Hawaiian Dinner January 2012

We welcomed the new year with Hawaiian influenced feast.


I (Lauren) made Kalua Pig in a crock pot. My recipe was 5 LB of pork Butt (Shoulder), 1 Tb. Hawaiian Pink Salt, and 3 pieces smoky bacon. Place the bacon in the pot first, then rub the salt all over the pork. You can cut slits in the meat to make the salt penetrate more. Put the crock pot on low and cook for 16-20 hours.

I also made quick pickled cucumber slices. The recipe is:

1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 Tb grated ginger
pinch salt
pepper to taste
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber

Mix everything but the cucumber together until the sugar dissolves, then add cucumber and chill.

I also made a green salad with mango, orange segments, cucumber, green onion, and red leaf lettuce served with a sesame soy ginger dressing.

I (Dani) brought an Ahi Poke appetizer and a Rice Salad.

Maui Ahi Poke
• 2 lbs fresh ahi tuna
• 1 small round onion , julienne cut (Maui Onions preferred)
• 3 green onions , diced
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated fresh ginger
• 3 finely diced garlic cloves
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon Chinese chili sauce (Rooster Brand)
• 1 teaspoon hawaiian sea salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions:
Cut Ahi into at least 1/2" cubes - set aside & refrigerate.
Combine all other ingredients in a large glass bowl & refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
When ready to serve toss Ahi and other ingredients together. Serve on chilled platter with chopsticks or toothpicks.


Hawaiian Rice Salad
1 cup long grain rice
2 cups vegetable stock
12 tsp turmeric (powder)
34 cup pineapple chunks
12 cup mango (chunks)
14 cup walnut (coarsely crushed)
13 cup raisins
12 cup cucumber (chopped)
12 stalk chopped celery
4 tbsps lemon juice
3 tbsps honey
2 tbsps pineapple juice
1 clove garlic cloves
salt (crushed)
pepper (crushed)

Directions:
Wash rice thoroughly. In a pan, bring stock and turmeric powder to a boil. Add rice. Simmer until rice is cooked. Drain, rinse and spread rice on a tray to cool. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. In a bowl, mix rice with pineapple, mango, walnuts, raisins, cucumber and celery. Gently fold in the dressing. Serve.


Stephanie brought shrimp skewers.

I (Katharina) made a rice salad with pineapple, jicama, and pumpkin seeds. The recipe was from cooksillustrated.com.

1 1/2 cups long grain white rice or basmati rice
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium jalapeño chile , seeded and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 tablespoon lime juice from 1 lime
1 small clove garlic , minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 small pineapple peeled, cored, and diced medium (about 1 cup)
5 ounces jicama , peeled and diced medium (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds , toasted in a small dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and lightly browned, about 1 minute
2 medium scallions , white and green parts, sliced thin
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves


1. For Boiled Rice: Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large stockpot. Meanwhile, heat medium skillet over medium heat until hot, about 3 minutes; add rice and toast, stirring frequently, until faintly fragrant and some grains turn opaque, about 5 minutes.

2. Add salt to boiling water and stir in toasted rice. Return to boil and cook, uncovered, until rice is tender but not soft, 8 to 10 minutes for long-grain rice or about 15 minutes for basmati. Meanwhile, line rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Drain rice in large fine-mesh strainer or colander; spread on prepared baking sheet. Cool while preparing salad ingredients.

3. For Salad: Stir together vegetable oil, jalapeno chile, lime zest and juice, garlic, honey, salt, and black pepper in small bowl. Combine rice, pineapple, jicama, pumpkin seeds, scallions, and cilantro; drizzle oil mixture over and toss thoroughly to combine. Let stand 20 minutes to blend flavors and serve.

I used long-grain rice and followed the recipe closely.


I (Rebecca) made Korean Style Potatoes from the AlohaWorld.com site. This quick and easy side dish was made by peeling and chopping 2 lbs of potatoes which are then soaked in a solution of water and Hawaiian salt for 15 minutes. I used a yellow-fleshed potato from the farmer's market that was noted as being similar to a Yukon Gold. After draining, the potatoes are simmered in a mixture of water, sugar, Shoyu soy sauce, garlic, vegetable oil and black pepper. I found I needed to cook the potatoes about 5 minutes longer than called for in the recipe and the cooking liquid nearly all evaporated. Had there been any sauce left, it could be drizzled over the potatoes. If I were to make these again, I would increase the cooking liquid by half.


Kim made a pineapple shortcake with coconut rice pudding and a yogurt cream.
This is the recipe I intended to make for the dinner from the start.

Roasted Pineapple Shortcakes
from Eating Well magazine, Fall 2004

1 cup Vanilla Cream, (recipe follows) or “lite” frozen whipped topping, thawed

Shortcakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk, or equivalent buttermilk powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Roasted Pineapple Filling:
1/2 cup unsalted chopped macadamia nuts, or unsweetened flaked coconut
1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into bite-size triangles
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preparation:
1. Prepare Vanilla Cream, if using.
2. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. To prepare shortcakes: Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir with a fork until the dough just comes together.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface; gather together and knead gently 5 or 6 times. Roll to a 1/2-inch thickness and cut out rounds with a 3 1/4-inch cookie cutter (see Equipment Tip). Reroll scraps and cut to make 12 shortcakes total. Place the shortcakes on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
5. Bake the shortcakes until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
6. To prepare filling: Spread nuts (or coconut) in a small baking pan and toast in the oven until light golden, 1 to 3 minutes.
7. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine pineapple, pineapple juice, honey, ginger and cloves in a large bowl; toss to coat. Spread on the prepared baking sheet. Roast at 450° until the pineapple is lightly browned around the edges and the juices are syrupy, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly.
8. To serve: Split the shortcakes with a serrated knife and place the bottoms on dessert plates. Top each with the pineapple, nuts (or coconut) and a dollop of Vanilla Cream (or whipped topping) and replace the tops. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.

Tips & Notes:
Make Ahead Tip: Store the shortcakes (Steps 2-5) in an airtight container for up to 8 hours.
If you don't have a 3 1/4-inch cookie cutter, you can use a clean 6-ounce can, such as a tuna or salmon can


Vanilla Cream
from Eating Well magazine, Spring 2003

This versatile creamy topping blends the nutritional virtues and creamy texture of drained nonfat yogurt with the luxury of a little whipped cream. Use it in place of full-fat whipped cream or dessert topping. If you like, you can make variations by using different flavors of yogurt or even whisking in a bit of cocoa powde

Ingredients:
1 cup low-fat or nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 1/2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar, (optional)

Preparation:
1. Line a sieve or colander with cheesecloth and set over a bowl, leaving at least 1/2-inch clearance from the bottom. (Alternatively, use a coffee filter lined with filter paper.) Spoon in yogurt, cover and let drain in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Discard whey.
2. Whip cream in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar, if using, and continue whipping until firm peaks form. Fold in the drained yogurt.

Then, on the morning of the dinner, I was sitting in the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company, planning our weekly menus while Trevor was running our booth.  It was cold and blustery out and this recipe jumped out at me.  It sounded so good and so comforing, I wished I could have made it right away.  As it was, I decided I would make this for our dinner, in addition to the Pineapple shortcakes that I had already started to make.

Warm Coconut Rice Pudding
from Cooking Light magazine, Jan. 2012

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk, divided
2 large egg yolks
1 cup light coconut milk
1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon chopped pistachios


Preparation:
1. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in rice; cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; uncover. Set aside.
2. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl.
3. Combine 1/4 cup milk and yolks in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add sugar mixture to milk mixture, stirring with a whisk until blended.
4. Bring remaining 1 1/4 cups milk and coconut milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Gradually add hot milk mixture to yolk mixture, stirring with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan. Bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cooked rice, coconut, and next 3 ingredients (through cardamom). Top with pistachios.

Kim's notes: I did not have instant rice, so I used glutinous rice instead, which needed to be cooked a bit longer.