$266 Million Winning Lottery Recipes - L & L Hawaiian Barbecue Cookbook - Memorial Day

Date I made this recipe:  May 29, 2017 – Memorial Day

$266 Million Winning Lottery Recipes – L & L Hawaiian Barbecue Cookbook by Eddie Flores, Jr.

Published by L & L Franchise Inc.

ISBN: 10: 1-56647-988-6; copyright 2012

Purchased at Hilo Bay Books, Hilo, Hawaii

Recipe:  Macaroni Salad – p. 119

"On May 6, 2010, Gilbert Cisneros bought a lottery ticket at the L & L Hawaiian Barbecue Restaurant in Pico Rivera, California and won $266 million dollars, one of the largest mega million lottery jackpots in history."

What McDonald's is to the mainland, L & L Hawaiian Barbecue is to Hawaii which is to say that it is everywhere, space permitting.  Yet despite the fact that it is everywhere,  it took us until our last trip there (2016) to finally get around to trying it while we were out roaming around the Big Island.  I can't recall exactly where except I believe we were down around the southern tip which puts us somewhere around Naalehu. 

I'll just say this about that:  our bad. 

The thing about fast food places in Hawaii is that they are often customized to include local favorites.  Years ago, for example, on my first trip to Hawaii, a friend and I stopped at a local McDonald's and were amused to find sashimi on the menu.  Sashimi is raw fish or meat that is sliced into thin pieces.  That McDonald's also carried sushi long before it became all the rage.

Similarly, L & L's carry a mix of everything you could ever want to eat in Hawaii:  barbecue (Hawaiian style), saimin (similar to ramen), a loco moco (white rice, beef patty, and a egg that is topped by brown gravy – we love this), and a Hawaiian plate lunch.

A plate lunch is a somewhat hilarious platter of two scoops of rice, one scoop of macaroni salad, and a fried or grilled protein (fried fish, grilled beef, etc.).  Never ever would I have thought of putting that combo together (or the loco moco, for that matter), but it works for us.  It is said to have evolved from the Japanese bento box and that makes sense when you think about the rice and the fish or meat, but not necessarily the macaroni salad.  Still, who am I to argue with tradition!

Although I cannot recall what we had that day at L & L, what we had was surprisingly good for fast food.  When it came down to choosing a recipe from this cookbook then, it was really challenging because I was hungry for everything.  In the running was the "Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken" (p. 31), "Kalua Pork (p. 57) and "Hawaiian Barbecue Sauce" (p. 103) until I settled on the macaroni salad.

Your table of contents is pretty extensive and let me just say right now that if you are in the mood for SPAM®, and why wouldn't you be, it's in there as SPAM® Musubi in the Pork Category.  Musubi is barbecued SPAM® served on rice that is wrapped in nori (seaweed).  Yes, I know, it may sound horrible to some of you and it's not like I tried it but Hawaiians love their SPAM® and I mean LOVE and so it should not surprise anyone that it shows up on menus and in island cookbooks.

Should you not like SPAM®, here are other categories that might interest you:

• Chicken
• Beef
• Pork
• Seafood
• Vegetables
• Healthy Plates
• Soup & Sauces
• Others (fried rice, macaroni salad)
• Desserts

Okay then, let's talk about the macaroni salad.  This recipe is likely not what you were expecting but this recipe, or one that is similar, is a staple of the plate lunch and so there it is.  It calls for very few ingredients of which shredded carrots is the main one and so it's easy to prepare and serve. As far as taste though, it leans toward being a little bland so you may want to amp things up a bit and add some other seasonings besides salt and white pepper. I rather liked it but then again, I am a sucker for a plate lunch macaroni salad.

And now, without further ado, I give you a plate lunch macaroni salad.

Macaroni Salad – serves 5 to 6 people

½ gallon of water

1 pound macaroni

½ cup of onion (diced)

½ cup of carrot (shredded)

3 cups of mayonnaise

½ teaspoon of white pepper

2 teaspoons salt

1 small can of oil based tuna (drained)

Put water into a pot and bring to a boil.  Put macaroni into the pot and boil for 12 minutes or until cooked.  (Ann's Note:  It's probably easier to follow the cooking times on the box.)

Drain water and cool macaroni thoroughly.  Combine all remaining ingredients and chill for at least one hour.

"Tropical Fruit Cookbook" - Hawaiian Sunset Salad

Date I made this recipe:  August 21, 2015

Tropical Fruit Cookbook by Marilyn Rittenhouse Harris; illustrated by Charlene K. Smoyer

Published by: University of Hawaii Press

ISBN: 0-8248-1441-X

Purchased at Hennepin  County Used Library Book Sale

Recipe:  Hawaiian Sunset Salad – p. 70

People, at long last, it got stinkin' hot in these parts, with the temperature and the humidity heading up in the upper registers.  About damned time!  Still, it felt rather tropical outside and so what better thing to make than this tropical salad?

This book amused.  One should not be fooled into thinking that "tropical" equals "exotic" because most of the fruits listed here are ones we eat regularly:  avocados; bananas; grapefruit; lemon; oranges and so on.  And as I found, some of the less-popular fruits like passion fruit or guavas, are hard to find unless you live in the tropics in which case, jackpot!  My husband and I went to four grocery stores before finally and almost finding guava at Lunds & Byerlys.  I say "almost" because naturally, the store was out of guavas that I needed for the recipe and wouldn't have them in until the following week – maybe – and so I Googled substitutes and it recommended strawberries or pineapple; I used strawberries. So I'm afraid I cannot tell you all about guava and that's a damned shame but our schedules were such that it was now or never for the recipe.

The thing that sold me on the book though, was not necessarily the recipes but the illustrations by Charlene K. Smoyer.  I don't know who she is but I love her renderings. Alas, her illustrations are not sold separately, making me contemplate getting a second book just so I can deface it by removing and framing some of the artwork which I know, sounds horrible but how else am I going to get that artwork on my walls?

As to the recipes, most sounded really good but I was in a salad mood and was particularly swayed by the author's note (regarding the salad recipe): "In Hawai'i, many people watch sunsets carefully, looking for a "green flash" on the horizon as the sun's ball of fire sinks into the beautiful, blue Pacific.  This salad, combining green, gold, pink, yellow, and red, carries with it the memory of a Hawaiian sunset." 

I have been to Hawaii four times and while I have never seen the "green flash," I have seen some spectacular sunsets.  And since I love Hawaii, I thought the least I could do is to make this salad.  And by the way, and speaking of green and colors, I have seen the Aurora Borealis ("northern lights") a couple of times in the Boundary Waters area in Minnesota and that is impressive.  And I've heard wolf howls, happily from a distance.  One does not find wolves in the tropics and for this we are thankful.

So anyway, the recipe:  it was serviceable but it didn't float my boat, primarily because I felt something was missing in the dressing.  Although the author suggested using macadamia oil, I was not in the mood, especially after my guava search, to go track that down.  Had I done so, I would have likely thought the dressing was good.  As it is, it was just olive oil, pepper, minced kumquats and sesame seeds.  The author suggested I could use lime zest instead and I think I would have been happier with that.  And by the way, kumquats are like little mini oranges.

And as long as I'm being picky, the Chinese pea pods were bland and needed to be snapped in half as they were just too big to eat on their own and the water chestnuts are just silly.  Honestly, unless they are in a casserole, slathered with cream of mushroom soup, there is just no need to add water chestnuts to anything.  We added chicken because yes, this was a dinner salad, but Andy would have liked it more if I had marinated it beforehand.

All in all, this wasn't a bad dish but it wasn't a "nailed it" one either.  I think it could be good if you substituted a few more things and/or just selected another recipe like Lychee Champagne Punch (p. 834) or one of the many chutney recipes made from tropical fruit.  They sky is the limit in terms of recipes but you may have trouble sourcing some of the ingredients and that's a shame.  I had guava many years ago and would have liked to reacquaint myself with it but alas, 'twas not meant to be.

Aloha!

Hawaiian Sunset Salad – Yield:  4 servings

3 cups Chinese pea pods

2 guavas, unpeeled, deseeded, and diced

1 carambola, ("star fruit") thin star slices

½ cup sliced water chestnuts

½ cup thinly sliced red onion

3 cups coarsely chopped watercress

Dressing:

4 tablespoons macadamia or live oil

1 tablespoon coarse black pepper

2 kumquats, minced or 2 tablespoons lime zest

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Optional: The addition of 3 cups cooked chicken cubes turns this salad into a meal

Ann's Note:  If you cannot find guava – and believe me, it is not easy to find – Google says that you can substitute strawberries or pineapple.  Also, "carambola," is often called "star fruit" at the grocery store.

Steam or microwave pea pods to crunchy but tender.  Cool.  Mix dressing ingredients in a salad bowl.  Toss pea pods and all remaining ingredients with the dressing in salad bowl.  Cover and chill at least 30 minutes.

"We, the Women of Hawaii Cookbook" & "A Taste of Aloha" - Waikiki Chicken and Regency Royals (bars) - celebrating Hawaii's 55th anniversary as a state

Date I made these recipes:  August 28, 2014 (recognizing Hawaii's 55^th anniversary as a state of the Union)

We, the Women of Hawaii Cookbook – Favorite Recipes of Prominent Women of Hawaii

Published by:  Press Pacifica

ISBN:  0-916630-47-1; revised edition 1986

Purchased at Talk Story Books, Hanapepe, Hawaii

Recipe:  Chicken Waikiki – p. 123

A Taste of Aloha – A Collection of Recipes from The Junior League of Honolulu

Published by:  The Junior League of Honolulu

ISBN:  0-9612484-0-8; First Printing  September, 1983

Purchased at Talk Story Books, Hanapepe, Hawaii

Recipe:  Regency Royals (bars) – p. 30, submitted by Adele Davis

Well, Alo-ha everybody!  On August 21, 2014, Hawaiians everywhere were (hopefully) celebrating their 55^th year as a state of the union.  Prior to becoming our 50^th state 55 years ago, Hawaii was a territory of the United States, same as Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the (who knew?) Northern Mariana Islands. (The Northern Mariana Islands are located between the Philippines and Japan...sort of.)  Hawaii was always popular:  in addition to being a tourist destination, the military made some of the Hawaiian islands home to military bases (my dad shipped out from Maui in WWII) as well as R&R outposts for Vietnam War military personnel.   Still, life as a territory (technically, a Commonwealth) is tricky as you're governed by the federal government rather than a shared federal and state government and well...there are issues.  Statehood is much better!

So hooray for Hawaii for getting the last fender in on statehood.  Now all of us visitors can move freely about the [tropical] cabin (and from island to island) and this is a good thing.

As to Hawaiian food, I've posted a few recipes in this blog from Hawaiian cookbooks and I think even Hawaiians would be hard-pressed to come up with truly native food.  Early on, Hawaii was populated with Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos and Portuguese transplants (to name a few) and their food soon became Hawaiian food.  Over the years, transplants from other countries have just added to the mix.  Additionally, Hawaiian cookbooks published by groups like The Junior League started including (as they all do), favorite recipes for casseroles or appetizers or soups that are definitely not Hawaiian.

So when selecting recipes for this blog post, I tried to find recipes that at least included Hawaiian ingredients and this is why you are getting two recipes containing macadamia nuts.  And let me tell you, these suckers are so expensive that I considered flying back to Hawaii to pick them up at the airport for a lot less money.  As it is, I sourced mine at the Seward Co-Op.  (Note:  Macadamia nuts are not indigenous to Hawaii but rather, Australia. Please store this information for future use in a quiz show.)

So, let's look at Cookbook #1, We, the Women of Hawaii Cookbook.  I loved this cookbook because it contained an entire chapter called Island Recipes.  This is where I found the recipe for Chicken Waikiki which is coated with macadamia nuts.  Other recipes included Miso Soup; Shrimp Tempura; Lomi Lomi; Shrimp Chinese; Fried Mahi Mahi and Korean Ribs.  I could have easily made several of these recipes.  By comparison, I was disappointed in the Fish chapter as almost every recipe called for either shrimp or lobster or shrimp and lobster.   Huh.  I guess the few recipes in the Island Recipes section are it for the time being but that makes sense given that the cookbook was published in 1986.  Now, every menu in Hawaii has several fish options.

Two interesting items of note about this book:  First, "We, the Women of Hawaii," is the name of a club originating in 1946, to protest a general utility strike.  Mrs. E. E. Black, who started these strikes, said "There is nothing a woman can not do, once she makes up her mind," and from that the We, the Women of Hawaii club was born.  Alas, I cannot find any information that tells me whether or not the club still exists.  Maybe it's taken on another name and another purposes—that would be fun.

The second interesting thing about this book is that it used to be a library book and the inside front cover is loaded with due date stamps, as well as the card catalog information using the Dewey Decimal System.  Well, if this doesn't bring me back to my high school student librarian days, I don't know what will!  Love this unexpected added touch.

As to the recipe, we loved it!  The chicken was moist and tender and the macadamia nuts made for a nice crust.  Although the recipe said to "dice" the macadamia nuts, I found it far easier to use my mini food processor to do the chopping.  This recipe is to be served with a chutney sauce and I have to say we were split on this:  Andy wasn't too keen on it, saying that the sauce was too thick.  I thought it was fine although the batch was huge.  No way could we use that much sauce!  I also baked the chicken breasts whole even though the recipe called for small dices that you then loaded onto a toothpick along with pineapple and parsley.  Not sure about that parsley part. 

The second cookbook du jour, A Taste of Aloha, is a compilation of recipes from The Junior League of Honolulu (Junior League: they're everywhere!).  Surprisingly, this cookbook, published three years before We the Women of Hawaii Cookbook, contains a lot of (native) fish recipes.  Not that I'm all that fond of fish, mind you, but I like to see recipes match the location.  Again, it was hard to choose from some of the recipes, especially those in the Luau section ("serves 20" is a bit of a problem), but since I already had the chicken recipe lined up, I went with dessert.  Since I was on a roll with the macadamia nuts, I decided to make Regency Royals, bars made with macadamia nuts and shredded coconut, topped with a orange juice, lemon juice and chopped macadamia nut frosting. 

So here's the thing about these bars:  they're pretty dense and gooey and I'm not sure that was the intended result.  You see, I knowingly and willingly baked them with "old" baking powder.  And here's why:  evil food manufacturer's must still think that everybody is baking themselves silly and so they put things like baking powder into cans that I will never use up "in time," never mind that the cans are on the small side.  And I hate to waste things.  So...I had an unopened can of baking powder in my pantry but I was loathe to open it because I hadn't used up half the can of the stuff I opened already...in 2011! 

So I crossed my fingers and made the bars anyway and they were good if not a bit gooey.  Maybe they are supposed to be that way, in which case, I win!  If not, oh well, we ate them anyway.  Still, this poses a problem:  the holidays will soon be upon us and that is the one time I do bake.  So it's likely that the new can will be opened and then sit there but better that than to take a chance of a complete holiday Armageddon in the baking department! 

Now this book wasn't library stamped like the last one but I loved the simplistic two-color drawings of Hawaiian flowers that separated each chapter by artist, Pegge Hopper.  Shall I just tell you that for the first time ever, I'm tempted to deface my own book and cut them out?  (No, I shall not tell you that.  Forget I said it.)

And with that, Hau`oli la Ho'omana'o! (Happy Anniversary, Hawaii!) 

Chicken Waikiki – serving size not stated

*Requires 30 minutes to marinate

1 lb chicken cutlets (boned – skinned)

¼ c. dry sherry

¼ c. lemon juice

3 T. Worcestershire sauce

½ c. flour

1 egg (beaten)

½ c. Macadamia nuts (diced)

½ c. dry unseasoned bread crumbs (Ann's Note:  the book said "crimbs."  Ah, the days before spellcheck...)

¾ c. mayonnaise

¼ c. prepared mustard

3 T. chutney (Ann's Note:  I used Major Grey's)

Cut chicken into 1 in. cubes (Ann's Note:  I left them whole).  Place in a bowl.  Combine sherry, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce.  Pour over chicken, toss to coat completely.  Marinate for 30 minutes.

Place flour in one bowl and egg in another bowl and combine macadamia nuts and bread crumbs in the third bowl.   Remove chicken from the marinade.  Dip chicken first in flour, then in egg, then coat with macadamia nut mixture.

Place chicken in a single layer on a greased shallow baking pan.  Bake (uncovered) in a preheated oven at 350 until chicken is cooked through and browned, about 20 minutes.  (Ann's Note:  if you are using whole breasts, bake another 10 minutes.).  Skewer on toothpicks with pineapple chucks and parsley.

Serve with chutney sauce.  To make the sauce, combine mayonnaise, mustard and chutney (recipe says to chop the chutney).  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Regency Royals – makes 2 ½ dozen

Crust

1 cup sifted flour

½ cup butter

Filling

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 ½ cups brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tablespoons flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup shredded coconut

1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Orange-Lemon Frosting

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ cup chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix flour and butter.  Press into a 9-inch square baking pan.  Bake for 15 minutes.

In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla.  Stir in coconut and nuts.  Spread over warm crust and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.  When cool, ice with Orange-Lemon Frosting.

For the frosting:  mix butter and sugar together.  Add juices.  Spread over Regency bars and sprinkle nuts on top.

"Roy's Feasts from Hawaii" - Roy's (Yamaguchi)Chocolate Souffle (a/k/a "Molten Lava Cake")

Date I made this recipe:  March 7, 2014 – to belatedly celebrate my husband's birthday

Roy's Feasts from Hawaii by Roy Yamaguchi and John Harrisson

Published by:  10 Ten Speed Press

ISBN:  0-89815-637-8

Recipe – Roy's Chocolate Soufflé (a/k/a "Molten Lava Cake") – p. 205

People, I find it highly amusing that one of the best things on the menu at Roy's (Yamaguchi) restaurants in Hawaii (several locations) is not fresh Hawaiian fish, is not Hawaiian classics like roast pig or even poi, it's a chocolate soufflé cake.  Yup.  Chocolate.  And yet I cannot even begin to tell you how good it is; think "celestial!"

A few months ago, I mentioned Roy Yamaguchi when I blogged about a cookbook about Hawaiian rising star chefs.  Since that cookbook was published, Roy has been slowly and steadily building a world-class reputation and has increased his restaurant empire to include operations in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada and Texas.  (I must say that Illinois and Maryland don't make much sense to me but who am I to quibble?).  All of my dining experiences have been in Hawaii and were it not so far and had we not just been there (in October), we might have considered another trip just so that my husband could have that chocolate soufflé cake for his birthday.  Instead, yours truly was charged with making this cake and while it wasn't hard, it was a little daunting because what if I failed?  It's not like I could fly Roy over here to fix it, now could I?  (Although maybe he could have talked me down off the ledge – not that I was on it – by phone.  Should have thought about that!)  But hubby wanted this cake and so I had to soldier on.

As the nickname suggests, this cake has a "molten lava" center of warm, gooey chocolate and the menu warns you right off the bat that this masterpiece takes time.  In my case, I would have made it for my husband's birthday on March 1^st (instead of March 7^th) but for one little item that I missed in the recipe:  "Place [mixture] in the refrigerator overnight."  Damn, I hate it when that happens (and if you ask me, and you didn't, the publisher should have bolded that instruction or at least made it 20 feet tall so I couldn't fail to see it)!

The other thing I learned – and who could know this ahead of time – is that if you want that molten lava center, you are going to have to invest in the metal rings called for in the instructions.  Why?  Because what you do is to place these rings on parchment paper that lines a baking sheet.  This provides a more direct heat source (batter on parchment to baking sheet to oven heat) than what I did which was to use individual ramekins that does not allow for direct heat - batter into ramekins, ramekins onto baking sheets equals more layers; the chocolate melted but did not become molten and wasn't this the whole point of the recipe?  It was.  The recipe notes that you can also bake the whole recipe in a small casserole dish but again, I'm thinking that the casserole dish impedes the lava-making process.  Your call.

So to summarize:  we used ramekins instead of rings and got a very moist center but not the molten lava flow we were expecting.  Taste-wise, they were awesome so it's just a matter of whether you can swallow (hahahaha) your disappointment at missing out on the chocolate lava flow or not.

By the way, on this last trip to Hawaii in October, the federal government was shut down and that meant we could not take a trip to Volcanoes National Park.  I'm taking this as a sign for how our soufflé would turn out!

Now, should chocolate not be your thing (inconceivable!), you cannot go wrong with this cookbook as it provides a wonderful assortment of appetizers, soups, salads, pastas and pizzas and so on and so forth so that you get the complete island experience without leaving home.  On our first trip to Roy's, we ordered appetizers, entrees and then of course saved room for the soufflé.  On this last trip to Hawaii (the Big Island), we were so full from an absolutely fabulous and ridiculously large pulled pork sandwich at lunch that we ordered appetizers at Roy's and then talked to a guy next to us at the bar who was tucking in the short ribs and the soufflé cake.  We like to think that we ate vicariously through him.

Besides all the incredible edible recipes in this book, the other reason to buy it is for the photography (the food photos are phenomenal) and the stories.  I always like a cookbook that gives me a little bit of both.

Part of the reason that I used ramekins instead of metal rings is that I didn't want to invest in purchasing the four metal rings called for in Roy's recipe.  I will not repeat that mistake again.  Next time, it's rings of molten lava, or bust!  (PS—Andy loved them!)

Roy's Chocolate Soufflé – yield:  4 servings

Author's Note:  This is the all-time, absolute favorite of my daughter, Nicole.  Casey Logsdon, our pastry chef at Roy's Kahana Bar and Grill on Maui, has perfected this recipe to the point where frequent visitors to the island claim they return just for this soufflé.  We've made things easier for them now, by also serving this dessert in Honolulu.  This recipe is best when started the day before so the chocolate mixture can rest overnight in the refrigerator.  If you prefer, you can bake the whole recipe in a small casserole dish and serve it at the table, or make individual soufflés in ramekins.  We make our individual chocolate soufflés in metal rings that are available from J.B. Prince Co. in New York (212-302-8611). (Website is jbprince.com)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

¾ cup sugar

1 ¾ tabelspoons cornstarch

2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate together.  Set aside.  In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch.  In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and yolks together.  Add the melted butter-chocolate mixture to the sugar mixture and combine thoroughly with a wire whisk.  Stir in the eggs and whisk just until smooth.

PLACE IN REFRIGERATOR OVERNIGHT.

The next day...preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line 4 metal rings (about 2 ¾ inches across and 2 inches high) with greased parchment paper.  (Alternatively, use 6 smaller molds.)  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set the molds on the sheet.  Scoop the mixture into the molds so they are two-thirds full, and make sure the molds are not leaking.

Bake on the top oven rack for 20 minutes.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and, while holding each mold with tongs, slide a metal spatula underneath, carefully lift, and transfer to a serving plate.  Gently lift off the mold and remove the parchment paper.  Serve immediately.

"The New Cuisine of Hawaii - Recipes from the Twelve Celebrated Chefs of Hawaii Regional Cuisine" - Stir-Fried Chicken Satay with Rice Noodles

 

 Date I made this recipe:  November 3, 2013

The New Cuisine of Hawaii - Recipes from the Twelve Celebrated Chefs of Hawaii Regional Cuisine by Janice Wald Henderson

Published by:  Villard Books

ISBN:  0-679-42529-2

Recipe:  Stir-Fried Chicken Satay with Rice Noodles - p. 50 (Recipe by Chef Jean-Marie Josselin)

A little while ago, I wrote about how one of my kitchen adventures turned into my own version of the Food Network Show, Iron Chef America.  Today is round two at my house and tonight's secret ingredient is...rice noodles!  (Let's all take a moment to ooh and aah, just like the contestants on the show do).

A while back, Trader Joe's, a store that just keeps on giving, carrying products I never would have thought about buying if they hadn't told me to, featured these rice noodles in the refrigerator section.  I bought them, put them in my own refrigerator, and then went on a hunt for a recipe containing rice noodles.  Surely with a recipe collection as vast as mine, containing several Asian cookbooks, I would find a recipe right away, but no.  Lucky for me, these noodles had a long "shelf" life, ending this coming Thursday (well, not "ending" ending but that was the suggested "use by date"). 

In the end, it turned out to be a case of good timing that I waited so long because I ended up using one of the used cookbooks I acquired on a recent trip to Hawaii provided just the recipe - Stir-Fried Chicken Satay with Rice Noodles.  And so whew--right there in print was the secret ingredient - rice noodles.  You have no idea how hard that was because most of the other cookbooks listed every other noodles but rice noodles or listed rice itself but not the noodles.  So...success.

What almost derailed me from making this though, was the other secret ingredient:  red Thai curry paste.  I must say, the combination of Thai + curry scares me.  I expected it to be tongue-blistering hot but then again, the other ingredient, coconut milk, provides a balancing cooling effect.  So there was that.  And the peanut butter in the sauce definitely smoothes things over (hahahaha).  The result was a wonderfully rich and not-too-hot satay sauce.  I loved it.

But alas, the rice noodles did not fill me with love or even affection...or anything closely resembling either of the above.  For this I blame myself:   Instead of following the recipe instructions, I followed the package directions to the "t" and the package cooking time and the recipe cooking time differed by a minute. And in retrospect, I should have known that a 2-minute cooking time was too much.  We ended up with a soggy, messy glob of noodles prompting me to suggest to Andy that we eat the satay sauce leftovers with rice this time around.  Rice, I can cook:  rice noodles?  Apparently not so much!

As to the "new" cuisine of Hawaii, of which this recipe is a part, happily, this cuisine is no longer new as our 11-day sampling vacation proved to me and my husband.  Many more Hawaiian chefs are making their marks in the culinary world, and a couple of Food Network shows have had Hawaiian chefs as contestants.  In fact, we ate at Next Food Network Star's Ippy Aiona's restaurant on the Big Island (and got photos--he is as nice in person as he was on TV).  So that's a big plus.  But the way was paved by the twelve chefs from this book so let's discuss:

Alan Wong - once cooked for President Obama; now owns three restaurants in Oahu and Maui.

Amy Ferguson Ota - once cooked with Julia Child (be still my heart); now runs a catering business in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. 

Beverly Gannon - owner of the Hali'imalie General Store (we've eaten there) on Maui and other of a cookbook by the same name.  Hers was one of the first cookbooks I used for my blog.

Gary Strehl - has moved back to the mainland and continues in his role as general manager/executive chef for several high-end hotel groups.

George Mavrothalassitis - born in Provence, Chef "Mavro" is chef/proprietor of Chef Mavro's, a fine dining restaurant in Honolulu.

Jean-Marie Josselin - after venturing out to the mainland to open a restaurant in Las Vegas, Chef Josselin returned to Hawaii to Kauai to operate Josselin's Tapas Bar and Grill.  Had we known of him when were in Kauai, we would have stopped in for a bite but alas, I shipped this book, purchased in Hilo, Hawaii, before we stopped over in Kauai for a few days before returning to Minneapolis.  Oh well--next time.

Mark Ellman - This guy is busy!  In addition to a few restaurants in Maui, he owns/operates nine Maui Taco stands in three different Hawaiian Islands.  (Not that we ate at his stand, but we could not get over the wide variety of taco stands seen on all the islands.  Who knew?)

Peter Merriman - I only had to wait 10 years to eat at Peter Merriman's "original" Merriman's Restaurant on the Big Island (Waimea) but it was well worth it.  For whatever reason, I was aware of Peter Merriman the first time I went to the Big Island in 1997 and his reputation has grown exponentially since then.  Merriman pretty much started the local food movement on the Big I and has not strayed from that notion one iota, as evidenced by his "island-grown" notations on most of his restaurant items.  Trust me when I tell you to get the locally raised grass-fed beef filet.  "Sublime" is the word that comes to mind.  Absolutely sublime.

Philippe Padovani - The sad news is that Phlippe had a restaurant, then closed it, then reopened then closed it.  Alors.  But the good news is that he is now making chocolates in Honolulu.  That said, let me just say that all Hawaiian islands seem to love to make and sell chocolates, but people, I inadvertently left a Caramello bar in my purse in Kauai and despite the fact that I took my purse everywhere, it melted all over the place and I had quite the mess.  Do not however, let this deter you from a purchase:  instead, exercise caution!

Roger Dikon - Here's another chef who moved around a bit after a long stint of chefing in Hawaii only to return once again.  He is currently living in Honolulu

Roy Yamaguchi - Having eaten at two of Roy's restaurants in Maui and the Big Island (and waved at him while driving by his restaurant on Kauai), I feel like I know the guy but alas, have never met him.  Born in Japan, Roy has been busy building a restaurant empire with restaurants all over Hawaii as well as in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada and Texas.  Everything we've eaten is outstanding but Roy's Chocolate Soufflé (a/k/a Molten Lava Cake) is memorable.

Sam Choy - I've been hearing about Sam Choy for years but didn't see much of him and then overnight, he was on all these Food Network shows.  Sam's restaurant, Kai Lanai, is located in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island.  We drove past it but alas, didn't have time to stop.  Next trip!

All told, I think that's a pretty impressive set of biographies of these chefs who paved the way for Hawaii to become a powerhouse in the culinary world.  And I'm really pleased that I've eaten in a few of their establishments and eaten well, my friends.  It is not for nothing that several people on this list have been nominated for or received James Beard Awards.  Let's hope they continue to impress.

And now for our recipe - aloha!

Stir-Fried Chicken Satay with Rice Noodles - 4 servings

Sauce

1 1/2 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk

3 tablespoons red Thai curry paste

1 teaspoon tumeric

1/4 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 cup natural-style peanut butter

1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts

1/4 cup (or more) water

12 basil leaves, julienned

Noodles and Chicken

1 package (6 ounces) rice noodles (mai fun)

4 tablespoons peanut oil

1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced

1 small carrot, julienned

1/2 cup snow peas, strings removed

1/2 cup sliced bok choy

For the sauce:  Bring the coconut milk to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan.  Add the red curry paste, tumeric and curry powder and mix well.  Whisk in the peanut butter, roasted peanuts, 1/4 cup of water and the basil.  season to taste with salt.  (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.  Bring to room temperature before using, thinning with more water if necessary.)

For noodles and chicken:  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the noodles and cook until just tender, about 1 minute.  (Ann's Note:  the package said 1 1/2 to 2 minutes and as previously noted, 2 minutes will get you rice paste.)  Drain; return the noodles to the pot.  Add 1 tablespoon of oil and toss well.  Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok over high heat.  Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 15 seconds.  Add the chicken and stir-fry until almost cooked through, about 3 minutes.  Add the carrot and stir-fry 1 minute.  Add 2 cups of sauce and cook to heat through.  Mound the rice noodles on plates.  Top with chicken sauce and serve.

Ann's Note:  Chef Jean-Marie Josselin recommends serving a sweeter wine to soothe the palate from the curry sauce.  Either a German Riesling or an American Gewurztraminer will do the trick if you like white wine.  For red, (which he didn't recommend), I think a fruity merlot is probably your best bet.  For the record, I had neither but instead opted for my favorite beverage, a martini.  If anything helps cool down the hotness of curry sauce, it's gin.  But that could just be me....

"The SPAM Cookbook" - Sam Choy's SPAM Loco Moco

Date I made this recipe: September 5, 2010

The SPAM® Cookbook – Recipes from Main Street by Hormel Foods, compiled by Linda Eggers
Published by: Gopher Prairie Press
ISBN: 978-0-9841674-0-1, © 1998
Recipe: Sam Choy’s SPAM® Loco Moto – p. 79

Well, kids, school is now in session and today’s recipe showcases how a word can have more than one meaning. Okay get your pencils ready for the word of the day: Spam.

Those of the more modern generation associate the word “spam” with junk emails sent out to numerous individuals in an attempt to wreck havoc with the world…and specifically my computer.

This past Friday, someone hacked into one of my email accounts and sent a spam email to my entire address book saying that I was in London (ha! I wish!), that I was mugged and I needed money. (And while it is true that a buck or two would be helpful, I would likely have not contacted my friends via email to hit them up for $1500 bucks!).

This spam caused me to be locked out of my email account for two days running. Can we talk about how frustrating that is? It also caused no less than 7 people to call me to see if I was okay. And the thing that cracked me up most of all is the requirement that I sign in to my email account to email the support team to tell them that I’m locked out and need my password reset. Not to be snarky but how, pray tell, am I supposed to sign in to say I need help signing in when I cannot sign in?

So I wish I would have been the recipient of the other spam…as in SPAM®, the precooked canned “ham” product made by one of Minnesota’s own, Hormel Foods Corporation, located in Austin, MN. (By the way, years ago, I did some work with the Hormel Credit Union. The woman who answered the phone always pronounced it “Hor-mull” but we (we rubes, perhaps?) always called it Hormel…like caramel. I’m not sure which is correct but it made me chuckle).

Okay, show of hands: how many of you had SPAM® as a kid? Because I have to tell you folks, you were either in the rank and file of families whose moms stretched a food budget by including an occasional Spam® dinner in the mix or you weren’t. And to my amazement, several of my friends, all whom grew up like me in the 60’s, seemed to have missed out on this life-changing experience. I am happy to say that we were a SPAM® household! (Although not often and when it was, it was always doctored up (as my mom would say) by cloves and a ham glaze.)

So, okay…SPAM®…the history…SPAM® was first produced in 1937 and was widely used by US troops during WWII. Perhaps this is why my father, a WWII vet, didn’t mind my mom making SPAM® for dinner every once in a while.

In 1970, the comedy troop, Monty Python, wrote the SPAM® song (which I always thought went “Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spamity Spam…” but a quick check of the lyrics indicates that it did not. How disappointing. But who cares? I’m going to sing it the way I sing it and there it is.). And years later, SPAMALOT, a spoof of Camelot, and likely the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, hit the Great White Way and that, as they say, was that. I’d venture a guess to say that SPAM® likely experienced resurgence after that and rightly so.

So by now you must be wondering how it was that I even came to go down memory lane and make this SPAM dish and for that you can blame it on the Minnesota State Fair.

Although I’m usually on an “every five years” attendance plan, I went to the fair this year with my friend, Mary (for reasons too long and involved to go into here). And not more than two seconds into the place, we spied the SPAM® sign on one of the buildings. And it turned out to be a SPAM® gift shop. And people—oh, the joy of seeing that beloved SPAM® name (not to mention the blue and gold colors which, by the by, are the same as the University of Michigan’s – Go Blue!) on everything from golf clubs to flip flops. (The flip flops were especially cool because the word SPAM® was carved out on the bottom so it would leave an imprint in the sand).

And so of course there were two SPAM® cookbooks for sale, one of which I had seen before but have not yet purchased, and the other was new to me and so that’s the one I went with. It’s a little book and while lacking in photos, it more than made up for it because there were recipes from around the U.S. just in case you wanted to tailor-make your recipe to your region.

And so that led to me making the infamous (I am not kidding here) Hawaiian dish, Loco Moco. And not just any Loco Moco but Sam Choy’s Loco Moco, Sam Choy being a famous Hawaiian chef and all. And actually, not just Sam Choy’s Loco Moco but Sam Choy’s SPAM® Loco Moco. Does it get any better? I think not.

Now before I get into the Loco Moco recipe, I have to pause here for station identification and to tell you that prior to me buying this cookbook, I had decided to try to make something that was “fair-worthy” for this blog but was having a heck of a time doing so. I don’t have that many Minnesota cookbooks and the ones I looked through did not have a recipe that really sent me flying.

And then there’s the problem of “the stick”—as in the running joke for years and years and years is that all the State Fair food is on “a stick.” Because, people, most of it is!

This year, for instance, you can get deep-fried bologna (wow—I spelled bologna wrong and had to run through the Oscar Mayer song until I got the letters right!) …on a stick, and deep-fried bacon cheddar mashed potatoes…on a stick…and so on and so forth. In previous years, it was pork chop…on a stick and alligator…on a stick and “hot dish” (casserole)…on a stick. We don’t have time to discuss the “deep-fried” portion of our program but let me just say four words that should make you shudder: “deep-fried cheese curds.” (Okay, technically “deep-fried” is a compound word and only counts as one word…so sue me).

So…if I had purchased the other cookbook, I could have made a SPAM shish kabob on a stick (because there was a recipe for that) and called it a day but that was way too easy. And so I locked and loaded on that island favorite, Loco Moco.

For those not familiar, Loco Moco is a favorite Hawaiian dish that includes meat and gravy, a fried egg and rice. Although I didn’t have a loco moco while in Hawaii (why, I do not know) at least I tried the Hawaiian lunch plate that consists of meat (usually fish) plus rice plus macaroni salad. Ours is not to question why.

And given how Hawaiians love their SPAM® (for reasons that are still had to fathom), it should come as no surprise that it was included in a Loco Moco recipe.

Now I will give you this: I am not a big fan of salt and although I could have gone with low-sodium SPAM, that would be cheating, and I’m not too fond of brown gravy, especially the mix kind that is loaded with sodium. But when in Rome…or when in Hawaii…or when at the Minnesota State Fair, one makes compromises. So eat it and enjoy it! Mahalo (or should I saw “Moo?”)

Sam Choy’s SPAM® Loco Moco (*not currently on a stick but give us time) – Serves 2
1 can SPAM® Luncheon Meat, chopped (the recipe says 7 ounce but all I found was 12)
½ cup chopped onions
1 package brown gravy mix
4 cups cooked white rice
4 eggs, fried any style

In a large skillet, sauté SPAM® and onion until lightly browned, and set aside.

In a small saucepan, empty brown gravy mix and stir in 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and let simmer 1 minute. Place warm rice in bowls. Fill with SPAM® mixture, then eggs and top with gravy.

"Hawaii Cookbook and Backyard Luau" - Steamed Pork Patties

Date I made this recipe: August 23, 2009

Hawaii Cookbook and Backyard Luau – The First Completely New Hawaiian Cookbook in 25 Years by Elizabeth Ahn Toupin, Introduction by James A. Michener
Published by: Silvermine Publishers, Inc.
© 1964, 1967
Recipe: Steamed Pork Patties

Well folks, on the 21st of August, Hawaii celebrated 50 years of statehood. Hard to believe that it hasn’t always been a state but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a popular tourist attraction even back then.

After exploring several possibilities, I decided on Steamed Pork Patties. These are really meant to be an appetizer but we accompanied them by a salad and all was fine…well, almost.

These turned out to be (to my palate) pretty darned salty. I tasted the sherry and the salt and little else. So my advice is to go with the ½ tablespoon of soy sauce (and I even used low-sodium!) and cut the additional teaspoon called for in the recipe and see how that works. (I also nixed the monosodium glutamate—does anyone even use that anymore?).

The other problem I initially had was that 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and ½ egg are not enough to bind the patties and so I kept adding cornstarch (approximately 3 tablespoons total) until it looked like the mixture would hang together a little bit better and then I stuck the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes to seal the deal.

Finally, I would definitely serve with a sweet-sour sauce (or some kind of sauce) to add a little zip to the dish.

But other than all that, the dish was easy to make and I would probably do it again, sans the salt.

As to the introduction written by James A. Michener, those of my generation will know him as the author of the book, Hawaii, as well as several other books chronicling the evolution of Hawaii (and Africa – The Covenant - and outer space – titled, go figure, Space - and….). Michener leaves no detail behind and honest to God started one book by talking about a speck of dust that eventually turned into civilization. At any rate, Michener’s book, Hawaii, was made into a movie by the same name and from what I understand it.was.horrible. But if you want to really understand a particular culture, Michener’s your guy.

Happy Birthday, Hawaii! Aloha!

Steamed Pork Patties – Serves 6(May be prepared ahead)
1/3 pound fresh shrimp, finely chopped
½ pound pork, ground
1 tablespoon cornstarch (you’ll probably need more)
1 tablespoon sherry
½ tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt (I’d advise leaving this out)
½ teaspoon monosodium glutamate
½ egg, beaten (to make this easier on myself, I put one egg in a measuring cup, whisked it to blend and then poured half of it into the meat mixture).

Combined all the ingredients. Shape into 1 ½ inch rounds, ½ inch thick. Place in a serving dish. Set dish on a bowl and place in pot over 1 inch of hot water. Cover and steam for 20 minutes.

Serve with apricot hors d’oeuvre or spicy or sweet-sour sauce.

To prepare ahead: Follow instructions for making and steaming pork patties. Cool and refrigerate. Remove fat. Reheat by steaming for 5-10 minutes.

"The Food of Paradise - Exploring Hawaii's Culinary Heritage" - Portuguese Bean Soup

Date I made this recipe: January 24, 2009

The Food of Paradise – Exploring Hawaii’s Culinary Heritage by Rachel Laudan (International Association of Culinary Professionals – IACP – The Julia Child Cookbook Awards Winner)
Published by: University of Hawai’i Press Honolulu
ISBN: 0-8248-1778-8 © 1996
Recipe: Portuguese Bean Soup – p. 144

Well folks, this past Tuesday was inauguration day in the U.S. and so I tried to find foods befitting our newest president, Barack Obama (by the way, I had to add Barack’s name to my spell check as it thought I was trying to say barracks—as in military).

Prior to today, I cooked from all my “Presidential” cookbooks as well as cookbooks from Illinois and when last seen, I don’t think I acquired any from Kansas (where Barack’s mother was from) but I am happy to report that I have several Hawaiian cookbooks as well as several African-American tomes. And so on Saturday night I cooked Hawaiian and on Sunday will be cooking from the African-American cookbooks.

Although you wouldn’t think of this at first blush, the foods of Hawaii and African-American recipes have a lot in common: both are influenced by food and traditions from other ethnic groups. African-American recipes, particularly southern recipes, are influenced by African, French, and English settlers and Hawaiian food is an amalgam of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino and Portuguese cooking. It was hard to select one recipe from this book but after careful consideration (and menu-planning), I went with the Portuguese Bean Soup.

My husband and I visited Portugal several years ago and do not recall this type of soup on the menu but that didn’t matter in the least as it provided a hearty meal for a cold winter’s night. Although the recipe itself was easy to make (providing you soak the beans the night before), finding a single ham hock proved to be a challenge. One grocery store had 4-packs, two stores didn’t have any and I finally settled upon ham shanks (not quite the same) from a fourth grocery store (after consulting with a butcher). Sheesh!

I cannot say that I ever contemplated making a Portuguese-Hawaiian dish to honor the first African-American president who spent some of his life growing up in Indonesia, but like his presidency, there’s a first time for everything. Enjoy!

Portuguese Bean Soup – 4 servings
1 ham hock (or ham shank)
Olive oil to coat the pan
1 good-sized onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic
2 celery stalks cut into dice
1 carrot cut into dice
1 cup navy beans or kidney beans, soaked overnight
3 tomatoes skinned and chopped (or substitute canned tomatoes)
Dried red chili pepper, deseeded
1 potato cut into dice
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped parsley (for garnish)

Take two pots (the soup can be cooked in one, but using two allows you to control how much of the salty ham stock you use.). In one, place the ham hock, cover with water, and simmer until tender, about 2 hours. Remove the hock, skin and cut the meat into small cubes. Reserve the stock.

Meanwhile, in another pan, sauté the onion, garlic, celery, and carrot in olive oil until soft; then add the beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, and sufficient water to cover. Simmer until nearly done (1 hour) then add the potato. After 5 minutes, add the cubed meat and enough of the stock to create a good flavor. (Note: When I made the dish, I added about 4 ladles of the ham stock and that seemed to strike the right balance.). Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Simmer for another few minutes until the potato is cooked, add the parsley and serve.