Category Archives: Food

Feasting on backyard papaya

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We now have three papaya plants that sprouted out of a former compost pile on the side of our house. “Volunteers” is the what I’ve heard such unplanned plants called.

I say “plant” rather than “tree” based on what Wikipedia has to say: “The papaya is a large, tree-like plant,” even though I’ve always referred to them as papaya trees.

But back to the papayas. For several years they grew taller but produced nothing. I even cut them down a couple of times, but they grew back from the base. Then, just a few months ago, they went through a wonderful period of development, and now suddenly producing beautiful fruit.

I have to watch the fruit very carefully, making daily checks, watching for the first blush of color to show on the green papayas. I discovered the hard way that letting them stay on the plant a little too long means feasts for the birds, chickens, or rats. I’m not really sure which critters get to them if I fail to catch them in time. But now I pick the fruit as soon as it shows a splash of yellow.

It’s kind of magic. Keep track of the fruit, harvest when ready, let them ripen for a few days, and then…a breakfast like this one.

Going to the grocery store and picking up a nice looking papaya is probably easier. This is a lot more satisfying. And if we had planted and cultivated these plants from the beginning, it would likely be even more rewarding.

Breakfast

Photos from a special graduation party in Kaaawa

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May 31, 2014The occasion was Ikaika Kanekoa’s party to celebrate his graduation from Castle High School in Kaneohe.

Most grads would worry about how their family would be able to host the several hundred people expected to attend.

But Ikaika’s family are experts in preparing this kind of gathering. His grandfather, Ward Lemn, has it down to an art, and several generations now work together to make it happen.

These family gatherings have become very special neighborhood events, bringing together friends and neighbors, as well as relatives. Guests include quite an incredible cross-section of people from all walks of life. I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to document several of them over the years.

There was a special poignance to this particular celebration. Ikaika’s mother didn’t live to see his graduation. She passed away in February of this year. A prayer was said, and colored balloons were released in her memory. Tears were shed, hugs shared.

A true feast followed.

–> Use this link to check out all the photographs from yesterday’s graduation party!

A note on the photos. I didn’t manage to get the batteries charged on my full frame camera, one I would normally have used, so instead turned to a different combination. I took a Canon EOS-M, a little mirrorless camera which can use all the current Canon lenses. For most of the time, I used a 24-105 zoom lens, which dwarfs the camera, but the combo was surprisingly comfortable to hold. I was trying to avoid using a flash, which turned out to be a mistake. As the evening wore on, it was harder to focus and harder to control motion blur as shutter speeds got slower to compensate for the near darkness. At one point I shifted to a faster lens, before finally giving up and going to the flash. I should have made that move earlier in the evening. Overall, though, the pictures turned out okay, and capture the spirit of the afternoon and evening.

Leftovers for Valentines Day

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Okay. I admit that it wasn’t much of a valentines day dinner by most external standards.

But by the time Friday night rolled around, we were both interested in something simple that would use up a few leftovers.

Simple. I started a pot of water heating to cook some pasta. Then I chopped a low-fat chicken sausage and tossed it into a hot pan with a splash of olive oil. After the sausage browned, I dropped in some thinly sliced fresh garlic, followed by the remains of a large bunch of kale, cut into smallish pieces. I added some Fresh lemon juice and a bit of water, and let that kale steam a bit. Meda found some fresh basil from our last visit to Tamura’s in Hauula. When the water boiled, in went about two cups of penne pasta, a pinch of salt, then cooked, covered, for the requisite time, ten minutes or so.

Meanwhile, Meda chopped a few leftover mushrooms, a few olives, and I added a very hot thai red pepper, chopped, and some anchovies found in the refrigerator. When the pasta was done, I mixed all the ingredients, poured into a pyrex pan, added a few slices of fresh mozzarella cheese leftover from our last pizza, and popped the whole thing into a moderate oven until the cheese melted (it didn’t take too long).

Meanwhile, Meda mixed up a nice green salad. We opened a bottle of wine. Red in the valentine spirit.

Ahhhh. Leftovers.

Baked pasta with leftovers

Food for thought: Spinach & cheese ravioli with sausage & kale

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Here’s another quick and tasty meal you might want to try.

We buy the bag of frozen spinach & cheese ravioli at Costco, which seems to switch between a couple of brands. These only take about 8 minutes to cook, if I recall correctly, and they aren’t too bad in terms of fat and other no-so-good-for-you ingredients.

On this evening, I put a pot of water on the stove to boil for the ravioli. While it was heating I chopped one low-fat chicken sausage (a Safeway brand), and browned it with a little olive oil and garlic, and added a good serving of anchovies. If I had any mushrooms, I would have added a few of those as well. Or they could replace the sausage for those wanting to stay on the vegetarian side of the aisle.

Meanwhile, in another pot, I steamed a nice portion of kale, central stems removed, and leaves ripped into smaller pieces. I assume you could easily use other greens instead.

When ravioli was cooked, it all came together. The ravioli went in a bowl. The sausage, garlic, anchovy, olive oil mix went on top, then the steamed kale was mixed in. Red pepper added to taste. On this night I also added the juice from a 1/2 lemon, something I don’t usually do. Parmesan sprinkle optional at the table.

The cat–Ms. Harry, in this case–also optional.

About half the time I serve these ravioli in a red sauce. One can of diced tomatoes, low salt, and a generous pinch or two of Italian herb seasoning (I usually have some from Penzy’s, but otherwise have a Costco backup). The same garlic and anchovies go in the sauce, along with a splash of red wine, if available. Let it simmer for 20 minutes, and it’s ready for the hot ravioli and hot pepper flakes to be added.

These are low maintenance, everyday meals that can be whipped up in no time.

Click for larger versions of the pictures.

Quick meal

Closeup