Two Juicy Pineapples + 4 Juicy Pork Chops

Maybe I am a Pineapple Princess.... 

It all started when I was walking through Sack n Save in downtown Hilo. This is normally my "market of choice" for things I cannot find at the Farmer's Market. Although, living on an island, we of course have to make runs to various stores (Safeway, KTA and Cost U Less; No Whole Foods or Trader Joe's here) to find some things and there are also things that we may not be able to find at all. I was meandering in the sprout section (which is actually quite comprehensive) and saw a sign out of the corner of my eye, "Pineapples .25 cents a pound, Save $2.54 a pound!"

Being a person that finds it difficult to pass up a true bargain I decided to pick up a couple of fifty cent pineapples. Normally I buy white pineapples that come over from Maui. A woman a the Farmer's Market brings them once a week. BUT those white pineapples come at a hefty price, usually about $7 each, so doing the math did not take long for me. Dole Gold would do just fine this week. 

Another great thing about pineapples is that every one you buy gives you more pineapples. Yes, that is if you live in the right climate. I just twist off the top, strip the leaves about one inch from the bottom and put it in a glass to root. My studio has a window sill filled with rooting pineapple starts. Once roots are developed you just plant and wait about 18 months for your own sweet juicy pineapples! 

Now what? Hmm... let's see if they have some big juicy pork chops to go with the pineapples! They had local range fed pork chops which I scooped up and I made my way home with my pineapples and pork chops, my head was spinning just thinking or what I might do with them. 

Last Sunday at Scuba Sunday, my friend Carey had just given me a bag of Cuban Sour Oranges, or Orange Lemons as they call them here. She has an abundance of them and Carey always loves to share much to the delight of our dive club and Cooking Club. I decided to juice the Sour Oranges and make a marinade for the pork chops and then do a Pineapple Salsa to top them.

Here is the resulting recipe which us easy and very Ono (GOOD in Hawaiian): 

Pork Chops in Sour Orange Marinade with Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 1/4 teaspoon lime zest
• 2 Sour Oranges or Limes juiced
• 2 inch piece of ginger chopped
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 1 serano pepper, chopped 
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt

Directions

Pineapple Salsa:

• 1/2 pineapple, diced and cored, juices reserved
• 1 ripe tomato, diced
• 1 clove of garlic finely minced
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 red jalapeno, diced (or green if you can't find red)
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 sour orange, juiced (or lime if you cannot find sour oranges)
• Salt and pepper
• Bone-in, center-cut pork chops (this recipes makes enough for four, but you can adjust it)

For the marinade:

Blend all the ingredients in a large bowl. Place in a resealable plastic bag and add the pork chops. Marinate in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours.

For the salsa:

Mix all the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl. Taste for seasoning. Set aside for 10 minutes for flavors to meld.

Preheat grill to medium heat.

Remove chops from marinade. Grill for 5 minutes per side for a medium rare and 8 minutes for medium. Remove chops from grill and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Spoon on salsa.  

*note... this salsa and marinade could also be used with fish & chicken. 

Now, here are a few more great Pineapple Pictures for you courtesy of my 

Two Juicy Pineapples Productions

Espana de Hawaii !

Spain Hawaiian Style!

Our International Cooking Club had the March Dinner at our house this month. Over 50 people showed up for Tapas Night and we had some truly amazing food. The weather tested us a few times, but we were able to spill out of the house on to the lanais during the evening. Here are a list of the dishes people brought for our Tapas Night:

• Marinated Pork Loin from the Moorish Town of Calatayud
• Spicy Sausage & Cheese Tortilla with home made Chorizo
• Catalyan Style Traditional Chicken Stew with Eggplant and Peppers
• Basque Eggs with Bell Pepper and Dill
• Sausage with Black Beans, Roasted Garlic & Pepper Cheese
• Croquetas de Bacalao (Cod Croquettes) with Aioli Sauce
• Albondigas
• Asparagus Spears with Smoked Salmon and Aioli Sauce
• Berejena con Andocas y Huevos (Eggplant with Anchovies and Egg)
• Roasted Peppers with Egg, Olive Oil, Salt and Garlic
• Marcona Almonds Andalusian Style
• Tortilla al Estilo Route 11 (Potato Chip Omelet with Kalamata Olives, Sun Dried Tomatoes & Asiago Sprinkle)
• Ensalada Vasca (Basque Salad)
• Home Made Chicharrones !
• Marinated Mushrooms en adobo
• Mussels Ole'
• Espinacas con Garbanzos (Actually local Chard, Kale and Garbanzos)
• Tortilla al Estilo Route 11 (Potato Chip Omelette with Lardons, Garlic and Paprika)
• Crescent Pastries with Sherried Tarragon Crab Filling
• Chorizos & Peppers
• Broiled Jamon and Manchego Cheese Crostini from the La Mancha region of Spain
• Patatas con Ailoi (Potatoes with Garlic Mayonaise)
• Datiles con Tocino (Dates wrapped with Bacon in a Red Pepper Sauce)
• Pulpo Gallego (Octopus with Potatoes)
• Salad with two dressings, one Chipotle Vinaigrette
• Olive Oil Bread
• Pan con Chocolate, Aciete y Sal (Rustic Bread with Dark Chocolate, Olive Oil and Sea Salt
• Home made Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Crepes with Nutella
• Special Sangria al Paukaa
• LOTS of great Spanish Wines and a few domestic ones too
• Beers
• Iced tea
• Fruit Flavored Water

No, I do not have a photographic memory, I used the cards that we had in front of each dish to compile this list. Unfortunately, some may have been lost in the clean up, so if I missed your dish, I am sorry. As I copied all of this from the cards I realized that I missed tasting a lot of dishes as I was playing hostess. People grazed all night on the small plates and everything I did get a chance to taste was superb! Jim brought some really special wines and I did get to try those.

It was a fantastic evening of Aloha Spanish Style. Our group has some truly fantastic cooks and people that love to share food together. Many of the dishes were made with local ingredients and a few with imported Spanish Cheeses and Meats.

Many thanks go to the support team of Noel, Keith, Bonnie, Joey, Jim and Carey for coming early and helping us move furniture, set up tables and light over 40 candles (and keep them lit all night).

I can't wait to see what our April event is like!

If you are interested in joining our group, please send me an E-Mail

Here are some more pictures from the evening taken by Keith and Noel:

Party Time!Kick off St.Pat's Weekend in Hawaii

Hawaiians love to have parties. Almost every weekend we have a variety of opportunities to go to at least one shindig or two of some kind.  However, last weekend we were invited to a SERIOUS Party (actually two, but the second one is another post).  My friend Teri Suggs , a fellow ceramic artist from the Walnut Creek Clay Arts Guild who moved here last summer and lives in a fantastic kind of Shangrila North of Honokaa. Their property has several houses and acres of fantastic mature fruit and nut trees. Teri is also a musician and plays the fiddle focusing on celtic music, but I learned on Saturday night that she also is a "Sultry Siren" when she sings. She plays the beautiful sculptural ocarinas that she makes. Teri teaches sculpture and ceramics in Honokaa, you can contact her through her link for more information.

Teri's Saint Patrick's Day Party was so much fun. There were over 60 people there and when we arrived there was a large L shaped tent, filled with candle lit tables and twinkling lights. There was a beverage tent (With abundant Guinness) and inside the house was an array of fantastic foods brought by the guests as well as the Corned Beef and Cabbage provided by our hosts.

We met several fun people and a few darling dogs who were absolute experts in begging for food. Bubba in particular had a great style. He was a huge black lab that looked like he probably had a Great Dane ancestor or two. He had this incredibly large head and sweet face. With those eyes it was difficult to resist not giving him a wee piece of corned beef.  I succumbed.

The entire evening was enchanting, but the best part was the music. Here is a video of some of the music. Teri is featured here, but we were also highly impressed with this clarinet player... she was a real "cat" when it came to playing. I don't know her name, but I am sure Teri will e-mail me with her name when she reads this. Sorry for the low lights, I did not want to spoil the mood for others by adding lighting:

Scuba Sunday

From my friends at Puna Web, I learned about a really great opportunity to get out and have some fun at the beach. Sunday, March 1st was my first opportunity to go to Scuba Sunday, sponsored by DiveHilo.com.

Every month a post goes out from Andrew that looks like this:

All welcome including SCUBA divers, snorkellers, kayakers, swimmers, surfers, sun-bathers, chair sitters, talk storyers, bbq cookers and eaters. Come one come all. Look for our Dive Hilo Dive Club banner to find us.

Bring a dish and a smile to share.
Bring your water toys and an attitude of fun.
Bring tales to talk story with.
Above all just be there!!

Sunday April 5th (that is our upcoming event, it is the first Sunday of each month)
Richardson's Beach Park, Hilo Hawaii
For directions to Richardson's: http://www.divehilo.com/announcements.html#directions

The invitation is appropriate. While there are divers in the group, it is not just for divers. I am an avid snorkeler and learning new areas to snorkel is really wonderful for me. However, this Sunday the surf was extremely high and conditions were not ideal. Two of our divers Wes (not my Wes, another one!) and David braved the surf and gave us all a fright as we saw lifeguards paddling out for a rescue and then a helicopter came too. In the end they were fine, just a little off course. Here they are with their "rescuer" whom we nicknamed David Hasslehoff.

We had a great potluck with many delightful dishes. There was a grill going and there was more than enough food for twice as many people. It was a mostly sunny day, but a bit over cast and with just a sprinkle late in the day. Even though rain was predicted (it is predicted almost every day in Hilo!) we had pretty nice weather even if the sea was a bit on the rough side. We sat up our chairs and had a nice visit.

Pam Lamont who had just had knee replacement surgery came for a visit and it was good to see her, though it was obviously rough on her to get out and about so soon after her surgery. Bob drove her down to the picnic area, which is a good thing because it is on some fairly unstable territory for someone who is using a walker. She made it like the trouper she is.

Noel and I went for a walk and met a very friendly Auntie with two Tanimbar Corellas on her shoulders. One was the most beautiful pink color. She said they sit on her shoulders all day like that and never leave her. I had to wonder if maybe she had some sore spots on her shoulders after a day like that, as their claws looked sharp to me. They were really beautiful birds and she was a sweet lady that liked to talk story and share aloha.

The auntie was watching her grandchildren play in the water, there for a birthday celebration with a very large family. She chatted with us and told us a little history about Richardson's Beach. She had grown up in Hilo and had been to the park when it was a private residence, owned of course by the Richardsons! Their home was eventually turned into an ocean interpretive center, but it is now a police station.

We walked out on the lava and saw lots of honu (sea turtles) swimming around. This was an opportunity to see them up close. We did see some at Shipman Beach a few weeks ago but they were in deeper water. Here they were in a tide pool and it was fun taking some pictures of them.

As the tide came in the monster surf conditions made the water rise quickly. It was a bit deceptive because the water was breaking over a 15' high wall of lava. Suddenly, we were surrounded by water. My friend Bonnie (the baker-goddess) had come to the beach directly from church and was still in her church clothes while walking on the rocks with us. When a particularly large wave broke over the rocks, suddenly to her surprise the rock she was standing on was instantly submerged in knee high water. You can see the video here :

as she was rescued by a nice guy and then her husband Joey. It is easy to laugh about it now, but at the moment it was a bit frightening. We called this little film, Bonnie's Tsunami. And then I found out that her middle name is "Sue" making it Bonnie Sue "nami", even more appropriate.

All in all, we had a great time and I am looking forward to April 4th for another fun Sunday at the beach. For more information about the next Scuba Sunday, send me an e-mail.

Next Post... St. Patty's Party

Peasant Foods of the World

*note... this post has a lot of pictures, be patient while it loads*

Last Saturday was the fourth International Cooking Club Dinner. This one was hosted by Lelani

 and had the theme "Peasant Foods of the World".  Once again there was an abundance of wonderful food, plenty of wine and most of all a good time! 36 members and guests showed up and Lelani had converted her great room into a dining hall complete with candles on the tables and cloth napkins for everyone! 

There were so many foods from so many countries that I did not even get pictures of half of them. Lelani served pizzas as pupus and nobody would have ever known that they were her first home made pizzas if she hadn't told us! They just kept coming out of the oven every few minutes. 

Joey and Bonnie made authentic Buffalo Wings from his "homeland". They disappeared every time Bonnie brought a plate out, so I never had a chance to get a picture! 

Here are just a few of the many offerings from the evening that I was able to photograph before they were gobbled up: 

Noel made his mother's recipe of Pancit and all of that with a severely broken finger too!

Liz (along with help from Mike the farmer) made Chicken and Dumplings with their own chickens and veggies from their garden. 

Kieth, Mike and Liz awaiting the next batch of chicken wings! 

Carrie made a South African Dish that I am not sure how to spell. 

Bonnie made delicious bread (as always) and a fantastic Pilaf that I think was her mother's family recipe.

Brad and Ron made some of the best Macaroni and Cheese that I have ever tasted. 

Here are Ron, Keith (he always gets in my pictures!) and Brad

I need to take better notes! The woman that brought the Portuguese Beans (no not soup, just the beans) won Wes' heart. 

The best thing of all was having good friends to dine with and hearing some of the stories that went along with the food. 

Laney Pizza Chef and Bonnie the Baker

Ron Brad and Noel (note the splint on his hand)

And here is a video from the night, Joey sharing his "heritage of Buffalo Wings" and more...

Next month is going to be at our house for Spanish Tapas on March 28th. 

If you are interested in joining our group, please e-mail me  with your name, location and e-mail address and I will put you in our data base and send you an invitation. 

The next post will be about Scuba Sunday! After that, the Big Island Nurseryman's Sale!