THE LAST WONTON

BLUEBERRY COLESLAW

Gloriously crunchy slaw, deliciously interrupted with the juicy pop of luscious summer blueberries, all brought together with the tangy, sweet goodness of a creamy dressing, boasting a wee hit of a peppery punch.

 
Mother Nature has a hilarious sense of humour this year.  Turns out we weren't just complaining and bellyaching about all that rain in June.  We set new records!  

Local website, Castanet, states, "June 2012 will go down as the wettest June on record in Kelowna (and Peachland!) ....since 1968". 

But, ah ha!  Crafty ol' Mom Nature is not done with us and our raisiny fingers yet!  She didn't skip a beat, from "monsoon season on steroids" right into the blast of a scorching heatwave. 

Summer has arrived in the Okanagan and baby it's hot outside! 

You know what that means?

Time to fire up the grill, whack some veggies and handcraft some rather tasty slaw, with......wait for it.......wait for it.......fresh blueberries.  Yum-O. 

Seriously, just try it.  This coleslaw really wants you to shred, slice and julienne all the veggies really, really, super, duper thinly, then toss in the blues and creamy dressing.  Every mouthful is a cool, crunchy tangle of garden freshness. 

Warning: This is not your mamma's coleslaw.

*Loosed based and definitely inspired by Michael Symon's recipe.*  Thanks heaps Michael!

BLUEBERRY COLESLAW - Serves 8

CREAMY DRESSING
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 generous tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sea or Kosher salt

COLESLAW:
1/2 of a large head of cabbage
5 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 medium carrots, finely julienned
2 celery stalks, super thinly sliced (shave those babies!)
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Make dressing:  In small mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, cilantro, lemon juice, honey, pepper and salt.  Whisk to combine.  Transfer to a jar or container, refrigerate at least 1 hour to let the flavours mellow and get happy.

Shave or very, very finely shred the cabbage. Combine cabbage, green onions, parsley, carrots, celery and blueberries in a large bowl.  Pour the chilled dressing over the mixture, toss and serve.

SPICY KALBI RIBS - Korean Grilled Shortribs

Luscious Hawaiian-style grilling. Delectably tender, sweetly aromatic, crispy edged, Korean barbecued shortribs with a kicky hit of freshly ground black pepper and ha-cha-cha jalapeno.

Kalbi ribs always have and always will taste like Hawaii to me.  Lucky me!

Over the years, we've sampled and resampled quite a few different variations of this rather classic recipe at home and of course munched our way through some delicious Korean BBQ at one delightful Island eatery or another.  So far we've never met a Kalbi we didn't like.  But, some are, absolutely, tastier than the others.

In a concerted quest for sublime Kalbi, I've tweeked here, and tossed a little of that, there, until I now end up with scrumptious barbecue goodness each and every time.  These babies pow you right in the kisser with flavour on flavour.  They are not timid.

Untraditionally I've added plenty of freshly ground black pepper and to shorten the marinating time and zip zap tenderness right into the beef, some mushed up kiwi.  

Quickened marinating, a speedy flip flop or two on a hot grill and ta da!  Easy peasy, spicy sweet, grilled goodness with a hint of Aloha in every tasty morsel.  Lucky you!

Serve hot off the grill with sticky rice and macaroni salad.  Or as we sometimes do, mix things up and serve with buttery, cheesy, mashed potatoes and tangy coleslaw.

SPICY KALBI RIBS - Serves 6

1 cup gingerale
1/2 cup dark soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh gingerroot, peeled and roughly chopped
6 plump garlic cloves, minced
6 green onions, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 kiwi, peeled and mashed
4 pounds beef short ribs, cross cut (flanken) into 1/2 to 3/4 inch strips (Korean style)

In a large bowl combine everything but the ribs, whisking to combine.  Transfer marinade to a jumbo resealable baggie.  Add the ribs and seal them up tight.  Turn the bag and mix the ribs around in all that flavour, so they are evenly coated.  Refrigerate and let the ribs laze in all marvelous marinade for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours, turning occasionally.

Prepare barbecue to medium high.  Lightly oil grill and grill ribs until cooked through and sizzling good, with slightly charred edges, 4-7 minutes per side, depending on thickness.  Serve hot from the grill, with big mugs of ice cold beer.  Okole maluna!

Bacon-Wrapped Potatoes

Potatoes and bacon are such good friends, why deny them their togetherness?  The bacon, unctuously addicitive.  The tiny potatoes, with the whisper of a soft pop, burst earthy sweetness right into your mouth.  Sumptuous BFFs.

It's late spring in the blossoming Okanagan.  Which usually means, shorts and T's, long leisurely patio dinners, basking in copious amounts of soothingly warm Vitamin D and plunking camp chairs out under the night canopy to watch God's little lanterns blinking on and off in the heavens.  Marvelous summery pleasures.

This year though, um, er, nope, not so much.  This is the chilliest, rainiest June I can remember. These days we're pulling on the winter woolies, overhearing the next person in line at the grocery store exclaiming that their furnace is back on too, scanning the endless grey skies for promise of a patch of blue and getting comfy for rewatches of favorite old movies, whilst glancing longingly outside   ......wishing.    

The upside?  Getting cozy and snuggling back into our comfort zones.  And comfort food.  Soothing soups, slow braised stews and as much soul warming munching as needed to stave off the shivers. 

Which brings me to the best darn little, easy peasy appie I've made in.....forever.  Gloriously petite, creamy, potato gems cloaked in delicious crispy, tender bacon.  Ridiculously good.

Don't roll your eyes at me!  I know what you're thinking.  Sure, sure, this is just baked potatoes and bacon.  Whoopie do, right?   Noooo. 

These, my friends, are hot, luscious little bites of texture, comfort and familiar seduction.  They'd be a hit and equally as suitable at a Grey Cup Party as an Evening Cocktail gathering.  And they're crazy simple dimple to make.

I use teensy tiny President's Choice "Golden Little Gems", which are barely an inch long, but any very small potato will work, of course.  That said, if you are not able to find the really tiny potatoes you will need to adjust the recipe.  Instead of cutting the bacon slices in thirds, cut them in half, in which case you will need more bacon for wrapping than is called for in the recipe below. 

And I always use 'thick cut' bacon as it gives you a little more bang for your mouthful. 

This time I was looking for mostly crispy tender bacon so I cranked up the oven for the last 5 minutes of baking and voila. If you like your bacon a little softer, just shorten the cooking time a bit. Either way, served hot from the oven with cool, indulgent sour cream on the side for swooping.  Sublime.

I know right now that I am going to make these often.  Very.  In every season.  Thanks Martha Stewart.  You've always rocked.

BACON-WRAPPED CUTE LITTLE POTATO GEMS - Serves 6

8 thick-sliced bacon slices, cut in thirds
24 tiny little potato gems

Preheat oven to 400F.  Line a large, rimmed, baking sheet with parchment paper.  Wrap each bacon piece around a potato and secure with a round toothpick.  Place on prepared baking sheet and bake until bacon is cooked and partially crisp, and potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, 35-40 minutes.

If you want to crisp up the bacon a little more, simply turn the oven up to 450F for just 5 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, ranch dip or blue cheese dressing on the side.  Now that was easy for such fantastic results, wasn't it?

OLD-FASHIONED YEASTY DINNER ROLLS (starring in Hot Turkey Sandwiches)

Easy peasy, throw 'em together, heavenly soft, potently retro, seductively yeasty, warm-from-the-oven dinner rolls, boasting an ever so slightly crunchy, buttery bottom crust.  Oh mama!

Did someone say, 'yeasty'?  I'm there.  Totally.

I don't know if I just simply love the flavour and texture of old-fashioned buns that were more deliciously commonplace back in the 1950's and 60's.  Or if maybe they're so jam-packed with plump, warm memories from my Mom's kitchen that I can't resist. 

Recipes, like this, that whisper of yummy, sepia-toned memories, of the cherished comfort of family gatherings long past, fill our tummies and our hearts. An irresistable combination. Probably why I have accumulated such a fine little arsenal of old-fashioned yeasty roll recipes that always get pulled out at Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. 

This time I tried a little different version of my usual Mom-style rolls that I found on For the Love of Cooking food blog.  Thanks Pam.  You're right, your Mom's dinner rolls are amazing.  Thanks Moms!

Even though these rolls are definitively retro, they're so easy, because you just toss everything into the bread maker, on the dough cycle. Yippee!

Then a bit of play-with-dough-fun when you cut the silky dough into little pieces and pull down and around to make perfect little balls.  Cute.  Next plop your dough balls onto a heavily buttered cookie sheet, so you get that seductively crunchy bottom crust.  Bet you didn't know it was that easy to make a seductively crunchy, buttery, bottom crust, did you? 

But wait, more fun....... if you're going to use the rolls for sandwiches of any kind, you need to slap those dough balls firmly on their little round heads to flatten a bit. Go ahead do it one more time. Slap!  Yeah, take that!  Now, brush those babies with butter, let rise, and bake.

Each time I make yeasty buns I kind of think that this time I won't have one, hot from the oven, with a gouge of hard butter and a drizzle of golden syrup.  Yup, I do think that every time.  Before I bake them. 

But really, you know, they do need to be tasted to make sure they're okay, before you serve them. Right?  I mean, really.  And if there's hard butter and golden syrup within reach, well, there's no other option.  Forest Grump, on the other hand, doesn't hesitate to do a warm-from-the oven sampling and defiantly exclaims there is NO CHOICE but butter and peanut butter for the taste test.  Comfort sweet comfort!

Which brings me to one of the all-time comfort zone foods, turkey.  Mmmm. 

So, I took a little more inspiration from For the Love of Cooking blog. Hot Turkey Sandwiches.  But instead of waiting for turkey leftovers to make sandwiches, I did it up good, from the get go. 

We didn't have the usual turkey dinner this time around, we had tender, delicious slices of fresh roast turkey heaped on an old-fashioned dinner roll with black pepper riddled, sausage bread stuffing and tangy cranberry sauce, swathed in the golden brown richness of hot, port laced, gravy.  Yum-O!

My advice, make some of these retro dinner rolls soon.  Whether you serve then on the side or make them the star of the meal, they're scrumptious.  They look good too.  People will see them, smile and say, "you have gorgeous buns".  And they'll mean it.  And you'll think so yourself. 

When the buns are good, life is good.  You can quote me if you want.

"Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying off all foods;
and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts."
~ James Beard (1903 - 1985)

OLD-FASHIONED YEASTY DINNER ROLLS - Makes 12-15 rolls

1 cup of warm water
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons traditional dry active yeast
3 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon sea or Kosher salt
1 large egg, beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Extra butter for baking pan and brushing on rolls.

Pour warm water and 1 teaspoon of the sugar into small bowl.  Add yeast and let sit for about 5 minutes until the yeast starts to bloom.  Place flour, salt, the rest of the sugar, yeast mixture, beaten egg and butter in bread machine, in this order.  Select dough cycle and press start.

Once the cycle is complete, heavily butter a large cookie sheet.  Depending on how big you want your rolls, divide dough into 12 or 15 pieces.  Pull and shape into balls.  Place evenly spaced, on buttered cookie sheet.  If using for sandwiches, press top of rolls down firmly, to form more of a flattened roll.  Brush with melted butter. Cover and let rise in a warm place 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.  Bake rolls 10-15 minutes, until beautifully golden brown.  Enjoy!

BABY GREENS BLOOD ORANGE AVOCADO SALAD

A happy jumble of baby lettuces and spinach with gorgeous, sweet-tangy slices of sunset-hued blood orange, smooth, buttery avocado, crumbles of salty feta, and crunchy bites of candied pecans skulking about.  ♫♪ You make me want to shout......♫♪

I have a crush.  A big ol' crush.  On blood oranges.  Maybe it's for who they are.  Maybe it's for what they do to me.  Maybe it's because they're kind of rare, that it's not very often that we can find them in these here parts, so precious these orangeses become. (Sorry, I can't say 'precious' without Gollum popping into my mind.)

But, no matter what, no matter where......when I think maybe I eye-spy some blood oranges at the grocer's, or in a bin at a market, or just over there, stuff happens. My eyes light up, my pulse quickens, my feet disappear and by some power greater than all of us I am levitated and propelled, in the blink of an eye, to the treasure-packed orange orbs. 

Eureka!  Citrus sinensis. 

Unassuming on the outside, you'd never guess the flavour packed beauty hiding inside.  Just another orange, you might think.  Tch, tch, tch, silly you.  These little citrus darlin's pack deliciously sweet, juicy orange flavours and never disappoint with a bouquet of gorgeous sunset hued colours from bright tangerine streaked with jujube red, to a totally sumptuous deep crimson.  And you never know what you're going to get. Surprise!  Oh my sweetie pie blood oranges you've thought of everything. 

Okay, enough.  A girl can only rant so long on one of her most enduring crushes before people start to think, well you know..........nutty comes to mind. 

Which brings me to my latest, favorite salad (where any nut will do) that I will be forever grateful to the wonderfully charming, Joy The Baker for blogging.  Thanks Joy.  You rock. 

I changed Joy's salad up a bit.  That's one of the best things about this simple, sublime salad, you can change it up and still come out with a masterpiece.  And if you just can't find any blood oranges, grapefruit segments, or to push things to the tropics, mango slices drizzled with fresh lime would slip right into this salad with pizazz. 

BABY GREENS BLOOD ORANGE AVOCADO SALAD
I've presented this recipe in a have-your-way-with-it style.  So have your way with it!  Play with how much goes with how much until you get your own perfect flavour, texture combination.

Simple Vinagrette:
1/2 cup good quality olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Sea or Kosher salt and a good whack of freshly ground black pepper - to taste

For the Salad:
Cleaned, mixed baby greens, including spinach
Blood oranges, peeled, sliced.
Avocados - peeled, seeded, diced or sliced
Feta, crumbled - I use goat feta
Praline/toffee/candied pecans, roughly chopped - I use the Praline pecans from Superstore

For the vinagrette: Mix all ingredients in a small mason jar and shake the bejeepers out of it.

For the salad: Use each person plop two good handfuls of baby greens into big salad bowl with orange slices and avocado.  Drizzle with some of the vinagrette and toss gently, lightly.  Scoop onto serving plates, top with crumbled feta and chopped candied nuts.  Serve immediately.  Indulge. Repeat. 

SHRIMP PO' BOYS with Spicy Homemade Tartar Sauce

Crazily crunchy, wham-bam spiced, fried shrimp, tucked into a crusty-outside-soft-inside French roll with shredded iceberg, heat jolted slices of fresh tomato and a generous slathering of homemade tartar sauce with a devil of a fever.  Oh baby!

It all started very innocently. 

There I was, just kicking back, totally digging a good listen to the soundtrack of an old favorite Dennis Quaid flick, The Big Easy, when, well, when something inside me snapped.

In a good way. 

One minute I was happy groovin' to some fine Zydeco.....when FOOSSSHHH, a bright light flashed me and I was pinned up against a lightning bolt of thoughts.  Bam! Bam! Bam! 

The Big Easy.  New Orleans.  I still want to go there one day.  A lot.  Bourbon Street.  Dingy, smoky basement blues bars.  Voodoo.  Potent, sweet Hurricanes (the drinks not the winds).  Voodoo intrigues me.  And those bottle trees. Bananas Foster.  Shrimp Po' Boys.  Brad Pitt (they're my thinks, I will if I want!)  Thrumming Jazz. Beignets. Muffulettas. Emeril.  Swamps.  Mysterious, dangerously ominous swamps.  Gators.  Jazz riffs.  Shrimp Po' Boys. Gumbo.  Why haven't I ever made Shrimp Po' Boys? 

I MUST MAKE SHRIMP PO' BOYS.

After that there was no stopping me.  It was like some kind of voodoo had a spell on me. 

In a good way.

I heeded the advice of several po' boy makers and reviewers.  There's nothing complex here.  It's a sandwich that will make your taste buds 'fais do-do' if you just use fresh, quality ingredients.  And love, cher.  

Start with fantastic bread.  The bread is equally as important as the shrimp.  Be sure to get a fresh baguette or French roll with a crackling crust and a rustic, soft interior.  Then plump shrimp, fresh lettuce, firm ripe tomatoes and a whimsy of bold spices. For the finishing touch, to bring this baby together, you need some kicked up mayo, a remoulade, or in my case a devilishly dillish, homemade tartar sauce.  Oh darlin'.

A good shrimp po' boy is a brazen bundle of delicious textures.  Oh honeychil'.

My advice?  Make your own hunka, hunka, burnin' shrimp po' boy love soon.  'Cuz I ain't just a whistlin' Dixie.

SHRIMP PO' BOYS with Spicy Homemade Tartar Sauce - Makes 4 sandwiches

Spicy Homemade Tartar Sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
4 heaping tablespoons, finely chopped dill pickle
3 green onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1 generous teaspoon fresh dillweed, chopped - or 1/3 teaspoon dried dillweed
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon chopped - or 1/3 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 - 1 teaspoon sriracha or Tabasco (how hot do you like it?)
1/2 teaspoon each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds large-ish shrimp (16/20 count), peeled, deveined
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon granulated garlic powder
1 tablespoon granulated onion powder
1 teaspoon sea, Kosher or other salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 eggs
4 tablespoons canned evaporated or other milk
Peanut or vegetable oil for frying

2, 10-inch long French loaves, or baguettes, each cut in half - or 4 crusty French or Italian rolls
Butter
3 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce
2 firm, red, ripe tomatoes, sliced and splashed with a bit of Tabasco and a sprinkling of sea salt

For tartar sauce: Blend all ingredients together in a bowl.  Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, better for 4, so all the flavours have a chance to get to know one another, to seduce one another, to fall crazy in love and make happy. 

Heat at least 1/4-inch oil in a large skillet or preheat deep fryer or oil in wok to approximately 360F degrees.

In a bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and cayenne.  In another small bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. 

Working with a few at a time, dredge the shrimp in the seasoned flour, then into the egg wash, then back into the seasoned flour, coating the shrimp completely.  Fry the shrimp in the hot oil, in batches, until golden crispy, 2 - 4 minutes.  Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Slice the French loafs or rolls in half and butter both cut sides.  I quickly grilled my rolls in a non-stick skillet, but this extra step is not necessary.  Slather both cut sides of bread or rolls with tartar sauce.  Divide the shrimp evenly between the 4 sandwiches and top with the tomato slices and shredded lettuce.  Press the sandwich together a bit and serve your 'c'est magnifique' shrimp po' boys with icy cold beer, Tabasco and a side of Zydeco, cher. 

TANGY LEMON CURD TARTS

Buttery rich, boldy tangy, enticingly smooth, lemon curd plopped into flaky, tender tart shells and topped with softly sweetened whipped cream.  Absurdly delicious!

TOP TEN REASONS TO MAKE TANGY LEMON CURD TARTS.

10. It doesn't matter what season, or month, or time of the year, lemon is always in vogue.

9.  They take you back to olden days when Sunday dinners always ended with lemon meringue.

8.  They're so pretty.  Crayola is totally missing out not naming a crayon Tangy Lemon Curd Yellow. 

7.  You get to play with your microplane, and practice saying, "Zesty!" like Jack Nicholson.

6.  Stirring slowly creates a contemplative meditation zone that is good for your soul.

5.  Men dig lemon anything. 

4.  When you're decorating them, The Lemon Pipers may come to mind. Then you'll be singing.♫♪

3.  You can easily justify having them for breakfast - fruit, cream, wheat.

2.  When someone takes a bite of a tart they flash you the silliest, most satisfied grin ever.

1.  They're old-fashioned, but never out of fashion.  Fo' shizzle.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thanks Land O' Lakes for definitively the BEST lemon curd recipe ever!

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TANGY LEMON CURD TARTS - Fills 12 to 15 tart shells

12 to 15 baked, flaky pasty, tart shells (I use the same pastry as I do for my butter tarts)

3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 - 2 tablespoons finely shredded lemon zest ("Zesty!")
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup butter, cut into 8 pieces

Sweetened, vanilla-ed whipped cream
Berries, mint leaves or lemon jelly beans for garnish

Beat eggs and egg yolks together in 1-quart saucepan with wire whisk. Whisk in 1 cup sugar, lemon zest and juice. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until mixture coats back of spoon and is thickened (12 to 18 minutes). (DO NOT BOIL.)  Remove from heat. Immediately stir in 1/2 cup butter, 1 piece at a time, until mixture is smooth. Let mixture cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally, at least 1 hour.

Scoop cooled lemon curd into cooled, baked tart shells. Refrigerate. Top with sweetened, vanilla scented whipped cream and fresh berries, if desired.  Serve with a song and a silly grin.

**Lemon curd can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.  Keeps well for up to 1 week.**

SMILING MONKEY BANANA BREAD with Reese's Minis

Moist, tender, peanut butter stoked banana bread riddled with the cutest little chocolate peanut butter cups you've ever.....

♫♪♫♪ Ooo eee, ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang. ♫♪♫♪

♫♪♫♪ Ooo eee, ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang! ♫♪♫♪

A spell wielding witch doctor couldn't have conjured up a happier banana bread.  I mean, you know, I know, we all know, that banana bread is yummy, just the way it is.

Throw in a good wallop of creamy peanut butter and a seductively sweet little heap of tiny chocolate peanut butter cups and I guarantee you happiness, in a loaf pan. 

And many smiling monkeys.  Well, you know, that is, if you happen to have monkeys around......like I do.....

**Thanks Cookies and Cups food blog for the great idea!**

SMILING MONKEY BANANA BREAD with Reese's minis - Makes 1 loaf

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large-ish, ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 210g (8 ounce) bag Reese minis peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.  Butter a regular (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch) loaf pan.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.  In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, on low speed, combine mashed bananas, peanut butter, oil, egg and vanilla. Continue on low speed while adding dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.  Scrape down beater and mix in mini peanut butter cups with a wooden spoon.

Scoop batter into prepared loaf pan and bake until golden, for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.  Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

BABA GHANOUSH

Earthy, garlicky, roasted eggplant dip with a whisper of sultry smoke.  Naan and pita bread simply cannot resist taking the plunge.

Besides being one of my all-time favorite things to say, (yes I have a list of words that feel good in my mouth. Doesn't everyone?) I was reminded, just the other night, that I don't make Baba Ghanoush often enough. 

We had an excellent table, top centre, at the funky Dream Cafe in Penticton, for dinner and a long awaited music and Aloha fix from Hawaii's own John Cruz, one of our favorite music makers.  

With anticipation buzzing in the air, we started dinner with appies of Salad Rolls with peanut sauce and the Tri-Dip plate we always order - warm pita triangles with little bowls of hummus, tzatziki and baba ghanoush.  All four of us agreed, the baba ghanoush was the best of the three.  (Oh yeah, now I remember, this is good stuff - note to self - must make baba ghanoush soon.)

The evening was indulgently memorable from start to finish.  Good food, good chatter, lots of giggles and  passionately delicious music.  John was on!  The man was hot, that guitar was on fire.  He filled us with Aloha, Hawaiian charm and kick-ass great music.  There is nothing that compares to a potent music high. Nothing!  Mahalo plenty John!  You rock!

So, just a couple of nights after our John Cruz outting, with a satisfied, aloha soaked, luscious music perma-grin still stuck to my face, I set about making a batch of baba ghanoush. Sweet island tunes that I know every word to filled my house as I happily prepared for my dad-in-law's birthday dinner.

Everyone raved about the simple, earthy goodness of the baba ghanoush.  Really though, that particular batch of baba ghanoush couldn't help but be anything but tasty.  Besides the ingredients on the list, that dip was plump with aloha and swathed in sublime music intoxication. Yummy!

BABA GHANOUSH - 8 to 10 servings

3 good-sized, long, Japanese eggplants
1/3 cup tahini
3 plump garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 generous teaspoon Hawaiian sea, Kosher or other salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Good pinch cumin
Good pinch Hatch chili powder or cayenne

Naan or pita bread for dipping and scooping

Preheat BBQ to medium-high, or preheat broiler.  Poke each eggplant a few times with the tip of a sharp paring knife.  Grill or broil, watching and turning as necessary for about 8-10 minutes until the skin of the eggplants char and blister.  Place eggplants on baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.  Bake charred eggplants 20-30 minutes until very soft.  Let cool 15 minutes.

Slice each eggplant in half lengthwise and scoop all of the pulp into bowl of a food processor.  Add all other ingredients, except bread and process until beautifully smooth.  Transfer to serving bowl.  Drizzle with a bit of good quality extra virgin olive oil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, so all the flavours mingle and get to know one another. 

Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving with warm naan or pita bread.  And when people ask what that tasty dip is, I know you're going to agree that some words just feel good in your mouth.  Enjoy!

KAKIAGE - Japanese Tempura Fritters

Crispy, crunchy veggie and shrimp tempura fritters with crazily tasty textures.

Fun with tempura! 

Kakiage is simply a mix of thinly sliced veggies and roughly chopped prawns, tucked into a light batter, and plopped by little handfuls into hot oil.  Pulling each fritter apart a bit in the middle, with a chopstick, as it fries, adds to the divine texture of these rather indulgent Japanese fritters.

 I used zucchini, sweet onion, baby carrots, asparagus, jalapeno and prawns, but Kakiage lends itself well to improvisation.  Bean sprouts, sweet potatoes, green beans, green onions or whatever you have in the fridge can be easily handcrafted into hot, crispy fritters that remind us why we so thoroughly enjoy the flavours and textures from the Land of the Rising Sun. 

As with all tempura, you'll reap the tastiest, lightest, crispiest results by using ice water and only mixing the batter for a few seconds.  Leaving lumps in the mixture along with cold temperature results in the unique puffy, crisp texture of kakiage.  I even chill my bowl before making tempura batter for a little added cold boost. Keep it COLD and stir little!  Over mixing the batter will kick the gluten into action creating a more dough-like coating, and we'll have none of that.

Kakiage is good on it's own as an appy, with a tempura or sweet Thai chili dipping sauce, or you can make a meal of it by serving with a scoop of sticky rice or with a bowl of ramen or udon noodles. 

**Thanks to My Kitchen Snippets food blog for the inspiration!**

KAKIAGE ~ Japanese Vegetable and Shrimp Tempura Fritters - Makes 15-20

15 (31-40 count) prawns, peeled, deveined and chopped into 2-3 pieces
1 medium zucchini, cut into thick matchsticks about 2-inches long
1 small sweet onion, peeled, halved, and very thinly sliced
20 thin fresh asparagus stalks, chopped into 1 - 2 inch lengths
2 small carrots, peeled, very thinly sliced into 'coins'
1 fresh jalapeno, minced

 BATTER:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 - 1 cup ice water

In medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  Add beaten egg and ice water and mix lightly.  Batter should be quite thin.  Add prawns and all chopped veggies.  Stir to evenly coat.

Heat about 1/2-inch oil in a large skillet or heat oil to deep-fry in wok, over high heat.  Once oil is hot, either spoon or take small handfuls of batter coated goodies and carefully slip into oil.  Use a chopstick to keep fritters in small, irregular rounds, but also spread the centres of the fritters a bit, with a chopstick to create more texture and delicate crunch.  Fry, in batches, until golden, about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes per side.

Drain on paper towels and serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.