Sonia Tastes Hawaii

Fun filled day in Volcano

Until yesterday, Gail was a friend of a friend whom I enjoyed meeting through Facebook and we became FB friends.  We are now face to face friends...

Gail and her husband Robert live in a gorgeous piece of property near Hawai'i National Volcanoes Park where they have an open pavillion in the forest used for weddings and parties.  They also have an adorable vacation rental 'tree house' -

Gail invited the two of us to join her for a day of gathering wild berries and flowers in her neighborhood.  I jumped at the chance.  Devany met me at the Puainako parking lot in front of KTA supermarket and then we drove together to Volcano.

Gail took us to several 'secret places' to collect blackberries.  We also found some berries that Gail called ohelo berries, but these grew on a taller bush and the leaves were not like the ohelos I was familiar with.  They are quite tart.  Other berries I found in a real 'Brer' Rabbitt thicket of brambles was what Devany and Gail say are Himalayan raspberries.  Needless to say they are invasive and quite ruthless, as I can attest by my pricked and bleeding right hand after I got out of there....I later noticed neither of them went in with me!

The flowers!....what can I say about the flowers....actually, not much more than they were spectacular. 

Wild Kahili ginger......

The Kahili are very invasive and are being pulled in many areas, but they are so beautiful and smell delicious. 

...............nasturtiums growing wild next to ginger among tall grasses

.........................and a spectacular stand of hydrangeas that were huge bushes all intertwined with tall grasses. 

 The color range was from cobalt to sky blue to very light blue and the faded flower heads were striking in shades of old fashioned dusty rose and rust orangey-rose.

Terrestial wild orchids growing at Gail's

 
Afterwards we drove over to the Kipuka Puaulu area (aka Bird Park) on Mauna Loa Road (just off highway 11) to eat our picnic.  There was enough to feed several more people.  I'm sorry I didn't get a photo of  Devany's salad as it was not only delicious but it was very colorful.

Tomatoes from my garden....

Sweet ham, pepper baked turkey, deliciously creamy Brie and guava wood smoked chevre pyramid from the Hawai'i Island Goat Dairy

After arriving back home I made several arrangements with the flowers and placed them all over the house....

My friend Sue loved nasturtiums and her favorite colors were blue and white with an Oriental theme, so I chose this porcelain basket shaped container in her honor.

Sue's flowers and the berries picked

To prove that we did get some berries, though they weren't as prolific as we would have wanted, it was still a lot of fun to hunt and pick them.

Not sure what I'll make with them but will share the recipe when I do...

 Hydrangeas on the lanai

Hydrangeas with yellow heliconia from our yard on the back lanai -

 

Hydrangeas in the bathroom

I already had an arrangement of flowers from the Hilo farmers market I got last Saturday; lilies, tuberoses, zinnias, yellow heliconias and one tall sunflower to which I added the terrestial orchids I picked yesterday.

the Kahili ginger arrangement is on the back lanai - I put in some stems of wawae'iole or 'pipe cleaner' ferns that grow in the higher elevations of Volcano and middle elevations of Saddle Road between the two large volcanoes; Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.  The Kahili was picked with buds closed and they just started opening a little bit this morning...should be in full bloom in a couple of days.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Since I made the ricotta night before last, I've been dreaming of making Eggplant Parmigiana using my own garden grown eggplants and herbs, my homemade ricotta and my own roasted tomato sauce...(Move over Martha....!)

Yesterday was a sort of complicated day, and it wasn't until this afternoon that I could spend a little bit of time in the kitchen.

My version of this dish is just a little bit different than most in that I like to dip the eggplant slices in beaten eggs and then in seasoned panko before frying.  I use a mixture of ricotta and sour cream for 'creaminess' and a mixture of good olive oil and vegetable oil for the frying.

Eggplant Parmigiana

 

Eggplants - sliced about 1/4 inch thick

Eggs - beaten

Panko - seasoned to taste

Ricotta

Sour cream

Herbs - chopped

Eggs - beaten

Seasonings - to taste

Roasted tomato sauce - click on link

Parmesan cheese - grated

 

 

Mixture of olive oil and vegetable oil to fry the eggplant slices

 

Slice the eggplants about 1/4 inch thick.  You may peel or not, depends on your own taste.  I leave them on.  Dip the eggplant slices in the beaten egg, then in the seasoned pank.  Fry at medium-high until golden.  Drain.

 

 

 

Mix ricotta, sour cream, chopped herbs (I used basil and fresh oregano), eggs (I used the leftover beaten eggs from dipping the eggplant slices) and seasonings together.

 

 

 

Start layering fried eggplant slices on a baking dish or gratin pans.  Spread with some of the cheese mixture, then a thin layer of the tomato sauce, sprinkle with Parmigiano (I had a chunk of Parmigiano-Romano which I grated).  Repeat layers as needed.

 

 

If using gratin pans, you might be able to do only one layer.  My deep-sided glass baking dish let me do three layers - I started with 3 small eggplants and 1 pound of the ricotta.

I topped it by sprinkling with the leftover seasoned panko.

 

 

Baked at 350 F for about 45 minutes.  Let it rest about 10 minutes or so when you take out of oven before spooning or cutting.

 

 

The panko gives a nice crunchy texture to the top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making homemade cheeses.........

(Photo credit) - Chef Olelo pa'a Faith Ogawa with her mobile phone...

 

I attended a fun all day cheesemaking class yesterday in Waimea, offered by Vicki Dunaway who works with Dick and Heather Threfall at their Hawai'i Island Goat Dairy.

 

We donned aprons and hairnets and after reviewing the packed full folder-packets Vicki had put together for us, we got started with the cheesemaking process.

 

(Photo) Olelo pa'a adding renet to the feta mix

 

We made several cheeses in class - cottage cheese, feta, havarti and camembert, but the camembert didn't turn out so it was added back to the whey from the other cheeses.

 

(Photo) Feta cheese in molds 

 

My share of the feta cheese was brought home and set to brining in a 10% salt to water mix.  I will be packing it in olive oil and adding fresh rosemary, garlic cloves and some of the red hot Hawaiian chile peppers to it.

 

Several members of the class took half gallon jars of whey home to make ricotta with.  I took 2 half gallon jars. 

 

(Photo) Filling half gallon jars with whey after the class.

 

I started to make my ricotta when I got home - it was a very primitive set up since I had to use my meat thermometer to make sure I reached the right temp for the whey/milk combination and my meat thermometer shaft was not long enough to just clip on the edge of my stockpot... I had to hold the thermometer with one hand and stir with the other...hot work...but I got it done and to the mix I added the bit of salt and then apple cider vinegar...and made ricotta!

(Photo) Vicki during class 

 

Ratio of whey and milk to acid for ricotta = 2 gallon fresh whey - 1 quart milk - 1/4 cup acid (lemon juice, lime juice or apple cider vinegar)

 

I started with about 1 gallon of fresh whey (Ph of about 5) and added 1/2 qt no fat milk - if you want it creamier use whole milk or add a tablespoon of cream -  and 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

Heat to 200 degrees slowly on low temp - use a long shaft thermometer that you can clip on lip of stockpot - stirring often.

 

(Photo) is it cheese yet? 

 

It took a while of stirring the whey, milk combination to reach the 200 degrees needed and since my thermomether is a meat one and not one of the ones with long shaft, it was ackward to hold it with one hand over the edge of the stockpot and into the liquid to get a constant reading....but I will certainly be investing in a proper thermometer now....

At about 140 degrees add salt. I used less than a Tbsp. ...
Continue heating and stirring periodically until it reaches 200 degrees.  do not let it boil

Turn off and add acid (lemon juice, lime juice or apple cider vinegar- I used the apple cider vinegar) and stir.

Let it sit a while

Prepare a colander lined with layers of cheesecloth and set it over a grid (I used one of my cookie cooling racks) or an oven rack - and set it over a larger container to catch the whey dripping - I used a large glass bowl.

Start laddling the mixture into the cheesecloth covered colander and keep adding as it drains - let it sit a few minutes. You can squeeze it to drain more but I didn't want a very dry ricotta so I let it retain some moisture.

 

(Photo) my ricotta - I got about a pound of ricotta for my gallon of whey and milk  mix.

The leftover whey I saved to add to our dog Phoebe's food - she loved it!  If you have chickens or livestock mix it with their water.  According to one of the attendees, a couple of days after starting to mix whey in the water for her chickens, the eggs were actually bigger and better.

I bought a cheesemaking book and will be trying my hand at others...  I'm strting with the easier ones...!  I think either mascarpone or queso blanco will be next...

Farmers market stop...

As part of a series of articles for the Hawai'i HomeGrown Food Network featuring farmers markets around the Big Island of Hawai'i, I visited the Waimea Homestead Farmers Market this past Saturday.

I won't give away the 'plot' of the feature here, but had to make some comments and share some photos.

The flowers are spectacular!  If you don't get there early and grab your first pick, it will be gone before you know it... 

 
 
 A lot of the produce are things not available in our own neck of the woods, since Waimea is located at a much higher elevation than Hilo....so you can find some things like artichokes that aren't seen elsewhere.  

I ended up buying yellow wax beans, a couple of different goat cheese selections, baby artichokes and some gorgeous mushrooms... I was tempted with the fennel, but I have some growing in our garden I can hardly wait for....

For the rest, you'll just have to catch the feature article at the Hawai'i HomeGrown Food Network website towards the end of the month!

 

Salad Days

When the summer is fiercer, we turn to salads. Almost any food is appropriate for making a salad.

Combine an assortment of greens, vegetables or fruit and almost in an instant, a salad is born. It is one of the easiest things to plan and make and in most instances, requires little or no cooking and very little time.

Some of the things we need to remember when making salads are quite basic:

Always wash greens and vegetables well before storing or using.

Dry greens gently so as not to bruise them and roll them up in clean kitchen or tea towels then place in refrigerator until ready to use or line your refrigerator crisper drawer or vegetable bin with several layers of paper towels (*) to absorb excess moisture.

 

Make sure the greens you use are perfectly dry and the dressing will cling better. A small salad spinner is a very good investment. Your greens will shed excess liquid and remain crisper longer after spinning dry.

Never use a knife to cut lettuce. Always tear it apart and it will not brown so quickly. Wrap tea towels or small kitchen towels around celery stalks and they will last crisper longer in the refrigerator.

Remember that you can’t freeze whole celery stalks, but you can if you cut them into small pieces. Store them, washed, dried and cut, in freezer quality plastic zipper type bags.

If you are fortunate enough to grow your own greens or salad vegetables, be sure to add four tablespoons of salt to a gallon of water when you are washing them. By washing off the greens in this solution, you will get rid of any uninvited little critters that came along for the ride.

Another good piece of advice to remember is, to keep salads fresh until guests arrive, cover with a damp, clean tea or kitchen towel and store in refrigerator. Also, to keep your salad fresher longer, don’t add the dressing until you are ready to serve….or better yet, let your guests serve their own dressing when they are ready to eat.

(*) At home we have eliminated using paper towels for several reasons, the biggest one being to live a ‘greener life’, conserve trees and using mostly things that are recyclable or can decompose in our compost pile.

Even though outdoor grills are a year-round fixture here in Hawai’i, we seem to rely on them more during the summer months, keeping the heat outdoors, where it belongs! The following are several recipes that are wonderfully simple to prepare, leaving you more time to spend sipping coolers by the beach.

 

GRILLED MOJITO SHRIMP-MANGO KEBABS

Try these dipped in the Papaya-Mango Salsa that follows. Yields 4 kebabs. Recipe can easily be doubled for larger groups.

1 cup No-Cook Mojito

1 teaspoon ground achiote seeds or paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 Tablespoon dark honey

3 large slightly green mangoes

2 large sweet onions

36 medium raw shrimp (about 2 pounds) shelled and deveined

For the glaze, combine first four ingredients in a small saucepan.

Bring to a boil, and then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside. This can be done earlier in the day.

Cut mangoes and onions into chunks about 1/4 inch in diameter.

Thread onto skewers, alternating with the shrimp.

Allow your coals or gas grill to heat to medium (300oF-350oF).

Brush the grill rack with oil to prevent food from sticking.

Grill until shrimp is opaque, about 3-4 minutes per side.

Just before removing skewers from grill, brush both sides generously with the reserved glaze. Leave the kabobs over the fire just long enough for the glaze to color. Serve on a ti leaf covered platter.

NO-COOK MOJITO

Mojito (moh-hée-toe) is the seasoning of preference in the Caribbean.

It is used like ketchup in North America. All sorts of meats, fish, seafood and vegetables lend themselves to being sprinkled or smothered with mojito!

4 cups fresh squeezed Seville orange juice (*) about 20 oranges

Fresh squeezed juice of 4 limes

2 cups olive oil

12 cloves garlic, crushed

8 Tablespoons finely chopped onion

4 Tablespoons dry Sherry

4 teaspoons salt

4 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 cup minced fresh gingerroot.

Stir together the citrus juices and whisk in the oil, then the garlic, onion, sherry and spices. Last add the minced ginger.

Place in a bottle or jar with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate at least 1 day before using. Keeps in the refrigerator about 2 weeks

(*) Valencia oranges are quite tart. If not available, use equal portions of freshly squeezed orange and lime juices.

 

PAPAYA-MANGO SALSA

Complements fish, grilled shrimp, cold roast beef or chicken

1/2 papaya, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-size cubes

1/2 mango, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes

1 fresh jalapeño pepper seeded and minced

1 green onion, minced, with some of the green

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tablespoon finely chopped sweet red pepper

Papaya seeds to taste (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

The papaya seeds will impart a nice crunch and a mild peppery flavor.

If you would like to use this salsa as a dip, pour in the bowl of a processor or blender and process smooth.