By Request

By Betty Shimabukuro

Wednesday, April 28, 1999

By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
Ken Martinez dishes up a taste of foods prepared with the
chile products and other ingredients available at his store,
It's Chili in Hawaii, to customer Kelley Kohnen
and her son Colton.

---

Chile out for
Cinco de Mayo

KEN Martinez at It's Chili in Hawaii came through on our request for recipes for Cinco de Mayo, which is a week from today.

His shop specializes in hot sauces, salas, peppers and other spices, and he has created dishes that take advantage of the stock.

Visit the store, at 2080 S. King St., and Martinez can provide you with recipes for many of the products you might choose to buy. And on Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m., he serves up sample dishes. Call 945-7070.

In the meantime, you can plan a Cinco de Mayo feast around his framework.

One note: The New Mexican green chiles used in these recipes are sold frozen at It's Chili in Hawaii. You can substitute Anaheim chiles that you roast yourself, or as a last result, canned chiles from the supermarket.

FIDEO

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 7-ounce package fideo (see note)
5 stalks green onions, chopped
4 tablespoons roasted New Mexican green chiles
1 7-ounce can tomato sauce
14-1/2 ounce can chicken stock
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add fideo and toast to golden brown. Add onions and saute until transparent, stirring often so fideo doesn't burn. Add remaining ingredients, stir and bring to a boil. Simmer 20-25 minutes. Serves 4.

Note: Fideo is Mexican vermicelli, available in the Mexican food section of supermarkets or at It's Chili in Hawaii. It may come in small pieces or in coils. Break coils into pieces for this recipe.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving, with no added salt: 300 calories, 9 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 740 mg sodium.*

SHIROI BEAN CHILI

16 ounces dry white beans
4 14-ounce cans chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon Hawaiian salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
16 ounces New Mexican green chiles, diced, roasted and peeled
5 cups diced cooked chicken breast
1 7-ounce can pickled jalapenos, diced

Soak beans in water 24 hours. Drain. In a crock pot, combine drained beans, 3 cans of broth, garlic, onion, vinegar and spices. Cook on low heat at least 5 hours, until beans are tender, stirring occasionally.

Add chiles, chicken, remaining can of broth and jalapenos. Cover and cook another hour. Serves 8-9.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 430 calories, 9.5 g total fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 80 mg cholesterol, greater than 1,350 mg sodium.*

NEW MEXICAN FRUITCAKE

1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups flour
4 tablespoons chopped, roasted New Mexico green chiles
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
(PI) Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix cake ingredients and pour into a 13-by-9-inch greased pan. Bake 45 minutes (35 if using a glass pan) at 350 degrees.

Blend frosting ingredients until smooth and frost cake while still warm. Serves 15.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per slice: 430 calories, 18 g total fat, 8 g saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 290 mg sodium.*

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
By Request, Honolulu Star-Bulletin Food Section,
P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.