September 2005 Archives

• 1 pineapple
• 1/2 c. butter
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. fresh squeezed orange juice; pastuerized won't cut it this time
• timid dash of cinnamon
• 1/4 c. macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
• 2-3 T. rum
• decent vanilla ice cream

Obtain a nice pineapple and cut it. It doesn't matter exactly what shape you choose for your pineapple pieces. Some people like wedges, others rings, while I went for chunks because it cooks a bit faster. Set the pineapple aside for sec.

Pick a nice big skillet. You want something that's wide but not deep. The point is to maximize surface area so that we have faster evaporation and therefore caramelization. Melt the butter over medium heat and then mix in the brown sugar and orange juice until the sugar dissolves. Add the cut pineapple pieces and bring to a simmer. Very timidly sprinkle in the cinnamon. We're trying to add depth here without creating an overwhelming cinnamon flavor. Hold the concoction at a simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until it thickens, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, chop the nuts and toast them in an oven at 325 degree until golden brown. Watch them closely, because the difference between golden macadamias and charcoal happens fast. Remove the nuts and set them aside.

Remove the skillet from heat and pour the rum over the top of the pineapple mix. At this point you may light the skillet on fire, for effect, or skip to the next step. I like fire and theatrics, but it really isn't needed for this dish.

To serve, scoop vanilla ice cream into bowls, top with the warm pineapple. The pineapple can be quite sweet, so take that into account when scooping. Serve immediately as the ice cream starts to melt. You should have enough for 6-8 people.

The basic idea for this recipe isn't mine, but I've been making it for so long that I no longer remember the source for my original inspiration. At this point, I'm hoping that the technique is general enough as to be considered "common knowledge." Last time I served this, my mainland guests were impressed with their first ever taste of cooked pineapple. Later in the evening, a "local girl" dropped by and literally licked the bowl clean. Loved by all!

Who doesn't like receiving a package in the mail? The truck pulls up, asks for a signature then hands off... childlike glee. It doesn't matter what's inside; it's a package. To make it even better, today's package came all the way from Italy! Check out the bounty mailed to me by Gia-Gina in Italy.

→ Drogheria & Alimentari Lo Zafferano. Contiene 3 Bustine da 125 mg. Sul retro i consigli per preparare 2 gustosi piatti con lo zafferano.
I don't know any Italian, but Google helped me figure out with this one-- saffron! There are two recipes on the back, one for spaghetti and the other for risotto.

→ Marca Due Re Zafferano
Saffron again, also with spaghetti and risotto recipes on the back. The recipes differ from the D&A package though. I'll have to have the Saffron Recipe Deathmatch to see which brand prevails!

→ Saila Liquirizia Purissima, extra forte.
These are petite licorice hard candies, extra forte enough to grow new hair on my chest, despite their diminutive size. Fortunately, I'm fond of licorice and can use more chest hair.

→ Terre d'Italia gelatine agli agrumi di Sicilia. I classici dolcetti della pasticceria siciliana.
Jellied citrus wedges-- apparently they're a classic Sicilian sweet. I'm waiting for the lingering licorice taste to subside before I try one.

→ Pasta D'Acciughe "Belena". Prima fabbricazione Italiana.
Anchovy paste in a toothpaste tube! I had no idea I needed this until it arrived. Now I need to think of a tasty way to use it. Can it be used in place of mashed anchovies in a Caesar salad? The paste form of anchovies is new to me. Gia, you're expanding my culinary world.

→ Knorr Funghi Porcini per le tue Ricette Creative
As near as I can tell, these are porcini flavored boullion cubes for making risotto. And if that's not what they're supposed to be, then I'll just have to look foolish, because I'm makin' risotto.

→ Pan. Vi offre il fungo degli Dei. Funghi porcini secchi speciali.
Dried porcini, to include in my Knorr Porcini risotto!

→ Terre d'Italia Amaretti di Sassello. Le grandi tradizioni locali della nostra tavola.
Amazing little macaroons. If you asked me right now, "You're stuck on a deserted island and can bring only one cookie... which do you choose?" Terre d'Italia Amaretti di Sassello, naturalmente!

If I'd known that blogging would pay such handsome rewards, I'd have started years earlier. Thank you Gia, for your generosity!

One thing I miss living in Hawai`i is good Mexican food. There's the usual smattering of American-ized chains, but a dearth of authentic authenticity. My crude rule of thumb: if entrees contain grated cheddar or sour cream, tenga sospechas!

When I travel and find a good Mexican spot, it tastes twice as good because I've waited so long. Today's find is in Palmdale, northeast of Los Angeles. Mi Ranchito is Mexican fast food, but don't worry that "fast" means "compromised." For the past seven years, this family owned restaurant has been serving up delicious, authentic comida that runs circles around most sit-down joints.

For starters, I ordered two tacos ($0.99/ea), one with lengua (beef tongue) and one with suadero (charbroiled beef shoulder marinated in lime). A taco de lengua is my own litmus test for affordable Mexican, because it's simple fare, but generally not cooked for white American tastes. The succulent lengua easily passed my litmus test, but I still preferred the tangy suadero The tacos were small, as you might expect for the price, and were garnished simply with onion, cilantro and green chilis.

I also ordered a sopes de chorizo ($2.25). Sopes are similar in construction to the open-faced tacos, but use a thick tortilla made from masa, and are garnished with beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, cilantro, crema and green chilis. The chorizo was clearly homemade, slightly oily and very spicy. Oh so good! The price seemed high compared to the tacos though--more than double.

A tall glass of horchata ($1.29) helped wash everything down. Horchata is made from rice water and milk, seasoned with cinnamon and a generous portion of sugar. It is sweet to counteract and balance the spice of the meal. By the time I finished everything in front of me, I was comfortably full at a very affordable price.

Contrary to the hope that Mi Ranchito would scratch my Mexican food itch, it has only increased my cravings. If anyone knows of good Mexican on O`ahu to sooth my addiction, I'd love to hear from you!

Mi Ranchito
1060 E Palmdale Blvd Ste 101
Palmdale, CA 93550-4751
(661) 273-2135

It turns out that I suck at juggling a busy life and writing for this site. There's no shortage of material--I have a backlog of half-written posts and notes on napkins longer than my arm--but at the end of the day there's no energy left to polish and publish. My expectations for posting frequency are being adjusted by a healthy slap of reality.

If there was one moment recently that gave me energy to write again, it was last weekend. A handful of us pulled chairs into a small circle in a hotel lobby, drinking beer late in to the night while listening to Jeff Veen of Adaptive Path hold court. Jeff and my paths cross once every year, yet I never fail to glean new inspiration and understanding from him each time.

Last week's topic du jour was the soon-to-be-released Measure Map. As a food blogger, let me state unequivocally that this service represents a big step forward in how we comprehend the relationships of a blog to the Rest of the World. Where most (all?) other stats programs focus on things like site "pageviews" and browser market share, Measure Map attempts to lend insight into the particular microcosm of blogging. It looks at relationships between visitors, links, comments and posts then helps identify trends and anomalies.

Do you write a blog and sometimes wonder if you're spewing words into a relative vacuum? Measure Map helps identify exactly how people are interacting with your writing. Even if your blog is enormously popular, would you like to know which topics create an unusual buzz? Measure Map is a perfect fit. It closes the feedback loop in ways that no one previously has been able to. That excites me. Not only that, but the interface is slick, using tons of careful planning and Ajax to anticipate common tasks and make them natural.

I've already submitted a request to be part of the early rollout, but I guess my annual handshaking with Jeff doesn't give me enough juice to join quite yet. I'm trying hard to be patient, but this is cool.

The best oysters I've ever had were from Ugelisch's. A man in a white apron shucked them right before us, then we plucked the meat and popped each in our mouth. They were slippery smooth with the fresh taste of the sea.

I tried the oysters with lemon and with Louisiana hot sauce, but in the end preferred to take them straight, chewing slightly before swallowing. (You're not really supposed to chew oysters, but just swallowing them went too fast. These oysters deserved to be savored, and yes, chewed.) Perhaps they were the best ever oysters because they were also the first, the first time I tasted oysters as they are supposed to be.

Even though several years ago, that visit is seared in my memory. My brother-in-law and I ate plates of oysters and shrimp with beer while standing at the bar, because the place was packed shoulder to shoulder with a line out the door. It was a classic case where you shouldn't judge a book by its cover: a dingy, rundown building in a rough neighborhood, but with a reputation for the best seafood for the dollar. Ugelisch's drew crowds from all walks of life into the impoverished area, rich downtown lawyers jostling for space next to dock workers, but then closed at 4pm to get everyone out before dark. My brother-in-law was trying to show off the best food his hometown, New Orleans, and I was very impressed.

Rumor is that Anthony Ugelisch (pronouncedyou-guh-litch) planned to retire this summer and close down for good. I never heard one way or another. If he didn't retire by choice, then I suspect his location among the worst flooding made that decision for him. (Note: it has been pointed out in the comments that the flooding probably wasn't as bad as I had been led to believe. Thanks Matt!) Is it trite to talk about oysters in the midst of all the suffering in New Orleans right now? Bombarded with news of the overwhelming tragedy, all I know how to do is affirm the little things that make New Orleans shine, and pray.

My brother-in-law and his family evacuated to Texas in the days before Hurricane Katrina did her worst. Their own house is fine and relatively dry, but they have no reason to head back soon. What would they do anyway? Their jobs are on indefinite hiatus and school for the kids isn't expected to resume until 2006. We tried to convince them to join us in Hawai`i, but it isn't likely. Too bad, too. We would have enjoyed their company, and my brother-in-law could make a mean gumbo with the seafood available here. His gumbo is a story for another day...

Take a moment and read Cost in Translation, about the current pricing of organic goods, and how that may or may not change in the future. It touches on most of the important factors inhibiting the expansion of organic foods in the marketplace: organic goods cost consumers more to buy, non-organic foods are often heavily subsidized, small farms don't grow to where they benefit from economies of scale, etc.

There are so many important ideas and questions raised in this article, any of which could be spun off into whole essays of their own.

→ If a family budget is already stretched to the breaking point, buying organic isn't a real option due to the increased prices. What can be done to address that? This becomes a social justice issue, where organic food is currently the privilege of the middle class.

→ Are there ways to internalize "external costs" (pollution, energy inputs, erosion) without tanking the conventional food industry? I'm a fan of the concept of incorporating external costs into the initial price of a product, but that's very difficult to implement in the real world.

→ Could an economy of scale really kick in, or does the nature of small farm production prevent those benefits from ever being seen?

I've only pulled out a few bulletpoints that struck me, but there's more meat in the actual article. All around, it's a thought-provoking article that gives much to chew on.

[Update: World on a Plate talksabout the same article, giving a parallel, but probably better informed perspective.]

Check out this pile of starfruit from the backyard-- they've been falling from the tree by the dozens. We carefully collect each one and set them on the countertop to finish ripening, watching as they turn a happy golden.

I've tried a number of starfruit recipes, but my favorite is the most simple preparation. Slice a starfruit into thick disks and sprinkle with li hing mui powder. Some people eat their starfruit from the outside in like an apple, to more easily avoid the seeds in the center. That's practical for seed-avoidance, but it makes the application of li hing mui more difficult. Just pluck the seeds out with the tip of a knife or spit them out like you're eating watermelon, then enjoy the starfruit while it's still in season.