Category Archives: Food

Dinner on a wet Sunday: Beef shanks with kale

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It was a cold, wet Sunday afternoon in Kaaawa, perfect for a slow-cooked meal.

Vegans need not read any further.

So after a short afternoon nap, I dug a couple of beef shanks out of the freezer. I think these were both from Times Supermarket in Kaneohe, which has shanks at reasonable prices from time to time.

The large cast iron Dutch Oven went on the stove to heat, and I turned on the oven to a low temperature at the same time. Into the Dutch Oven went two chopped onions and some olive oil. Onions browned, stirred frequently, while the shanks got a bit thawed in the microwave. Once the onions were nice and brown, in went the shanks to brown on both sides.

Then I added minced garlic, a hot pepper or two, a sprinkle of thyme, and a cup or two of red wine, a pinch of salt, and a few small carrots, cut into smaller pieces. These were for flavor. More carrots to be added later.

I added a few leftover mushrooms found in the refrigerator, washed and sliced, but decided against adding celery because I didn’t want it to dominate the flavor, which it will easily do.

I covered the pot, then it all went into the oven. I probably had the oven set for 250°or so. After 60 or 90 minutes, I washed most of a bunch of fresh kale, then added it into the pot and put it all back into the oven for another 30 minutes or so. Finally, I added a handful or two of baby carrots, added another cup or so of water, put it all back into the oven. I think I turned the oven up closer to 300° until the carrots were tender.

When it was ready to go, I stirred in about 1/4 cup of flour to thicken the gravy, then served over brown rice, with a side of peas and an inexpensive Malbec by Barefoot. The kale adds a nice dimension to this “comfort food” standby.

It turned out to be a tasty way to spend the afternoon.

Don’t forget–just click to see a larger version of the photo.

Sunday dinner

NY Times take on Big Island GMO ban deserves a careful read

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If you haven’t read it, you really should take the time to read through the New York Times story by Amy Harmon published this past weekend about the debate over the Big Island GMO ban (“A Lonely Quest for Facts on Genetically Modified Crops“).

It presents an extremely sympathetic profile of Hawaii County Councilmember Greggor Ilagan, and follows his attempts to sort out fact from fear and fiction amid the mountain of conflicting testimony on the GMO issue.

It also puts an unflattering spotlight on much of the anti-GMO movement, suggesting a parallel between the anti-scientific views of climate deniers and those of anti-GMO activists.

The comments on the story continue to reflect a wide range of viewpoints, from the tin hat crowd on one side to corporate apologists on the other.

I appreciate Joan Conrow’s musings on the GMO issue as it was fought out on Kauai (see her KauaiEclectic blog). I can usually trust her to be a good reporter and clear thinker.

It seems to me the idea that GMOs are necessarily bad for human health is undercut by a virtual scientific consensus to the contrary. On the other hand, criticism of the economic and social model of agriculture under the corporate GMO regime is far harder to dismiss. As Joan said in a blog post over the weekend, farmers–and not just the giant corporate agribusiness farmers–are going to have an important role to play as the debate goes forward.

Another find: Further notes on traditional Hawaiian foods

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Here’s another “find” which turned up among the many boxes of papers and documents my mother saved over the years.

It’s a single page of notes recording information provided by “Mrs. Webb at Bishop Museum in 1924.” The notes were taken by Professor Carey D. Miller, a nutritionist who joined the UH faculty in 1922, and immediately began researching the food and nutrition practices of Hawaii’s people.

“Mrs. Webb” was Elizabeth Lahilahi Webb [1862-1949], a Hawaiian history specialist at Bishop Museum, described as a “confidant” to Queen Lili‘uokalani.

Interesting points:

Poi- “principal food”

Fish every day.

Chickens–“not used very often”

Sugar cane–“ate sugar cane all time”

Bananas–“women forbidden”

Yams–“sometimes”

Pig–“once in a while”

Click on the image to see a larger version.

1924

Also see: “More info on Hawaiian foods“

Helen Lind’s classic pumpkin pie

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Happy Thanksgiving!

[text]This is the first year my mother won’t be around to celebrate. The photo to the left was taken a year ago on Thanksgiving at her old house in Kahala. Meda and my sister, Bonnie, are posing with her. As I recall, she managed to eat a full meal, far more than she had been eating day-to-day. And, as you can see, she also was able to enjoy a glass or two of champagne. It was, in retrospect, a very good day.

Yesterday I dug around a bit and came up with her pumpkin pie recipe.

I don’t know the vintage of this recipe. Way back in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, her recipes were kept in a small, black, three-ring binder. Most were carefully typed, with handwritten changes and marginal notes as she altered recipes to take into account changing ingredients and equipment. She kept careful notes, even on simple things like pumpkin pies, as you can see. The recipes I found yesterday were in a more modern binder. The older versions are probably in there somewhere.

There are notes from several years of pies (from 1999 to 2005, when she was 91). And the second recipe, clipped from an unknown source, made a smaller amount. Better when you’re over 90, I would guess.

In any case, here’s Helen Lind’s pumpkin pie.

Click on any of the pictures for a larger version.

Helen Lind's recipe

Helen Lind's recipe