Simple Local Dinner~ Grilled Ono and Bok Choy

I got some great Ono (local fish, also known as Hawaiian Wahoo) steaks and grilled them up, stir fried some bok choy that I bought from my "plantain lady" at the Hilo Farmer's Market and smashed a few fingerling potatoes and grilled them along with the fish. 


Ono is a realative of the King Mackerel. The flesh of the ono is whiter, flakier and has a more delicate texture than the meat of other fast swimming pelagic species. Although they may make oceanic migrations as far as those of tuna and marlin, it contains less of the strong-tasting "blood meat" that the latter species use for long-distance swimming.  While ono may grow to up to 100 pounds in round weight, the local Hawaii catch is usually between 8-30 pounds. It is a perfect fish for grilling and can usually be found at reasonable prices in Hawaii because it is so local. We have a Big Island Grocery chain Foodland/Sack n Save that regularly buys fish from local fishermen. They sell them cut up as well as whole. They also make the best Poke on the island, fresh daily. 


Grilled Ono
serves two but can be easily doubled


Two Ono Steaks (6-9 ounces each)


Marinade: 
1/2 cup of pineapple vodka * 
1/2 cup Hoisin Sauce
1 inch of fresh ginger grated with a microplane 


2 tablespoons smoked paprika


In a bowl, stir marinade and add ono. Marinate for 30 minutes. 


Remove Ono from the marinade and sprinkle with smoked paprika. 


Oil a hot grill and place the ono on the grill. After 4 minutes turn. The fish should be ready 3-4 minutes later. 

* I make pineapple vodka by steeping pineapple slices in vodka for 4-6 weeks. You can also use sake in place of the vodka if you do not want to take the time to make it. 

Stir-Fried Baby Bok Choy
serves two but can easily be doubled


This is such an easy and healthy recipe! 


6-8 baby bok choy cut in half


2 Tablespoons Peanut Oil
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil 
pinch of crushed red pepper 


2 Tablespoons Soju (soy sauce)


In a large wok, add the oils and pepper, heat on high and toss in the bok choy, stirring frequently. It only takes 5-8 minutes to cook.  


Sauce with the soju before serving. 


Grilled Smashed Fingerling Potatoes
serves two but is easily increased


This can be done with fingerlings or small red or yukon gold potatoes. 


6 small potatoes or fingerlings
olive oil
Hawaiian sea salt (I use my home smoked salt) 
freshly ground pepper


Microwave or bake the potatoes till barely soft... do not over cook them or they will fall apart. I usually microwave them for 2 minutes and check them, then add a minute more if they are not soft enough. If you are using an oven, I would check them after 15 minutes. 


With a potato masher gently smash the potatoes so that they are about 3/4 of an inch thick. Again, the key here is not to Over mash. The potatoes skin should be mostly intact so that the potato will hold together. Drizzle generously with olive oil, salt and pepper, then flip and do the same on the other side. 


On a hot grill, grill the potatoes for 4 minutes, flip and cook for 4 minutes more. You want a nice crust. 

You may need to add more seasoning as much of it will fall off when cooking, but I like both the "cooked seasonings" and the freshly added ones. You can also add some fresh herbs such as rosemary or parsley. 

Crispy Kale Chips

This is one of my favorite snacks and something that gets immediately grabbed at my dinner parties. It is so simple to make and very healthy too. The crisp leaves of the kale have better flavor than any potato chip you will ever eat! It is also a good way to get kids or husbands/picky eaters to eat their greens. I wish I would have known about this when my kids were small, I had to rely on zucchini fries and fried green tomatoes that we called "Tomato Chips" as disguised veggies.

All you do is take some Dinosaur Kale, also known as Tuscan Kale and toss it is a bit of olive oil sprinkle with sea salt and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. I use a silpat sheet on my baking sheets, but you do not have to, you can also place baking parchment on the baking sheets. If the kale is mature, the leaves are 10-12" long and the rib in the center is quite thick, so you should cut the rib out, making two smaller leaves. If it is young kale, you can leave it in. We have several organic growers that grow the Tuscan Kale and it is available here year round at our farmer's markets.

Fried Okra

This one is for Keith, my friend from Georgia who is working on the mainland. I miss him!

Last night's supper was in the style of comfort food. At the farmer's market yesterday I picked up some tender and velvety okra, so dinner was centered on that. I do okra in several styles, but last night I opted for the simple southern style (recipe below) I learned living in coastal South Carolina, which could have been the entry point for okra into our nation's food system, though some claim it was New Orleans. Wherever it came into our country, we know that it is a delicious addition to our American menus.

Brief history of OKRA: Okra's lineage started on the banks of t he nile where it grew wild. The egyptians cultivated this relative of the Hollyhock, cotton and hibiscus. Eventually the seeds made their way throughout Africa and the middle East.

It was prized as a vegetable and the dried seeds were used as a substitute for coffee... no I am not going to try that! Because of the slave trade, okra made its way to America via the Caribbean. About the same time (early 1700's) it also was noted as having made it to Europe. Okra is probably most famous as a thickening agent in gumbo but there are many ways to prepare and utilize this vegetable.

Okra grows year round in tropical climates and must be picked 3-4 days after the flower develops or the fruit becomes tough and fibrous, but then it can be used for making paper and ropes. I have grown the red variety and I am partial to it.

It only takes 60 days from seed to fruit and once an okra plant is established it can supply okra for a family's needs. While I love fried okra and pickled okra

many of my favorite recipes for okra are from Northern India. You can also grill it and use it as the base for a variety of stews centered around North African and Turkish cuisines.

Last night I prepared it in the simple southern tradition, though there are even many variations on this theme, some use only cornmeal others add flour, seasonings etc. I have even thought of doing a coconut breading for it someday. Here is last nights rendition:

Fried Okra with Smoked Sea Salt

8-10 Okra pods 3-5" in length

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs beaten with a fork or whisk

reserved buttermilk

1 cup flour for dredging

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal or polenta

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon raw sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup of peanut or canola oil

Smoked Sea Salt or medium grained salt

Cut okra into 1/2 inch slices

soak in buttermilk for 20 minutes

Strain, reserving buttermilk for breading

Mix eggs & buttermilk till incorporated

Stir together the cornmeal flour mixture

Preheat oil in a frying pan to 350 degrees

Dredge okra in flour in small batches

Dip okra in egg mixture

Dip okra in cornmeal/flour mixture and drop into hot oil. Turn after the bottom appears to be golden brown.

Remove with a spider or screened spoon and drain on paper towels. Salt immediately and serve while warm and crispy.

Here is our dinner from last night, grilled pork chops, mashed potatoes, grilled local corn and fried okra. Stay tuned for another okra recipe soon.

Wordless Wednesday : Hilo Farmer's Market

Tostones!

I love Cuban Food, especially when I can add a little extra kick to it. The other day at the Hilo Farmer's Market I saw a woman sitting at a little table with a sign that said, PLANTAINS $1 a bunch. That is all she had, big fat plantains. I smiled!

They are shorter and fatter than the ones I used to buy on the mainland. But after cooking these plantains I found them to taste even better and they certainly were the same texture as green plantains I have had from Latin America, much different than bananas, which until now were my only substitute for plantains. I do have a small plantain tree, but it will be a while before it has plantains on it. I immediately knew what I was going to make for dinner. I stopped by Abundant Life and bought some black beans and when I got home I took some smoked ham hocks out of the freezer. I had a boneless turkey breast tenderloin marinating in sour orange and lemon pepper already, the perfect accompaniment to the star of the show, Tostones! Who knew that a side dish would be the star? Recipes to follow.

I started the morning off by soaking the black beans and went off to work in the garden.

So some of you are probably asking, What are Tostones? Firstly they are a Cuban staple and sometimes found in other Latin cuisines such as Puerto Rican. They are twice fried green plantains. Tostones should be crisp and golden on the outside and tender on the inside. One secret is to simmer the first fry gently in oil the first time so that they cook until tender in the middle and don't get to hard and brittle to flatten. Tostones are flattened with a wooden gadget called a tostonera or a large bottomed flat glass will do.

At El Buganvil outside of Havana the tostones are made into little cups, tostones rellenos and then they are filled with picadillo, black beans or crab salad. But I made the traditional flat tostones.

Here is the recipe for tostones and Havana Style Black Beans:

Tostones:

• Peel the plantains with a sharp knife, removing only the skin.
• Slice into 3/4 inch slices
• In a deep fryer or pan heat at least 1 1/2 inches of oil to 340 degrees.
• Fry the rounds gently until they just start to turn golden (2-3 minutes)
• Remove and drain on paper towels.
• While still warm flatten to about half of their original thickness.
• Dip in warm salt water then place on paper towels to drain.
• Shortly before serving time, heat oil to 375 and fry until crisp and dry in small batches.
• Sprinkle lightly with salt (I use smoked salt.)
• Keep warm in a 200 degree oven if not serving immediately. I serve with lime slices.

Cuban Black Beans

Step 1

1 # Black Beans

2 quarts water

1 ham hock

6 garlic cloves peeled and smashed

1 tablespoon salt

2 bay leaves

1 habanero pepper cut in half

• Clean beans and cover with water for at least 8 hours or overnight. Strain.
• Add all ingredients and bring to a boil then reduce heat & simmer on low for an hour or till beans are barely tender, skimming scum if it develops.
• Remove the ham hock to cool and then shred meat.

Step 2

1/4 cup Olive Oil

4 pieces thick cut bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 large or two small red onion chopped finely

1/2 red bell pepper (green is traditional but I prefer sweet red) chopped finely

2 carrots chopped finely

8 garlic cloves peeled and finely minced

1 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped (I usually use a habanero)

1 Tablespoon dried Mexican Oregano (or Greek if you don't have Mexican)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons salt

Juice from one lime

1 cup dry sherry

1/4 cup raw sugar

• Heat olive oil in a large saute pan.
• Fry onion, peppers, and carrots. When the onions are starting to show color, add the garlic & spices.
• After a few minutes de-glaze the pan with the sherry and simmer for a few minutes. Add sugar and then pour into the beans.
• Simmer with the beans for a few minutes and remove 1 cup or so of beans and use an immersion blender to puree.
• Return the smooth beans to the whole beans and shred the ham hock meat into the beans.
• Cook until the sauce is like a thick gravy and serve with queso fresco, onion, lime and cilantro. I also add a small bowl of finely chopped habanero on the plate.

The Opportunist

Yesterday was Market Day. Our local Hilo Farmer's Market is open seven days a week, but on Wednesday and Saturday, it comes alive with local vendors and all kinds of good stuff. I try to hit it early in the morning if I can. Generally, I plan at least that day's menu around what I find at the farmer's market and the grocery store that I stop at afterwards. Yesterday was a day like any other Market Day. I had no idea what we were having for dinner when I left for the market.  

First stop... 7:45 am... our downtown Natural Foods store, Abundant Life, I was looking for my favorite Greek Yogurt which they have been out of for two weeks. Score Zero, still out. Next I was looking for molasses for bread baking. Score One! Oh... big bag of Coconut Flour on sale for half price... Score Two.  You win some and you lose some in this town when it comes to shopping.  

Next stop... 8 am Hilo Farmer's Market , just starting to buzz with activity. First I hit my herb dealer, no it is not like it sounds, she sells organic fresh green herbs at $1 for each big fat bunch. Yes, I do grow my own but I still have not come to the point where I am able to supply all of my needs in the gardens, so for $6 I get one huge bunch each of Organic Mint, Holy Basil, Genoa Basil, Chervil, Lemon Grass and Cilantro with roots. Because I am a regular customer she throws in two Japanese cucumbers and some radishes and says, "Tank you vewy much, see you nes time." with a big smile.  

I stopped by at Tom Sharkey's Booth just to say hi. He is a great character that I will be making a special post on soon. He has a coffee and cacao plantation just down the road from me and I buy his coffee beans exclusively. Tom came from the Bay Area too and is a big Giants fan. When we were just tourists here and visiting the market Wes was wearing a Giant's shirt and Tom grabbed him and talked story for at least 15 minutes. That is the way it is here. You never know when someone is going to launch into a talking binge and it could eat up a good part of your day to just listen and talk to them. But that is OK, it is accepted to be late because you ran into a friend and talked for an hour. We have one friend that we know will be here for at least two hours if he drops by to pick something up. It is wonderful time spent in the very best way. You should never be in a hurry if you live in Hilo.  I did not need anything but a hello and a hug from Tom, as I bought beans last week, but we chat every week at the market. When he started sending a worker to the market on Saturdays I really missed seeing him there.   His worker left town a week ago, so he is back at the market. Know anyone who wants to work on a coffee and cacao plantation? I might be able to hook you up.  

After Tom it was a new vendor whose booth was next to toms. She was a new girl  with some items from her organic garden. I bought Tuscan Kale from her and some big beautiful radishes. Then I meandered around, picking up a pineapple, some fresh lychees, mangoes, papayas (8 for $2.00) and beautiful organic tomatoes from the hippies that live on the commune. One thing about living in this climate, we don't have serious seasons, so while some fruit trees only fruit at certain times of the year we can get beautiful juicy organic tomatoes and sweet corn almost all year and if you are not growing your own… the new age hippies grow beautiful ones in their sweet, life loving organic garden. 

Then it was on to the grocery store. AGHHHH, they were re-organizing the whole store, putting in new shelving and it was a zoo. I walked through the produce department and spied beautiful tightly packed artichokes (not local, from California most likely) $2 each... Score! My mind was already thinking... “My friend Liz sells me beautiful eggs, I can make a lemon mayonnaise to serve with them!”  

Then to the butcher section ... oh my... a HUGE bone in grass fed rib eye steak the size of manhattan... on sale for $8. SCORE big time. 

Back home I unloaded my groceries and put the three inch steak in a zip lock bag with marinade. Then drove to Wes' office, picked him up and headed down to Puna to pick up  Wes'  new (used) SUV. Since I was down in Puna, I went to welcome home my friends Keith and Noel who live in Orchidland. If you are a regular follower of this blog, you will know they just got back from Italy. AND they brought me a present from Italy ... Porcini Mushrooms (my head was already spinning about what I can do with these and the steak)! 

Sidebar: I was never much of a mushroom girl. That is because my initiation into the fungus world was with button mushrooms. I now know that I just don't really like button mushrooms. But give me wild fungi and my head swims with delight. Porcini, Morels and Chanterelles are three of the things that give me great pleasure in this world. Thanks Noel and Keith for bringing me a treasure from the old country.  

From there on, it just got easier. Two weeks ago at the Waimea Hawaiian Homestead Farmers Market I lucked out on to a 20# bag of veal bones from Hind's Daleico Ranch who raise organic Red Veal. SCORE big time. Veal bones in Hawaii? It is a miracle! I have never seen them ANYWHERE  since we moved here. Time for stock, I made 4 gallons of stock, and reduced it down. The stock sitting in my refrigerator would be perfect for a sauce with those porcini that just flew thousands of miles to get here.  OK, I am usually the "local food police", but there are some occasional exceptions. Hey... I made my stock from local veal!  

So, I stuck two potatoes, sprayed with garlic olive oil  in the oven on a bed of salt. 

I steamed the artichokes. I made lemon mayo (so easy… you should never buy mayonnaise!) with Liz's beautiful green and blue eggs. I went to turn on the grill... AGHHHH! We were out of propane. OK, I will sear the steaks and finish them in the oven while making the sauce.  

Everything turned out terrifically ... the sauce was dark, velvety and rich with many layers of intense flavor (the kind of sauce where you swipe the pan with your finger for one last taste before you wash it) with the rare steak oozing it's own juices sliced thinly (remember we were sharing a steak). The lemon mayo was a perfect pairing with the artichokes. The potatoes were a vehicle for more of that porcini sauce. Here is how I made it:  

Segue: I suppose I should give you instructions on making reduced veal stock. I always reduce my stock, as it takes less room in the freezer and you can always add water to reconstitute it if need be. If you cannot find veal bones, you could make stock with oxtails and beef bones, but veal bones seem to be best for stock. DO NOT try this with canned or boxed stock/broth. This is a long slow process (not the least bit difficult) and it is somewhat costly to make, but it is so special, you really MUST try this, don’t be daunted by the endeavor, it truly is worth it. I will do a stock primer one of these days, meanwhile here is the way I make reduced veal stock:

Veal Stock Reduction 
Yield: 2 Cups
10 pounds veal bones 
2 carrots, coarsely chopped *
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped *
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped *
1 leek, cleaned and coarsely chopped *
1 bulb garlic, cut in half 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1/2 cup tomato concassée (or 4 TBS Tomato paste)
4 cups dry red wine (such as Burgundy)

METHOD  Place the bones in a roasting pan and roast in the oven at 450 degrees for 2 hours, or until golden brown turning mid-way through the roasting. When bones are browned, caramelize the carrots, celery, onion, leek, and garlic in the olive oil in a large stockpot. Add the tomato concassée in a hot spot and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze with the red wine and reduce until most of the wine has been cooked out. Add the browned bones and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer over low heat for 12 hours taking care to not let it boil again. If you do not have a very low flame simmering burner on your stove, once it has boiled the first time, place it in a crock pot on low for 12-15 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and simmer over medium heat for 45 minutes, or until it coats the back of a spoon. Extra reduction can be stored in the freezer for several months.

*You can use a food processor to chop these all together, pulsing.

**Note: if you really don’t want to go through this whole process, you can buy reduced veal stock, but it is expensive and if you live in Hawaii… count on adding postage to the price. If you live near a Whole Foods Market, you should be able to find it there. Personally, I know that homemade is better, a lot better. Here are two links for companies that make it: 

Allen Brothers  

More Than Gourmet 

Back to the Porcini Sauce…. Here it is at the mid-way point of the reduction.

 Soak about 1 cup of dried porcini mushrooms in very hot water for 15 minutes. Drain. Do not use the water, though you may be tempted to, as it smells lovely, it has dirt in it. Coarsely chop the porcini. 

In the same pan I had seared the steak in I added about 2 TBS olive oil. I had used 2 Tablespoons of butter to sear the steak, so there was a tiny bit of that left along with other tasty bits. I chopped 2 large shallots, and sautéed them, then added a small dollop of tomato paste in the hot spot of the pan. Then in went the porcini. After sautéing a bit, I added about 1 ½ cups of concentrated veal stock, slowly simmering for about 10minutes to further reduce it. I tossed in a hand full of fresh parsley, chopped finely. Then I threw in a glass of cabernet (the same vintage we would be drinking later) and reduced it back down until it became a thick rich sauce, thicker than gravy, but not as thick as jam. I tasted and added fresh ground pepper and about a teaspoon of my smoked sea salt. This made enough sauce to have some for 2 meals. I think I will it with veal chops next time. It will keep for a week or so in the refrigerator if you can keep yourself from opening it and taking out a little spoonful every day, no kidding it is that “Oh my GOD Good!” 

So, that was how I became an Opportunist on Market Day. You should be so lucky. 

Coming up,  the kick off of a year of Artisan Brea Baking with the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge… THIS is going to be good stuff, so check back on Monday.