Hilo Orchid Show Photos

The Hilo Orchid Show was one of the best ever this year. Here are some pictures of my favorite orchids. I was too busy to do a full photo shoot because I had a booth there selling my ceramics.

Wordless Wednesday: Cookin' in the Kiln

Cuban Black Beans Cuca’s Way

Cuban Black Beans Cuca’s Way

Basic Beans

1 # Black Beans

2 Quarts Water

1 ham hock

2 poblano chiles, stemmed and seeded, cut into 1” squares

2 habanero peppers cut in half (be sure to dig these and the bay leaves out later)

8 garlic cloves peeled and smashed

1 tablespoon salt ( I use smoked sea salt)

2 bay leaves

Sofrito:

6 slices thick cut bacon sliced into ½ inch pieces

2 red onions peeled and cut into ¼ inch dice

½ Bell Pepper, stemmed and seeded, cut into ¼ inch dice

Optional: Jalapeno or poblano peppers, stemmed and seeded, chopped.

½ cup of green olives sliced

Spice mix: Toast 2 Tablespoons Cumin Seeds, 2 Tablespoons Coriander Seeds and place in a spice mill, grinding till finely blended. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

1 cup dry sherry

¼ cup raw sugar

Prepare the beans:

• ·        
  Place the beans in a large soup pot, cover with water and soak overnight.
• ·         Add the ham hock, pepper, garlic, salt and bay leaves to the pot with the beans. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for 1 hour or until the beans are tender. If any scum forms skim it off. Remove the habaneros & bay leaf. 

Finishing the Beans:

• ·        
  In a frying pan, heat the olive oil add the bacon till the fat is rendered and the bacon begins to caramelize (4-5 minutes.) Add onion and bell pepper. Stir until slightly softened. Then add the garlic, olives & spice mix. Continue stirring for another minute. Add the sherry and cook another 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside. 
• ·        
  Remove the meat from ham hock & add the meat to the beans. Discard the bone. Add the sofrito to the beans along with the sugar. Stir to combine. 
• ·        
  Return the beans to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the flavors blend, 10 minutes or so. Turn off the heat and allow to rest and cool slightly.
• ·         Use an immersion blender or potato masher to mash about ¼ of the beans. Simmer again till the sauce resembles thin gravy. 

Serve with cilantro and onions.

Silent Sunday: Best thing I ate this week

Goat cheese ravioli with corn butter, fresh corn broth, edamame, baby mushrooms, corn  & lobster at  Manta

Basque Peppers stuffed with Crab

Basque Peppers Stuffed with Crab

Pimentos del piquillo de Lodosa rellenos de txangurro

A recent dinner party based on the Basque Region of France and Spain and the Sierras of California and Nevada netted some amazing food. This was one of
the dishes I prepared.

The Piquillo Chile is one raised in the region. It is not spicy, though it is really flavorful. It can be used red or green. In this dish I used some fresh green ones that I had grown and some canned red ones from France. If you cannot find them Anaheim Chiles would be a suitable substitute. Pimento peppers are a little more difficult to source fresh, but they could also be used.

To prepare raw chiles remove the core and stem carefully, then grill or broil till charred on all sides. Place in a plastic bag for 5-10 minutes to steam and then carefully remove the skin. This recipe is for about 8 peppers. You can also use canned peppers in a pinch.

Crab Stuffing:

You will need to cook a live crab in a pot of water with 2 fresh leeks, 1 carrot and ½ of an onion. Add cayenne pepper and get water to a boil, and then add the crabs, boiling for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool and pick the crab meat out. This recipe needs about 1 ½ cups of crab meat.

Olive oil & Butter (just enough to sauté)

1 small red onion finely chopped

1 carrot finely chopped

4 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

3 cloves of garlic finely minced

1 jigger of Cognac (not brandy)

1cup sherry

Spices to taste (I used about 1 tablespoon of herbs de Provence and fresh black pepper)

½ cup fish stock

6 Tablespoons of cream

2 tablespoons bread crumbs

Sauté the onions & carrot till the onions are translucent.

Clear a hot spot in the center and add the tomato paste and stir then stir it into the aromatics, do the same with the garlic.

Add the sherry and cognac and deglaze the pan, then add the cream, bread crumbs spices and stock. Add crab and allow the mixture to cool.

Fill the prepared peppers with the stuffing, being careful not to tear the delicate peppers.  If you have some left over you can also put it on toast points and broil.

The sauce:

Take one of the prepared peppers and chop finely.

In a sauce pan add the pepper and ¼ cup of cream and ½ ounce of sherry.

Warm, through for about 5 minutes, stirring.

Pour into a blender and puree.
  

Pour the sauce on the peppers and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. 
Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Naan and Crispy Okra Raita

Last night we had a simple supper. I had planned on making curry, rice, two chutneys and a raita to go with homemade naan. However while watching the Stanley Cup we had some popcorn and that filled us up, so I modified the menu. I made the naan because I had already started the dough earlier in the day and the beautiful Okra I purchased at the Farmer’s Market was calling me, so I made a Crispy Okra Raita.  That is all we had for supper along with some carrot pickles I made a month or so ago.

Indian Breads have always been a passion of mine, along with the many chutneys and riatas that go so well with them. Naan is my “go to” simple bread. I like to change it up with various flavors, carmelized onions, roasted garlic, poppy seeds etc. Last night I added roasted garlic and smothered them in melted ghee and then sprinkled on some of my smoked salt.

Here is the Naan recipe and the Crispy Okra Raita recipe. Tonight I will be making pumpkin curry and rice along with more naan and the raita and a coriander and mint chutney.

Naan (home style)

©Devany Vickery-Davidson 1999

This is a thick home-style Naan, my favorite kind. There are many other varieties of Naan, much like pizza with different shapes and thicknesses. I would call this recipe “basic Naan”. It is easily baked in a very hot oven, of course, a Tandoor is ideal for making these, but since few Americans have a Tandoor, or even a wood burning oven like I do, I would suggest a few hints for baking. I have even made these on a gas grill before and they came out fantastically. In my Viking Convection Oven, there is a setting beyond basic convection, it is convection bake. In this mode the convection oven is working and the broiling element also kicks in. It is an effective way to bake breads and pizzas, but to prevent too much browning you need to put only one tray in at a time and it should be on the middle rack. So, I am assuming you have a conventional oven and want to make naan. It can be done.

You will need unglazed quarry tiles if you do not have a wood burning oven. Or there is a bread insert you can buy that is made of ceramic material to hold in heat for baking. You can buy this online at a variety of cooking sites.

If you do not want to invest in tiles or an insert, you can try it on a VARY heavy baking pan, or better yet, use your grill or a heavy duty griddle.

I use an old sourdough starter for all of the breads I bake. I will give this recipe for making Naan with yeast instead. I bought my original sourdough starter at Bobolink Dairy in New Jersey.

2 teaspoons dry yeast (organic if you can find it)

½ cup of warm water (no hotter than 115˚)

1 cup of organic yogurt (I make my own, but if you want to buy it, look for a Greek style or Middle Eastern brand).

1 cup of boiling water

5 cups of whole wheat or unbleached organic flour (depending on how rustic you want the loaves to be)

2 tablespoons of ghee or olive oil

1 tablespoon of sea salt

6-8 tablespoons of sesame or poppy seeds or crushed garlic, depending on the flavor you want.

In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over the warm water and stir to mix.

Put the yogurt in a bowl and gradually stir in the boiling water & let cool for about 15 minutes, if using a thermometer it should be about 110 ˚. Thius far, your mixture is called a sponge.

At this point, mix the yougurt mixture and the yeast mixture together. Stir (or I use a Kitchen Aid Mixer) approximately 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Continue adding more flour & kneading as needed to make a smooth and elastic, but slightly wet “sponge”.

Cover and let stand for one hour or more.

Sprinkle the oil and salt on to the sponge. Mix in the remaining flour, about ½ of a cup at a time to make a smooth dough. Continue kneading till the dough is smooth and elastic (either by hand or Kitchen Aid). If the dough is too sticky, add more flour slowly.

Oil a large bowl. Put the dough in it and turn to coat the dough with oil. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough and divide it into 4-6 pieces, depending on how large you want the naan.  Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to 6 inch or so discs. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven and tiles to 450˚ if you are using them.  If you are using a baking pan, pre-heat it too. If you are using a wood burning oven, bring it to 500˚. This can also be cooked directly on a grill, but it will not be as moist inside and does not keep well when done in that manner.

I use a Pizza Peel, but if you do not have one, a large sturdy spatula will do. Lightly flour it and roll out the dough on to it, making about 6 X 8 rectangles or teardrop shapes. Use a razor blade to cut a few slashes in the top of each loaf.

Slide the dough on to the grill or baking sheets and bake each for about 5 minutes. When you take them out of the oven you can add sesame, poppy or other seeds or crushed garlic with butter.

Crispy Okra Raita inspired by Ruta Kahate in her book 5 spices, 50 dishes

Ruta Says: “Oddly enough, children in India love okra.” But it’s hardly surprising; whether sautéed, fried or stuffed, the vegetable is prepared in a way that makes its texture pleasing rather than gooey. In this recipe, for instance, the okra becomes crunchy and addictive on its own; stirred into spiced yogurt, it is even better. This can be eaten on its own, or served with thalipeeth or naan.

Ingredients:

8 ounces fresh or frozen, cut okra

1 small red onion, chopped

6 tablespoons canola oil, divided

1 cup plain whole or low fat yogurt

¾ to 1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar or jaggery grated

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Method:

Wash the okra and towel dry each one thoroughly. Slice into ¼ inch-thick rounds. If using frozen okra, do not thaw.

Heat 5 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is very hot, add the okra & onion, toss and let sizzle. Toss occasionally. The okra will slowly crisp and turn brown. Note: frozen okra may not crisp as well, this is OK, just be sure to brown it well. Once all of the okra is well browned, remove to a paper towel lined platter and set aside till ready to serve.

Make the tad Crispy Okra Raita

My friend Ruta Says: “Odly enough, children in India love okra.” But it’s hardly surprising; whether sautéed, fried or  stuffed, the vegetable is prepared in a way that makes it’s texture pleasing rather than gooey. In this recipe, for instance, the okra becomes crunchy and addictive on it’s own; stirred into spiced yogurt, it is even better. This can be eaten on it’s own, or served with thalipeeth.”

Ingredients:

8 ounces fresh or frozen, cut okra

6 tablespoons canola oil, divided

1 cup plain whole or low fat yogurt

¾ to 1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar or jaggery grated

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons mustard seeds (I use a mixture of brown and yellow)

Method:

Wash the okra and towel dry each one thoroughly. Slice into ¼ inch-thick rounds. If using frozen okra, do not thaw.

Heat 5 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is very hot, add the okra, toss and let sizzle. Toss occasionally. The okra will slowly crisp and turn brown. Note: frozen okra may not crisp as well, this is OK, just be sure to brown it well. Once all of the okra is well browned, remove to a paper towel lined platter and set aside till ready to serve.

Make the tadka: Whisk the yogurt with the salt (to taste) and sugar place the cayenne and tumeric in a small pile on the raita, but do not stir in. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a butter warmer or small skillet over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the mustard seeds, covering th pan with a lid or spatter screen. After the mustard seeds stop sputtering, pour the hot oil directly on top of the cayenne and turmeric powder. This cooks the powdered spices without burning them. Do not stir the dressing in yet.

For presentation prior to serving, place the crisp okra on top of the dressing. Stir the okra and dressing into the yogurt while serving.

Serves 2-4

ka: Whisk the yogurt with the salt (to taste) and sugar place the cayenne and turmeric in a small pile on the raita, but do not stir in. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a butter warmer or small skillet over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the mustard seeds, covering the pan with a lid or spatter screen. After the mustard seeds stop sputtering, pour the hot oil directly on top of the cayenne and turmeric powder. This cooks the powdered spices without burning them. Do not stir the dressing in yet.

For presentation prior to serving, place the crisp okra on top of the dressing. Stir the okra and dressing into the yogurt while serving.

Serves 2-4