Taste of Hawaii in LA

Last week I was able to attend an event that Los Angeles Magazine put on, The Island Style Cook-off.  Chefs from Los Angeles competed to create the best “Island Style” appetizer (aka pupu) and they were then judged by a celebrity panel that included two chefs from Hawaii.  Roy Yamaguchi from Roy’s and Ed Kenney from Town in Kaimuki!  Funny enough I had shadowed Roy in high school through our career shadow program.  I believe he showed us how to create a risotto, short ribs and his famous lava cakes.  I’m not really sure it was sooo long ago!  Town is another great place that opened up near my house with a great farm fresh mentality and an ever changing menu. 

So back to the event, it was held at the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica, which created a beautiful backdrop and created a nice ocean feel since you could see and smell the beachy vibe.  As we entered we were greeted with orchid lei’s and there were several bars serving beers from Hawaii, wine and Pineapple Mosquitos!  Pineapple Mosquitos (Belvedere Vodka, Liquor 43, pineapple juice and mint) I think are served at the Fig in the Fairmont.  There were also tables of Kona Coffee Island cookies, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts as well as some tasty Taro Chips! 

Four LA chefs competed for the title, as well as a trip to Hawaii to participate in the 1st Annual Hawaii Food and Wine Festival.  Readers had the opportunity to visit the chefs restaurants to taste some of the appetizers that were being offered for the competition and then vote online for their favorites.  Neal Fraser from BLD and Mark Gold from EVA were the top 2 vote getters and were at the event to offer a demo on their dishes.  Mark Gold offered up a Foie Gras Sushi and Neal Fraser did a Tuna Poke dish.  Neal also did an amazing Spam Bahnmi that I am going to recreate soon!  The winner was Mark Gold from Eva, though I actually liked Neal’s dishes more.  (Sorry Mark)

The highlight of the night for me though was when Ray Gracia, head chef at FIG demonstrated how to do a modern day Kalua Pig in a steel box.  He then turned the kalua pig into delicious tacos that were served with homemade tortillas and garnished with radishes and a pineapple habanero salsa.  I may or may not have had 3… Allegedly I had a nice juicy piece of pig that was pulled off with a beautiful crispy skin.  There are no pictures of that- so I’m saying for my diets sake, it did not happen.  FIG by the way is amazing- they serve you mini baguettes and seasonal butters with your meal.  And have dishes like bacon wrapped bacon and over a dozen types of bloody mary’s.  The staff there is so friendly too!!                         

Wasabi Arugula Pesto and the weekend recap

Hope that you all had a great 4th of July!  I had TONS of fun this weekend, starting with the NKOTBSB concert that I went to with my friend SL.  The concert was so fun, growing up I was a huge New Kids (and Nysnc) fan!  Ladies let me tell you, they still got it!  It was so fun to hear some of the old classics remixed and updated as well as a couple mashups of New Kids and Backstreet.  The boys all still look great, Donnie especially- since he ripped off his shirt and he had amazing abs!  I tried to take pictures, but they came out horribly…  

The next day my friends and I went out to the Camarillo outlets for my friends birthday.  This is becoming our traditional birthday celebration since her birthday just so happens to fall on the amazing 4th of July sale weekend!  We spend the WHOLE day shopping and filled the car to the MAX.  What you see below is the result of 9 hours of shopping and 5 determined girls.  Reganomics and trickledown theory at work, just doing my part to stimulate the economy!  

While I didn’t cook much over this long weekend, I did have some great eats.  One of them was at Bulgarini gelato in Pasadena, CA.  One of the best things about Bulgarini is that one cup allows you 3 flavors of gelato!  I went with almond, chocolate with sea salt and goats milk with cocoa nibs.  It was just the thing to beat the summer heat! The other place the Brazilian and I went to is called Salsa and Beer where they had a yummy bean/salsa concoction and some of the best taquitos, which I will try to duplicate soon! 

You may have seen in Trader Joe’s they now carry something called Wasabi Arugula!  What a perfect matching the spiciness of wasabi and the peppery notes of arugula.  On the bag Trader Joe’s put a nice little recipe for some Wasabi Arugula Pesto sauce. 

Wasabi Arugula Pesto
adapted from Trader Joe’s

1 1/2 cup Wasabi Arugula
1/3 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

1.  Fill a bowl with ice and water and set aside.  Add 2 1/4 tsp of salt to a sauce pan full of water and bring to a boil.  Add in the arugula and let the water return to a boil.

2.  Remove arugula from the pan to stop cooking process and place in the ice bath.  Squeeze out the excess water from the arugula (use paper towels if necessary) and place in a blender.

3.  In the blender add in olive oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, garlic and parmesan cheese.  Blend until the mixture is well combined and resembles a pesto paste. 

Serve over pasta, on toasted bread or use as a marinade!  The wasabi heat was very subtle in the pesto, I just served it over some left over macaroni that I had lying around.  This is a great way to use up that arugula that’s a little past its prime for salad eating.  I think this pesto would be great as a sauce over fish!  The rest of my pesto will probably go towards a veggie stir fry.

Kalua Pig Pizza with Lomi Tomato

I’m so excited for the long weekend!  Please don’t be jealous, but on Friday night I am going to the NKOTBSB concert!  LOL yes New Kids combined with Backstreet Boys.  I’m hoping it will be cheesy awesome goodness and bring back lots of good memories.  Yes they are older, but so am I and I think they still got it!  

Photo from www.nkotbsb.com

On another note, I hope you’ve enjoyed my Hawaii series so far, we’re almost wrapping it up.  As I mentioned in my Lomi Lomi Tomato post, there is a common misconception that Canadian bacon/pepperoni and pineapple is a Hawaiian pizza.  While I totally get the marketing/naming convention, I want to share with you what I think is a REAL Hawaiian pizza!  If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you may have seen this a couple of weeks ago!   

Kalua Pig Pizza with Lomi Tomato

1 package pizza dough
flour, to handle dough
1 cup kalua pig
olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup caramelized onions, about 1 medium onion
1 cup Lomi Lomi Tomato
1 stalk green onion, sliced

Note:  You can find Kalua Pig at most Hawaiian Supermarkets, or in the Hawaii section of some Japanese supermarkets.   

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Stretch dough to form a pizza, using flour and rolling pin to help you shape.  Place pizza on a pizza pan or baking sheet.  Drizzle dough with olive oil and sprinkle minced garlic evenly on the dough.   

2.  Sprinkle half the mozzarella on the pizza, add the kalua pig, caramelized onions and add the other half of the cheese.  *Use those crockpot caramelized onions that you froze earlier!*

3.  Put pizza into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese bubbles and crust is crisp.  Top with Lomi Tomato mixture and green onions.

Um this was amazing!!  The salty smokiness of the Kalua pig on the pizza was so good with the refreshing lomi tomato on the top… Topped with a splash of Tabasco and I was in heaven.  This moved to the top of the list of what I am doing with all my left over Kalua pig from now on.  Alright alright, for those of you who still want some pineapple- I’m sure some pineapple habanero salsa would also be amazing on this as well.  =)  Have a great 4th of July!   

Kalua Pig

For years this was requested by my friends and co-workers every time we had a potluck get together.  Little did they know, it is easily one of the cheapest and easiest main dishes to bring!  Kalua pig is a dish that is synonymous with Hawaii!  Traditionally in Hawaii (and at any Luau that you go to on the island), people will dig a hole in the ground which is called an imu.  This basically serves as an underground oven that is lined with fragrant woods, stones, and banana leaves that steam that cook the entire pig.  Please see my lovely models below as they lift the pig out of the imu.   

The pork is then so tender and juicy the meat basically falls apart as your pick it up with your fork.  While I have been lucky enough to participate a couple times in the imu process, most of us don’t have time to dig a large hole in our back yard or time to catch a pig (or have any desire to).  So today we are going to make this in our crockpot.  Non crockpot owners – I think you can also adapt this to the oven.  Wait- but since this series of post is all about Hawaii thought I would leave you with a few pics of some of my favorite places on the island!  (Makapu’u, Portlock, Haunama Bay, Waikiki at the Moana)

 

Crockpot Kalua Pig

1 pork butt or shoulder (3-5lbs)
1 1/2 Tbsp Hawaiian Salt (or any type of rock salt)
1 Tbsp liquid smoke

1.  Pierce pork with a knife several times.  Rub salt and liquid smoke all over the pork and place in the crockpot. *Please resist the urge to trim the fat, the fat turns to liquid and is what cooks the meat.  If you are an oven user, at this point you would cut the pork into several pieces to fit into your baking dish (if needed), season with salt and liquid smoke and wrap them tightly in foil*

2.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. *If you are an oven user, place your tightly wrapped pork pieces in a roasting dish and add 1/3 inch of water to the pan.  Cover pan with foil and seal well and create a little tent at the top.  Place into the oven at 325 degrees for 4 –5 hours depending on the size of your pork butt.*  

3.  Remove meat from crockpot (or oven) and shred.  Reserve some of the cooking liquid and add to meat to moisten.  Season with additional salt if needed.  

Serve with hot rice and Lomi Lomi Tomato.  An alternate serving is to quickly sautee some cabbage until it is soft with the kaula pork and also serve with rice, I did it with some spinach since that’s what I had on hand.  Or my bosses favorite, just serve it sandwich style in some King’s Hawaiian sweet bread rolls!   

One of the great things about Kalua pig is that it freezes extremely well and is a great thing to have on hand in your fridge.  Over the years my friends and I have found many uses for the leftovers.  Next post I’ll show you a truly “Hawaiian” pizza that you can make with it! 

Lomi Lomi Tomato

As you may or may not know, I grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Growing up in paradise I was exposed to beautiful rainbows, amazing ocean views, daily treks to the beach and a wide variety of food.  Hawaii is literally a melting pot of food, cultures and people.  While ads and TV/movies depict Hawaii a certain way (some better than others) for some reason every dish with pineapple is associated with Hawaii!  I have breaking news- no one in Hawaii eats pineapple on pizza, on their hamburgers or on most savory dishes.  Yes I would say 95% of the people in Hawaii do not eat pineapple on their pizza or have never had it on a burger. 

I thought I would share with you some real local/Hawaiian foods!  I grew up eating Lomi Lomi Salmon whenever I had Hawaiian food.  My friend Jon was the first person to serve me Lomi Lomi tomato.  “Lomi Lomi” means to massage in Hawaiian, which is the way that this dish was traditionally prepared.  All of the ingredients were mixed or massaged by hand to combine.  This recipe is super easy and comes together so quickly.  If you can get a Maui onion or sweet onion, definitely use it!  Maui onions are great and so much milder with a great flavor.      

Lomi Lomi Tomato
16 oz. (1 lb.) grape tomatoes, or 4 large tomatoes
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 Maui onion (sweet onion), chopped
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. Hawaiian Salt (rock salt)
Tabasco

1.  Cut up tomatoes into bite size pieces.  Add in green onions, Maui onion, apple cider vinegar, Hawaiian Salt and Tabasco and mix well.

2.  Chill thoroughly and serve.

Serve with Kalua Pig or your favorite Hawaiian dish!  One of my favorites is to eat this with Poi!  Poi is a Hawaiian side dish which is steamed taro that is ground into a paste like texture.  It sounds weird, looks gross, but you either love or hate poi,  Try it with lomi lomi tomato and you will fall in love! 

Banana Bread, an Ode to Flour Bakery!

I fell in love with Flour Bakery during my trip to Boston.  The hype around Joanne Chang and her lovely bakeries, was much deserved.  As soon as I got home I had to look up more of her great recipes.  As luck would have it, I had some over ripe bananas so I was able to make Flour Bakery’s banana bread! 

Let me tell you that this banana bread is so moist and so good!  Five days later people were still raving about how moist it was.  (I had forgotten to take it over to a friends house so I had brought it into work).  I didn’t even think it needed a little pat of butter on it either since the bread is infused with great banana flavor.  (Super awesome considering I made some changes to lighten up the recipe.)

 

Banana Bread
adapted from Flour Bakery

1 2/3 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 1/2 bananas
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. non fat vanilla yogurt
2/3 cup toasted macadamia nuts, chopped

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. 

2.  Combine eggs and sugar in a separate bowl and whisk for 10 minutes until it turns light and fluffy.  Add in mashed bananas, vanilla extract, non fat yogurt and applesauce. 

3.  Fold in wet and dry ingredients.  Stir in chopped macadamia nuts and mix well.  Pour into a parchment lined loaf pan or butter and flour pan.  Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.   

Pork Chops with Mustard Pretzel Crumbs

I love this recipe.  It’s as simple as that.  Pork is one of my favorite meats, but I feel like it is often over looked for chicken or beef.  As “the other white meat” pork cuts can be lean and delicious and is more affordable than people may think.  This recipe is great since it combines two of my favorite ingredients, pretzels and mustard! 

I had picked up a gourmet Chipotle Honey mustard a while back and had spotted these Sea Salt and Pepper pretzels the other day.  Those pretzels by the way are addicting!  If you recreate with this flavor, definitely do not open the bag before you set aside your pretzels for the pork chop!  These pork chops come together in less than 30 minutes and are so moist and flavorful.    

Pork Chops with Mustard Pretzel Crumbs
adapted Epicurious

Serves 2

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2/3 cup Snyder's Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper Pretzels Pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Salt
Pepper
2 Tbsp. Dijon or Honey Mustard
2 Pork Chops, 1 inch thick (1 lb. total)

1.  Pre heat oven to 425 degrees.  Place the Salt and Pepper Pretzel Pieces into the blend and pulse a couple times until the pretzels turn into a crumb like topping.  *If you do not use the Sea Salt Pretzel flavor, you may need to season additionally with more salt.*

2.  In a preheated pan, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil, garlic, pretzel crumbs, garlic, Italian Seasonings and salt and pepper.  Brown crumbs and combine mixture for a couple minutes until crumbs turn a golden brown. 

3.  Remove crumbs into a bowl and clean pan.  Add remaining olive oil to the pan and brown pork chop for 4 minutes on each side. 

4.  Place pork chop in baking dish and spread mustard over each pork chop and cover with pretzel crumbs.  Place into the oven and bake for 5 to 7 minutes.  *Watch carefully or your pretzel crumbs may burn!*

Serve with additional mustard for dipping if you like.  I had it with some Israeli Couscous sautéed with spinach and tomatoes.  But it would be great with some mashed potatoes or creamy polenta.  I hope you guys like it, this recipe is being added into my regular rotation for sure!