Category: Spring 2018

EGGPLANT WITH PONZU & EDAMAME

 

Print Recipe

EGGPLANT WITH PONZU & EDAMAME

Course: Vegetable
Author: Chef Max Okamura

Equipment

  • Nonstick Pan
  • Shallow Bowl
  • Small Saucepan

Ingredients

  • 2 Medium Eggplant Cut Into ½ Inch Planks
  • ½ Cup Edamame Shelled
  • 2 Oranges Peeled and Segmented
  • Pickled Chilies Recipe Below
  • Ponzu As Needed
  • Garlic Chives Garnish
  • Mint Garnish

Pickled Chili

  • 4 oz. Water
  • 4 oz. Vinegar
  • 1 oz. Sugar
  • ¼ oz. Salt
  • ¼ tsp. Coriander Seed
  • ¼ tsp. Black Peppercorns
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 2 Red Chilies

Instructions

Prepare Pickled Chili.

  • Prepare brine by combining all ingredients except chilies into a small saucepan. 
  • Bring to a simmer to dissolve sugar, set aside to cool.
  • Slice chilies 1/8-inch thick.
  • Add to brine, let rest for at least 1 hour.

Prepare Eggplant and Plate.

  • Season eggplant with salt, and rest for 20 minutes. Rinse eggplant and pat dry.
  • In a nonstick pan, sear eggplant until golden. Remove and rest.
  • Add orange segments and edamame to a small bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.
  • Plate eggplant in shallow bowl, top with edamame and orange segments, dress with ponzu, garnish with pickled chilies, mint, and garlic chives.
  • Serve and enjoy!

TURNIPS WITH MUNG BEAN-BLACK RICE SALAD & PAPAYA JAM

RECIPES COURTESY OF CHEF MAX OKAMURA

INGREDIENTS:
Mung Bean-Black Rice Salad (recipe below)
Glazed Turnips (recipe below)
Papaya Jam (recipe below)
Thai Basil, chopped for garnish

METHOD:

Plate salad, top with turnips, dot with papaya jam, and gar-nish with Thai basil.

MUNG BEAN-BLACK RICE SALAD

INGREDIENTS:
½ cup whole grain mung beans
1 cup black rice
1 ½ cup water
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin seed
2 teaspoons caraway seed
1 cup cilantro

MUNG BEAN-BLACK RICE SALAD

METHOD:
Add mung beans to boiling water. Gently boil for 25 minutes, or until tender then drain. Combine rice with 1 ½ cups water, bring to boil, reduce to simmer, cook for 25 minutes or until tender. While grains are cooking, toast cumin and caraway seeds in olive oil. Pour white wine vinegar, hot oil and seeds over cooked grains. Add cilantro and season to taste.

GLAZED TURNIPS INGREDIENTS:
8 medium turnips, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar

GLAZED TURNIP METHOD:
Add turnips to saucepan with enough water to cover. Add oil and sugar. Heat and reduce until water
has evaporated and turnips are nicely glazed. Season to taste.

PAPAYA JAM INGREDIENTS:
1 small papaya
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

PAPAYA JAM METHOD:
Combine all ingredients, and blend until smooth. Add to small saucepan and cook over medium heat until slightly thickened.

BRAISED DAIKON WITH JALAPEÑO DRESSING & SWEET ONION SALSA

RECIPES COURTESY OF CHEF MAX OKAMURA

INGREDIENTS:
Braised Daikon (recipe below)
Jalapeno Dressing (recipe below)
Sweet Onion Salsa (recipe below)
Watercress, garnish
1 radish, finely shaved

METHOD:
Spoon even layer of jalapeño dressing in bowl, place daikon pieces on top, and top daikon with sweet onion salsa. Gar-nish with watercress and shaved radish.

BRAISED DAIKON INGREDIENTS:
½ pound daikon, cut into four 2-inch rounds
2 cups water
2-inch piece of konbu
1 dried shitake mushroom
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons Tamari
1 tablespoon sake
2 tablespoons mir

BRAISED DAIKON METHOD:
Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, and reduce liquid until the daikon is tender and nicely glazed

JALAPENO DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
1 jalapeño
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
5 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 grated garlic clove

JALAPENO DRESSING METHOD:
Combine all ingredients and blend until slightly emulsified.

SWEET ONION SALSA INGREDIENTS:
½ cup finely diced sweet onion
½ cup finely diced tomato
4 tablespoons ponzu
½ teaspoon hot chili sauce

SWEET ONION SALSA METHOD:
Combine all ingredients, season to taste.

SHAVED VEGETABLE SALAD WITH LILIKOI VINAIGRETTE

RECIPES COURTESY OF CHEF MAX OKAMURA

INGREDIENTS:
Shaved vegetables, i.e. beets, baby carrots, radish, kohlrabi, baby cucumbers
Lilikoi Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Inamona Dukkah (recipe below)
Pickled shallot (recipe below)
Parsley and mint for garnish

METHOD:
Shave vegetables with mandolin 1/16 inch thick, and chill in ice water. Drain vegetables, and pat dry. Toss vegetables with lilikoi vinaigrette to taste. Arrange vegetables on plate. Finish with dukkah, pickled shallots, mint, and parsley.

LILIKOI VINAIGRETTE INGREDIENTS:
½ cup lilikoi juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt

LILIKOI VINAIGRETTE METHOD:
Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified and slightly thickened.

Cooking Fresh Interview with Tracy Ackerman, owner of The Spoon Shop

PHOTGRAPHY BY RONIT FAHL

eHI: When did the Spoon Shop first open?
TA: The Spoon Shop first opened on October 1, 2012 in the old in-dustrial area in Kailua Kona on Hawaii Island.  When I assumed the lease it was for the balance of 9 months and I knew I did not want to stay in the current location since it was small, parking was not ideal, and I wanted to increase my inventory and build a demonstration & teaching kitchen.  With expansion plans in mind I found a 3300 square foot location at the Hale Ku’i Plaza in Kona.

eHI: What was the original inspiration for opening your business?
TA: As a young child, I remember always being in the kitchen. Both parents were great family-style cooks and gatherings were usually at our home.  When I lived in Portland, Oregon I worked briefly at a department store in the china and housewares department and that was when I realized how much I enjoyed the kitchen scene. I absolutely love pots & pans, gadgets & gizmos, plates & bowls. Many years later, after I had moved home to Kona, I vividly re-member doing some Christmas shopping in what was then the Gourmet Chef Supply store and the owner mentioning to custom-ers in front of me how short staffed she was and how she needed to hire. I immediately shot my hand into the air and called out, “I want to work here!”  and this was how I was hired for a part time position and got back into the kitchen scene that I remember loving so much in Portland. Two and a half years later, I would purchase the existing business, rename it, rebrand it, increase the inventory and move it to a new location.

eHI: How has your business evolved over the past five years?
TA: The business has completed the long awaited certified kitchen where we will conduct our own demonstrations and teach classes with guest chefs open to any customers who are excited to learn a new cuisine or style of cooking. Some customers are so excited that they don’t care what kind of classes we offer, they just want to participate. We will also be able to rent the space to those needing to produce their own goods in a certified environment. We hope to utilize the space as a “special events” headquarters as well; busi-nessmen in town have inquired about pau hana gatherings and team meetings, mothers have inquired about birthday parties and date nights.

eHI: Do you like to cook at home?
TA: I love to cook and find much enjoyment being in the kitchen. I don’t like to be hurried, so I don’t enjoy it as much if I’m rushing home from work to feed my two children, but when I can relax in the process of slicing and dicing vegetables, marinating or sautéing and even baking then I am in my element. It’s my happy place and I find comfort being in that space. It’s my place to unwind from a work day and find quiet to feed my soul and nourish my body.

eHI: Thank you for inviting us to cook and see your new kitchen space and for your introduction with private chef Max Okamura. What are your future plans for the new kitchen space?
TA: I met Max Okamura as a customer in The Spoon Shop. He is very talented and a big supporter of my shop. I’m so happy to have him included here sharing some of his original recipes. The Spoon Shop started offering a few classes this winter and we want to hear from the community on what they want to learn too. Some of our cooking classes so far have included how to construct the perfect brunch, and how to prep ahead of time to enable quick, delicious dinners any day of the week. Keep an eye on the class calendar on our website or join our mailing list to stay up to date with our current offerings and events.

SHAVED VEGETABLE SALAD WITH LILIKOI VINAIGRETTE

BRAISED DAIKON WITH JALAPEÑO DRESSING & SWEET ONION SALSA

TURNIPS WITH MUNG BEAN-BLACK RICE SALAD & PAPAYA JAM

EGGPLANT WITH PONZU & EDAMAME

GREEN ESCAPES

Size: 7.25 x 4.875 inches
Pages: 384
ISBN: 9780714876122

An insider’s guide to secret gardens and pocket parks around the globe, Green Escapes: The Guide to Secret Urban Gardens ($29.95) features over 250 pub-lic green spaces in more than 150 cities. With descriptive text for each gar-den, maps, visitor information, detailed indexes, and hundreds of images, this handy guide takes readers off the beaten path into a world of communi-ty gardens, rooftop terraces, and other urban oases.

THE INDIAN VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK

Written By Pushpesh Pant
Size: 9.75 x 7.5 inches
Pages: 272 pages
ISBN: 9780714876412

Drawing inspiration from India’s myriad regions and culinary traditions, Pushpesh Pant simplifies this hugely popular cuisine in The Indian Vegetari-an Cookbook ($39.95) with 150 approachable, nourishing, and authentic rec-ipes. The array of delicious breakfasts, drinks, salads, vegetables, legumes, grains, and desserts are so tasty and satisfying that they are suitable for vegetarians, meat-eaters, and those simply wishing to reduce the amount of meat in their diet.

Papaya Leaf Tea

 

Print Recipe

PAPAYA LEAF TEA

Photography by Mieko Horikoshi
Course: Drinks
Servings: 1 Liter

Equipment

  • Pot

Ingredients

  • 3 - 5 Medium / Large Papaya Leaves
  • 2 Liters Water

Instructions

  • Boil the leaves in the water till it’s reduced to about half the quantity.
  • Let cool, discard the leaves, and consume in small doses.

Papaya Seed Dressing

 

Print Recipe

PAPAYA SEED DRESSING

Photography by Mieko Horikoshi
Course: Condiment
Servings: 3 Cups

Equipment

  • Blender or Vitamix

Ingredients

  • ½ Cup Sugar
  • 1½ tsp. Salt
  • 1 Cup Champagne Vinegar
  • 1 Cup Neutral Oil
  • ½ Cup Maui Onion Minced Fine
  • 1 Ripe Papaya Halved - Reserve 3 Tbsp. of Papaya Seeds - Reserve Remaining Fruit for Another Recipe

Instructions

  • In a blender or Vitamix, blend the sugar, salt, and vinegar until the mixture is smooth.
  • With the motor running, add the oil in a slow stream and blend the dressing until it is emulsified.
  • Add 1/2 of the papaya, Maui onion, and the reserved papaya seeds and blend the dressing until the onion and papaya seeds resemble ground pepper.

Letter of Aloha

At various stages in my life I’ve followed different diets – from vegan to vegetarian, from fruitarian to Paleo, to whatever I was craving at the moment – but no matter what I was eating, my diet has always been locally focused. Since our last recession, eating local has become the norm and I know many people have experienced a shift in awareness…but have we really moved the needle? Are we really changing the metrics about what percentage of food we import vs. what we grow right here in the islands?

The older I become, the more aware I am of the benefit my body feels when I eat a little bit less or opt for lighter faire or take the time to work some natural movement into my day. So, I was intrigued when I started hearing more and more about happiness, walking and a plant-based diet all related directly to living longer. Did you notice every recipe in this issue is plant-based? There’s a reason! So, read on and be inspired by the Blue Zones Project.

And for the 5th year, we’re pleased to present you with our Hawaii Farm Guide, added to our Spring issue as a token of appreciation for both our subscribers and the local farmers that feed us. We redesigned it based on direct feedback from our readers, and we added something special for our 5th annual Farm Day. We invite you to peek between pages 33/34, and mark your calendar for Saturday, May 19th to join us at the market.

Spring is all about growing. Will you help edible Hawaiian Islands grow too? We hear all the time, “I love this magazine!” or, “I keep every single copy!” so why not show how much you love us by becoming a subscriber? We deeply appreciate your continued support.

With aloha,
Dania Novack-Katz
Editor-at-Large