KĪLAUEA'S LATEST ERUPTION HAS ALL EYES ON HAWAI'I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

 

Hawai'i Island, Hawai'i (Mar. 8, 2011) - Kīlauea volcano's new eruption site, which suddenly cracked open on Sat., Mar., 5, continues to spew lava through fissures on its east rift zone, following the dramatic collapse of Pu'u Ō'ō crater's floor.  

Fiery curtains of orange lava - some as high as 80 feet - have been captured on video and in photographs the last few days, shooting up from fissures that extend more than a mile between Nāpau and Pu'u Ō'ō craters. The eruption is in a remote area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and is not accessible to the public. 

While the park and most of its popular overlooks remain open, HVNP has closed Chain of Craters Road, all east rift and coastal trails, and Kulanaokuaiki Campground for public safety. Park rangers are sharing the latest real-time videos, photos and information at Kīlauea Visitors Center and Jaggar Museum, much to the delight of visitors to Hawai'i's largest national park.

The Federal Aviation Administration reduced the temporary flight restriction (TFR) above the newly active fissure area on Mon., Mar. 7, making it easier for flight-seeing passengers to get a bird's eye view of the molten lava from 1,500 feet above.

Residents in neighboring towns like Mountain View reported seeing a reflective red glow from the lava in the clouds on Sunday night.

"It's definitely an exciting time to visit Hawai'i Island and our World Heritage Site. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park has always been a must-see experience for visitors," said George Applegate, Executive Director of the Big Island Visitors Bureau. "It's a perfectly safe experience to enjoy our changing volcanic action if visitors heed Park and Civil Defense officials," he said.  

Pu'u Ō'ō is not the only crater on Kīlauea to "bottom out" recently. At Halema'uma'u crater, the previously rising lava lake within the vent suddenly dropped over the weekend. A brilliant red glow is sometimes visible after dark, and rocks continue to cascade down crater walls, creating occasional-to-frequent loud rumblings audible from the overlook at Jaggar Museum.

"Park visitors are very happy," said HVNP Superintendent Cindy Orlando. "There's a steady stream of cars coming in, and they absolutely love the real-time action our rangers are sharing with them."

Orlando said that park visitation is up, but that it's difficult to attribute the increase to one specific source, such as the recent volcanic events, an improving economy, or the start of a vigorous Spring Break season.

Outside of HVNP boundaries and down near sea level at the County of Hawai'i's Kalapana Lava Viewing Area, the flow has temporarily halted its march across the surface towards the ocean. On the evening of Sat., Mar. 5, molten lava was very visible on the pali (cliffs) and coastal plain, tantalizing onlookers as it disappeared and reappeared through an underground network of lava tubes. County officials reported there was very little if any molten lava visible from Kalapana on Sunday and Monday. However, a significant red glow from the new fissure activity was illuminating the clouds after dark.

 

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Conditions near the viewing area can change at any time depending on the direction and volume of the lava flows. That's part of the thrill - this isn't Disneyland. The area will be closed if visitors' safety is ever in doubt. When conditions are right, the popular Kalapana viewing area boasts not only stunning vistas of the planet birthing, but also convenient parking and port-a-potties. And admission is free.

Currently, viewing and parking hours at the Kalapana overlook are 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Visitors must be parked by 8 p.m.

For the latest conditions at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, visit www.nps.gov/havo or call (808) 985-6000. The latest information for the County of Hawai'i Kalapana viewing area is available on the Lava Hotline: (808) 961-8093. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory'sKīlauea status updates can be found at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/activity/kilaueastatus.phpand live webcams at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/cams/.

Photo courtesy of USGS/Hawaiian Volcano Observatory(HVO) 

Big Island Visitors Bureau Media Contact:

Jessica Ferracane, Irondog Communications, (808) 895-5740, jessica@irondogpr.com

Hilo Bay Cafe with Wasabi Prime!

Hilo Bay Cafe's Parmesan Custard with Roasted Eggplant and Red Peppers

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of dining with 2 friends, one old and one new at Hilo Bay Cafe. The Big Island Visitor's Bureau is hosting a group of travel writers this week and one of them is blogger Denise Sakaki who writes the blogs Wasabi Prime  and  Jaunty Magpie  from her home base in Washington state. The other one is my long time friend Jessica Ferracane who owns the PR Firm Irondog Communications and lives here on the Big Island. Jessica works closely with the Big Island Visitor's Bureau and they graciously hosted our evening at Hilo Bay Cafe so we could talk story about all of the good things on the big island.

The plan was to start with a few appetizers, and move on to a full dinner, but after Chef Joshua Ketner brought out a plate of his fabulous Beef Carpaccio we had to have more of that.... 

And so we grazed on several small plates instead. 

Portobella Wellington with roasted asparagus and mashed potatoes 

If you are ever in Hilo, a "must do" is a meal or two at Hilo Bay Cafe and do not forget to try a Jalapeño Martini! The food is mostly local, organic and exquisitely prepared. And if you are lucky enough to live here, let me know when you want to meet up for a meal or cocktails! You can also find Hilo Bay Cafe on Facebook where there are more pictures, menus and specials listed frequently. 

Aloha from the Orchid Isle~

Romanesco Pasta with Sweet Corn

Romanesco Pasta

I love the look of this interesting vegetable. Romanesco is bright green, beautiful, almost jeweled looking. While this broccoli has only been available in US markets for a few years, Romanesco broccoli was first documented in Italy (as broccolo romanesco) in the sixteenth century.

This is a simple recipe for an incredible pasta dish. You can use any pasta, I used some penne this time. You could also use cauliflower or tightly formed broccoli for this dish.

If you are not lucky enough to live in a place like Hawaii where we get fresh sweet corn all year, you can use good quality frozen corn for this. 

Ingredients:

1 head of Romanesco

2 heads of garlic with the tops sliced off

Olive oil (you will need about 4-5 tablespoons for roasting and 2 for sautéing.

2 small red onions or shallots sliced thinly

2 ears of fresh corn cut from the cob

½ cup heavy cream (optional)

¼ cup VSOP Cognac (optional)

Crushed red pepper, coarse black pepper and salt to taste

½ # thick pasta cooked  al dente (reserve ¼ cup of pasta water)

Preheat oven to 350. Use a silpat pad or parchment paper to line a large baking sheet.

Cut up the Romanesco florets in large chunks and toss in olive oil with a little salt and pepper, then pour on to the baking sheet. Add the two garlic heads and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 30-45 minutes until the garlic is soft and the Romanesco is starting to caramelize.  Set aside.

 Put the pasta water on to boil.

In a large skillet add remaining olive oil, corn and onions with a pinch of salt. Stir and heat till the onions start to get soft. Squeeze the roasted garlic into the center of the pan, stir well and then add the Romanesco. Stir and add the cream if using. Cook for a minute till cream starts to thicken. Add the cognac & simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon or spider, add the pasta to the pan and stir. If needed, you can add a little pasta water to the pan.

Serve with freshly grated parmesan and crushed red pepper.   

Chinese New Year in Hilo

  

 Yesterday, Hilo had it's Annual Chinese New Year Festival. Here are some pictures from the event. you can see more from past events here: Chinese Film Fest and here: Chinese New Year 2009 And click the following link if you want to learn about Portuguese Bean Soup, which is interestingly the hit of every Chinese New Year Festival in Hilo!

Portuguese Bean Soup!

 

Puppets!

Shave Ice Ice Baby!

Firecrackers ready to go off...

Best Garlic Bread EVER!

The Best Garlic Bread Ever

This is a simple recipe for the best garlic bread you will ever put between your lips.  It is easy to make and will keep away the vampires!  You will need a large baguette; I prefer to get a kind of chewy one, not one that is soft and puffy.

In a sauce pan mix together the following:

• ½ pound of butter (I use clarified butter that I make ahead)
• 20 garlic cloves that have been finely minced
• A tablespoon of dried parsley (fresh is fine too, but you should double it if using fresh)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of freshly ground coarse black pepper
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1-2 tablespoons Lawry’s Garlic Salt
  

Simmer for about 20-30 minutes on low, stirring occasionally. You want to incorporate the flavors as well as cook the garlic a bit. Raw garlic has a bite to it.

Once you have cooked it all down, then use a pastry brush to put it on a baguette cut in half lengthwise.  Make sure you get plenty of the chunky bits of garlic and parsley well distributed.

Bake @ 350 for 15 minutes and then put under the broiler for just a minute to brown. Add lemon zest from one lemon to the top of the bread and prepare to devour!

Manicotti and Caprese Salad

Last night’s dinner was a visit to Italy. I made four cheese manicotti topped with a sauce from my garden tomatoes and a Caprese Salad with some local Heirloom tomatoes. It really is pretty simple. First start off with a basic sugo, a tomato sauce that you have made ahead, great for using leftover sauce. You can even use a good quality canned sauce if you wish. 

 Manicotti

Filling:

·         1 cup mascarpone cheese

·         1 cup finely grated parmesan

·         1 cup grated mozzarella

·         2 cups fresh ricotta

·         1 egg

·         Zest from a large lemon, preferably a Meyer Lemon

·         LOTS  of freshly ground black pepper, at least a tablespoon

·         A pinch of crushed red pepper

·         ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian Parsley

·         Pinch of salt

Mix together in a food processor and then put into a pastry bag.

Assembly:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

Boil manicotti till al dente. Strain and rinse in cold water till cool enough to touch.

Holding a manicotti tube, insert the pastry bag as far into the tube as you can without tearing the bag. Fill, making sure there are no gaps. Turn to the other side and fill it.

Lay each filled pasta on a pool of sauce in a 9 X 9 pan (this makes two pans full, one for tonight and one for tomorrow, or you can do it all in a larger pan) until the pan is full. Repeat with second pan. Place the pans in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving. 

I served it with a caprese salad with garden fresh heirloom tomoatoes and garlic bread.

For more of my Italian favorites made in Hawaii... check out these links:

A Tale of Two Pies,  Gnocchi in Sage Cream Sauce,  Garlic and Lemon Crabs, 

Chestnut Pasta and Paradise Pesto,  Spaghetti with Gorgonzola Macadamia Nut Sauce or  

Eggplant Rollatini