Sonia Tastes Hawaii

Taste of Puna 2010

After a one-year hiatus, the Taste of Puna Cookoff was held once again this past May 15th.  Sorry I'm late with this post, but my computer was giving me all sorts of troubles and finally died....but you don't want to read about that...You want to know about the contest!

The entries in all three categories were all beautiful and delicious...the judges had a very good time tasting and it was hard to choose winners. 

Carl Okuyama,owner of Foodland in the Kea'au Shopping Center and founder of the Taste of Puna some 13 years ago; Valerie Ferrari, Director of Marketing for the shopping center and Steve Hansen, the 'Big Island Event Guy' did a great job of planning and coordinating this fun event.

The Taste of Puna stresses the use of Puna grown, raised or produced foods, and recipes were judged not only by taste, presentation and creativity but also by the use of locally grown products.

The Pupu Category:

1st Place - Noel Morata with his beautiful Fluffy Ravioli, Bok Choy and Papaya - these flat raioli were deliciously delicate and almost like 'stuffed crepes' with a papaya sauce drizzled over them.  This dish was a very elegant presentation.

2nd Place: Amanda Fergerstrom with her innovative Aunty Tita's Island Taco - fresh lettuce served as the wrap under the veggies which composed the filling.  Light and tasty topped with an avocado slice.  I would have loved a squirt of lime over it!

3rd Place - Lisa Velez with a local kine version of 'Taco Dejas' - a combination of Puerto Rican and Hawaiian ingredients plus their own garden tomatoes, ginger, limes and onions,  The masa for the pastry made use of taro flour.

 

The Entree Category:

1st Place - Peter Kaluna with a delicious Mauna Loa Morning brunch combination - almost a bit too much to eat, the judges could not get enough.   The French Taost was made with thick slabs of Hawaiian sweet bread dipped in egg batter and then in a mixture of chopped macadamia nuts, flaked coconut and ground up Corn Flakes all mixed and toasted.  Served along with the French Toast were Purple Sweet Potato Hash and "Lava Rocks" Goat Cheese, Puna "Best Bee's" Honey and Vanilla Creme Anglaise.  A carved papaya served as container for a rich Kea'au Papaya, Banana and Spirulina Smoothie.

2nd Place - Graciano del Mar with Ohelo Berry Coconut Shrimp - the use of ohelo berries was inspired in this delicately creamy and delicious shrimp presentation.

3rd Place - Bill Eger and a Paniolo Style Old Fashioned Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes and Salad - I loved the meat loaf cooked in the old fashioned black cast iron Dutch Oven. The mashed potatoes were very creamy and the use of their Mountain View home grown combination of Tellicherry black and red pepper gave it a distinct flavor.  The side of salad included watercress also grown in his home garden.

The Dessert Category:

1st Place - Sunserene Queveda with a wonderful Pumpkin Creme Brulee.  By far the best pumpkin flan or creme brulee I've ever tasted.  Sunserene grew the pumpkins herself and then roasted it to get a nice flavor.  I'm sure the creaminess and smooth texture was also due to the use of her own chikens' freshest eggs. 

2nd Place - Tiari Correa with her Guavalicious Guava Cheesecake - a combination of shortbread and cheesecake plus the creamy guava filling gave this delicious dessert three distinct textures.  A drizzle of guava syrup added a final touch.

3rd Place - Shane Hanaoka's ono Banana Liliko'i Upside-Down Cake - The youngest contestant has a bright future in the culinary world.  Shane is a first year student at the Hawai'i Community College School of Culinary Arts in Hilo.  Imua, Shane!

I know my fellow judges had as hard a time as I just tasting the entries.  The dishes were all so good we wouldn't have minded eating every last bit of each!

From Soil to Soul - Cooking with Aloha!

A couple of weeks ago tomorrow, we visited the North Kohala area of the Big Island as part of a series I'm working on about Farmers Markets all around the island for the Hawai'i HomeGrown Food Network

When I learned that on that same afternoon, Chef Donna Maltz was offering a cooking class using as much locally grown food as possible, we jumped on it to sign up for her Cooking With Aloha from Soil to the Soul class.

 
The location for the class was the beautiful octagonal shaped open kitchen at the Starseed Ranch.  There were 15 of us in that kitchen working at the same time, with each pair working on a different dish.  Chaotic you say? Not really!  Donna is such a pro that she could stop what she was doing while helping one team and look at your dish and know exactly where you were and what you needed to do!

 
We were assigned to make a Carrot Ginger Dill Slaw and it was delicious.

The menu was quite ambitious and the group made everything!

Beverage

Turmeric Ginger Lime Tonic

BYOL

 

Appetizer

Kale Chips

Savory Pie (recipe shared in link at the bottom)

 

Dinner

Cilantro Hamakua Beef Fillet w/Black Pepper & Fresh Horseradish

Crispy Coconut Cassava/Tapioca - was served with the Tri Tip fillet above

Pumpkin Taro - both mashed together

Spring Ratatouille w/Eggplant, zucchini & Waimai Tomatoes

Carrot Ginger Dill Slaw

Marinated Cherry Tomato Salad

Roasted Beet Papaya Salad

 
 

 

Dessert

Fresh Hawaiian Strawberries, Banana, Pineapple, Papaya and Nispero

Accompanied by Hawaiian Honey Vanilla Glaze or AH!LASKA Organic Chocolate Syrup

Homemade Fresh Hawaiian Honey Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Macadamia Nut toasted Fresh Coconut Biscotti

 

Enjoying the food!

 

 

Chef Donna and her Sous Chef Rebecca Shipley shared a memorable evening with the group

 

 

Gallivanting in North Kohala

Savory Pie - Recipe from Saturday's Class

 

 

 

 

The Real Princess Kai'ulani

The 'real' Princess Kai'ulani of Hawai'i 

If you have a chance to go see the movie"Princess Kai'ulani" please do so.

It follows the life story of this very real princess of Hawai'i who, even 112 years after her very untimely death is remembered with love by the Hawaiian people.

The movie follows her life fairly close.  Its a shame that it didn't leave room for so much that was exciting about her life...it doesn't even touch on her friendship of several years with author Robert Louis Stevenson (who wrote about her in a poem as 'the island rose') and his wife....her beloved peacocks and her love of surfing.

Victoria Kai'ulani Kalaninuiahilapalapa Kawekiu i Lunalilo Cleghorn was the daughter of Princess Miriam Likelike and the Scotsman Archibald Cleghorn.  Her mother was sister to King David Kalākaua and to Princess Lili'uokalani (Lydia, wife of John Owen Dominis) who on the death of her brother ascended the Hawaiian throne as the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands.  Her godmother was Queen Victoria of England after whom she was given her first name. 

In England she was known as Victoria, in Hawai'i she was Kai'ulani.

The cinematography remains fairly true to the islands and in the scene where the Princess hosts a dinner for the representatives of the 'new goverment' of the Territory of Hawai'i, (as it became known after anexation and before stateshood), the table reflects the abundance and richness of the islands' in both the flower arrangements and in the food depicted. 

The richness and melodic beauty of the Hawaiian language is heard in several scenes as well as a 'mele' sung in her honor towards the end.

I found one of the most heart rending scenes to be one where while still in England where she was sent to study, she takes a few hula steps and with lovely hand and arm movements dances by herself, as even from so far away, she tries to stay connected to her island home.

 

To learn about the Princess Kai'ulani Project click HERE
To read more about Princess Kai'ulani click HERE

 

Savory Pie - Recipe from Saturday's class

 

 

I mentioned in my blog recently about the cooking class we attended on Saturday at the Starseed Ranch in Kapa'au.  This was a full participation class and everyone was assigned a dish, but we all had a chance to see what the others were doing as they were doing it.

 

There are actually several tricks or techniques in this recipe: 

* Mixing all the dry ingredients together in a bag saves time and clean-up.

* Make sure the butter is very cold.  In fact, frozen is fine.

* Make sure the liquid is also very cold,

* Using fresh lime juice instead of water when mixing the dough.

 

 

SAVORY PIE

 

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

3 cups COLD butter

1 1/2 cups COLD water/lime juice

 

A pinch of baking soda is optional, if you want the dough to be a bit more like a biscuit texture.

 

This is a large amount and recipe can be cut in half.  If you make a large batch, you can store in freezer in batches until needed.

 

Mix all dry ingredients in a large Ziploc bag, seal and shake thoroughly to mix all ingredients well.

 

Pour into the bowl of a food processor or mixer.

 

With motor running add the butter in chunks or broken pieces and process until all butter has been used.  Add the liquid little by little and process until the dough looks like crumbs.  Do not overwork.

 

For a kick in taste, use freshly squeezed lime juice instead of water.  The taste is incredible.

 

Dump the dough into the baking pan – we used a large lasagna pan with about 2 inch high sides – and make sure to pat it evenly to cover the bottom and sides.  Don’t overwork it.

 

Prick with the tines of a fork and bake for a few minutes.

 

Add the filling of your choice.  We used fresh-laid eggs, a bit of mayo, a bit of sour cream (mix well) then added sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped green onions, basil leaves and chopped kale.

 

Bake at 350 F until set.

 

Cut into serving pieces and serve.  We got about 20 squares from the size pan used.

 

Recipe source: Chef-owner Donna Maltz - Fresh Sourdough Express Restaurant & Memorable Experience B&B, Homer, AK

 

Gallivanting in North Kohala

As part of an ongoing project on writing a series about Farmers Markets around the Big Island, I made a visit to the Hawi Farmers Market 'Under the Banyan Trees' yesterday, Saturday the 8th.  Readers can read each month's Farmers Market feature after the 28th of the month in the Hawai'i HomeGrown Food Network pages. (*)

 

After the visit to the farmers market it was time for lunch and we chose a place where we look forward to eating anytime we're in the North Kohala area.

 

The Courtyard Cafe is located in the quaint Nanbu Building on Akoni Pule Highway, the main street in Kapa'au.

 

The Nanbu Building, which records show has been standing at least since 1898, has had a rich history and served as a hotel and restaurant in the 1920s until it closed down in the 1960s after the death of the owner.

 

It wasn't until sometime in 1999 that the building was renovaded and several businesses moved in, among them The Courtyard Cafe.

 

The beautiful courtyard in back of the building lends its name to the cafe.

 

The menu is quite ambitious yet simple.  Pastries, breads, panini, sandwiches, soup of the day, salads and mouth watering desserts get served Monday to Friday from 6:30 am until 3 pm and Saturdays from 7:30 am until 2 pm.

 

 

 

 

 

I ordered the Focaccia Panini; stuffed with melted Provolone, basil and a taponade made with olives and walnuts.  A fresh garden salad was included on the plate.

 

 

 

 

Anthony ordered the Reuben Panini which, of course, included corned beef, melted Swiss Chesse, sauerkraut and Russian Dressing.   A fresh garden salad was also included on the plate.

 

 

 

 

After lunch we had a couple of hours before we were scheduled to attend a cooking class up in that area, so we spent it driving to the end of the Akoni Pule Highway (Hawaii State Highway 270) to the scenic Pololu Valley viewing area.

 

 

 

The day was a bit cloudy by then so the photo is not as clear as I would have liked. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Spirit of Aloha is alive & well in North Kohala - providing not only water but even a receptacle for your 'opala' (rubbish)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back down to our next destination, we noticed this humorous detail on the side of the road.  The Spirit of Mischief & Humor is also very much alive & well in North Kohala.

 

The cooking class experience will be my next posting!

 

(*) The Kino'ole Farmers Market feature

Cooking from the Garden

 
This past Saturday, my son Anthony and I spent all morning and part of the early afternoon at Mala'ai - Culinary Garden at Waimea Middle School with a fun group of people. 

The director and mainstay of the garden is Amanda Rieux who at one time worked with Alice Waters' Edible School Yard in Berkeley for four years. 

 

We had a great time. The group toured the garden; we picked greens; harvested cassava/yuca; harvested 'uala (sweet potatoes, both purple and... creamy yellow); fresh laid eggs were gathered and lots of other stuff which later was prepared, cooked and eaten right in the garden!

 The garden now has 2 small coops with chickens and we had the freshest eggs we've ever eaten made into an omelet with chopped fresh chives - both leaves and blossoms....the color of the yolks were incredibly yellow...and the taste was like I remember eggs tasting when I was growing up.

As part of a series of workshops at the garden, Amanda, with the help of Matilda Thompson, Alethea Lai and the participation of all of us and a bit of fresh garden magic, whipped up a simple, bountiful and delicious menu which had all of us ooohing and aaahing before we sat to the table.

 After the meal and while some of the group cleaned and washed up, a few of us helped weed and mulch some of the beds as we 'sang for our supper'...

The weather couldn't have been nicer and the day was perfect in every way!

Photo above: from bottom left, clockwise: Tapioca Pancake, Purple & Creamy Yellow Sweet Potatoes, Mixed Greens, Boiled Cassava ((Manihot esculenta aka yuca, tapioca), Chive Greens and Blossoms Omelet, Arugula - Pecan Pesto and Sauteed Kabocha Pumpkin with Fried Sage Leaves

Cooking from the Garden Menu

Kabocha Pumpkin and Fried Sage Leaves Sauté

Steamed 'Uala (sweet potato)

Tapioca Pancake - aka Yuca or Cassava

Assorted Mixed Greens - Collards, Kale, Amaranth, Basil, Tatsoi and Bok Choy

Fresh Eggs Omelet with Snipets of Chive Greens and Blossoms

Arugula - Pecan Pesto

Dipping Sauces

 

Arugula - Pecan Pesto

 

4 packed cups washed arugula - about 8 ounces

1 small garlic clove

1 cup chopped pecans (toasting optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt - or to taste

1 - 2 teaspoons lemon juice (or to taste)

1 - 2 Tablespoons (packed measure) golden raisins (or more)

5 - 6 Tablespoons extra-cirgin olive oil (possibly more)

 

Place the arugula, garlic, pecans and salt in a food processor (or use mortar and pestle) fitted with the steel blade.  Pulse until pulverized, adding lemon juice and raisins as you go.

Run the processor again, drizzling the olice oil in a steady stream.  When it reaches the consistency you prefer, stop and transfer to a small container with tight-fitting lid.  Taste to adjust seasonings. Cover the top of the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil to store.  Keep in refrigerator until needed.

 

Yields: about 1-1/3 cups

Source: "The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without" by Mollie Katzen - Hyperion Press

 

Dipping Sauce

Garlic Cloves

Chile Peppers

Sea Salt

Ginger (optional)

Cilantro or Parsley (optional)

Lime or Lemon juice (*)

Water - equal amount as lime juice

 

Smash garlic cloves, chiles and salt in a mortar with a pestle, to make a paste.  Add the ginger pieces and the cilantro or parsley, if using, and continue pounding it with the pestle until well incorporated.  Add the lime juice and water.  Mix well.  Serve

(*) If no lime or lemon is available use Balsamic vinegar