Books for Cooks

Barbara Burke

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Island ingredients
inspire traveling
chef and writer

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What does Jay Solomon, a chef who has spent most of his professional career in New York and Colorado, know about tropical foods?

In his quest to explore tropical cuisine, Solomon traveled extensively from the West Indies to the Pacific to Southeast Asia. He dined at beachfront restaurants as well as local eateries and roadside stands.

"A Taste of the Tropics" By Jay Solomon (Ten Speed Press, 2003, paperback, $14.95)

Solomon then transported the foods and flavors of the tropics back to his restaurant on the mainland, and wrote a cookbook titled "A Taste of the Tropics: Traditional & Innovative Cooking from the Pacific & Caribbean."

Here you'll discover more than 145 recipes with flavors ranging from savory to sweet and fiery to cool.

About a dozen recipes in the book are specifically linked to Hawaii, such as Citrus-Grilled Ahi and Coconut-Macadamia Bread. A few of his statements about local cuisine are questionable, such as his introduction to Grilled Pork with Apricot Catsup where he remarks that, "in Hawaii, apricots frequently are paired with roast or marinated pork." (Did the author ever try to purchase a fresh, juicy apricot when he was in the islands?) Nevertheless, his recipes are intended to be eclectic and innovative, and that's what you'll find.

The 128-page cookbook has line drawings (no color photos) and includes recipes for appetizers, entrées, salads, vegetables, condiments, sauces, breads, desserts and drinks. One appealing aspect of the cookbook is that it offers new and interesting ways to use some of our local ingredients.

Examples of his recipes include Pork and Chicken Adobo from the Philippines, Lemongrass-Grilled Beef from Vietnam, Thai Pork Curry with Basil, Jerk Chicken from Jamaica and Gado-Gado (a vegetarian dish in a spicy peanut butter sauce) from Indonesia.

Before Solomon visited Hawaii, he thought that onions were essentially a homogeneous lot. Then he tasted a Maui onion, which he describes as deliciously sharp, crisp and sweet. Maui onions inspired the recipe for this moist and hearty quick bread.

Maui Onion Bread

2 cups diced sweet potatoes
1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 Maui onion, minced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place sweet potatoes in boiling water to cover and cook for 10 minutes, until tender. Drain in a colander and cool under running cold water. Mash potatoes with a fork until smooth. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, cream butter. Cream in brown sugar. Blend in eggs, one at a time. Stir in the milk and onion. Add mashed potatoes and blend until smooth. Gradually fold in dry ingredients.

Pour dough into 2 lightly greased 8-by-4-inch loaf pans. Bake 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serves 6 to 8.

Approximate nutritional information per serving: 320 calories, 14 g total fat, 8 g saturated fat, 90 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 45 g carbohydrate, 740 mg sodium

Rating Scale: Best in its class / Highly recommended / Recommended / Not recommended

Barbara Burke is a Hawaii-Pacific University instructor who teaches and writes about food and nutrition. Contact her at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or e-mail her at: features@starbulletin.com