I am ready for a mini holiday, but since our household has been busy, we cannot go anywhere until June. We both have been wanting to go to the Bahamas, but things have not worked out. I decided to bring a little sand and sun imagination to the table, and on the plate.
There are a few blogs who have confessed to having posts ready through the next year...and people ask me how I do it all... This has been in my files, and with no extra time, more photo lessons and classes running through June; I decided it was time to share. We also went out Saturday with friends for a birthday celebration, so I have not done a whole lot of cooking this week...
Hawaiian Pupu-Style Ribs-
2-3 lb of thick short ribs)
4 cloves garlic
1 large piece of ginger root, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup catchup (I used tomato paste)
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/3 cup oyster sauce
Jar of Sweet Chili sauce
Take the ribs and place in a large pot. Combine ribs, garlic, ginger, and salt. Add water and bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until ribs are tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. This will break down the fat and make them tender. Drain. Combine remaining ingredients and marinate ribs in sauce overnight in the refrigerator.
Heat a wok or deep pan, and add 1/2 cup oil. Saving marinade, you will take and push meat down to bottom of bone, and as tightly as you can get it. (you can use chef string to tie them if necessary). Take a sharp boning knife, or paring knife and 'french' the top ends of the bone (away from you, or anyone else near you) like a rack of lamb. Drop them in the hot oil and fry for about four minutes, or until the outside is crispy.
Cook marinade on a medium heat until thickens, and then dredge ribs in sauce and serve, or open a jar of sweet chili sauce. You can make this with any BBQ marinade and it would be a good in door grill sensation.
'I wish I thought about using my wooden bowls more often...'
Hawaiian Poke History: Poke (pronounced POH-kay) is served in most Hawaiian homes and restaurants as a side dish, and no gathering in Hawaii would be complete without a few bowls of poke. In Hawaiian, poke means "cut piece" or "small piece." Poke is bite-size pieces of raw fish doused in seasonings. Poke is actually the Hawaiian version of the elegant Japanese sashimi (a combining of the Hawaiian and Japanese taste for raw fish). The fish for poke is sometimes even lightly seared or fried.
I seasoned my cubes of Tuna with EVO and soy sauce, and then left overnight to marinate. The next day on a medium high in a skillet I seared them lightly. Hubby likes his rare...
Mofongo (Mashed Plantains- Puerto Rico)
3 Plantains
3 Cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
Years ago hubby and I took a trip to Puerto Rico; there I learned a simple recipe called Monfongo.
Let the plantains ripen and turn black; then take and cut into small pieces. In mortar add plantains, garlic, and oil. Mash them until they resemble smashed potatoes. Some recipes call for frying the plantain pieces first, and I will try that next time. There is a little cheese love in there too...
'Picked this up on the Island...'
With some really nice weather this would be good on a patio with tiki lamps, Don Ho on the CD, a nice bottle of chilled Riesling Spätlese, and love the one your with...