Sonia Tastes Hawaii

Off the Beaten Path - Hakalau Gulch

Needing to clear my brain after a couple of hours of doing research for a project, I got in the car to drive just a bit up the highway from where we live... decided to take the little Wailea-Hakalau road which starts just a couple of miles north.

Meandering through the village of Wailea I noticed this beautifully landscaped yard, nestled down below the road

Driving past the Hakalau Post Office I made it a point to stop at the top of the pali (steep slope or cliff) above Hakalau Gulch

Hakalau Gulch is the location of an old sugar mill that was destroyed during the tsunami of 1960.  The old ruins are still visible and have been incorporated into the now landscaped park-like area.

The bridge above is part of the Highway 19 Belt Road system that circles the island.  View towards the ocean from the little causeway that spans the Hakalau Stream.

View upstream from the causeway spanning Hakalau Stream

It's a peaceful and lovely location and a place where many of the people in the area go to picnic or surf.  The water beyond the sandbar is a bit too rough for swimming but inside the sandbar is a favorite place for kids to splash around.

Next time I drive over I will take more photos of the park and beach area, but today there were too many people enjoying a gorgeous day and I didn't want to intrude.

When you visit Hawai'i be sure to find the little off the beaten path roads and byways, and take your time...you never know what you're going to find.  \m/

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Picadillo a la Criolla

Picadillo is one of those typically simple home style dishes that lend themselves to the interpretation of the cook.  Originally served mainly in homes, it can now be found on the menu of many Cuban restaurants.

Traditionally, picadillo was made with ground beef, but more and more cooks are using ground turkey.  Some people add equal amounts of ground pork or ham to the ground beef or turkey.  Others like to add diced fried potatoes.  Some do all of the above!!!!!

Picadillo is mostly served over white fluffy rice.  You might also see it with a topping of fried eggs - sunny side up!  It is also used as the filling for some meat pastries we call "pastelitos de carne" (meat pastries) which I like to make using puff pastry.

Photo: while simmering and before most of the liquid had evaporated

The following is the very basic recipe for picadillo.  Below, I mention some of the optional seasonings and ingredients that you can add to make it more "typical".

1/4 to 1/2 pound ground beef (or turkey ground)
1 Tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 medium chopped onion
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 a green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine (*)

Sauté the onion, garlic and bell pepper in the oil (**) until onion is slightly limp.  Add the ground meat and sauté until brown and crumbly.  Stir constantly so it will not stick.  If the meat is not lean, it will release grease; discard (***)

Add the bay leaf, wine and tomato sauce and cook for a few more minutes, stirring, until most of the liquid evaporates.

(*) I usually mention the following on recipe that contain wine of any kind, but it bears repeating.  Never use the so-called cooking wines.  They are way too salty and loaded with more chemicals and preservatives than regular table wine.  For this recipe, I use an inexpensive dry white table wine, dry vermouth or dry Sherry. 

One of the first things I learned from all of my cooking teachers and mentors was that if it is not good enough for drinking straight out of the bottle it is not good enough for cooking with it either!

(**) The combination of sautéing some veggies and herbs in oil is called a "sofrito".  The above sofrito is about as basic as you can get. 

(***) I now use island-raised grass-fed beef since it doesn't contain as much fat.  The amount of grease rendered when the meat is sautéed is almost negligible.

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS FOR PICADILLO:
You can add cumin powder and dried oregano along with a bay leaf to the sofrito.

Just before adding the tomato sauce and wine you can add a handful of raisins and about 1/4 cup of chopped green olives with pimiento stuffing.  I like to buy the "salad style" olives which are already chopped, but if I can't find them, I use regular pimento stuffed olives and slice them.  The combination of the sweet raisins and the briny olives is quite pleasing to me.  Mix well in the simmering meat.

You can also add a couple of teaspoonfuls of capers and mix well.

Peel, cut and dice a large potato and fry it separately.  Add to the cooked picadillo and mix well.

I don't normally add salt or pepper to the picadillo.  I find that when I use the olives and the capers, the brine is usually enough to season the dish.

 Buen Provecho!

 

Crema Catalana

Although I like many different kinds of desserts, my personal preferences are for those with a custard or cream base.  Whatever you call them; Bavarian Cream, Crème Anglaise, Flan, Crème Brulée, Natilla, Islas Flotantes, Crema Catalana, Leche Quemada...I love them all!

 

For the last couple of weeks I've been playing with Crema Catalana...a Spanish sort of version of the French Crème Brulée originating in the Catalonia region of Spain (think Barcelona). 

 

Although many people think of Crème Brulée and Crema Catalana as the same dessert with different names, Crema Catalana is not as heavy nor rich as it's French relative.

 

Crema Catalana or Burnt Cream or Leche Quemada as it is sometimes called, was originally a traditional dessert served to honor Saint Joseph on his 'Saint Day', March 19th.  My son was born on March 19th and his Cuban (paternal) grandmother first introduced me to this tradition on my son's first birthday. She made it every year on his birthday while we were living with my in-laws. 

 

Saint Joseph's Day is nowhere near Christmas, but Saint Joseph is associated with Christmas...and following that logic, I decided to make it for the first time for our Christmas Eve dinner.

 

My first try tasted good but it was a bit too thin and the amount of calamandin rind I used (instead of orange or lemon rind) was a bit too strong.

 

My second try on Friday before New Year's Eve resulted in a bit creamier and thicker consistency and the citrus rind was a little more elusive.

 

I don't have a salamander (an iron disc attached to a handle which is heated and traditionally used to caramelize the sugar on top) nor do I have a culinary butane torch used by many chefs, so I used the broiler part of my toaster-oven to caramelize the top of the first ones, which I served in ramekins. 

 

The second batch was served in my adorable little green glass pedestal cups and I didn't want to chance putting them under such high heat, so I made the caramel in a pan and poured it over the top of the crema.  The results were not as delicately a crispy topping, but it tasted ok and it did 'crack or shatter' when tapped with a spoon.

 

My two attempts just made me realize that if I'm going to make this dessert more often, I better get one of the butane torches to make my life easier.

 

Crema Catalana

 

2 cups milk (*)

1 short cinnamon stick

1 lemon rind (*)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 egg yolks

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup superfine sugar (*)

 

Pour milk into a thick-bottomed saucepan, add the cinnamon stick, citrus rind and vanilla extract and bring to a boil. Simmer for several minutes and then discard the cinnamon stick and citrus rind. Set aside.

Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl and add the cornstarch and 3/4 cup of the sugar, whisking until the mixture is creamy. Gradually pour this mixture into the saucepan with the warm milk, whisking continuously so as not to curdle the eggs.

Heat the mixture slowly until it begins to thicken, taking care that the mixture does not boil. Pour into ramekins, small individual clay paella type dishes or heatproof molds.  Allow to cool, and refrigerate for several hours.

Just before serving, sprinkle the remaining sugar evenly over each ramekin or mold. If using a salamander, make sure it is red-hot.  If using a blow torch, use now to caramelize the sugar. 

If using a broiler, turn the broiler on before sprinkling the sugar on top of the dessert. Place the dishes under the broiler until the sugar topping begins to caramelize. Remove from the broiler and serve.

NOTES:

(*) I used one cup each of milk and whipping cream; the texture was silkier.

(*) I found that the rind of a whole lemon (or the equivalent in calamondin orange rinds which was what I used) was too much.  I used only the rind of one small calamondin for my second try.

(*) Original recipe calls for caster sugar which I can't find here.  Caster sugar is a superfine granulated sugar (not the same as powdered sugar) so I took a cup of regular granulated and put it through my small food processor with the metal blades and processed until quite fine.

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!)