Oven Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Sometimes it is the simplest of things that are the most delicious. Not every meal at our house is gourmet style. This morning's brunch is a perfect example. My husband loves eggs and breakfast... I am not a fan of breakfast, mostly because I do not like eggs, even though I buy really wonderful fresh eggs from my friends Liz and Janet. Janet calls her chickens, the Six Sassy Sisters. And so this morning I made Wes his Six Sassy Sister eggs along with some roasted fingerling potatoes with garlic, onions, rosemary and olive oil. I made some bacon which he ate on the side and I used for a bacon, garden fresh tomato and arugula sandwich on home made sprouted wheat bread.

We ate our brunch on the lanai watching some paddle boarders paddle by our house and listening to the waves lap along our shore.

To make the potatoes just use uniformly sized potatoes or cut them into uniform sizes. With the fingerlings I simply sliced them in half. Toss the potatoes with olive oil, salt, freshly cracked pepper, fresh rosemary pulled from the twig, garlic cloves, coarsely chopped red onion and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, then stir and bake for another 15-20 minutes till the potatoes are fork tender and have developed a bit of caramelization. I love roasted potatoes with chicken, but of course they go with most any protein or stand alone if you are a vegetarian. I like a bit of Belizian hot sauce on my potatoes, even at breakfast.

Wordless Wednesday Voggy Sunrise

Birth of a Farmer's Market

On Thursday, January 21st, Hawai'i island got a new Farmer's Market! This is a good thing for the community and the island. The small village of Pepeekeo on the Hamakua Coast opened their new market with a blessing by Reverend Baron Kimura of the Tenrikyo Kaka'ako Church. About 80 people from the community attended the opening.

Matthew Pritchard-Tage (above) is the owner of the 1.6 acres on Highway 19 where the market is being held on Thursdays from noon till dusk and Sundays from dawn till 2 pm.

Tom Lackey's Huli Huli Chicken was the star of the day and there were long lines waiting for the chicken to finish cooking. We took one home and it was succulent and delicious. Also at the oepning was Bob Ferazzi's  Make'a Nursery  selling young healthy vegetable and herb plants 3 for $2. We bought some purple tomatillos and hot peppers from them and I plan on going back again to get some more starts.

There was shave ice of course, what Hawaiian event does not have shave ice and huli huli chicken? A fruit and vegetable vendor had her hands full keeping up with her orders, there is certainly a need for more vendors to meet the demand.

The mayor sent an emissary to speak to the crowd on his behalf. Public Information Specialist Desiree Cruz thanked the vendors and customers for supporting the market and talked about the importance of community support and fresh local foods.

County Councilman & local grocer Dominc Yagong spoke at length with enthusiasm about how important farmer's markets are to the people of Hawaii and how we are so fortunate to have so many things growing locally. He emphasized that it is not just the marketing that is important, but also a chance to talk story with friends and neighbors in a way that builds community.

It will be great to see this market grow and to see how it provides a service to the people of the Hamakua Coast. If you are interested in a spot at the market, each 10' X 10' space rents for $15. Produce vendors, food vendors and artists are needed to grow this market.  See you in Pepeekeo!

Senate Bean Soup My Way

My husband LOVES beans any way you can make them and so I do use them frequently to make him smile. He loves Portuguese Bean Soup and one of his favorites is Senate Bean Soup, like his mother used to make.  After Christmas we got a big ham which I smoked and then used in a variety of ways, but as with any ham... there is always that bone calling to be put into a pot to make one more dish and usually that includes legumes of some sort.

Senate Bean Soup is really just a very simple way of making Navy Bean Soup. It is served every day in the US Senate Dining Room. There are two stories of how this came to be, on is that early in the 20th century, Senator Fred Thomas Dubois of Iowa (who was interestingly both a Republican and a Democrat) requested that it be served and henceforth it has been. However, his version of the soup has mashed potatoes in it and the recipe that has been served in the Senate Dining Room does not. There is a second story that Senator Knute Nelson of Minnesota requested the soup be served in 1903 and it became an instant hit with the senators. His version did not have mashed potatoes and is much like what is served in the Dining Room today. Regardless, the soup is a mainstay in the Senate Dining Room to this day.

I tend to put my own mark on even the most simple of recipes, and so my recipe is slightly different, but adds only a few nuances to the pot. The result is a hearty and delicious soup which is great served with cornbread on a winter afternoon. It is equally nutritious and economical. My husband, for whatever reason adds ketchup to it, where I add some sliced Hawaiian Peppers and lots of crushed black pepper. Here is my take on Senate Bean Soup:

Ingredients
1 large ham bone or three smoked ham hocks
5 quarts of stock or broth (water can be used if you don't have stock)
1/2 cup dry white wine (or stock can be used)
1 Pound of Navy Beans (soaked over night and rinsed)
3 carrots chopped coarsely
2 Large shallots and 1 onion chopped finely
3 stalks of celery chopped finely
9 cloves of garlic chopped finely
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped coarsely (same size as the carrots)
1 bunch of parsley chopped finely
Salt and pepper to taste ( about a teaspoon of each)

Method
In a large stock pot, add oil and the onions, carrots and celery. Sauté till the onions are slightly  transparent. Make a hot spot in the bottom of the pan, add garlic and allow to simmer for just a moment, then stir all together. When the onions start to turn golden, add the potatoes and stir again. De-glaze the pan with the wine or stock. Then add the beans, & ham bone/hocks. Generously salt and pepper. Turn heat on medium low and simmer for an hour. Taste. The beans should be soft, but not mushy and the carrots and potato should also be cooked through.  Remove ham bone, add any ham meat leftover (more is always better when it comes to ham.) Stir in 1/2 of the parsley. Dish into bowls and sprinkle remaining parsley over all.

*Note, "Senator" Wes says this should be served with cornbread and maple syrup.

What it is like to sit at my desk

A typical morning finds me up at 4 am and after walking the dog, feeding the cat, making coffee and turning on the computer, this is what it is like:

Pork Belly

I actually think that bacon (aka pork belly) is probably one of the most diverse and craving inducing foods known to man. Pork Belly can be cured and made into pancetta or cured and smoked and made into bacon, made into one of my favorite Asian flavorings, Char Sui or in some cases just cooked in interesting ways. Here are a few fun things done with it...

Visit Bacon World, where bacon becomes art! These photos are courtesy of www.UnusualLife.com

It is not all bacon... he uses cold cuts too

And then there is David Beran, one of my favorite Chicago chefs from Alinea. I consider Chef David to be a food artisan... making amazing flavors and displaying  them in innovative and beautiful ways. He uses tweezers and surgical instruments to create his incredible dishes. In this video he shows us how he works his magic with a pork belly dish: Alinea-Video 

Another thing that always cracked me up when I was a kid was the commodities market, remember hearing about the price of Pork Bellies... now "I so get it!" And today at least the market is UP!

Pork Bellies (CME) February 10 (cents per lb.)

89.30

+0.25

89.85

89.30

90.25

1/21 10:29am

Wordless Wednesday My Tardy Christmas Cactus

This Christmas Cactus is ten years old, but really it is far older. It is a cutting from a very old Chicago family Christmas Cactus given to us by our dear friend Larry Heinemann when we were married in 2000. When he gave it to us, it was a cutting in a six inch pot with three little stems. If you live in Hawaii, let me know and I will give you some cuttings. The whole ordeal of being shipped here may have something to do with it's tardiness at blooming this year. We'll see what happens next year.

Caught One!

The coqui frog is the bane of most Hawai'i residents existence. It is an invasive species that makes a loud chirping noise and seems to breed faster than rabbits. It has no natural predators in Hawai'i. We don't have many of them around our house and the ocean blocks out the sound of those that are around us. However, I know a few people who love the sound of them and some who are driven nuts by the noises they make.

Meanwhile, I have never been very good at catching them. And... then last week when I was in the garden I found a BIG one and he made his way into a zip lock bag in my freezer. Today I pretty much hit the coqui jackpot, I found an adult male sitting on a nest of eggs. Usually the eggs need to be in water and these may have been laid in water, but they were just in the bottom of a pot that had an orchid in it. I was changing out the pot and discovered this little nest.

Bad Boy!

This video/audio clip was taken down by the river in Hilo where the coquis are quite dense. It gives you a good idea though of what they can be like.

Smoked Duck Tortilla Soup

I smoked a duck and made duck tacos last week. And then what? I made duck stock and reserved the remaining meat for soup. I made a big pot of Smoked Duck Tortilla Soup a few nights ago. You can find whole ducks in the freezer section of most grocery stores. Here in Hawaii, they are a rare "find" and when someone in our group finds them we buy enough for everyone because they go fast.

Here is the recipe:
The Stock
1 duck carcas
2 heads of garlic cut in half
2 carrots quartered
2 stalks of celery
1 Large onion quartered
2 Bay Leaves or cinnamon leaves if you can get them
6 dried ancho chiles (can sub Dried New Mexico or California red chiles)stemmed and seeded.

Place all in a stock pot, simmer on low for 10 hours, do not allow to boil. Then strain with cheese cloth. Chill stock and remove fat (save 3 Tablespoons for soup). Reserve meat and garlic (remove from bulb) for soup. Remove the chiles and place in a blender with 1 cup of stock and puree, then set aside.  This should make about 6 quarts of stock.

The Soup

4 quarts of duck stock

Reserved duck meat (note if you did not have much meat left, you can sauté a breast and chop it up)

3 tablespoons reserved duck fat

2 sweet onions  or 4 chopped

3 ribs of celery (including tops) chopped

2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly

1 bunch of kale or chard chopped roughly

Reserved chile puree

Reserved meat

Reserved garlic

1 package of fire roasted frozen corn or fresh corn off the cob

In a large soup pot sauté the onions in the duck fat. When they are beginning to sweat, add celery, garlic and carrots and sauté another couple of minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste and season with salt, pepper and red crushed pepper. It should be slightly spicy, but not extremely so.

The Garnishes

4 tortillas sliced thinly and fried till crispy

1/2 cup green onions (scallions)

1 medium avocado diced Finely shredded cheddar or jack cheese

Chopped cilantro

Crema (Mexican Sour Cream)

To serve fill a bowl with the tortilla strips and avocado chunks. Ladle the hot soup over the strips and then top

with cheese, green onions, cilantro and drizzle crema lightly over the top.

Pasticciata Bolognese Part 3

For those of you following this recipe and planning to make it, this is the final installment in the making of Pasticciata Bolognese. For those of you just jumping in on the subject, you can find  the first two installments by clicking on the links below. If you are wondering exactly what Pasticciata Bolognese is, it is a wonderfully complex and rich form of lasagna which has traditional slow cooked Bolognese sauce, Besciamella sauce, cheese and of course the spinach pasta.

In Part 1 we made spinach pasta, which is used for many dishes, not just this one.

In Part 2 we made the sauces and finally, now we are assembling the dish and baking!

The spinach pasta dough now needs to be rolled out, blanched and then cooled in ice water before assembly. You can use a rolling pin to roll out the sheets of pasta, or you can use a pasta roller. I used a pasta roller this time. Basically you want to roll out about 20 ounces of the pasta out as thinly as possible. As the pasta gets thinner, of course it also gets longer. I cut my strips in half when they start to get unmanageably long. Place all of the pasta sheets on floured linen towels. You can flour the counter instead, but that is a lot messier.

In a large wide pot, get the water boiling and add a generous pinch of salt. Slide a strip of pasta in and if you have room a second strip, but no more than that. Have a roasting pan or shallow bowl ready with ice water. Spinach pasta cooks quickly. Within about one minute, it should be done. Using a slotted spoon or spider, gently remove the pasta from the cooking water and plunge into the ice water just like a Swede coming out of a Sauna and jumping into a cold plunge.

Pick up the cooled pasta sheets and allow excess water to drain off and then place on towels again to dry a bit.

You will need:

• 1 recipe fresh spinach pasta
• A double recipe of besciamella
• 4 Cups Ragu Bolognese  
• 2-3 tablespoons of butter for the baking pan
• 2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 4 cups of low-moisture mozzarella shredded or sliced very thinly

Method: 

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

The first two sheets of pasta are going to form a strong base for the dish. A thin layer of the sauces and cheeses separate the pasta sheets so that they do not get gummy. After you have made the base, you will make three filling layers with plentiful amounts of the sauces and cheeses, then the last layers of pasta are again thinly dressed. 

Coat the bottom and sides of the dish thinly with Besciamella. Apply 1/3 cup of  Bolognese on the bottom over the Besciamella. Drape the pasta sheets the length of the pan so that they cover it completely, allowing the excess to hang over the edge of the pan. 

• Spread 1/3 cup of the Besciamella over the pasta. 
• Spread 1/3 cup of Bolognese over the Besciamella

Drape the next layer of pasta sheets perpendicular to the first, across the width of the pan, allowing the excess to lay on each side of the pan evenly (should be about 6" on each side. 

• Spread 2/3 cup of Besciamella over the pasta
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the Parm over the sauce
• Spread 1 cup of Bolognese in a thick layer
• Top with 1/3 of the Mozzarella 

Add another layer of pasta, but this time trim the sheets to fit the pan. and replicate the steps above to create another thick layer of filling. 

Make another layer of trimmed pasta sheets and fill with a final thick filling layer.

Arrange another trimmed layer of pasta over the final filling layer. 

• Spread  1/3 cup Besciamella on the layer of pasta
• Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of Parm all over 
• Repeat with a final layer of pasta, then besciamella and then the 3 tablespoons more of  Parm. 

Fold all of the overhanging flaps of pasta over on to to the pasticcata. If they do not meet and cover the top, add an additional piece to cover. Spread the remaining Besciamella and Bolognese on and top with the remaining Parm. 

At this point, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator or you may bake it right away. Before you put the pasticcata in the oven, tear a long sheet of foil to form a tent over the pan. Arch the foil over the pan so that it does not touch the cheese. Pierce the foil in a few places to vent any steam. 

Set the pan on a baking sheet and then into a 350 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the pan on the baking sheet from the oven to remove the foil and then return to the oven for about 20 minutes, until the top is deeply colored and crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for another 20 minutes to firm up. 

Cut into squares and serve. 

Wordless Wednesday: My Mahjongg Girls!

Pasticciata Bolognese : Part 2 The Sauces

Pasticciata Bolognese, as described in my earlier post is a rather luxurious type of lasagna. The main sauce used in this recipe is a Bolognese Sauce, also known as the queen of sauces.


Deeply flavored.  Rich.  Seductive. Velvety.  The Queen of Sauces; Bolognese, is all of these things. It is also history, tradition, and a serious achievement for any serious cook in Italian cuisine. 


The earliest reference I have found to 'Ragu' alla bolognese is a 15th century recipe, which describes lining a casserole dish with prosciutto and strips of pork fat, laying chopped onion, (no garlic - Italian patricians for centuries abhorred garlic smells on the breath, which was looked down on at Court) carrot, celery and fresh wild herbs, which would be parsley, sage, rosemary and origano, and laying over that best quality finely chopped beef. The whole would then be covered in dry red wine and beef stock, and cooked over a slow fire for at least four hours, or until the meat was dark brown with a 'burnt' appearance. A little cream should be added at the end of cooking, to ennoble the dish.

Tomatoes didn't come into the equation until late on in the 15th century, reaching italy through Spain, where potatoes, maize, peppers of all kinds, tomatoes and American beans were introduced by the triumphant Conquistadores.The whole of Southern Italy was under Spanish Bourbon rule at the time, and it is said that these new foodswere first introduced into Palermo, Sicily, and thence found their way up the Italian peninsula and becoming part of the main staples of  Italian food, and tomatoes soon found their way into some - though not all - meat sauces, including Bolognese.


My sauce is made with three kinds of meat, beef, pork and cured pork (pancetta) but some recipes also include veal. I also am of the "milk" school. As you will see by the list of ingredients, this sauce is probably equal to some of the complex and multilayered  moles of Mexican cooking which I also adore. 


The other sauce used in this recipe is a traditional cream sauce, Besciamella. I will give the recipes for both of these in Part 2 and then in Part 3, I will give you the final instructions in assembly and baking.. 


Ragu alla Bolognese Ricetta Antica 


2# ground beef (15% fat)
2# ground pork (15 % fat)
2 cups dry vermouth
8 ounces pancetta or bacon
6 fat garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large red onions minced
2 large stalks of celery, minced in a food processor
2 carrots, minced in a food processor
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 tablespoons tomato paste
8 cups hot milk
nutmeg for grating (about 1 teaspoon)
2 Cups or more turkey, veal or beef stock
freshly ground black pepper


* I have also used porcini mushrooms in this sauce, but they are not traditional, so I am omitting them

• Put all 4 pounds of ground meat in a large mixing bowl. With your hands, crumble and loosen it. This is easier if you allow the meat to achieve room temperature. Pour the Vermouth over the meat and mix completely together. Allow to rest.

• To make the pestata cut the bacon or pancetta slices into 1 inch pieces and put them in the bowl of a food processor with the peeled garlic. Process this into a fine paste. 

Cooking the sauce Base: 

• Pour the olive oil into a heavy sauce pan and scrape in all of the pestata. Put the pan on medium heat and break up the pestata and stir it around the pan bottom to start rendering lard. Cook for 3-4 minutes stirring until the bacon and garlic are sizziling and the garlic starts to turn golden. 

• Stir in the minced onions and cook till the onions begin to sweat. Stir in the carrot and celery and cook till the vegetables are wilted and gold over medium-high heat (about 4-5 minutes.) 

• Turn up the heat and move the veggies off to the side and put all of the meat into the pan. Sprinkle the salt on. Allow the meat to brown, then stir and continue to brown until all of the meat is browned. Cook an additional 30 minutes or more until all of the liquid has concentrated. As the liquid level goes down turn the heat down so you do not burn the meat.

• Slowly heat the milk and stock to be used. 

• When all of the meat has been cooked off, drop in the tomato paste on a hot spot and allow to toast for a minute. Then blend in to the meat. Cook for another few minutes, stirring. 

• Pour in two cups of the hot milk and stir into the meat; add more as needed to cover the meat. Grate in the nutmeg. Stir well, being sure to clean the bottom of the pan with the spoon, pulling up any caramelized bits on the bottom. 

• Bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover the pan adjusting the heat to maintain slow steady cooking. The sauce should be bubbling just a bit. 

• The sauce needs to simmer for 3 hours. During which, check the pot about every 15 minutes and add hot milk as needed to cover the meat. every 15-20 minutes there should be a reduction of 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups. After all of the milk has been used, start using stock to replenish the liquids. This step is important and creates the complex flavor of the sauce. If the sauce level is falling too fast, lower the heat. 

• During the finishing of the sauce, the meat should appear suspended in a rich velvety sauce. If the meat is still  under liquid increase heat and reduce further. 

• Taste and add salt or pepper if needed. cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

• Stir the sauce and and allow to cool. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for a few months. It is a great thing to have on hand. Aside from the recipe provided here, this sauce is also quite good over polenta, risotto, pasta, gnocchi or to sauce ravioli. 

Besciamella -Béchamel or Cream Sauce (this is a double recipe needed for the Pasticcata)

4 cups milk

Pinch of salt

Pinch of white pepper

2 Bay leaves

3 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons all purpose-flour

6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmagiano Reggiano 

• Pour the milk into a large saucepan. Add seasonings and bay leaf. Bring almost to a boil and then reduce heat but keep warm. 

• Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat and when the butter starts to foam, add the flour, whisk to form a roux, allow the roux to darken slightly. 

• Stir in the milk, stirring constantly until the sauce begins to boil. Keep the pan at a slow simmer, stirring constantly as the sauce thickens. This should take 3-4 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the grated cheese. 

• Remove from heat and place plastic wrap directly to the sauce so that a skin will not form. The sauce can sit like this for a few hours at room temperature. It can be refrigerated for a day or to, but I prefer to do t his sauce on the day of assembly. 

Coming next, part 3, the final assembly.

Pasticciata Bolognese : Part 1 Spinach Pasta

OK... I am on a pasta jag... can't seem to shake it. After making the Chestnut Pasta a few days ago, I was reminded how truly great fresh pasta is and how I have neglected making it for a very long time. I promise, after this post I will do some local fish and veggie posts...maybe even with pasta? Meanwhile, please travel with me to Italy where soft velvety pastas and complex layered flavors of long cooked sauces delight our senses. In making this dish, you will share with your guests and family something quite special, a gift of your time and love, something that is rarely found on menus in the US and something that is even more rare and wonderful here on Hawai'i Island.

Pasticciata Bolognese is quite simply Lasagna made a very special way. I happen to think that it is one of  the best pasta dishes ever. It is also a bit on the messy side and it is something that requires a good deal of production time. However, it is so worth the effort. Much of this dish can be broken down into components that can be made ahead of time. I spent about 8 hours (much of which was simmering time for the sauce) of a single day making it, but you could easily do the pasta one day, the Bolognese Sauce another day  and the Besciamella & assembly another day. So, that is the way I am going to give this formula to you, starting today with the Spinach Pasta. Of course the Spinach Past is good for other forms of pasta. It can be cut and shaped into nearly any shape of pasta, so keep this recipe on hand for other uses too. I love it for ravioli with fresh ricotta and lemon zest filling. And all the while, this is also a great way to add spinach to foods for those who do not get enough of this important vegetable.

Spinach Pasta

There are two ways to make this pasta, one with fresh spinach and the other is with chopped frozen spinach. While I love fresh spinach (especially in salads) unless you have a huge garden of it, I must admit that frozen chopped spinach is perfect for this recipe and no compromises are made in nutrition or texture.  Keep in mind that spinach pasta is more moist than some pastas, so it will cook more quickly. I am giving instructions here for using frozen spinach, but you can easily cook raw spinach for about 5 minutes and then do the draining and squeezing with it.

Preparing the Spinach

Thaw the frozen spinach in a bowl in the refrigerator over night, then place in a strainer and squeeze the spinach by hand. Once you have done this, let it rest for a few minutes and then place in an old linen towel and twist it into a ball, squeezing even more. Just when you think you have removed all of the moisture, squeeze again. The dryer the spinach, the better the pasta.

Making the Dough


Ingredients: 

• One ten ounce box of frozen chopped spinach (completely drained as instructed above)
• 2 Cups all-purpose flour (plus additional for rolling and kneading the pasta)
• 2 large whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Method: 

Break apart the spinach in the bowl of a food processor and puree it, scrape down the sides with a spatula. In the bowl of the processor, add the flour to the spinach, pulsing till the spinach is completely incorporated into the flour.

In a measuring cup with a spout, whisk together the eggs, yolks and oil. While the processor is running slowly pour the egg mixture into the spinach flour mixture. Processs briefly and then scrape down the sides of the bowl and then process just until it starts to cling to the blade or form a ball.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth and elastic. Wrap well in plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour before rolling. At this point you can store it in the refrigerator for up to three days and up to three months in the freezer. If you do this, make sure that you allow the thawed dough to rest and completely come to room temperature before rolling.

In part 2 we will be making the sauces, then in part 3 we will assemble the Pasticciata Bolognese.