Hawaiian Book Club Gathering & Dinner with Friends
After a long, long break I am finally hosting a gathering of folks at my home!
I’ve been in a Book Club for almost 25 years I think and this is probably the longest period of time we’ve all gone without seeing each other in person. We read “Sharks in the Time of Saviors” by Kawai Strong Washburn. Since it’s about a Hawaiian family I decided to make my meal theme based / Hawaiian. I also decided that we needed a salad, some roasted carrots and these roasted Italian Eggplants with Tahini paste and roasted chickpeas that I can’t seem to get enough of!
I’m excited to finally be cooking for people other than myself. As creative as I may try to be, cooking for just me is just not as much fun as cooking for many. I’m less likely to experiment with new recipes and more likely to rely heavily on trusted favorites. And my Book Club is special. While we aren’t all intricately involved with each other on a daily basis, the longevity of our group keeps us bonded in a special way. Together we’ve seen the good and the bad. Disease, divorce and deaths of course but also Bar/Bat Mitzvah’s, Graduations, Jobs and now marriages and grandchildren. Four of us have moved out of Harrison but we continue to meet and discuss books, current affairs, gossip and the deeper meaning of life.
Addendum!
I had to make this dish again. I swear, I could bath in the marinade and the tahini paste is to die for. I realize the marinade is really great on basically anything so I marinated some shrimp and put them on a skewer, and threw them on the grill. This time i decided to make charred bok choy to go with the tahini as well as simple roasted carrots & fennel.
To roast the bok choy I simple cut the the bunch in half and brushed olive oil, salt & pepper on it and threw it on the grill. I also served a great dessert - found it in this month’s bon appetit. A simple Stracciatella Fruit Dip. I’m adding that in at the bottom of this posting - it was the perfect ending to last night’s meal - easy, light and slightly decadently delicious!
Crisp Chickpeas
I use dried chickpeas that I’ve soaked overnight or boiled / prepared. I just think they taste better than canned but canned are totally fine. The important step her is to make sure they are dried after plumping.
Directions
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Use Parchment paper for easier clean up and spread the plumped and dried chickpeas on the sheet / pan.
Drizzle just enough olive oil on the chickpeas to cover them.
Sprinkle them with Kosher Salt, freshly ground Black Pepper and ground cumin. You want an even coating on all the surfaces. Shake your pan / spread the spices on them.
Roast them for 20 minutes and then give them a good shake. Check them! My oven was so hot I burned the first batch - I left them in the way I had with the canned. (see pic!).
If you use fresh they don’t need as much time so be careful! You just want them toasty brown.
Eggplant
Ingredients
I use the small Italian Eggplants. Figure one per person
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Lay parchment paper down on a cookie sheet. Peel the eggplants in stripes - the original recipe left all the skin on but I don’t love all that skin so I do it in large strokes so it looks like it has stripes.
Cut the eggplant in half and brush with olive oil then sprinkle generously with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
Arrange them, cut side up in one layer.
Roast for 15 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
Carefully flip the eggplants so that their cut sides are against the pan, and brush the striped skin side with olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Roast for another 15 minutes, until they are bronzed underneath and tender throughout. The larger the eggplants are, the more time you will need.
Tahini Paste
Ingredients
1/3 cup tahini paste
2/3 cup skyr (I use Provisions) or full fat yogurt
3 - 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 - 4 garlic cloves
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped Italian Parsley (optional)
Directions
Toss garlic into the zyloss easy pull food chopper, pull until garlic is very small. I usually take a spatula and scrape the sides and then zyloss it again.
Add in the yogurt, tahini, lemon, and salt & pepper.
Zyloss it until blended. Taste. It should be very thick - you may want to add lemon juice or salt & pepper.
Hawaiian Chicken
Ingredients
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons ketchup
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Sriracha (optional)
4 chicken things, skin on, bones opitonal
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Note: If you want to make shrimp just toss the shrimp in a plastic bag and marinate for at least an hour. I threaded the shrimp on skewers so for easy grilling.
FOR THE PINEAPPLE
1 large pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 8 to 10 circular wedges
1/4 cup brown sugar - you may need more depending on how big your pineapple is.
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and Sriracha. Reserve 1/4 cup and set aside.
In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine soy sauce mixture and chicken; marinate for at least 1 hour to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.
In another gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine pineapple and brown sugar.
Preheat grill to medium high heat. Add chicken and pineapple to grill and cook, flipping once and basting chicken with reserved 1/4 cup marinade until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes on each side.
Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, if desired.
Easy Coconut Rice in a Rice Cooker
Ingredients
2 cups Thai jasmine rice
2 cups water
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons dry unsweetened shredded coconut
Directions
Place rice in the rice cooker. Add the water, coconut milk, salt, and shredded coconut. Stir well; use a plastic or wooden utensil to avoid scraping off the nonstick surface. Cover and set to cook.
Once your rice cooker switches to "warm" mode, allow another 8 to 10 minutes for the rice to finish steaming. This will ensure your coconut rice is fully cooked and pleasantly sticky.
Gently fluff before serving. Some say using chopsticks is the best way but I just used the paddle that came with my rice cooker. Stir the rice to make sure all the shredded coconut is incorporated into the rice. Taste for salt and add more if you need. I also gave it a healthy grind of black pepper.
I found this on the Spruce Eats and thought it was just great information so I’m including it here:
What Is Considered a Serving of Rice?
In general, a serving of cooked rice is about 1/2 cup, but it depends on the individuals and ages, dietary needs, and the number of other menu items. If you are feeding guests, err on the side of more and plan on at least 3/4 cup per person. You can refrigerate or freeze any leftovers for another meal.
What Makes Jasmine Rice Different?
White jasmine rice is a long-grain white rice from Thailand that is used in Southeast Asian cuisine. The rice has a floral aroma and somewhat sticky texture when cooked. Jasmine rice grains are shorter and a bit thicker than basmati rice grains.
Tips
Rinse the rice before cooking it. Some rice is coated with talc during processing, which is inert and won't hurt you if you ingest it, but it's best to remove it. Rinsing also removes starch, making the rice less mushy, and it helps to keep the grains separate as they cook.
If the rice is still hard after cooking, add 1/4 cup of water and cook it on very low heat with the lid on for 5 minutes more.
Stracciatella Fruit Dip
Ingredients
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
2 - 4 Tablespoons sugar (taste it - you may like it sweeter. I recommend additing the chocolate to the mix before increasing the amount of sugar. )
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 -3 oz bar (I used Scharffenberger semisweet dark chocolate) of chocolate. Shave it / Cut into fine pieces and slices.
Fruit to dip - I served this with whole strawberries and bing cherries.
Directions
Whip heavy cream until has peaks and looks like whip cream. Add in the sour cream, 2 Tablespoons of sugar (you can adjust later) vanilla and mix until blended. Fold in the chocolate. Taste, adjust sugar if you need.
Put in covered bowl in refrigerator for at least an hour.
Serve with fruit.
