by TheLastWonton | Sep 5, 2010 | Appetizers & Snacks, Beef, Pork & Lamb, Main Dishes
MY HAWAIIAN KITCHEN
Delectable memoirs of living on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai high above the famed Kona Coast on the beguiling Big Island of Hawaii.
Fall-off-the-bone-tender, grilled baby back ribs boasting succulent, juicy layers of Asian-y flavors.
Dear Journal – Our dear friend and Kona historian, Aunty Jo who exemplifies all things charming about this amazing island, continues to teach us Hawaiiana. We’re hungry to learn and know more about the traditions and culture of the Islands and of Kona, so Aunty Jo happily bestows some of her enviable knowledge of the people and the islands upon us. Family stories of kahuna (ministers or priests, spiritual teachers) and aumakuas (family or personal gods who might assume the shape of animals or plants) and how Kona grew up with her. Heck she can even remember as a little girl, when Kona was truly a sleepy fishing village, that Shirley Temple came for a visit and together, this very famous little girl and this truly Hawaiian little girl found common ground on the steps of Hulihee Palace, playing jacks. Yesterday after we learned how to make maile leaf leis under Aunty Jo’s patient and diligent direction I made some falling-off-the-bone tender baby back ribs, rice and macaroni salad to top off the delicious Hawaiianness of the day. The ribs were a hit and inspired some great talk story and ol’ time Big Island wild boar hunting tales.
4-5 pounds pork baby back ribs
1 head garlic, skin left on, cut in half horizontally to expose cloves
1 Maui, Walla Walla, Vidalia or other sweet onion, quartered
1 – 2 teaspoons dried red chile flakes
2 teaspoons sea or Kosher salt
Marinade:
Just about 3 cups cooking water
3/4 cup dark shoyu (soy sauce)
1/4 cup ketchup
2 heaping tablespoons granulated garlic powder
2 tablespoons Asian chile paste (sambal oelek)
Glaze:
1 – 1 1/2 cups Thai sweet chile sauce
Cut ribs into serving size lengths and toss into a large pot. Cover with cold water and toss in garlic, onion, chile flakes and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently until ribs are tender, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
When ribs are done, pour just 3 cups of the hot cooking water in a large bowl. Add rest of marinade ingredients and whisk to combine. Lay the ribs into the marinade, turning to ensure ribs are well coated with all those glorious flavours. Let ribs laze in the marinade 4 to 12 hours, refrigerated, turning occasionally.
Preheat BBQ to medium-high. Remove ribs from marinade, discard marinade. Grill ribs brushing often with lots of Thai sweet chile sauce, until edges are delectably crispy, about 15-20 minutes. Mmmmm.
HOME
by TheLastWonton | Sep 2, 2010 | Baking & Desserts, Breakfast & Brunch, Fruits, Pies, Treats
Quick. Quick!
Hurry. Hurry!!
Get 'em now!
The season is upon us, but it doesn't last long. PEACH TIME! Local orchards are bursting to share their beautiful, bountifully heavy August crop with us. Woohooo! Okanagan peaches are ripe and ready, ready, freddy to go. I love this time of year!
Getting your hands on that first peach of the season is unforgettable, always. No ceremony needed, just peel that baby as fast as possible and gobble it – at the beach, in the yard, over the sink…… those sweet juices run down your chin and arms, it’s messy but there’s no better rite of passage into peach season.
Now, with that fresh-picked fix out of the way, it's time to ponder other peachy possibilities……..jam, crisp, pie, upside-down cake, pavlova, strudel. So naturally I plunk down at my computer and head off to the food blogs in search of something peachy keen. Ah ha! It didn't take me long to find exactly what I was looking for.
COOKIE-TOP PEACH COBBLER………Continued
by TheLastWonton | Sep 1, 2010 | Appetizers & Snacks, Beef, Pork & Lamb, Main Dishes, Salads & Bowls, Sides, Veggies
I yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam. toot! toot!
Sorry, I don’t know what came over me there. It’s that old association thing. I see spinach, I hear Popeye.
When I was a kid that can of spinach that Popeye muscled open never particularly got my cravings revved up. Nope, never. But my oh my, how things have changed. I kind of have a thing now for fresh baby spinach. Bonus of bonuses, ‘cuz it’s really, really good for us.
Now I do crave spinach. Spinach salad to be precise. Eon’s ago my husband and I owned and operated a fine little restaurant in Kelowna called Chianti’s. One of Chianti’s most popular menu items, hands down, was Spinach Salad. Mmmm…..mmm…..mmmm……. a damn fine way to get my spinach fix!
But yes, I admit it. Alright, already. It’s not so much about the fresh leafy greens as it is the gloriously creamy, cheddary dressing, toasty homemade croutons and topping of fresh crispy bacon bits. But raise your forks high and rejoice that under that sumptuous, if slightly evil cloak of delicious dressing there is pure unadulterated dark, garden-fresh greens. The best of both worlds!
And remember, with this salad recipe in hand, we’ll all be strong to the finich! toot! toot!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Here we go……………. Cut a few slices of bacon into bite size chunks and fry up until just crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside. You might have to put these tasty tiny tidbits away, in the back of a cupboard or something, so that you don’t munch them ’til they’re gone. That’ll keep them out of reach of all the hungry hands that pass through the kitchen while you’re cooking too. There’s just something about bacon bits…..
This dressing is a two-step process and you CANNOT get away without using both your electric mixer AND your blender. Believe me, I’ve tried. I can’t explain it. It just doesn’t turn out the same. First you slowly add the oil, vinegar and lemon juice to the egg-and-spice mixture in the bowl of your electric mixer. Once that is a done deal, pour the dressing into blender container and buzz for at least 30 seconds until the mixture gets incredibly thick and creamy. Now it’s time to stir in the grated cheddar and chopped green onions.
Now you can let the dressing chill for a bit in the fridge or you can throw that salad together right away. Add handfuls of fresh baby spinach to medium mixing bowl with a few homemade croutons. Toss.
Plate your salad and top generously with fresh bacon bits. Dig in!
CHIANTI’S SPINACH SALAD
2 eggs
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons hot prepared horseradish
2 cups vegetable, corn, canola oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
3-4 green onions, chopped
Fresh baby spinach leaves
Homemade or top quality store-bought croutons
Homemade bacon bits
In the medium or large bowl of electric mixer add eggs, brown sugar, salt, mustard, Worcestershire and horseradish.
Pour oil into a large measuring cup. Combine vinegar and lemon juice in a small measuring cup. Beat egg mixture on low to medium-low speed to combine. With mixer running, alternately add oil and vinegar-lemon juice mixture in a slow, steady stream, beginning and ending with oil.
Transfer dressing to blender container and buzz on high for at least 30 seconds or until mixture is gloriously thick and creamy. Transfer to large jar or bowl for storage and stir in grated cheddar and green onions. Chill at least 1 hour. Will keep up to 1 week, covered in the fridge.
To make salad, toss spinach into large mixing bowl. Add croutons and a few spoonfuls of dressing. Gently toss, toss, mix, mix until spinach leaves are just coated with all those creamy flavours, adding more dressing if necessary. Plate your salads and top with lots of homemade, crispy bacon bits.
EAT SPINACH! toot! toot!
HOME
by TheLastWonton | Sep 1, 2010 | Appetizers & Snacks, Holiday & Seasonal, Sauces, Dips & Condiments, Seafood, Treats
I come from a long line of fantastic cooks and passionate foodies. I'd say it's our family legacy.
As far back as I can remember, our family gatherings and special occasions spill over with animated chatter, secret giggles, big warm laughs, juicy gossip, rousing board games and deep, quiet heart to hearts in the corner. But no matter what the occasion, the centrepiece of coming together as a family was and is, the food. The glorious food. Food that fills your belly and your soul.
Now when we gather we even talk about the food that we used to eat in days gone by. Our faces light up in unison when someone mentions Auntie Alice's Stampede BBQ's, or that home-made Chinese feast at my in-laws that went on for hours, or Auntie Frizzle's caramel covered marshmallows, or Mom's apple pies. Love-soaked memories, that we share repeatedly with each other so we can celebrate together again the homespun feasts that we each have tucked away in our minds, for safe keeping.
MOM'S CRAB DIP………………Continued
by TheLastWonton | Aug 21, 2010 | Appetizers & Snacks, Sauces, Dips & Condiments, Sides, Vegetarian
♪♫ ♪♫ Onions, onions la, la, la. Onions, onions, ha, ha, ha…..But mmmmm, I love onions. ♪♫ ♪♫
Remember that strange, but way fun, old song? Damn catchy little ditty. The perfect sing song accompaniment when you’re making onion pakoras. These golden crispy, aromatic little tasties are one of the more recent cravings added to the must-make-more-often list at our house. Once you try them, you’ll see what I mean.
Onions rings, move over! In fact, hmmmm…….you poor dears, alas, shoo, shoo. Pakoras have arrived and they’re here to stay.
A few months back, in those cold, dark winter months, whilst scooting about online one afternoon, onion pakoras popped out of the screen and hit me right in the kisser. Lucky me! I was browsing and perusing the food blog, Seven Spoons and there they were in all their simplistic, yummy glory.
They sounded so good to me, that I would have made them right then and there, but I had to wait a day or two to do a grocery run for chickpea flour. Something that never used to be a staple in my pantry, but is now. If you’re like me and think, ‘well I’ll just substitute flour or rice flour, or flour and cornstarch for the batter’, then think again. Do yourself a favour and go get a bag of chickpea flour from the Asian cooking section of your grocery store. And make some onion pakoras.
They’re sooooo easy to make! All you need are some nice sweet onions, like Vidalia, Walla Walla or Maui, that chickpea flour and a pinch or three of sea salt. That’s it. Wow, eh?! Of course you can always go on a pakora taste adventure from time to time and throw in some chopped fresh cilantro and eensy bits of minced fresh jalapeno. Great options!
No matter if you choose the extras or remain a purist, the results will tickle your tastebuds, make that mouthfeel gauge thingie you have and anyone you serve these babies to happy, happy.
I usually mix a bit of ketchup, mayonnaise, horseradish and a splash of dark soy sauce together for a dip. Everyone loves it and can’t figure out what the heck it is. These onion crispies are also yummy with a shot of soy sauce or fresh squeezed lime. Have your way with them, you can’t go wrong.
Before you know it, you’ll have chickpea flour in your pantry and be singing and humming…….. Onions, onions la, la la….
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Here we go…………. Cut onions into very thin rings. The fantastic thing about pakoras is that the different thicknesses and off-kilter slices (that we always end up with) just add to the delicious texture of the finished pakora.
Mix, mix, chickpea flour with salt and water until about the same consistency as cream before it’s whipped.
Heat oil in wok, pot or fryer and plop little tangled clumps of battered onions carefully into the hot oil. Fry, flip and fry. As Seven Spoons says, ‘the messier your clump of onions, the more texture there will be in the finished fritter.’ Amen!
Fry about 1 minute per side ’til crispy golden, then remove to drain on newspaper or paper towels. Sprinkle with sea salt while hot.
Serve hot with dip, soy sauce or fresh squeezed lime.
ONION PAKORAS
2 large sweet onions – Vidalia, Walla Walla, Maui, sliced into super duper thin rings
About 1/2 – 3/4 cup chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon sea, Kosher or your favorite salt
Water
Oil for frying
Salt for sprinkling
Dip – you pick – ketchup, chili sauce, blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing, soy sauce, fresh squeezed lime
Plop sliced onion rings into medium bowl. In another small bowl mix together chickpea flour and salt. Gradually whisk in enough cold water until mixture is the consistency of unwhipped cream. Whisk with pizzazz so you get a little froth happening.
In wok, heavy-bottom pot or fryer heat oil to about 350F. Mix the batter into the onion rings, stirring gently until evenly coated. Using a fork or your fingers pick up a small clump of onion rings and let the excess batter drip off.
Carefully drop the tangle of onions into the hot oil and fry about one minute, until golden on the one side. Flip and fry until crispy golden on the other side. Remove from oil to drain on newspapers or paper towels. Sprinkle with sea salt right away. Repeat, frying a few at a time until they’re gone, baby, gone.
Serve immediately with your dip or condiment of choice. Your guests will be mmmm-ing from the very first bite!
