One haole loco moco

This year is the 60th anniversary of the loco moco (a.k.a. code blue plate special.) If you eat it with a big green salad, it cancels out some of the sodium, fat and cholesterol. Maybe.

Traditionally, a loco moco is a scoop or two of sticky rice topped with a ground beef patty or other meat, smothered in gravy (we like turkey or chicken gravy even with hamburger), an over-easy fried egg on the top. (You might be tempted to reinvent this as a healthy meal, using brown rice, tofu... but don't go there.)

So I go surfin' on the net and find this about the history of loco moco:

Says Linda Stradley, “There are many people who claim to have invented Loco Moco, but it is generally agreed that around 1949, either the Cafe 100 or the Lincoln Grill (both in Hilo, Hawaii) originated the first dish of Loco Moco. According to the story, the dish was created for teenagers who wanted something different from typical American sandwiches and less time-consuming than Asian food to eat for breakfast. The nickname of the first boy to eat this concoction was Loco ("crazy" in Portuguese and Hawaiian pidgin). Moco rhymed with loco and sounded great, so Loco Moco became the name of the dish.”

Whatevahs. Jeeze, it's not like they invented kryptonite, or the cure for cancer. It's what's for dinner!

In tonight’s version we’re using up a handful of mushrooms and the last of the green onions. We’re using gravy from a jar. Of course homemade gravy tastes much better but this ain’t Thanksgiving dinner, folks. This is rather formulaic semi-fast food: 1.Put beef or whatever on rice. 2.Add gravy. 3.Top with runny egg.

You wanna be healthy, add a salad. We’re having Kohala greens. We buy ‘em in a bag locally at the KTA in Waimea, and I LOVE the little orange nasturtium petals the growers sprinkle in. Tossed with a dab of Maui Onion salad dressing from a bottle, it adds color to the rather bland colored loco moco, not to mention a dose of antioxidants and ZING.

While we’re cooking we’re listening to Hapa’s Maui cd. Bob’s drinking a beer and I’m finishing last night’s wine. (Some things have changed in our lives. We never used to have leftover wine…)

Don’t forget to serve it up with plenty of love and aloha. That's the real secret we've discovered from the locals.

Bob (and Jimi's) trippin' shrimp scampi

Bob, chef du jour, creates an old favorite pasta recipe while I take on the responsibility of choosing and opening the wine. (A 2007 Sonoma Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc)

Chez nous, the cook gets to choose the tunes; Bob picks Jimi Hendrix to prep to. (Everyone knows that the right wine enhances the flavors of your food but not so many realize the importance of music. The music you play while you cook affects the outcome in mysterious ways. With the influence of Hendrix the scampi was spicy, soulful, searching, leaning toward psychodelic. I definitey recommend it.)

Bob appetit! (That typo was so cute, I think I'll let it stand...)

Psychodelic Shrimp Scampi
(if you want to go on a trip beyond where the red pepper, wine, and music will take you, you'll have to add some ingredients that I don't keep in my cupboards...)

(serves 4-6)
1 cup olive oil (use a good, extra virgin cold pressed variety in this recipe)
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
8 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 tbsp (or 1 ½ if you like ‘em even spicier) crushed red pepper flakes
36 medium shrimp (about ¾ pound), shelled and deveined.
1 green pepper, cut up into ¼ inch pieces, seeds removed.
1 red pepper, ditto
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. sea salt

Spaghetti or linguini, cooked.

In large skillet or wok, heat olive oil and butter over moderate to high heat. Add the garlic and pepper flakes; sauté for about 30 seconds.

Add the shrimp and diced green and red peppers; sauté for 2-3 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink and are just cooked through. Carefully stir in the lemon juice and salt. Serve immediately over cooked spaghetti or linguini. If you want it nice and light, scoop out the shrimp with a slotted spoon and add as much of the oil/butter as you want, tossing it through to coat the pasta.

That was fun!

So last night we found ourselves faced with the age-old question of what to have for dinner. Go out? Order in? No way! That's what's wrong with you kids today: You need to rise to the challenge of fixing something good from what you have on hand. (Well, unless you both worked all day and the cupboards are empty. I'm sure I ordered out once or twice during my working, child-bearing years...)

OK, so Into the freezer I dive. And come up with some steaks. (This shows how spoiled I am. Growing up, we never had steaks. And we had a small farm and raised a steer every year. So we had beef but where were the steaks? There must've been steaks, right? Maybe my parents saved them until we kids were in bed...)

I had half a bag of salad greens left; the really good kind you can only get on the Big Island. Sorry. You can probably substitute some lame California brand, it'll do. Of course if you're a real Cruncher, you are probably growing your own. Bring it on, whatever.

I made a creative honey mustard vinaigrette for the salad. I have the recipe somewhere, but basically it is lemon juice and honey, Dijon mustard, a little salt and pepper, and olive oil. Not too much olive oil, the recipes always call for too much. Since there were only two of us eating, I mixed it up in a little custard cup. Pretty good, for not measuring. Taste as you go.

Meanwhile Bob is doing the manly thing, grilling the steaks after we quick-thawed them in water. We had a problem at first because our outdoor grill is down. (Underground gas leak, feckin high-end appliances! Give me a Weber grill any day.)

The next problem: We discovered our indoor electric grill is broken too. So we pull out the Longhi (some kind of high-end George Forman) and the switch is broken. Bob fixed it somehow (with duct tape, I think, or maybe crazy glue. I don't care, I'm making the salad.)

I don't need starch but he does, so he scrounges in the refrigerator and finds a scoop of leftover white rice. Oh, and I remember we have a handful of asparagus that should be used up before they go bad. So I brush them with olive oil, add sea salt and pepper, and grill them as soon as the steaks are done.

Bob asks what kind of wine I want and I answer, "Something good." So he pulls out a 2003 Terlato Syrah. A gift from our bro-in-law from a couple of Christmases ago. Fruity, jammy, smokey, with hints of fig, black currant, and I'm pulling your leg but it was a damn good swill.

The tunes are on and now we're rockin! The steaks, brushed with some cheap-o barbecue sauce (probably past it's expiration date) were awesome. Ditto on the asparagus and the salad. And John, the syrah was superb. Please send us more next Christmas. How about bustin' loose with a case of it?

Everything came together. What makes a memorable meal is the attitude of the people sharing it. Bob and I started planning another sailing trip. Listening to Monkey Siren, a band we first heard live at the People's Fair, like 20-odd years ago. (How can people cook and eat without music and wine??) Before I knew it Bob was opening another bottle of wine. No more Syrah, this was some run-of-the mill Cab. (Can the kidneys handle it? Oh, yeah. How about the livers? They are well rested and need to be tested.)

Now how fun was that?

Bralen celebrates with Kalbi Beef

For Bralen's second birthday his mother made Kalbi beef for a family-style dinner on the picnic table. Lucky kid!


Kalbi Beef (Korean beef)
Ingredients:
3 lbs Korean cut short ribs ¼ to ½ inch thick
½ cup shoyu
¼ cup sesame oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds
¼ cup sugar
2 garlic cloves minced
3 stalks green onion diced
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt

Mix all ingredients (except for short ribs) in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Place short ribs in a ziplock bag and pour marinade on top. Seal bag getting as much air out as possible. Lay flat on a baking sheet and place in refrigerator. Marinate for 8 – 24 hours, turning bag over once or twice to ensure all the meat is getting marinated. Cook on grill for 8 – 10 minutes or until desired doneness. Eat with sticky rice and mac salad for a truly Hawaiian “plate lunch”!

Rose's spinach-artichoke dip

This is Rose's tried-and-true appetizer which she made for Rachel's bridal shower last month. I have to concede, it beats my artichoke dip (which I blogged about some weeks back.) This one is probably a little less fattening, and a little healthier because of the spinach. I think I'll be making this one next time.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Artichoke Spinach Dip
Ingredients:
1 box frozen spinach
1 14oz can artichoke hearts in water
1 package ranch dressing mix (powdered mix)
½ cup mayonnaise
1 ½ cups Monterey jack cheese
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp minced onion
1 tsp minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Defrost spinach and squeeze out water. Drain artichoke hearts and rough chop them to desired size. Mix all ingredients together (except for the Parmesan cheese). Place in an oven safe dish and sprinkle Parmesan on top. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted through. Serve with your favorite bread!

Hawaiian Baked French Toast

Warning: Consume with strong coffee to negate some of the calories.

Bob and I first had this version of baked French toast at Mary Spears and Phil Slott's house,our neighbors in Hawaii. That was nearly 15 years ago, and I've been making it for Sunday brunch ever since. (Well, not every Sunday, but having company is a good excuse to indulge.)

Today I made it for the Shay family, pictured above, our guests this week at Giorgio's Palace, aka Camp Aloha. Gloria and I used to work together in the emergency department of St. Lukes and Presbyterian hospitals and oh, the stories we share... Today I learned that her husband Keith can commune with our wild turkeys -- it's quite astounding.

Back to the baked french toast: This time I put a new twist on the tried-and-true recipe. I substituted half the milk with melted vanilla bean ice cream. I also added half a banana to the egg-milk-vanilla-ice cream mixture -- all of which I put in the blender before pouring it over the thick slices of Hawaiian sweet bread laid over the brown sugar-butter topping. A very epicurean Sunday brunch, brimming with Aloha.

You hardly need syrup with this french toast because the sweet stuff (butter and brown sugar) is on the bottom of the pan, so it's like an upside-down thing. So when you serve it, flip it over so the sticky caramel-like topping is on the top. We serve it with whipped cream or Cool Whip lite, and fresh fruit. Today it was strawberries and mango.

This is a do-ahead recipe; mix it up the night before, and refrigerate. Next morning you come dragging out all hung over to the kitchen, pull it out of the fridge and set it on the counter. Start the coffee, turn on the oven. When the coffee is ready, pop it in. 45 minutes later, it's ready. Don't forget to put on the Hawaiian music. Helps the hangover.


Overnight Baked French Toast
Serves 6
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
12 slices sandwich bread -- or better yet, Hawaiian Sweet Bread sliced thick.
11/2 cups whole milk
6 lg. eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt

Combine sugar, butter and corn syrup in small saucepan. Stir mixture over medium-low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Pour into 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Coat bottom evenly; cool.

Arrange 6 bread slices in single layer atop caramel, trimming bread to fit. Cover with remaining bread slices, trimming to fit. Whisk milk, eggs, vanilla and salt in bowl to blend. Pour over bread. Cover and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake French toast uncovered until bread is puffed and light brown, about 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into six portions.

McAloha?

At McDonald's inside Hilo Walmart, I was greeted today by two old locals playing live Hawaiian music. Inside Walmart, in front of MacDonalds. Where you can get a taro pie . How regional is that? And culturally authentic! It might be crap food, but it's crap food served and snarffed with aloha. I'm lovin' it.

Miller Time Shrimp & Rice

"Hey cuz, here is something for the test kitchen...

Miller Time Shrimp & Rice (doube the recipe, its best 2nd day as leftover)

5 slices of bacon
1/4 cup chopped onion (or nice pile as we measure)
1 can Rotel (we sometimes add a little can of chopped green chili's to kick it up a notch)
1 lb Shrimp (the bigger the better)
1 cup of Rice
1 cup of Water
Cracked pepper to taste

Cut up bacon into 1 inch pieces, brown, add onion, sautee onions
Add Rice, Water and Rotel, cover and simmer until rice cooks to your liking
Peel, devein shrimp, add Shrimp, simmer for 10-15 minutes more, waalaah, garnish with cracked pepper and serve with ice cold Miller lite or chilled Chardonney

Makes great side dish or we normally have as main course"

(From cousin Jill and J.J. and tested by Carson, who prefers to enjoy it with a tall one of milk.)

ramen rules!

Kids love ramen! You can fancy it up by adding shredded cooked chicken, green onions, peas, hard-boiled eggs, whatevahs. Although true ramen connoisseurs will pick all that stuff out, throw it to the dog, and slurp down the noodles and broth.

In leaner years I once lived for a month on ramen and homemade sopapillas. (Talk about your multi-cultural mixed metaphor!) Then times got better. I got a better paying job. Then I met Bob...

Then the grandkids came along and I rediscovered ramen. I remember my grandfather, Bebop Collison, laughing as I slurped long spaghetti noodles at my grandparents' table on 6th Street.

Now who's laughing?

From Mindy's Test Kitchen...

In scientific terms, this recipe rocks. I stole it from Mamado who apparently borrowed it from Rachael Ray.

"I made this tonight for dinner and tossed it with whole grain (say it ain't so) rigatoni pasta. 2 out of 3 kids(subjects) ate it without complaint; 1 out of 3 subjects ate pasta only, as they were highly suspicious of mushrooms and other weird red things in there... All subjects, without reservation, ate the accompining Herbs de Provence whole-baked chicken without fuss or fear, and only 1 child subject refused milk at dinnertime. Of note, all subjects begged for "apple juice" or 'pop" during dinner time, even though subjects were educated on (^greater than 50% of time)the importance of getting 5 servings of calcium (milk) a day. Overall rating: 8 out of 10. "

Warm Wild Mushroom and Roasted Tomatoes Recipe
courtesy Rachael Ray

Ingredients 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling.
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and then thinly sliced.
2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered.
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered.
1/2 pound button mushrooms, stemmed and quartered.
4 springs fresh thyme.
1/2 cup white wine Flat-leaf parsley.

Directions: Preheat oven 425 degrees F Place a large skillet on the cook top with the extra-virgin olive oil and the sliced garlic, spread out the garlic so it is in an even layer in the oil. Place the skillet over medium heat and slowly brown the garlic stirring every now and then until golden all over, 4 to 5 minutes.

Once you have the garlic going, place the tomatoes on a cookie sheet and drizzle with some extra-virgin olive oil and season with some salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 8 to 10 minutes or until the tomatoes start to burst.

Once the garlic is brown remove it from the skillet and reserve. Turn the heat up under the skillet to high, once you see the oil ripple add the mushrooms and spread them out in an even layer. Let them cook for about 4 minutes without moving.. Go ahead and give them a stir, add the thyme sprigs and season with some freshly ground black pepper, continue to cook for another 5 minutes stirring every now and then.

Add the white wine and cook until it has almost completely evaporated, add some salt and stir to combine. Remove the stems of thyme and discard. Transfer the mushrooms to a serving platter, add the roasted tomatoes and the parsley and stir to combine. Sprinkle with the garlic chips and serve hot, warm, room temperature.

Posted by mamado http://mamado3.blogspot.com/2009/01/for-your-dining-pleasures.html

A little bit of Paris on the old North Side...

Cousin Kay being in Denver on business, Bob and I, Matt and Holly met her for dinner, back in my old 'hood. Anh told me about this this French-inspired brasserie right around the corner from the house on Vrain Street. My, how the neighborhood is changing!

Brasserie Felix has a nice little bistro menu, and great service. Bob gave the French Onion Soup two thumbs up and the Sole Meniere one thumb. I had "moules et frites" and a beet salad and gave it all two thumbs up. Good prices on interesting vin d'ordinaire. I sipped OToo, a Sauvignon Blanc on special.

I liked Brasserie Felix because it isn't super trendy, all jammed with people you just want to smack. Actually, it was rather quiet, with real people having real meals; just like France!

I love these people, I love my old neighborhood, I love the new neighborhood, and I love France. A couple of glasses of good wine will bring out these feelings (if you're a happy drunk, like I am.)

Stuffed 'Shrooms, OneManParty style

Here is Art cooking up his own version of stuffed mushrooms. Envision two small kids and a dog running through the kitchen, the basketball play-offs on the TV (Nuggets getting their asses kicked by the Lakers). Outside, the sun has slipped behind the mountains but the late May sky hold the light. The smell of flowers and freshly mown lawns mingle with the sausage and garlic, mmmmmmm!

Art served up some garlic bread “ghetto style” as he called it, since we ate up all the artisan bread with the wine and cheese before dinner. He used Orowheat Country Buttermilk bread, spread with butter, garlic powder, and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, toasted in the oven.

We ate late as is customary at the Taylors’, but where you never go away hungry. The stuffed mushrooms were superb, as was the view from his deck, with glass of wine in hand.

Ingredients:

Portabella, or large Crimini mushrooms, 1 per person
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 can tomato paste
1-2 cloves garlic or garlic powder.
1 lb. Italian sausage
Italian bread crumbs
¼ - ½ green pepper, minced fine
½ - 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
Pasta


De-stem and hollow out mushrooms, saving the stems and chopping them fine.
Slowly brown the sausage in extra-virgin olive oil, breaking up into chunks. Drain. Set aside about 2/3 of the sausage for the sauce. The remaining third, still in the skillet, continue to cook on low and mince up fine with the spatula. Add green pepper and half the chopped mushroom stems. Lightly brown, then add half the can of tomato paste with a little water – maybe half a cup. You want it to be thick. Add some garlic, and shake in Italian bread crumbs. Adjust water, bread crumbs and sauce until a thick consistency is reached. Spoon this mixture into the hollowed out mushrooms, and place in a baking dish prepared with olive oil. Drizzle with olive oil and cook in 350 oven for 20 minutes; take out, sprinkle with shredded Mozzarella and put back in the oven 5-10 minutes, or until cheese melts.

While mushrooms are in the oven, make a sauce with the jar of spaghetti sauce, the rest of the sausage, garlic, tomato paste, green pepper and mushroom stems. Simmer on low.
While cheese is melting on mushroom caps, boil pasta.

When pasta is ready and drained, serve up with a mushroom on top the pasta, and sauce over all.


Bon appetit!