Photography by Mieko HorikoshiA great flavor change-up for your BLT sandwich! You can make it like a traditional BLT or the way I like to— on rye toast with our Ho Farm pickled Gherkin relish and caramelized Kula onion aioli.
Course: Main Course
Author: Chef Kevin Hanney
Equipment
Mixing Bowl
Two Sheet Pans
Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Glaze
3Tbs.Real Maple Syrup
3Tbs.Whole Grain Mustard
1CloveGarlic(Thinly Sliced)
1tsp.Fresh Lemon Juice
Chicken Skin Bacon
12Chicken Skins
Salt(To Taste)
Pepper(To Taste)
Instructions
Prepare Glaze.
Mix all the ingredients well in a bowl. Let stand refrigerated for 1-2 hours
Prepare Chicken Skin Bacon.
Preheat oven to 325. Place chicken skins flat on parchment paper on a sheet pan. Brush both sides lightly with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Place parchment paper on top and then another sheet pan.
Place in oven for approximately 45 minutes. Remove the top sheet pan and parchment paper and baste with glaze. Leave uncovered and bake for another 10-15 minutes more. Remove and cool.
Fill wok with enough canola oil to deep-fry Kole. Fry the Kole over medium heat; while fish is frying, season with Hawaiian salt. Cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes on the first side.
When the first side is cooked, flip and season other the side with Hawaiian salt. Continue to cook the other side for 3 minutes. When fish is thoroughly crispy and golden, remove and set it on a plate lined with paper towels, allow oil to drain.
Mix soy sauce and Hawaiian chili pepper in a bowl, and use as a dipping sauce. Enjoy!
1MediumLeek(Halved, Rinsed, Sliced Crosswise Into 1-inch Pieces - White Part Only)
2lbs.Medium Button Mushrooms(Stems Trimmed And Quartered)
6Thyme Sprigs
1Bay Leaf
1.5QuartsWater
7oz.Tapioca Flour
Instructions
Prepare Mushroom Stock.
Heat oil in a large saucepot over medium heat. Add carrot, onion, and leek and cook stirring occasionally until softened, about 8 minutes.
Add mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf and cook until mushrooms start to release moisture, about 4 minutes.
Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until stock has a pronounced mushroom flavor, about 1 hour. Pick out thyme sprigs and bay leaf, blend then place back on the heat.
After stock comes back to a boil, remove from heat and strain through fine-mesh sieve. Reserve stock and pulp.
Prepare Chicharrón.
In the blender add tapioca flour, 7 ½ oz cooked mushrooms, and ¾ oz. of mushroom stock, blend until a smooth dough forms.
Place 1 lb. of mixture on a sheet tray with plastic wrap, with another on top. Flatten with a rolling pin till about 1/8-inch thick (3 mm). The dough should be nearly translucent.
Prepare a steamer. Steam the dough sheets, still wrapped in plastic, for about 15 minutes. Steaming will let the starch set so it is workable.
Unwrap steamed dough, and place on parchment paper. Place pan in the oven and let bake for 60 minutes, or until dough is dry and brittle. Flip the dough sheets occasionally to allow even drying. Once the dough is completely dry and brittle, remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool, break into desired bite-size pieces. (Note: Chicharrónes will triple in size when fried.)
In a large pot, fill with oil and set over medium and bring to 355° F. Working in batches, fry crisps until they are fully puffed. Let oil drain on a paper towel and season with salt.
To get extra fancy, paint with tempered dark chocolate and serve as hors d’oeuvres.
JANA MCMAHON’S GRILLED SWEET POTATOES WITH HONEYED HOT SAUCE AND HERBED MACADAMIA NUTS
Photo by Jana Morgan
Course: Side Dish
Servings: 6People
Author: Jana McMahon
Equipment
Large Pot
Peeler
Knife
Grill
Whisk
Food Processor
Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes
3Orange Sweet Potatoes Or Yams
3 Purple Sweet Potatoes
Coconut Oil
Smoked Sea Salt (Regular Sea Salt Will Work Too)
Honeyed Hot Sauce
1/2CupLocal Honey
4Tbs.Favorite Local Hot Sauce
1/4Tbs.Sea Salt
Herbed Macadamia Nut Topping
1CupRoasted Unsalted Macadamia Nuts
1tsp.Smoked Sea Salt (Regular Sea Salt Will Work Too)
1Tbs.Cane Sugar
2Tbs.Rosemary(Finely Chopped)
Instructions
Prepare Sweet Potatoes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into ½-inch discs. Place potatoes into boiling water as you peel and slice them to prevent oxidation, which can cause the potato to discolor. Parboil potato slices for 5 minutes. The potatoes should be under-done, as they will finish cooking on the grill.
Heat grill. Dry potato slices well, rub with coconut oil, and sprinkle with smoked sea salt. Place sweet potato slices over the fire on the grill. Depending on the amount of heat, be careful not to burn the potato slices before they are cooked through. If the grill fire is too hot, move potatoes away from direct heat and close the grill top until sweet potatoes are done.
Prepare Honeyed Hot Sauce.
Blend all hot sauce ingredients well, adjusting hot sauce to desired heat level.
Prepare Herbed Macadamia Nut Topping.
Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse mixture to a fluffy, medium-coarse consistency. Avoid a steady grind as you do not want macadamia nut butter. This topping keeps for two weeks in the refrigerator and is great on all kinds of foods: fish, chicken, vegetables, rice, potatoes, even popcorn.
Plate and Serve.
Arrange sweet potatoes on a serving platter and drizzle with honeyed hot sauce.
Sprinkle herbed macadamia nut mixture and serve warm.
1/4CupBaby Heirloom Tomatoes(If tomatoes are too big, slice in half.)
1/2tsp.Fresh Thyme(Chopped)
1/2tsp.Sea Salt
Black Pepper (To Taste)
Instructions
Shuck corn and cut kernels off the cob. Place the kernels in a large saucepan and cover with the water. Cook for 12 minutes on a low simmer. Use a slotted spoon to lift the kernels from the water. Save the cooking liquid and reserve ½ C. of the corn kernels in a separate bowl.
Put cooked corn into a food processor, blender, or immersion blender. Pulse for a few seconds, aiming for a medium smooth texture. Add back some of the cooking liquid a tablespoon at a time so the mixture stays silky and not too dry.
Place the corn purée in a cast iron pan with the cooking liquid and cook, while stirring, on low heat for 10 minutes. This holds beautifully on the back of the grill while you are grilling the rest of the meal.
Fold in the butter, ½ C. of reserved corn kernels, thyme, salt, and pepper to taste, and cook for 2 more minutes. Top with fresh baby heirloom tomatoes and serve.
Photos by Jana Morgan. President Eisenhower is noted for loving to cook his porterhouse steaks directly on hardwood coals and Julia Child dedicated an episode of her PBS show to cooking “dirty steak.” Adam Perry Lang coined this method “clinching,” after a boxing term for closing the gap between one and an opponent. Placing meat in direct contact with hot coals leaves no room for the fat to ignite into flame, eliminating that greasy black slick that can compromise the best of steaks. The results are astounding, an umami-rich crust and moist meat with a slightly smoky flavor revealing just where that steak has been. I chose macadamia nut for my fire, a hardwood that burns down easily and evenly, imparting a neutral smoke flavor. Kiawe would work, or any hardwood local to your area.
Course: Main Course
Servings: 4People
Author: Jana McMahon
Equipment
Hardwood Or Lump Charcoal (No Briquettes)
Fire Starter(No Lighter Fluid)
Cast Iron Pan
Food Processor Or Blender
Jar With Lid
Ingredients
Steaks
4New York Strip Steaks
Sea Salt(Coarse Crystals)
Lemon Garlic Dressing(See Recipe Below)
Homemade Maui Mustard
1/2CupBlack Mustard Seed
1/2CupYellow Mustard Seed
1Can Maui Brewing Co. Coconut Porter(12 oz.)
1/4CupMaple Syrup
1/4CupBalsamic Vinegar
Sea Salt (To Taste)
Lemon Olive Oil
1WholeLemon(Diced, Meyer Lemon Prefered)
1CupEVOO
Lemon Garlic Dressing
1CupLemon Olive Oil Mixture(See Recipe Below)
4ClovesGarlic(Finely Minced)
Juice of 1Lemon
1/2tsp.Sea Salt
Instructions
Prepare Homemade Maui Mustard.
Soak mustard seeds in the beer overnight. The longer the seeds soak, the milder the mustard.
Blend all the ingredients in a food processor, blender, or Vitamix. Blend less for coarser mustard, blend more for smoother mustard. This recipe is simply a template; feel free to mix up the soaking liquid, vinegar, and sweetener.
Prepare Lemon Olive Oil.
In a Vitamix or high-powered blender, purée one whole lemon, diced — yes, skin, seeds, pulp, and all — with oil. Meyer lemon is preferred due to its thin skin for this recipe, but any lemon will work. Use this flavorful, citrusy wonder as a base for all kinds of concoctions, marinades, or bastes.
Prepare Lemon Garlic Dressing.
Shake all dressing ingredients together in a jar.
Prepare Fire and Steaks.
Get your fire started. Make sure there is enough wood to create a 4 to 6-inch bed of red-hot coals.
While fire cooks down, bring steaks to room temperature.
Slightly wet hands and rub both sides of the steak with generous amounts of salt. Don’t hold back, really get the salt rubbed into the muscle fiber, it helps form the crust.
When wood has cooked down and the coals are glowing red with a cover of white ash, the fire is ready. It should be so hot that you are not able to hold your hand over the coals for more than a second or two. Flatten the surface of the coals to a uniform height of about 5 inches (I use a cast iron pan.) Fan away the grey ash from the top of the coals using a sheet pan or similar.
Place steaks directly on the coals. A 1¼ lb. steak will take about 9 minutes to cook. Time the steak for 4 minutes. Turn and baste the cooked side with lemon garlic olive oil mixture. Time second side of the steak for another 4-5 minutes. Turn and baste again with olive oil mixture.
Serve And Enjoy.
Rest steaks and serve with homemade Maui mustard. Enjoy!
Homemade mayonnaise comes together in minutes, requiring just a few ingredients on hand in most kitchens. Get a feel for the simple preparation and skip the store-bought stuff. For flavor, homemade cannot be beaten. Actually, it will be beaten, but how is up to you—and the topic of heated debate amongst our staff. Blender, hand whisk, immersion blender…we each employed our own technique to whip up this humble, handy condiment. Experiment to find your preference, and you’ll have a great base for easy sauces, dips, and salad dressings. Our favorite things to blend into our homemade mayo? Handfuls of fresh herbs, green garlic, chipotle peppers, or curry powder. Happy cooking!
Equipment
Blender
Ingredients
4Egg Yolks
1¼cupLight Olive Oil(Or Other Oil Of Preference)
1/2tsp.Salt(Or To Taste)
2Tbs.Lemon Juice(Approximately. 1/2 Lemon Or To Taste)
1/2tsp.Dry Mustard(Optional)
Instructions
Bring all ingredients to room temperature. Separate egg yolks from whites.
Place the egg yolks in the blender jar, adding the salt, a splash of lemon juice, and a teaspoon of olive oil. Add the mustard, if using.
Give the mixture a few quick pulses to start the blending.
Very, very slowly drizzle in the oil while blending. This process should take 2-3 minutes.
Blend in the rest of the lemon juice. If the mayonnaise appears loose, keep in mind it will further set as it chills in the refrigerator. Tip: If the mayonnaise breaks (separates after the oil is added) it can be saved! Place an egg yolk and 1 teaspoon tepid water in a clean bowl or blender glass. While whisking/blending, slowly add the broken mayonnaise until incorporated, then whisk/blend in about 1/4 cup more oil.
Sunday is a day many families look forward to for no work and all play. This holds true for Ed and Spanky Kenney and their keiki, Celia, 15, and Duke, 12. Theirs is a busy household and the kitchen is the hub of activity. Many would expect a huge, fancy kitchen with all the latest gadgets from award-winning chef Kenney, owner of Town restaurant in Kaimukï. Instead, it is small and close knit, just as the family itself.
Here’s the scene: 60’s rock ’n roll pumps in the background. Spanky relaxes and reads while Ed and the kids file in for breakfast duty. With just enough room to rub elbows, the kitchen comes to life with kid’s bright, enthusiastic energy. They shuffle between the fridge and prep counter.
Before heading out for a beach day, their tradition is to make waffles out of pa‘i‘ai, a concentrated form of poi (hand-pounded taro root). There is no real recipe to this causal, locally sourced dish. Simply refrigerate the pa‘i‘ai for several days, cut a 1″ slice and pop it in the waffle maker with a slice of butter. After a homemade breakfast together, they pile into the car and go.
The waffle recipe was conjured up by Duke and executed by Celia. With a little tweaking, it just may appear as a new menu item at Town. This morning the waffle was topped with banana, straw- berries, honey, and whipped cream, but it can be eaten plain, right out of the waffle maker too. Once it’s cooled it becomes firm, but retains that slight, sweet twang of fresh pa‘i‘ai. The kids also recommend using the waffle as a base for savory ingredients.
Cooking and sharing a meal has always been a focal point for this family. Spanky does most of the shopping and the kids participate in much of the cooking. Celia tends to stick to the recipe, while Duke’s love of food and cooking is more freestyle. He’s known to put together a meal with whatever is on hand in the fridge or garden. A few years back that spontaneity lead Duke to enter a cooking contest after overhearing the five minute call for final en- tries. His creation, a slice of Big Island beef, some warm pa‘i‘ai and fresh tomato, placed first to everyone’s surprise!
Clearly, the real secret to their family cooking is a pure love of delicious, local food, cooked simply and to perfection.
