This post is mostly pictures because I am busy cooking up a storm for our Super Bowl party. The game starts at 1:30 here. This morning as I was stirring the red chile sauce that is going with the mini tamales I could not resist taking some shots of the spectacular sunrise with a cruise ship coming in. The whales were playing too, but I could not catch them in a good shot today. I will post tomorrow with the recipes and pictures for the mini tamales. I am making two kinds, green chile w/queso blanco and a chicken w/caramelized onions and cheddar. I am also serving a maple smoked pork but in the form of pulled pork sliders with pickles and cole slaw. No Super Bowl is complete without Buffalo Wings. I do mine in the traditional way, except I use saracha sauce instead of Tom's hot sauce. All of the guests are bringing food, so it should be fun to see what else arrives at Hali Pali.
Check back for tamale post tomorrow!
This surfer girl was paddling out to see the whales!
We have several very large coconut trees on our property, as well as some king palms and royal palms. As beautiful as palms are, they need to be trimmed to maintain their attractiveness. And of course... there is a harvest of many big coconuts just lustily hanging from the tops of the trees. While I see this as a culinary opportunity, Wes sees them as a liability. He is worried that they may fall and knock out our gardener some day. So, along comes Coconut Boy! He has been trimming these very trees for several years. He knocked on the door today just when I was about to call someone to come out and trim the trees. Hawaiian Kismet!
He spent the better part of the day climbing and trimming and harvesting coconuts from just one of our trees. He will be back tomorrow to do the other five. And... while I let him take a lot of the coconuts to sell, we are keeping some too. So, expect some fresh coconut ideas coming out of my kitchen on the pacific!
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.
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!
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