chop A Culinary Playground

Day 2 and 3 Eat Local Challenge

The second day of the eat local challenge went smoother that the first.

We started the day with some scrambled island fresh eggs and pineapple.

For lunch I made hamburger buns and we had North Shore Cattle Feta burgers. These were delicious and my 9 year old was happy.

That afternoon we made pasta and ricotta cheese for lasagna. 

I have made ricotta before but never with island milk.  It came out so good it was much fresher tasting that with mainland milk.  I am so glad we have a dairy again in the islands.

The lasagna was made with Northshore Cattle ground beef, fresh made pasta and ricotta, Big Wave tomatoes and collard greens from my garden.

I also went to a small vegetable market in my neighborhood.  It does not just sell local but the local items are marked with signs. Here is what I picked up.

fresh mint

fresh thyme

baby grape tomatoes

edamamae

corn

sweet potatoes from Molokai

Day three started off with pancakes made with island milk and butter and local honey.

Lunch was left over lasagna.

I made a braised brisket with North Shore Cattle beef served with mashed purple sweet potatoes and a green salad.

Braised Brisket

2 Pounds beef brisket

   (North Shore Cattle)

2 Tablespoon Olive Oil (luxury item)

3 Stalks Negi Onions, cut in 2 inch

   pieces (they are a mix

between a leek and a green onion)

Substitute 1 leek or 1 onion (Farmers Market)

2 large Carrots, cut in 2 inch pieces

   (Ho farms)

1 Cup, diced tomatoes or cherry

tomatoes (farmers market)

1 Cup daikon turnip, cut in two inch

pieces (farmers market)

1    bunch thyme (farmers market)

3    Tablespoon honey (farmers market) –can

  sub with brown sugar

3    Tablespoons Hanapepe salt (substitute

with sea salt

1    cup red wine (cheat)

4    cups water (local from tap)

Heat olive oil in heavy casserole.  Sear brisket on all sides until brown.  add all vegetables except turnips.  Add salt,  thyme, honey, red wine and water.  Cook in a 250 oven for 2 1/2 hours.  On the last half hour, add the turnips, make sure they are covered in the braising liquid.  Serve over potatoes.

My First Papaya

From my tree. 

Dinner and a Movie Breakfast at Tiffanys

When I saw this month's movie I knew, I had to contribute to this month's Dinner and A Movie because I was named after Holly Golightly. To me the movie gave me dreams going to New York.  When I finally did on a layover on my way back from Morocco, I put on my black sheath, size 6 (last time I ever wore a 6) Benetton dress and hit the city.  It was great.

I am making a Breakfast Pizza for this months dinner.

Breakfast Pizza

1 Individual pizza dough

3 tablespoons pizza sauce

2 Pieces bacon, cooked until crispy, and broken

   up.

1/2  Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1  Egg

   Green Onion sliced for garnish

Pre heat oven to 500.  Spread sauce over dough.  Sprinkle cheese over and spread over the bacon.  Cook egg sunny side up until just set and slide it on the pizza.  Using a peel slide dough on pizza stone.  Cook until bottom is brown about 16 minutes.  Sprinkle green onions over.

Tomato Vodka Salad

Several years ago I tore a recipe out of a magazine for cherry tomatoes macerated in vodka.  I always wanted to make it for a catering job but never did because of the tedious task of  peeling the tomatoes.  I have long lost the recipe.  This year I seem to have a lot of cherry tomatoes in the garden from some rogue plants and I decide to try to make this tomato and vodka salad.

This salad would be great for brunch or a hot summer afternoon.

Cherry Tomato and Vodka Salad

serves 8

2 pints cherry tomatoes

2 cups vodka

  Coarse grain sea salt (I used Hanepepe Alae

  from our friend's salt bed) 

  Fresh basil, jullienned

Put a pot of water to boil.  Cut a X on the bottom of the tomato.  Do not cut too deep, just cut the skin.  Place in boiling water for 15 seconds, drain and place in an ice bath. Peel skin off. Place in container with vodka and basil. Macerate for 3 - 10 hours.  Drain (vodka can be used for Bloody Marys) Place tomatoes in individual glasses and top with sea salt.

This would also be excellent with some Buratta Cheese

Chilaquiles - Mexican Breakfast

 Chilaquiles

 

This is a traditional Mexican breakfast dish that we serve on the set of Lost.  My husband got the recipe from one of our cooks Beto.  It is also supposed to be a hangover cure, so maybe it can be made on May 6.

 

 

 

1          Tablespoon Olive Oil

 

6          Tostada shelled crushed in to large chunks

 

¼         Cup Pico de Gallo (recipe below)

 

6          Eggs. Whipped

 

¼         Cup chopped green onion

 

½         Cup Shredded cheddar cheese

 

1          Can Mexican Tomato sauce or see recipe for sauce below

 

 

In a frying add oil, toast the tostada pieces, add the Pico de Gallo, cook for one minute, add the green onions, eggs cook until eggs get firm, top with cheese, cook until cheese is melted.  Top with the tomato sauce.  Garnish with avocado.

 

 

Pico de Gallo

½         White onion, diced

1          Tomato, diced

¼         Cup Cilantro chopped

1          teaspoon lime juice

1          Teaspoon ground cumin

            Salt and Pepper

1          Clove garlic, minced

 

Mexican Tomato Sauce

4          Tomatoes cut into chunks

1          Onion cut into chunks

1          Bell pepper, cut into chunks

2          Jalapeño, chunked

2          stalks celery

1          Tablespoon cumin

            Salt and Pepper

2          Cups water

¼         Cup chopped cilantro

½         Cup chopped green onion

 

Combine all ingredients except the cilantro and green onion in a sauce pan, bring to a boil and cook until the veggies are tender.  Place in a food processor and blend, until smooth.  Stir in cilantro and green onion an

Gravlox

 

Gravlox seems a little intimidating but is a fairly easy way to prepare salmon with impressive results.

For 2 sides is salmon

2              Fillet sides of Salmon

1              cups fresh dill, chopped

1              cups sugar

1              cups kosher salt

4              tablespoons vodka

1              very clean glass of ceramic container

                Heavy weight such as a brick wrapped in plastic wrap, or

                a heavy can

Coat the fish fillets with dill.  Mix the sugar and salt together and pat all over salmon.   Make sure that the salmon is coated with salt and sugar mixture. Place in container, sprinkle with vodka, cover with plastic wrap.  Place weight on top.  Refrigerate for at least 3 days.  After three days liquid should have released.  The salmon’s texture will have changed and become firm.  Pat all excess liquid off and slice on against the grain.  Serve with flat bread or bagels.

  

Dinner and a Movie - Moonstruck

This month dinner and a movie by No Recipes and Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy was Moonstruck.

Moonstruck is one of my favorite movies and it was really hard to choose one Italian food for this movie.  I choose the breakfast scene when she made the egg in the hole also referred to as moon egg, cowboy egg.  I had never seen it before and I thought it looked so good, especially when she put the roasted pepper in it.  So here is my version.  Instead of roasted pepper I made a roasted pepper hollandaise.

 

4 servings

4              slices Italian bread, with a hole cut out.

4              eggs

                2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Red Pepper Hollandaise (prepare hollandaise as you normal would and puree roasted red pepper)

Heat oil in non stick pan, add bread, and crack egg into the hole in the bread.  Cook for a few minutes on one side, flip and finish cooking to desired yolkyness.

Check out  Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy for the round up.