OHELO'S JELLY FOUR PEPPERS

 Richard Green, 1/2 owner of Ohelo's Jelly sits at a demonstration table as you enter Foodland Farms in Lahaina's Gateway Shopping Center. It was a hot day as usual in Lahaina, I needed to pick up some cooking oil, and was kind of happy to do so knowing that the supermarket is nice and cool. I enter, and I see Richard sitting down behind the demo table, with nicely labeled jars of jellies. He looks friendly as soon as we make eye contact the aloha spirit connects.

"Hi there," says Richard.

"Hey how's it going, what you got here?" I asked.

"Well, we got some jellies here," says Richard. He holds up a few and tells me the flavors, but the one that caught my eyes was the Ohelo's Four Pepper Jelly.

"Can I try that For Peppers?" He is happy to turn me on to this local product. He spreads some over some ham and some turkey. I take a bite. "Man this is good." Of course I had to get a jar, I took it home and the Ohana was ready to use it on some breaded pork Filipino style.

Richard and his wife are partners in this business of jellies. He is out of Kapolei on Oahu, and he does not have a website as of this post that I know of. However, the packaging is done with thought, the jars labels stand out. And the Four Peppers is my favorite, it has a nice pepper bite but not too much, and it is sweet too. Fruity. I need to do more research on Richard's company, but I am impressed by the flavor, and it is good. I love jellies. Recently I had some Mayhaw jelly from Texas, my boss gave me a jar, and those Hawthorn berries are sweet as well, we ate that jar up fast! I think this Four Peppers aren't going to last very long, especially with kids in the house, it's as good as gone!

Stay tuned and I'll post more info on this local brand of jelly. Oh I tried a couple other flavors, but this one is what I love the best. I wish Richard and his wife many sales, and total success in their journey selling this product.

Ohelo's Four Peppers is a winner!

Mahalo Richard Green

© 2017

MINT SAUCE FOR GAMEY MEATS

In this post I'll give to you a recipe for an easy mint sauce that you can use to dress up any wild game you are cooking. Or a rack of lamb. Mint goes with lamb, like cheese with a tasty juicy hamburger. Or Fred and Wilma Flintstone. Barney and Betty Rubble. Batman and Robin.

So mint, or Mentha from Greek mintha. It is an aromatic herb, the leaves are used to make all kinds of different foods. It has a pleasant aroma, great for mouthwash, toothpaste, and chewing gum. So because of its pleasant aroma, it is added into foods that may have an unpleasantness from other strong smelling ingredients such as garlic, onions, fish sauce. That is why it is added to soups or pho from Vietnamese cuisine, and into sabaw in Filipino cuisine.

Mint leaves

Chewing on these leaves can help with an upset stomach

Mint Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1/4-1/2 C of mint leaves that are finely chopped

1/3 cup boiling water 

2-3 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar

2-2 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp. white pepper

DIRECTIONS

Place the mint leaves in a bowl, then stir in the hot water, then the vinegar, brown sugar, sea salt and white pepper until the sugar has dissolved. Cover it, and let sit for approximately 15-20 minutes.

This is just one example of a mint sauce, some cooks will add heavy cream, some will actually use an egg base to make a mint aioli, or mayonnaise. The sky is the limit with a mint sauce. Serve this with lamb, wild turkey, wild boar, deer, bison or anything you like. 

Mint is a healing herb, I remember working in the old Down To Earth Health Food Store in Lahaina, I was working inside the kitchen and had an upset stomach, a cool girl went into the walk-in fridge and came out with a few mint leaves and had me chew on them. In a few minutes my stomach settled. It was an eye opener on the herbs we have on this earth that can be a healing component.

The Yay :) or Nay :( Scale 

Ease-Yay :)

Flavor- Yay :)

Healthy- Yay :)

Aroma- Yay :)

Cost- Yay :)

Verdict: Yay Yay! :) :)

Good luck with your cooking

© 2017

WEEKEND GRILL MASTERS with JOHNNY

In the post I wanted to talk to the man of the house, that dude that loves his wife to the max, and loves his kids to the max, that cool neighbor that will help you fix your leaky roof, if you need a car towed, he has that huge 4x4 with the hitch. That's the guy. To protect the subject, Johnny will not offer his last name, or offer a photo or video of himself. Why? Because he needs to trust me first, I don't know him, just met him, and he doesn't know me of course.

So Johnny works for a construction company, he's in his late thirties, has a wife and three kids, he loves to go fishing when he has a chance, or play softball with the boys during tournament season. Like most locals here in Hawaii, Johnny and his wife's favorite vacation spot is Vegas, even his little kids tag along. So he's a very simple man, but he's so down to earth, I like brother Johnny.

ME: So brother Johnny, do you cookout at your house sometimes?

JOHNNY: (High fives me) Hell yeah!

ME: Like on Sundays, Super Bowls, NewYears?

JOHNNY: Whenever I get a chance bro! Me and my friends from work, my brother, his wife and kids, my in-laws, a few of my neighbors. We kickback, I set up our backyard so we can watch a big screen, sometimes it's movies for the ladies and kids, or sports for whoever. I just want people that visit to relax, and forget their problems, we all have problems, my job on this earth.... is to give light to everyone I meet.

So true.

ME: What's your specialty?

JOHNNY: Me, I don't hunt, but, when my friends bag a wild boar- I smoke em.

ME: What else?

JOHNNY: I love to do baby backs, beef short-ribs, salmon, chicken. But I have to say, it's smoking a huge prime rib before a sporting event, I love that.

ME: That's good stuff bro. So what's your secret to a good smoked prime rib?

JOHNNY: First of all, I have a big grill in the back yard. I'll get some kiawe wood, burn em. Have a lot of hot coals in a steel drum. You need hot coals at the ready, because my smoking takes all day man. Me and the family and friends, having a few, talking story, telling jokes, just taking turns adding hot coals to this thing. You know bro, slow cooking takes time. Like a good lady, it takes time (laughs). Waiting for the best is always the best. Always!

ME: Yeah I agree, sounds like you been smoking meats for awhile.

JOHNNY: Yeah, my dad and uncle always smoked meats and fish like Aku, Ahi, Ono, Marlin.. I'm more a fisherman than hunter. But when we were kids, dad guys would smoke huge pieces of deer, beef, pork. I love smoked meats man.

ME: OK, let's say you have a party next Sunday, pretend it's Super Bowl again, you are hosting, how big a prime rib can you smoke in your backyard?

JOHNNY: (laughs) Me and my wife we head to Costco, buy the biggest one we can get, with the bones as many bones (laughs).

JOHNNY's Directions

INGREDIENTS

1- Bone In 16- 16.5 lbs. 

Mixed herbs+ Hawaiian Style Salt

Couple logs of kiawe wood (dried)

(That's all of the ingredients- the Hawaiian salt is the key, not too much herbs)

Start early in the morning, get the wood burning bright red hot. 

Let the prime rib set out at room temperature (this will make it cook evenly)

Keep a pile of burning coals in a separate grill or flame proof barrel

Remove the grate and put a pile of hot coals on one side of the grill. Place the grate back then place the prime rib bone side down, add smoking chips soaked in water, and into a foil near the flamed coals. Cover grill. 

By having the hot coals away from the meat itself creates slow cooking, and soaked wood chips creates smoke. Apple wood chips, Hickory chips work well for store bought chips.

Johnny says it takes him from 8 am in the morning to 4pm to get a perfect smoked prime rib, and because it's slow cooking, it can go longer, it's all about regulating the heat by adding or subtracting the hot coals.

ME: Johnny so after a long day of drinking beers, talking story, playing cards, how red is the inside of that prime rib?

JOHNY: Bro, it is slightly pink, if someone wants it well done, I'll slice a piece, and put that on the grill and finish it off like that, that's the only way. Most people like prime rib either red, or pink. If you over cook the whole thing, it's a waste.

ME: Yeah some people overcook a prime steak, to me it's a waste, but some people maybe have health issues and can't have less than well done cooked beef, I can respect that.

JOHNNY: Yes, but it's all fun, I love the grill, the smoking of meats, but to tell you the truth, just having the people I cook for enjoy the food-that's all that matters. I love the simple life bro, I don't like complications because life will present all of that stuff no matter how hard we pray. I work hard, and play hard. I'm not a wealthy man in terms of finances, but we more than get by, and I truly thank God for that.

ME: Amen bro. Amen!

© 2017

PAT'S STEAK HOUSE, LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY

Yes my friends it is that time of the day again, it is in the 10am hour here in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. And already I'm messing with our visitors to our paradise. Today's question again will be, "Where are you guys from?" and then I'll ask them, "Hey where's a good steak house where you live in case I visit that city I want a heads up."

Today was perfect, after a few honeymooners walking town, a couple I chatted with was very cool, and they told me that they were from Louisville, Kentucky. (No pics or last names for obvious reasons) Sidney and Elane are staying in Kaanapali, and they were telling me they were on a honeymoon, and just relaxing. So when I got to the point, like where is a good steak house where they lived they offered a few, however on stood out by both newlyweds.

"Pat's Steak House," says Sidney. "They are pricey but the steaks are aged, if you want a big ass steak bro that's where you go." His wife chimed in, "Yeah we always have leftover, I love the steaks, all Prime cuts."

Okay, so I did not want to waste any of their precious vay cay time, I asked them what was their favorite meals their. Sidney who is a pretty good size guy, 6 feet plus, 250 easy, likes a few things on the menu.

SIDNEY'S SUGGESTIONS
- (When freeking hungry) the 24 oz. Porterhouse (Currently according to their website is $57-)
- The Veal Cutlet $29.50
- For dessert Reese's Peanut Butter Pie $8.00

ELANE'S SUGGESTIONS
- Cottage Cheese & Fruit (she's not a big eater) $9.00
- Special Salad with Smoked Salmon $17.75
- Lady Filet Mignon (She can't eat all of it when she has salads and drinks) $44.00
- For dessert Key Lime Pie (She eats some of it) $8.00

www.patssteakhouse.com

© 2017

CREGEENS IRISH PUB- ARKANSAS

Today I walked around town, asking people if I could ask them a few foodie questions, but it wasn't a good day in the beginning. People looked at me like I was a weirdo. Either that or they hated the LA Dodgers, I wear the cap all of the time.

So finally I get a bite, usually I want couples in love, you know honeymooners, because I can observe if that marriage is gonna work or not. Just kidding. So I see this dude with a Harley t-shirt on, but he's clean cut, about 5-7, 145 pounds. "Excuse me sir," I say to him. He looks at me and goes, "Yeah buddy what's up?"

Haha, I am going to ask him, where is he from? And then I'll where is the best place to eat beef stew. I figure everyone eats beef stew right?

"Sir, my name is Ron, I'm doing a little interview with people, if you don't mind, I just want to ask you a few simple questions pertaining to food."

He looks at me with a smile, "You a food blogger?"

"Holy shit, you made me man!"

Cutting to the chase, this guy's name is Stephen, nice guy, his wife was at the hotel in Wailea, and he was cruising by himself in Lahaina. So after the intros, I find out that Steph, actually does eat beef stew at a place called Cregeen's Irish Pub, located at 201 S. Main St., Jonesboro, AR 72401

Looks like Cregeens is a clean joint, and easy on the price foods.

Steph tells me that the Guiness Beef Stew $13.00, is pretty good. Made with slow roasted beef, potatoes, diced vegetables, and simmered slowly in their house stock & Guiness. Served with garlic mashed potato.

So the next time you're in Arkansas, head to Cregeen's Irish Pub for some Guiness Beef Stew.

© 2017

RAVENS DEN STEAKHOUSE

Today I had to ask a couple, those lost looking visitors on honeymoon here on Maui, all smiles, in love, crossing the street looking into each other's eyes and nearly getting hit by a cab. Yeah those guys. It's that time again, I ask them where they are from, and where do they like to eat. In this case,  asked them where's a good steakhouse where they are from.

It went down like this, I had a gig in Paia, on the north shore of Maui, a once quiet plantation town, now a bustling tourist mecca, with surf and sun in abundance! So I was done with my gig, I start walking to my rig that was in a parking lot up the street on Baldwin Avenue. I spot this dude with a light blue t-shirt and kaki shorts, and flip flops, he looked like a skinny Danny Bonaduce, with black framed glasses. And holding his hands was a slender woman with shoulder length brown hair, she too wore black framed glasses. I was wearing my wire frame glasses. Like that fucking shit matters right? OK- let's carry on.

"Hey dude, you guys visiting?" I asked.

"Yeah, we are just cruising your island, it's beautiful here," says the dude.

"Cool man, where you guys from?"

"We're from Vermont."

"Oh the east coast, cool bro."

"Yeah long flight, we got in three days ago, we got four more, then we fly to Honolulu for a week, we are staying in Kapolei."

"Alright, that's nice."

The wife smiles and says, "So where's Mama's Fish House?"

"Oh, you gotta drive north about less than a mile, it will be on the left hand side."

"OK, we heard they got awesome fish."

"Yeah, good stuff."

We bull shitted some, then I asked them the ultimate question. "So back home, where's a good steakhouse in Vermont?"

I was thinking that was a dumb question, what if they didn't like steaks?

Then the guy goes, "Raven's Den."

The wife smiles, "Yeah good food."

"OK, Raven's Den- what's so good about this place?" I asked with curiosity written all over my face.

"The food is fresh, it's just good, we aren't like foodies, taking pictures with our phones on everything we eat, we are simple people, kind of boring, but Raven's Den is really good," said the man.

At this point I felt stupid, I didn't introduce myself, so after I did, I find out the guy's name was Phil, and her name was Pam. (No pics or last names for obvious reasons).

So I get out my iPhone 6s, and I dial in on Raven's Den Steakhouse, all three of us are looking at my phone, at this point I'm thinking, "Shit I should get the iPhone 7 Plus, the screens bigger.

Phil is a skinny fuck, but this dude can eat, we are looking at the menu, and if you go to the website you'll see what I mean. He starts pointing at..

"Oh man, that Double Thick Rib Pork Chop is killer! And the St. Louis Style House Smoked Ribs are killer too! It's huge, sometimes we'll share it, or we'll order our own entree and take home the rest, sometimes the dog gets our leftovers."

Hmmm, now my friends, you gotta go to the website and check this shit out! www.ravensdensteakhouse.com

Pam likes to have the 7 oz. filet mignon, and sometimes she will get the Shrimp Scampi. The dinner menu is simple which I like. I hate restaurants that have too much shit on it, and you get all dizzy you know? So that was it really. I mean, that's all they said. Not much.

However if you look at the site, this place has been written up by the likes of Wine Spectator, that's awesome. It's like if I was a first round draft pick for the LA Rams, and Sports Illustrated did an article on me. Haha.

The prices are pretty good, I mean it would be for a special night out for me kind of place, the prices are in the 20s to high 40s. I want to try the Bison Ribeye, $46.00, char grilled, cooked medium rare, served with Wild Mushroom Demi Glace.

What I did not see is Wagyu on here. However Black Angus will do.

Until next time, tell me where you are from, and where to eat if I go and visit.

Raven's Den Steakhouse and Taproom

1844 Depot St. 

Manchester Center, VT 05255

© 2017

EL GAUCHO

Enough of recipes! Enough, for the next few blog posts this week, I'm gonna have me some fun, and talk to couples vacaying here on Maui, ask them where they are from, and of course where I should eat if I visit their city. So today's question is, "Where's a good steak house where you live?"

So the couple I met was in Kaanapali on their vaycay, age? Both of them early 40's. Profession? He an attorney, she a salesperson in the construction industry. (No pics or last names to protect identity theft)... Michael and Hannah are first timers to Maui, and can't wait to come back when the humpback whales are in town, that's a few months down the road.

"So guys, where are you from?"

"We are living in Seattle now, but I'm originally from Boston," says Michael. "I'm from Portland, "says Hannah.

"OK, so if I go to Seattle, you'll get me tickets to a Seahawks game?"

"Maybe, you a football fan?"

"I'm a Ram fan since I was little."

Forget that, they hate the rams, but Michael is a big Patriots, Celtics, Bruins, and Red Sox fan, of course he's originally from Bean Town. But they adopted the Seahawks, since living there for over 12 years.

"So guys, where do you go for a night out for good food, like steaks?" I asked.

Without hesitation, Michael says, "El Gaucho, it's a very nice restaurant, kind of classy, not Sizzler's for sure." Sizzler's? Is the chain still around? Well shows his age, because I thought Sizzler's was a cool steak house.

Hannah chimes in, "Yeah, it's a very very nice place to dine if you like seafood and steaks, the food is excellent, and the waitstaff is awesome too."

Michael's suggestion: 

Starters: Tenderloin Diablo I went online to see their menu, and it is sautéed tenderloin tips, cajun cream sauce for $18.00
He also likes the Pancetta Wrapped Jumbo Prawns It is grilled with scallion pesto for $19.00

Soup: Creamy Clam Chowder it is New England style, in a bowl for $12.00

Entree: Filet Medallions Oscar this is 2 4 oz. filets, topped with dungeness crab, asparagus and béarnaise sauce for $74.00 !!!! Yikes! These guys make some cash. :)

Hannah's suggestion: 

Starters: Ahi Tuna Tartare diced and lightly dressed with soy and lemon for $18.00
But she also likes the Fresh Dungeness Crab Cakes lightly sautéed, roasted pepper pesto for $18.00

Salad: Tableside Gaucho Salad shrimp, roquefort for $13.00 Looks like wifey likes cheesy food

Soup: French Onion Soup $11.00

Entree: Diver Sea Scallops & Grilled Prawn Linguine fresh herb, lemon beurre blanc for $38.00

Now I'm listening to them on my iPhone 6s from the recorded file of my interview. Because I meet these subjects outside most of the time, it is not like we are sitting at a computer together. In fact Michael was showing me this restaurant's website on his iPhone 7 plus. So I had to go home and look at the place again. I have friends in Seattle I wonder if any of them frequented El Gaucho?

Both of them are fine diners, they are into wine, and this place has its own sommelier ready to suggest a bottle of wine with their dinners. Wow!

Desserts are craved after a fine dinner, both Michael and Hannah loves the Creme Brûlée classic for $8.00

Well thanks guys, may Seattle win another Super Bowl, and are the Supersonics coming back? Hahaha. Is Grunge Rock coming back? OK stale joke. I make stale jokey. I shut up now!

www.elgaucho.com

Here's some pics I ripped from Google hahahaha.

OK, I guess shorts, tank top, and slippers will not work

Classy bartender, more like mixologist?

Supposedly charcoal grilled

Shit guys I'm tired, go look this place up yourselves, I'll do more in depth research on El Gaucho if El Gaucho pays me. Haha! OK Goodnight!

© 2017

THE COUNTER CUSTOM BURGERS

It's time to have fun, never mind recipes, and cooking for a bit here. I went out yesterday and talked to a couple from Los Angeles, and asked them where they go and eat. Off the top of my head I asked them about burgers, where do they go for good burgers. And this couple, John and Tiara told me that they go to eat burgers at THE COUNTER located at 725 West 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017. It is actually a chain burger restaurant, just check the website.

Anyhow, John and Tiara really likes this place besides the iconic In N Out Burgers, they like this place because you can build your own burger.

John is a big guy, and you can tell he loves food. He played football in high school and small college, ahhh, he's about 33 years old, 6-4, I'd call it 250 on the over scale. I mean, if I had to stock his fridge on a weekly, I'd have to have at least 200 pounds of ribeye. So he tells me, "I like the El Asado Burger." OK, so I went online, and the El Asado Burger according to the website says it is carne asada, lettuce blend, sliced jalapeños, fried tomatillos, jalapeño jack cheese, corn & black bean salsa, whipped avocado on brioche bun. Hold on Big John isn't done, I had my iPhone 6S recorder going on. "Ron, remember you can build your own burger. When I'm _____ing hungry, I'll get an all natural beef 1 pound burger, on Ciabatta for the bun, and get crazy with cheeses, Ill nail some smoked gouda on it, with some Korean Aioli. No veggies, ____ that!" I checked the menu, yep, he can build it like that. Hmm, a pound? Man this dude can eat. "And shoestring fries."

Now Tiara is a burger junkie herself, this is her. "Ron I like to build my favorite burger, I'll start with all natural beef, the 1/3 pounder, on Brioche, with Brie, grilled red onions, cucumbers, and lots of garlic aioli, with shoestring fries." Holy shit, this is a custom burger. Cucumbers? Brie? 

Well, that was that go look at the website, and if you'll be in L.A. anytime soon, check out The Counter Custom Burgers. It looks like they have one in Hawaii. I wish we had one in Lahaina, this looks pretty cool. Well just wanna thank John and Tiara (no last name or pics to protect their privacy).

REALLY? Kuwait?

If you can build this I hope you got a big mouth!

Thanks again to John and Tiara from L.A., my favorite city, and the Dodgers Baby!

© 2017

AHI WITH BLACK BEANS STIR FRY

In this blog post we'll do a very simple stir fry. And I will go easy on you today, because the grumpy old man (me), always talking smack about being old school, well if you know me, I'll always stir fry in a real carbon steel wok. Well, if you don't have one, I'll let you use a non-stick one from Walmart, Ross, or Macy's. I'll go easy on you. For real.

Now ahi, the yellow fin tuna is very mild. And for the stir fry, we do not need to buy sashimi grade cuts of this fish. Or, the prime cuts from the loins. In fact we can use the parts from the belly.

INGREDIENTS

SERVES 2-3

10 oz. of ahi filet, cut into bite size cubes

2 tbsp. cooking oil

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. minced ginger

1 1/2 tsp. fermented black beans, rinsed under cold water, and patted dry with a paper towel set aside

Sea salt to finish ** At the end of the cooking process, you will sprinkle a little over the plated dish along with minced green onions.

Minced green onions for garnish

SAUCE

1/4 C. dark soy sauce

1/4 C. water

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. cornstarch

In a small mixing bowl, mix all ingredients and set aside until ready to put into the hot wok, this will be the last item.

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat up a wok that's about 14" in diameter, heat up the cooking oil over medium high heat, add in the garlic and ginger until aroma is present. If you are using a smaller wok, cook the ahi cubes in batches, like 5oz. at a time so it does not produce steam.

2. If you are using a smaller wok, add in half of the black beans and half of the ahi, stir fry that batch until the fish turns white, if you want it cooked well done, then of course cook it longer. Remove from wok, set in a temporary bowl, and continue with the other half. If you have a larger wok, cook the 10 oz. of ahi in one batch.

3. Once your fish is cooked with the black beans, take the sauce, assuming you've mixed it already, get it ready. Add in all of the cooked fish back into the wok with another 1-2 tbsp. of cooking oil, heat the oil up one medium high heat first. When hot, add in the ahi cubes again, and give it a quick stir several times to bring up the heat on each cube, immediately add in the sauce, gently stir it around the wok, continue to cook until sauce thickens. Remove and then plate it.

4. Add a little salt to finish, not too much, just a light sprinkle. Then garnish with green onions, and serve with hot white or brown rice.

The Yay :) or Nay :( Q&A

Will your spouse love this? Yay

Is it really easy to make? Yay

I can use a nonstick wok? Yay

Can the guy at the fish counter cut this fish into cubes? Yay/Nay

Can I add in rice noodles? Yay

Can I add in Sambal? Yay

Can I add is Sriracha? Yay

Can I cool it off after cooking, and seal freeze it? Yay

Can I not put in the fermented black beans? Yay

It's a Yay Yay dish! :) :) :)

© 2017

CHICKEN SOUP WITH SHIITAKE SHROOMS

In this blog we'll do a simple chicken soup with shiitake mushrooms. This will take on a somewhat Japanese style, so hit your pantry, check to make sure you got your Japanese foodie items at the ready.

Now I can be really doing soups from scratch, or I can be half ass about it. Let me explain, if I'm feeling all Yay :), then I'll do this soup from scratch, or as scratch as can be. If I'm feeling all Nay :(, then I'll use canned broth, not soup, broth or stock on the low sodium scale so that I can at least flavor it as much as possible.


So I'm feeling all Yay :)! Look at the ingredients

INGREDIENTS

1 3-4 lb. whole chicken (fryer will do, or stewing)

Water to cover

The first thing I want you to do is look at the first two ingredients, it's a whole chicken, and water to cover. This is what I call the first boil. In this first boil, we are simply boiling off any impurities on and inside of the bird.

Directions First Boil

In a 6 quart stock pot (stainless steel), add the whole chicken, and cover bird with enough water. Place over stovetop over medium- high heat, and cover. Bring to a high boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cover, and take out the bird with tongs, setting it on the cutting board. Discard the water. Rinse pot.

INGREDIENTS CONT.

3 inches of peeled and sliced thin fresh ginger

2 tbsp. sea salt

Now we are going on to what I call the second boil.

Directions for Second Boil

Add the chicken to the stockpot, and ginger slices, and salt, add water to cover the bird until the water reaches about 3 inches from the rim of the pot. Place on stovetop over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Then bring down heat to medium, and simmer for about 1 hour. Always check the pot, some stove's medium is really higher than normal, so watch that it does not over boil, just a simmer, if you need to turn it down to really low.

When this is done. Remove from heat. Let pot cool down for about 45 minutes uncovered. Then take out the bird, on to a cutting board. Save the liquid.

Take the whole chicken, and shreds the meat off of the bone, if you like add skin, if not, toss skin out for the kitty. Place shredded meat in a glass or stainless steel bowl uncovered. Plastic bowls tend to give off a funny aftertaste. 

If you have another large bowl that can handle 6 quarts of liquid, strain the broth of all bits of meat and scum into the bowl. If you have smaller bowls, use two or three and strain out the broth. Save the broth.

At this point, you can wash the large stockpot until ready to make your soup presentation.

INGREDIENTS CONT.

1 package shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated in hot water, and sliced wide.

1 bunch Napa cabbage, shredded

Table soy sauce (diners will share)

6 eggs scrambled, and sliced thin

1 bunch green onions chopped


Serving 6

Place 6 soup bowls on the table setting, in each bowl, add some shredded chicken, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, soy sauce, few strips of eggs, and some green onions.

Bring strained broth back to stockpot, bring to a boil on medium-high heat, once boiling, turn off heat. Immediately spoon broth enough to cover each bowl. Garnish with more green onions.

This is a very light soup, and it should remain clear. An alternative will be to add some miso paste in the boiling of the cleared broth. The flavors will have hints of ginger, and of course chicken, with the shiitake mushrooms adding some earthly flavors and some texture as well.

Serve with some rice on the side, and maybe some pickled daikon, or pickled ginger, the sky is the limit.

© 2017

BECHAMEL SAUCE (REVIEW)

This is a review on sauces, and it's pretty cool that I do this because I haven't done this sauce or this kind of method for a while. It is the Béchamel Sauce, basically a cream sauce that is very easy to make. In fact this sauce is perfect for any creamy pasta, sautéed chicken, or just to spoon over steamed veggies.

All you will need is some unsalted butter, whole milk, ap flour (all-purpose flour), salt, grated nutmeg.




INGREDIENTS (I already mentioned it but-)

5 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 tbsp. all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

Use two small saucepans, stainless steel if possible (actually that's just me)

1. In the fist saucepan, over low heat, melt the butter. Then stir in the flour, until smooth. Turn heat to medium, and cook stirring until it turns golden. This gives the sauce some color, it'll take maybe 4-6 minutes depending on the model of your stove.

2. In the other saucepan, heat the milk just to boil, and then add the hot milk to the butter/flour mixture (roux), 1 cup at a time or so, just do the best that you can, the trick is to NOT pour it in all at once, you need to give the liquid time to catch up with the thickening process. Keep on whisking until all milk is added in. Just continue to whisk, cooking this sauce for about 10 minutes or so.

3. Remove from heat, then add your salt and nutmeg. The measurements are just a guideline, you can add more salt or nutmeg if you want.

Keep this on the side and it will be ready to use. This will produce about 3 cups of sauce once it is reduced. That is 24 fl. oz. So if you have a recipe for a cream sauce, just add this in. If you need more just double this recipe, you will need a couple of bigger saucepans.

If you want to get a little more cheesy with this, try adding a little parmesan cheese in to the mixture, not too much just a little and experiment, doing this you will actually make a cheese sauce.

© 2017

NITSUKE THE JAPANESE SIMMER DISH

The Japanese dish Nitsuke (Nit-soo-kay) is generally a fish filet of any kind, that is simmered in a liquid made of sake, mirin, soy sauce, ginger, scallions. Like most Japanese sauces, it is sweet to the chef's content. I had nitsuke for the first time when I was much younger, in a restaurant in Wailuku, Maui called Tokyo Tei, home of the famous tempuras.

I actually do not remember the fish I had for the nitsuke, but it was very good, very healthy, no fats except for the omegas found in fish. And served with a serving of white rice, it is very filling, the cooking liquid can be poured over the rice, and whatever fish you decide to use, will flavor the sauce. Japanese style cooking, to me is much more clean, meaning it is less greasy, or dense than other Asian cooking. Makes sense? In this blog let's do a salmon nitsuke, very easy, anyone can do it.

INGREDIENTS

1- 8oz. filet of salmon (skin on or off)

1 cup of inexpensive sake

1/2 cup of dark soy sauce

1/2 cup of mirin

1 inch ginger sliced thin

2 end of scallions about 2 inches each

DIRECTIONS

1. In a 10" skillet (I like stainless steel with a lid), over medium high heat, add in all of the ingredients except the salmon filet. Bring to a boil, then lower to a high simmer.

2. Place the salmon filet into the boiling liquid skin side down, or if the skin is off, place where the skin was on down into the liquid.

3. If your salmon filet is uneven, which most likely it will be, make sure you use a spoon to scoop over the fatter portion of the fish filet. 

4. Cover the skillet, lower the temperature to low, and simmer the covered skillet for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a slotted spoon, spoon out the salmon filet (It may be tender, and it may fall apart, do the best that you can to keep it intact) into a shallow bowl type dish, then pour some or all of the cooking liquid into the same dish. Garnish with minced scallions, serve this with white rice.

Salmon Nitsuke simmering on stove

© 2017

IPA India Pale Ale Everyone Is On This Wave

I'm not into drinking beers now days, just turned 53, doc says to keep beer out of my system because my gout can flare up. Holy shit, I don't want that evil swelling of my foot any more, screw that! But let's talk about IPA's, shall we? This acronym stands for India Pale Ale, this style of brewed beer is very popular amongst beer enthusiasts. Beer drinking is more like wine now, well sort of. Did you go into your liquor store lately and look at all the different brands of brew there is? And a lot of em are labeled IPA. Some guys are just buying it because it's the in thing. Ask any of em, "Hey what's the difference between that can of Bud Light, and that IPA six pack you just bought?" More than likely that guy will say something like, "Oh man, it has more flavor, it's just different, yeah, that's it, it's different."

OK, I am not an expert on beers, all I know is, there's like hops and barley in there right? There's lagers, and ales. Porters, and Stouts. Too much. Well, I read some stuff on this IPA craze, so let's get to know this thing that's so popular.

What is a pale ale? Pale ale originally denoted an ale that had been brewed from pale malt. The pale ales of the early 18th century were lightly hopped. Hops are the flowers of the hop plant. They are used as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart bitter, zesty, or citric flavors.

What is malt? Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air. Malting grains develops the enzymes required for modifying the grain's starches into various types of sugar, including the monosaccharide glucose, the disaccharide maltose, the trisaccharide maltotriose, and higher sugars called maltodextrines. It also develops other enzymes, such as proteases, which break down the proteins in the grain into forms that can be used by yeast. Depending on when the malting process is stopped one gets a preferred starch enzyme ration and partly covered starch into fermentable sugars. Malt also contains small amounts of other sugars, such as sucrose and fructose, which are not products of starch modification but were already in the grain. Further conversion to fermentable sugars is achieved during the mashing process. Malted grains are used to make whisky, malted shakes, malt vinegar, confections  such as Maltesers and Whoppers, flavored drinks such as Horlicks, Ovaltine, and Milo.

What is barley? It is a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 year ago. Barley's been used as animal fodder, as a source of fermentable material for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods.

So seriously why IPA? Back a few centuries ago, England was sticking their Union Jack all over the world. So if you look at your map, Google it. Look for Northern England. Now look for India. So the beer is brewed in Norther England, it has to be shipped to India. Several thousand miles, on ships without any type of refrigeration. Feel me on this? OK you aren't a moron after all. So to stabilize the beer, so it could weather any storm, and a very long journey, the brewers added more hops than usual to help preserve the beer on its way to India. So we got some freeking pale ale that is headed to India. Hence India Pale Ale. All this shit is folks, is the brew has more hops in it. So that's why it has more of a flavor to it. It's like packing some Coke or Pepsi with more sugar for some odd reason, and you're shipping that soda from Hawaii to Africa. All the IPA is, is a more hoppy beer, basically.

According to the Beer Advocate, this IPA Julius is one of the top IPAs

Brewed by:

Tree House Brewing Co.

Massachusetts, USA

treehousebrew.com

Style: American IPA

Alcohol by volume (ABV): 6.80%

Availability: Rotating

Notes/ Commercial Description:

Bursting with 1.6 oz per gallon of American hops, Julius is loaded with notes of passionfruit, mango, and citrus. At 6.8% alcohol, it is refreshing and freakishly drinkable.

Summary: This is too much shit! Good luck with your IPA endeavor man! Just give me a freeking green bottle or a Bud Light, if I drink. My gout takes precedence over enjoying beer. Don't want to be limping all over the place.

© 2017

SWEET BREAD FRENCH TOAST

Local style (Hawaiian) breakfast, filling, hefty, ono, hot coffee, family (ohana), friends, noisy, quiet, breezy, papayas, pineapple. If you ever come to Hawaii, you will see for breakfast, we got the epic stuff. Sorry other parts of the world, we know breakfast, and we do not fool around, breakfast time, we mop, we grine, we have no shame, non, nada, zero, zip!

There are times in the morning, I feel like having a 3 egg Portuguese sausage omelet, with white toast, butter, hash browns, and 2 mini hot cakes. That's right. I have no shame! And when I eat my breakfast, I do not, I repeat do not converse. No talking please! If this is part of a business breakfast, you best not talk about marketing, sales, numbers, you best be shut up! Eat! We can talk after we eat. "So Ron we propose..." "Shut up!" "Sorry we were thinking that your proposal..." "Shut up!"

Honolulu has more places than Maui (where I currently live) to eat awesome breakfast. And there is one particular restaurant I wish would open here on Maui, and that is Eggs n Things. https://www.eggsnthings.com

The original was set up in Waikiki by Jerry and Jan Fukunaga was located on Ena Rd., in 1974. Their idea of using fresh island ingredients, keeping it affordable, and treating customers like family was the key, and decades later, that formula still works. I was just browsing, and man, if I was there right now? I'd order the Sweet Bread French Toast, and 2 eggs OE on the side, and a cup of coffee, man that would hit the spot right now! In fact it would hit the spot any time.

Sorry for this short blog post, I am just sharing my thoughts, my foodie thoughts this morning.

Look at this work of art

© 2017

PIE CRUST THAT'S GLUTEN FREE

We are on the gluten free train, why? Shit why not? Look, some of you out there are just plain weird, you follow trends to the max, and the only people that should be eating gluten free is people allergic to gluten. I mean really? Shit if I am not allergic to peanuts, I'm having that Chinese chef use peanuts in my kung pao, and peanut oil. But NOOOO you don't want gluten because the media says so. So OK, I'm gonna bank on you turkeys.

For those of you who love to bake pies, and don't know what to use, because more than likely you are using all-purpose flour which contains some gluten, the protein that gives baked goods structure, like cakes and breads. And bread flour has a higher percentage of protein hence gluten. So now then, what's safe for your gluten free diet? Coconut flour is one. And we'll use coconut flour to make a pie crust.

Coconut Flour Pie Crust
Ingredients

1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil

2 Large Eggs

1/4-1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 Cup coconut flour (Is gluten free)

1-3 tbsp. of raw sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. In a large enough bowl, beat the butter (or coconut oil), eggs, raw sugar, and salt

3. Add in the flour, stirring until the dough holds firmly together

4. Form the dough into a ball, then press it out into a greased 9" pie pan, and use a fork to poke holes on the pie crust to prevent air bubbles

5. Bake crust for about 8 minutes or until brown, remove from oven and let it cool down

Now you can fill this crust with anything you want that's gluten free.

ARROWHEAD MILLS ORGANIC COCONUT FLOUR  is easy to find, and there are many different brands to choose from, click the link, Walmart sells this online.

© 2017

GRILL PANS FOR INDOOR STEAKS

In this post I'll talk about the cast iron grill pans, those dark black heavy pans with the grates, you put them on the stove top, heat it up, and voila! You got yourself a grill indoors. Now it can't beat your charcoal grill out in the back yard, but at least when you grill your steaks you can get those dark grill marks. Pretty nice.

So what are the best ones? The heavier ones. Don't buy the light ones, you want the heavy ones. It stays in place when you're grilling that t-bone or Porterhouse, I do not like the lightweights at all.


The grates should be about 1/8 of an inch wide, flat, pointed, don't matter to me. I like the square ones, at least 10" square. You can grill a large steak on that, slice it up, and share it with someone, or do two small filet mignons. If you want to grill a lot of steaks, then you'll need to go out in the back yard.

These pans should be preheated over medium high heat, never use high heat, you can burn your steaks. If you have a thick cut of steak, use lower heat so it can cook through evenly, you don't want to burn the outside of the steaks. To make crisscross  marks, just turn the steaks a few degrees and you'll make those X marks. Washing them is easy, just use a green pad with some dish washing liquid, then wipe it dry. Put a little film of vegetable oil on it after the wash, then put it over medium high heat over the stove top, just until it smokes, then remove from heat, and let it cool then store it away.

Go to Amazon and see what they got in store for you or go to your local Walmart, Macy's, or any restaurant or kitchen shop. Again, the heavier the better.


PAN GRILLED PORTERHOUSE

Please note, these pan grills are not good for sweet marinades. The sugar will harden on the grill and makes it difficult to clean. These pans are more conducive for salt, pepper, and seasoned powders. 

INGREDIENTS

1- 12-14 oz. Porterhouse steak, preferably a prime or choice cut, Black Angus, or even Wagyu

Garlic powder- sprinkle liberally all over both sides of steak

Sea Salt- sprinkle liberally over both sides of the steak

Fresh black pepper- sprinkle liberally all over both sides of the steak

Let sit at room temperature for about 15 to 20 minutes.

The pan should be preheated at medium high heat. Place the steak down, and let it sit for about 3 minutes. Flip the steak and cook for another 3 minutes. Notice the marks on the first side. If you want the X form, turn it on the next flip to create the X. Flip the steak, then cook for about 3 minutes. Check the temperature of the meat. If it registered about 135 F. it is getting close to medium. Cook to your desired doneness. That last flip should be your last. If your steak is really thick, like 1 1/2" to even 2", turn heat down to a lower temperature, and slowly bring up the temperature.

10" Grill Pan

These can run you anywhere from $20-$100 +

A Prim cut of Porterhouse

Notice the fine marbling, there will be a lot of dripping so watch out

© 2017

GLUTEN FREE PINEAPPLE CREAM PIE

In this blog I'll be giving you all a recipe for gluten free Pineapple Cream Pie, for those of you that can't or do not want any gluten in your diet. I got this recipe from the latest issue of GLUTEN FREE and MORE Magazine however I tweaked it a little, but if you want the one from the magazine, just click the link above.

First of all what is gluten? It is a substance present in cereal grains, especially wheat, that is responsible for the elastic texture of dough. A mixture of two proteins, it causes illness in people with celiac disease.


So here is my take on Pineapple Cream Pie (Pineapple Dream Pie, Gluten Free and More Magazine Aug/Sept 2017 issue, page 60).

INGREDIENTS

Crust
 1 cup finely crushed gluten-free graham crackers (In magazine)
 3 tbsp. sugar (In magazine)
 2 tbsp. butter or dairy-free alternative, melted, more as needed (In magazine
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (Mine)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg (Mine)

Filling
 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple in 100% juice, undrained (In magazine)
 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut cream (In magazine)
 3 tbsp. Mayhaw jelly (Mine)
 1 tsp. vanilla extract (Mine)
 1 tsp. raw sugar (Mine)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F (In magazine)
2. Mix the graham crackers, sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, then spread it on a greased 9" springform pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and cool completely
3. Make the filling, blend all of the ingredients together, then pour into the cooled pan with crust. 
4. Freeze for about 3-4 hours until firm. If the pie is solid, let stand about 20 minutes at room temperature to soften a little before slicing.

This is a springform pan, it comes in different sizes. 

Once the filling is set, simply detach the ring.

Gluten Free and More Magazine is a very informational magazine publication to get ideas for y our gluten free cooking. I suggest this magazine be read.

© 2017

CHICKEN BREAST WITH LEMON BUTTER

In this blog post I'll do a recipe, simple to make, it's a chicken breast with lemon butter. Easy, and in some way, it can be healthy if using an organic or all natural chicken breast, and organic butter. We are not going to go heavy on sodium on this one, we will let all the natural juices take care of the flavor.

This is to watch the gout attacks, all you will need is a 12" stainless steel skillet with a cover and a sharp knife as the tools, and just scroll down for the ingredients.



CHICKEN BREAST WITH LEMON BUTTER

Ingredients

1- whole skinless and boneless chicken breast (use a sharp knife to score the thick part of the breast)

1 sprig rosemary

6 cloves of garlic minced

1 shallot minced

1 tbsp. vegetable oil 

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup white wine

1 bay leaf (dried)

1 tsp. white pepper

LEMON BUTTER

1 stick unsalted butter softened

1 small lemon (juice squeezed out)

1/2 tsp. turmeric 

1 dash of salt

DIRECTIONS

1. sprinkle the white pepper over the chicken breast, bring to room temperature about 15-20 minutes

2. Place skillet over medium high heat, with vegetable oil, add in the minced garlic and minced shallot cook until aroma is present. 

3. Add in the chicken breast, (where the skin should be is up), make certain that the chicken is evenly set on the skillet. Cover, turn heat down to medium low. Cook for about 15 minutes, then uncover.

4. Add in sprig of rosemary, chicken broth, white wine, and the bay leaf. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 35 minutes.

Note: As the chicken breast is simmering, prepare the lemon butter.

Lemon Butter

Take the softened butter, and place it in a stainless steel mixing bowl, or a glass bowl. Using a wooden spoon, stir it into a creamy texture, making sure that the butter does not break down into oil, it must remain intact not into a liquid form. If you need to, place butter back into the refrigerator to stop the butter from turning into liquid. 

Add in the lemon juice, turmeric, and salt, and stir lightly so the lemon juice is infused into the butter. Again making sure that the butter does not turn into a liquid. Set lemon butter over ice remaining in the bowl. Also make sure that the butter does not get too stiff, it must remain in a creamy texture, this will take time to master, but you'll get the hang of it.

Back to the chicken breast.

5. When the time is up, turn off the heat. Uncover the skillet, and place the chicken breast onto a cutting board to rest. 

6. All the flavorful liquid that's on the bottom of the pan will be strained, to remove the bits of herbs and any burnt bits. Keep the liquid. Return the skillet to the stove top and over medium high heat, stir up the liquid, cook it until it reduces to about 1/2. 

7. Get a platter with some depth, add in the reduced sauce. (Then using a sharp knife, slice the chicken breast in half. Then slice each have into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place the slices nicely into the platter over the sauce.

8. Take the lemon butter, and put half of it on one half of each breast. 

Serve with veggies or mashed potatoes.

© 2017