THE ELECTRIC KITCHEN
Dinner ideas for Dad
The Electric Kitchen
Hawaiian Electric Co.
FATHER'S DAY is Sunday, a perfect time to gather the family for a savory meal.
Our suggestions include short ribs cooked in a slow cooker to braise the ribs to fork-tender. Using a slow cooker not only saves energy, but keeps the kitchen cooler.
If you're looking for a dish with "wow" appeal, prepare Chinese Steamed Fish. It's easier than most people think and when prepared in the microwave, it's done in no time!
The Portuguese Pork Chops recipe is from the days of Hawaiian Electric's "Reddy Kilowatt" cooking classes and remains a favorite.
Short Ribs Delight
3 pounds short ribs
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil
1/4 cup ketchup
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons wine
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Season meat with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large saucepot or Dutch oven. Brown short ribs; drain excess oil.
Combine remaining ingredients and pour over short ribs. Cover, bring to boil, then simmer until tender (1 to 1-1/2 hours), stirring occasionally. Serves 6.
To cook in slow cooker: After browning ribs, place in slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over ribs. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (not including salt to taste): 470 calories, 23 g total fat, 10 g saturated fat, 135 mg cholesterol, 1,000 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 15 g sugar, 45 g protein.
Chinese Steamed Fish
1 pound mullet, kumu, or moi
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
2 tablespoons minced chung choi (Chinese preserved salted turnip), if desired
Chinese parsley
Scale and clean fish. Sprinkle salt inside and over fish. Place in shallow heat-resistant dish.
Combine sugar, soy sauce and 1 tablespoon oil; pour over fish. Sprinkle with ginger, green onion and chung choi. Steam over boiling water 15 minutes. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil and pour over fish. Garnish with parsley. Serves 6.
To cook in microwave: Place fish in glass pie plate. Pour soy sauce mix over fish. Microwave, uncovered, on high 2 to 3 minutes. Turn fish, sprinkle with ginger, green onion and chung choi. Microwave 3 to 4 more minutes. Pour remaining 2 tablespoons oil over fish; microwave 1 to 2 more minutes.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (not including chung choi): 160 calories, 10 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 750 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 2 g sugar, 15 g protein.
Portuguese Pork Chops
6 pork chops, cut 1-inch thick
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sherry
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 green pepper, cut into rings
Dredge chops in flour. In a large skillet, heat oil and fry chops until golden brown on both sides; remove from skillet.
Add tomatoes, onion, mushrooms and garlic; sauté for a few minutes. Add sherry, salt and pepper. Return chops to skillet and put green pepper rings on chops. Cover and simmer until chops are tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Serves 6.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 400 calories, 24 g total fat, 6 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 650 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 25 g protein.
Hawaiian Electric Co. presents this weekly collection of recipes as a public service. Many are drawn from HECO's database of recipes, accessible online at
www.heco.com.