very early in the day or even the day before by digging underground pits, similar to how Hawaiians build an imu to roast whole pigs lavishly marinated in mojo, a sauce made with generous amounts of garlic in sour orange juice and olive oil (see a modern version of the Cuban style pig roasting as well as my friend Esther Musibay's delicious mojo sauce). The menu typically includes rice and black beans, yuca also served with mojo, and many other traditional dishes loved by anyone with a smidgen of Cuban blood running in their veins!  Desserts normally run to turrones (almond nougat style sweets, both the hard type from Alicante or the soft one from Jijona, Spain), flan or custards such as the crema Catalana. 

I love setting a festive table and each year try to come up with interesting and different ideas.  This year I went wild mixing bright red (candles, my mother's red goblets, red rimmed dinner plates) with deep burgundy tablecloth, Christmas plaids (ribbon swag on the table, napkins and all the packages I wrapped) as well as pieces from our collection of sea creatures (pearl oyster shells, angel wing shells, starfish, sand dollar, equinoid fossil (of an ancient sea urchin), a few banded sea snail shells and a few more....I added two strings of tiny, tiny little lights my sister gave me recently.

I love using my mother's red goblets circa mid 1960's courtesy of S&H Green Stamps!  The red rimmed dinner and salad plates were a gift from my friend Maritza.  The salad plates on the étagère are Christmas Garland from Fitz & Floyd and special because they also were some of the few things that survived our fire!

For the last 10 years or so, my son and I have forgone the typical Cuban style Noche Buena menu and we sort of let our fancy guide us as to what menu we will choose for our own Best Night meal.

This time we chose a very simple menu of only three dishes... A zucchini ribbons salad courtesy of my Gather friend Katrina Hall, which I served with a Calamondin Vinaigrette made with fruit from our own calamondin tree.  

For our Entrée we chose to make a seafood dish consisting of lobster, shrimp and scallops in a combination of Newburg and Thermidor sauce, served in individual little gratin dishes lined with puff pastry.

Lobster, Shrimp & Scallops in Creamy Sauce

2 sheets puff pastry

2 lobster tails, cut in 1/4 inch chunks

8 sea scallops, cut in pieces

12 shrimp, shelled and devained

1/2 stick butter

2 shallots, finely minced

1/4 red bell pepper, seeded, devained, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

4 Tablespoons medium dry Sherry

1 cup heavy cream, scalded

4 egg yolks, beaten

Coarse panko

Butter for dotting on the breading

Freshly grated Parmigiano Romano cheese

Unfold puff pastry sheets and roll a few times with a rolling pin.  Place sheet inside each graten dish, fit into the sides and bottoms and cut off the rest with kitchen shears or sharp knife (use the discarded pieces to make cinnamon pastries).  Prick the bottom with a fork and place in 350 F oven to bake and puff up.

Heat butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook the minced shallots and red bell pepper, stirring, until any liquid is evaporated and they begin to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Add lobster, shrimp and scallop, paprika, salt, and pepper and reduce heat to low. Cook, shaking pan gently, about 1 minute or so. Add 2 tablespoons Sherry and 1/2 cup of the hot cream and simmer for about 5 minutes.

While the above is gently simmering, add the remaining 2 tablespoons Sherry and 1/2 cup scalded milk to the beaten eggs in thin, slow dribbles, whisking constantly so that eggs will not curdle.  It should turn into a creamy and smooth eggy custard.  Add custard slowly to shellfish mixture, stirring gently until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency.

Pour the shellfish mixture into the graten dishes lined with the baked puff pastry.  Sprinkle with coarse panko, dot with butter and a few shakes of Parmigiano Romano cheese.  Place under broiler just long enough for the top to turn golden.

Dessert was a rich and silky Crema Catalana which is a Spanish version of a crème brulée.

I also baked a Red Velvet Cake and topped it with Cream Cheese Frosting to take to our friends Gail & Robert's house for a Christmas Day party.  I will post the recipe and photos for the cake later on.

Merry Christmas and Felices Navidades, everyone from our little Hawaiian cottage hale to your home!

 

 

The Bounty of Breadfruit

 
Breadfruit tree

Did you know that breadfruit was the innocent underlying cause for sailors of a British ship in the Pacific to rebel against their captain way back in 1789?

Do you remember the movie about Captain Bligh and the Mutiny on the Bounty?  Well...it wasn't just an exciting movie.  It really happened.   I won't go into the story here, since it is easy to check the facts, but almost 20 years earlier to the mutiny, Captain Bligh was in Tahiti where he and his crew discovered the wonders of breadfruit.  The mutiny occurred on a subsequent trip (1789) when he was commissioned by the British King to propagate and plant hundreds of breadfruit trees to then take to Jamaica.  We know how that venture ended...  Eventually, many years later, he was able to complete the mission and breadfruit was then planted in the Caribbean.

 
Medium ripe breadfruit

Today there is a movement to introduce the breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) to the world at large and convert it into the food of the future.  Except for Pacific Islanders, a few islands in the Caribbean and Southeast Asia, breadfruit, or 'ulu, as its known in Hawai'i, is largely unknown or ignored, and yet, it is one of the most versatile fruit available today. 

 
Steamed and quartered breadfruit

There are many varieties of breadfruit trees.  Some produce completely round fruit; some are ovoid.  Some have seeds and some don't.  Some varieties are better for certain recipes than others.

 
Peeling steamed breadfruit

Breadfruit trees are very prolific, being able to produce as many as 200 fruit a season and in some places, like Hawai'i can produce two crops a year.  Very rich in gluten-free starches, it can be used as a vegetable or a fruit in appetizers, soups, salads, entrées and desserts.  It can be boiled, steamed, mashed, baked, roasted or fried.

 
Diced breadfruit

Any way you can think of using a potato and then some!  The breadfruit seems to absorb the flavors of other stronger tasting foods cooked with it better than a potato.

 
Pounding breadfruit for breadfruit poi or other dishes requiring mashed 'ulu

 

The Breadfruit Festival--Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu (Revitalizing the Breadfruit)--to be held on Saturday, September 24, 2011, 9 am - 3 pm, at the Amy B.H Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook (South Kona on the Island of Hawai'i)--celebrates the rich culture of ‘ulu in Hawai‘i and the Pacific. Activities include a cooking contest, chef demonstrations, cultural activities, tree sales (pre-order for a great price), art shows, workshops, and a breadfruit inspired locally sourced luncheon

Cooking Contest entry forms and Breadfruit Festival information can be found www.breadfruit.info.  Questions about the Cooking Contest can be directed to Sonia R. Martinez cubanwahine@hawaii.rr.com.

 

 

A Birthday Tea Party

 

The invitation read "Join us for a Tea Party in honor of Florence's 88th Birthday at the Hawaiian Vanilla Company on Friday, August 26th at 3 pm "

 

Florence is our friend Terri's mother and is the eldest member of the group we call "The Moms".  I believe I might be the youngest member of that group of "moms" and I ain't a spring chicken....

 

 
The cast of suspects; Cat, Sonia, Terri, Peggy, Marilyn, Florence (the birthday girl!) and Bonnie

We gathered yesterday afternoon for the celebration with good company and a delicious vanilla infused menu prepared in the kitchens of the Hawaiian Vanilla Company.

 

The Tea Selections: Hawaiian Vanilla Vineyard Blend, Rainforest Vanilla Rooibos, Hot Vanilla Cinnamon Sunset & Emma's Vanilla Blossoms.

 

 

First Course: Roasted Tomato & Red Bell Pepper Bisque with Vanilla Herbes de Pa'auilo and Vanilla Vineyard House Salad composed of Organic Greens with Creamy Feta Cheese, Vanilla Honey Roasted Pepper Pecans and Vanilla Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette.

 

Inter Mezzo: A duo hit Vanilla Raspberry Sorbet & Vanilla Mango Sorbet.

 

Dez Sandwiches: Vanilla Citrus Marinated Chicken Breast with Vanilla Caramelized Onions on Homemade Sweetbread.

 

The Tower of Power: Triple Decker of scrumptious desserts

   

From top to bottom:

Vanilla Kona Coffee Fudge Brownies & Vanilla Chocolate Fudge Truffle with Vanilla Fudge Sauce on the side.

The Vanilla Fudge Truffle was satisfyingly sinful!

 

Vanilla Liliko'i Pound Cake with Vanilla Liliko'i Curd & Vanilla Banana Bread with Vanilla Infused Maple Syrup.  The curd and syrup were served on the side.

 

Turnovers of Baked Brie with Vanilla Caramelized Onions served with Vanilla Pineapple Chutney & Tartlettes of Roasted Red Bell Pepper Cream Cheese with Feisty Vanilla Pepper Jelly.

 

A very Happy Birthday, Florence and I wish you many more!