GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM AND KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Our July Fourth dishes: top, Cyrus Goo of Café Laufer with his cherry cobbler;
On this Independence Day eve, we pay tribute to the flag, all the diversity it represents -- and to Grandma. 4 for the fourth
4 RECIPES
By Betty Shimabukuro
bshimabukuro@starbulletin.comWe do it through food, because the best way to a nation's soul is through its stomach.
Our holiday plan was to have four local chefs come up with a dish apiece, each representing a distinct culinary style. Four chefs, four dishes for the Fourth, all of which could be easily duplicated in the home kitchen.
The chefs worked independently, in their various restaurants. And in the end, all of them, in some way, mentioned their grandmothers.
"That's where the inspiration comes from," said David Luna of Brew Moon Restaurant & Microbrewery. "I've never seen anybody make so much good food from scratch."
When he was growing up, Luna recalled, his grandmother made a seafood pasta similar to the shrimp linguine he offers for the Fourth.
A similar story came from Glenn Chu of Indigo Eurasian Cuisine, talking about his Chinese-style steamed chicken. "My grandmother used to do this all the time. We used to watch her stuff the chicken with cilantro roots and green onion."
And again from Jackie Lau, corporate chef for Roy Yamaguchi's Hawaii restaurants. Lau's offering is chile verde made with pig's feet, "the way my grandmother used to make it."
Finally, dessert, a cobbler made with cherries and rhubarb by Cyrus Goo of Café Laufer. In this case, Grandma doesn't get the credit, except in spirit.
Goo never knew his grandmother, but she was a great baker, according to family legend. Could it have been anything but fate that when Goo decided to go into cooking and enrolled at Honolulu Community College, the only course of study offered was commercial baking?
"People say, 'You take after your grandmother. You're a good baker, too.'"
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4 CHEFS, 4 RECIPES,
FOR THE FOURTH OF JULYCelebrate the culinary diversity of the nation through these recipes, designed for ease of cooking at home, but with a touch of sophistication. Consider one for your holiday potluck tomorrow, or try them all, through the month or through the summer.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Cyrus Goo poured cherry filling onto a cobbler crust in the Café Laufer kitchen last week. His dessert is designed for takeout and would be easy to carry to a picnic.
Cyrus Goo wanted to offer an ultra-simple dish -- "a five-minute dessert" -- suitable for a picnic. He even scaled his Cherry-Rhubarb Cobbler so it would fit in a disposable foil baking pan. ALL-AMERICAN DESSERT
Cyrus Goo
Pastry chef and owner, Café LauferBaking should be like that, Goo said, basic and fun -- although there are rules, as he discovered in the seventh grade when he decided to make a pound cake, his first baking project. He wanted it richer, so he threw in more eggs and butter.
"In baking, you can't do that," he said. "It came out horrible."
Once you learn the rules, though, everything is possible, Goo said.
"Baking is just flour, some kind of fat and sugar. You can do anything. It's just a matter of proportions."
Goo's father owned the Cup of Gold restaurant on Bethel Street; his aunt owned Happy Fountain in Wahiawa. Goo opened Café Laufer in 1995.
"The restaurant industry is in the blood," he said.
One note about this dish: Rhubarb is a specialty produce item, not always available. Some supermarkets receive deliveries just one day a week, so call around and make sure you'll be able to find your rhubarb when you need it.
And if you can't, go ahead and make the cobbler with just the cherry filling, or substitute blueberry or apple. Or mix them (cherry and blueberry would be a patriotic blend). Use the same amount, two cans total. It's that kind of simple, ultimately flexible dish.
To prepare filling: Bring water to a boil; add rhubarb and sugar. Reduce heat and simmer until thick and syrupy, about 15 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Cool, then combine with cherry pie filling.Cherry-Rhubarb Cobbler
1/2 pound butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2-1/2 cups flour
Powdered sugar and whipped cream for garnish
>> Filling:
1/2 cup water
1 pound rhubarb stalks, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup sugar
2 20-ounce cans cherry pie fillingTo make cobbler: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine butter, sugar and flour, mixing by hand to a uniform, crumbly texture. (If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt).
Press 1/2 of the mixture into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch foil pan to make a crust. Spread filling over crust, then sprinkle with the remaining crust mixture. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve topped with whipped cream.
Nutritional information unavailable.
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Summers are steamy along the Gulf Coast of Texas, where David Luna grew up. CREOLE/ITALIAN
David Luna
Executive chef, Brew Moon Restaurant & MicrobreweryEating heavy foods was cause for regret, so a pasta dish with a light sauce was a good solution, especially a dish that made use of the fresh shrimp and Creole tomatoes in season during the summer.
"It's so hot down there, so humid," Luna said. "This is a really light dish."
Luna eventually moved one state over, to Louisiana, where he served as executive chef at Broussard's in New Orleans' French Quarter. This left him well-versed in Creole cooking, a cuisine that incorporates Italian influences, along with French, Spanish, German, West Indian, Native American and African.
The marinara in this dish is chunky and thin, not the typical smooth, dense sauce. It is credited to Guy DiSalvo, the renowned Italian chef of DiSalvo's Station and DiSalvo's Restaurant, both in Pennsylvania. The sauce is light and simple; Luna adds richness through the wine and butter used to cook the shrimp.
In Hawaii, Luna uses vine-ripened tomatoes from Waialua or Hauula, which he says come closest to the Creole tomatoes of his home.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM AND KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Sshrimp linguine by David Luna of Brew Moon Restaurant & Microbrewery;
Sauté shrimp in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and sauté 2 to 3 minutes longer. Deglaze pan with wine, add marinara sauce and return to simmer. Stir in remaining ingredients. Serve with garlic bread. Serves 8.Shrimp and Linguine
2 pounds shrimp, peeled with head and tail on (21 to 25 count)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup white wine
2 cups Guy DiSalvo's Marinara Sauce (recipe below)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup butter
2 pounds linguine, cookedApproximate nutritional analysis, per serving (not including salt to taste): 800 calories, 26 g total fat, 9 g saturated fat, 200 mg cholesterol, 330 mg sodium, 94 g carbohydrate, 39 g protein.*
To make marinara sauce: Sauté garlic in oils until light brown around the edges. Add tomatoes and stock; stir into garlic. Cook at a very low simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Add basil, cayenne and sugar; simmer another 10 minutes. Makes about 2 cups.Guy DiSalvo's Marinara Sauce
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 pound local vine-ripened tomatoes, closest to Creole, squeeze out seeds and dice
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
Pinch cayenne
Sugar, to tasteApproximate nutritional analysis, per cup: 170 calories, 15 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein.*
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You have to dig down some to find Jackie Lau's Mexican roots -- past her Chinese married name (Lau), past her German maiden name (Groth) to her mother's family name (Flores). MEXICAN
Jackie Lau
Corporate chef, Roy's Restaurants; executive chef, Roy's WaikoloaLau was schooled in Mexican cooking by three generations of Flores women -- her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother -- during her childhood in California's San Joaquin Valley.
Her grandmother, Lau says, was a great cook, and everything was made from scratch. "She made her own cheese, my grandfather made his own wine. ... I grew up with things made. She probably would frown on me buying stuff like salsa verde, but things have changed."
Normally, a chile verde dish such as this one would be prohibitively time-consuming, Lau said, with the tomatillo-based salsa made first, followed by three hours of cooking time for the meat. So she's taken some shortcuts. "It makes it easier for us to make it more often."
Once you get past blanching the pig's feet and cutting up the pork, the dish does come together simply. As it all simmers on the stove, you can relax.
The meat should get so tender that it falls apart, Lau said. "It doesn't even resemble feet."
Then it's your choice whether you pick out all the bones, or let your diners do it.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM AND KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Chile verde with pig's feet by Jackie Lau of Roy's Restaurants;
Place pig's feet in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes; drain and rinse. Repeat process once.Chile Verde with Pig's Feet
2 pounds pig's feet, cut into sections
2 pounds diced pork butt
1 large onion, diced
1/4 cup pork lard or vegetable oil
3 cups chicken stock or broth
21 ounces Herdez brand salsa verde (see note)
2 jalapeños, diced
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dry oregano
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon peppercornsIn a large pot, brown diced pork, onion and lard. Add pig's feet to the pot along with all of the remaining ingredients. Simmer, covered, on medium heat, 2 hours. Stir occasionally, to prevent sticking. Remove cover and simmer another hour to allow liquid to reduce and flavor to intensify.
Debone pig's feet, if desired. Serve with fresh chopped cilantro, lime wedges and hot fresh tortillas. Serves 10.
Note: Most supermarkets carry the Herdez brand in the Mexican food section. It comes in 7-ounce cans.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 370 calories, 27 g total fat, 9 g saturated fat, 110 mg cholesterol, 800 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 22 g protein.*
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At first glance, this recipe looks like a whole lot of work, but Glenn Chu designed it in steps, so you need prepare only as much of it as you can handle. CHINESE
Glenn Chu
Chef and owner, Indigo Eurasian CuisineThe chicken alone would make a great picnic dish, served cold or at room temperature, Chu said.
"There's definitely a quality to a chicken steamed, as opposed to poached or roasted. It's just so succulent."
That done, you can dress it up with a sauce. Chu typically serves it with three homemade sauces; we've narrowed it to one here, but you could keep to the spirit of the concept by adding two commercially prepared sauces. Chu suggests sweet chili paste and Kecap Manis Sweet Soy Sauce, both available at Asian markets.
And if you're up to really polishing it off, try the rice, a pilaf-style with Asian flair. Then you'll have the full effect.
"The chicken isn't the star," Chu said. "The star is the complete, overall dish itself."
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM AND KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Steamed chicken with dipping sauces and lemon-flavored rice by Glenn Chu of Indigo Eurasian Cuisine.
Rinse chicken and pat dry. Mix soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. Rub mixture into cavity and outside of chicken. Place green onions, ginger and cilantro into cavity. Tie legs together. Place chicken in a pan or bowl then into a hot steamer. Cook 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting every 15 minutes with juices from the chicken.Indigo Steamed Chicken with Lemon Rice
1 whole chicken, 3-1/2 to 4 pounds
4 stalks green onion (white part and roots)
1 2-inch piece ginger, in 1/2-inch slices
3 sprigs cilantro, stem and roots only
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
>> Ginger Marmalade Sauce:
4-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
>> Lemon Rice:
1/2 onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
1 lemon grass stalk, bottom portion, smashed
2 bay leaves
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2-3/4 cups water
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher saltWhen done, remove from heat and let rest 10 minutes.
To prepare rice: Sauté onions in oil until translucent. Add rice, lemon grass, lemon juice and zest and sauté 2 minutes. Add water and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then cover and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest 10 minutes.
To prepare sauce: Place ingredients except oil in a blender and purée. Fry in oil 2 minutes, or until thick.
Carve chicken and serve with rice and sauce on the side. Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving, based on 3.5 pound chicken: 920 calories, 47 g total fat, 10 g saturated fat, 200 mg cholesterol, greater than 2,000 mg sodium, 62 g carbohydrate, 58 g protein.*
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