Smokin' Hash!

Pork hash is a favorite  guilty indulgence among Hawaii folks. The kind of snack that makes your eyes roll to the back of your head while you chew in slow motion moaning. Island Manapua (click here) makes the best, but you can make this yourself and it's so simple to make.

Smokin' Pork Hash 

Ingredients 

• 1/4 lb ground pork
• 1/4 lb shrimp, (sweetest that you can find) peeled, deveined and minced to a paste (or double pork  amount and skip shrimp)
• 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (adds smokiness)
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 (14 ounce) packages wonton skins (Yat Tung Chow Noodle Factory- Honolulu)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground pork, shrimp, egg white, green onion, cornstarch, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, oyster sauce, salt, pepper, and sesame oil.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Place about 1 tablespoon of this filling onto the center of each dumpling wrapper, and bring the sides up to the top. Do not seal the top, as these dumplings are left open. Place dumplings in a steamer.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Set the steamer basket over a pan or wok of boiling water. Spray pam on the bottom of the basket just before you place the hash. Do not let the hash touch each other. They will stick! Steam for 30 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   Here it is!
   
   
   
   Now try your own variation of this simple recipe and share your ideas in the comments below. Don't forget to subscribe to this blog. 
   
   

Don't be a chicken!

This is a recipe for deep fried patience that I found in the Food & Wine magazine. A whole chicken massaged in herbs and then roasted low and slow for 2.5 hours. And that's just the beginning. Then cooled and carved. There's more. A buttermilk bath and abandoned in the darkness of your refrigerator for an hour. Then dusted in a medley of flours and spices and fried in herb-infused oil. It's worth the journey...as this is the best fried chicken you'll ever sink your teeth in to. So don't be a chicken, just try it brah!

NOTE: This recipe is for (2) 3 pound whole chickens. For one chicken, cut the recipe in half.

.    1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons kosher salt

.    1/4 cup freshly ground pepper

.    1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

.    1 1/2 tablespoons minced rosemary, plus 4 medium sprigs

.    1 1/2 tablespoons minced thyme, plus 4 sprigs

.    1 1/2 tablespoons minced sage, plus 4 sprigs

.    5 minced bay leaves, preferably fresh, plus 5 whole leaves

.    3 garlic cloves, minced, plus 1 head, broken into cloves

.    Two 3-pound whole chickens

.    1 quart buttermilk

.    1 tablespoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco

.    1 teaspoon sugar

.    Grape seed or vegetable oil, for frying

.    2 cups all-purpose flour

.    1/2 cup rice flour

.    1/4 cup garlic powder

.    1/4 cup onion powder

.    Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

.    Lemon wedges, for serving

1.            Preheat the oven to 200°. In a bowl, whisk 3 tablespoons of the kosher salt with 2 tablespoons of the pepper, the olive oil and the minced rosemary, thyme, sage, bay leaves and garlic. Rub the mixture all over the chickens and set them in a roasting pan. Roast for about 2 hours and 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thighs registers 150°. Let the chickens cool, then cut each into 10 pieces. (You should have 4 drumsticks, 4 thighs, 4 wings and 8 breast quarters.) If you don't know how to cut a whole chicken into 10 pieces, be sure to watch this video. Click here

2.           In a very large bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the hot sauce and sugar. Add the chicken pieces and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

3.           In a large saucepan, heat 2 inches of grape seed oil to 375° with the rosemary, thyme and sage sprigs, the 5 whole bay leaves and the head of garlic. When the herbs are crispy and the garlic is golden, transfer to a paper towel–lined plate.

4.           Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose and rice flours with the garlic and onion powders. Whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of kosher salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons of pepper.

5.           Remove the chicken pieces from the buttermilk, dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour and fry the chicken over high heat, turning occasionally, until golden. Transfer the fried chicken to a platter and garnish with the fried garlic and herbs and serve right away.

8 mile cocktail in NYC

After a nine-hour flight from Honolulu, we were ready to stretch our legs. Eight miles later, we were ready for an ice cold cocktail. Here's just a few photos of our adventure. It was a ton of fun... Lots of trying different foods and restaurants. The only thing that kept us from gaining 50 pounds, was all the walking we did. 

Glad I don't have to pay their electric bill...

While at the NYC Food & Wine Festival in 2013, we came across this drink. It's called a PLB (Pallini, Lemon & Bitters). Even though I don't really care for lemony drinks, this was really good. You can find Limoncello in just about any liquor store, but it really tastes great with Pallini. I've tried to get away with using cheaper Limoncello, but it doesn't taste the same. Make this drink when you're hosting a party and it's sure to be the talk. You won't be able to keep up with everyone! 

Pallini Limoncello is crafted using only the finest sfusato lemons, organically grown on the hillsides of the Amalfi Coast. Sfusato lemons are renowned in Italy, not only for their size, but for their remarkable perfume and sweetness. They are picked by hand, peeled and the zest is infused for days to create the perfect balance of tart and sweet.

PLB (Pallini, Lemon & Bitters)

• 1 1/2oz Pallini Limoncello
• 1/4 Lemon
• Tonic Water
• 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Muddle the lemon in a highball glass. Fill the glass with ice and add Palllini Limoncello. Top with tonic water and two dashes of bitters. Stir to combine and garnish with a lemon slice.

Loco for Lupa!

As we planned my first trip to New York, one of the things I wanted to do is to go to a restaurant owned by a famous Food Network chef that I recognized. Here in Hawaii, with the exception of Nobu and Morimoto we don't have that opportunity. Our foodie friend Bonnie Oda highly recommended Lupa. I was told to go for lunch. Same menu for dinner, just half the price.

 

Lupa first opened it's doors in 1999 under the leadership of Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich with the intention of opening a casual restaurant specializing in Roman simple foods of good quality at a reasonable price.  They have over 400 wine selections with every region of Italy represented and over half the bottles under $50. They have a fun, warm and welcoming atmosphere and are open from 11:30am-midnight, seven days a week.

Octopus- The best ever.

A delicious wine to go with a wonderful meal...

Eataly, not Italy!

While we were in NYC, we had to stop by this place. This was a lot of fun. If you're staying in Times Square, either take a quick 5 minute ride on the subway or cab it. Plan on spending a couple of hours there. Be sure to go on an empty stomach so you can sample all the food and wine that they have to offer. +Eataly 

Eataly, New York, United States

Eataly is a high-end Italian food market that is filled with a variety of food stations, restaurants, and a bakery. +Joe Bastianich (from the TV show- Master Chef), +Lidia Bastianich (Joe's mother and well known Italian Chef), and the one and only +Mario Batali are the faces of Eataly. 

Fresh pasta being made right before our eyes...

Of course we had to have our first lunch here at one of the food stands... This is an assortment of the best cheese and salumi of Eataly for just $22 for the grande piatti de misti di salumi e formaggio.

With the vast selection of fresh pasta, vegetables, cheese, and meats, we couldn't resist but to buy some and prepare a home cooked Italian dinner in our hotel room. When we got back to our room, we were surprised to find this gift basket from our friends Ed & Tammy Kubo all the way back home from Honolulu. It was a perfect start to an amazing vacation!

Using the few pots and pans we had in our little kitchenette, we were able to whip up this amazing dinner.

Fresh pasta, Mario Batali alla vodka sauce, with wild boar sausage

Salad, pasta and wine... Yummo!

NOTE: I was so excited that we were able to visit +Mario Batali's Eataly. I got even more excited when I found his alla vodka pasta sauce. We ended up shipping 3 bottles to Hawaii! When I got home, I shared my experience with my mother who is a very good cook. She replied, "Haven't you seen it sold at Foodland?" Needless to say, you probably could find it at your local grocery store.

Pilgrimage for foodies

After years of watching the +Food Network, we had an opportunity to experience New York for the Food Network's Food & Wine Festival in October 2013. My wife had been to NYC several times, but this was my first. Not only was I excited to visit a huge metropolitan city with a reputation of amazing food and wine, but we had a chance to experience meet and greet celebrity chefs from around the world. It was well worth the long plane ride and the extra money for the V.I.P. tickets for this three-day event. We had an unlimited supply of amazing food and decadent wine.

Just a sample of some of our tastings...

While this was a cheesy photo, I had to do it because of the food network logo. :)

It was exciting to see +Guy Fieri and Chef Morimoto, but Chef Nobu is still my favorite.

Rachel Ray is an animal lover that loves to cook. When she found out that I worked in animal welfare, she was only too happy to autograph my book.

Yumo!

The only time I allowed another woman to hold my hand...

Because of +Andrew Zimmern, I'm a lot more adventurous...

Since this event, Jacque and I have wanted to attend again. They even have one in Los Angeles. Click here for Los Angeles Food and Wine Festival 2015

This is where my inspiration to cook for my wife began. From this point on I attempted to recreate dishes that we enjoyed.