Hawaiian Tropical Fruit Salsa

This recipe is the 2012 winner at Salsa Wars Dos at Baja Fresh Restaurant, Lake Oswego, representing “Lake Oswego Relay for Life” Non-Profit Charity, American Cancer Society. I was very happy to win first prize money to support Relay for Life.
This Salsa is very refreshing, sweet with a kicker heat finish. I call it Hawaiian Tropical Fruit Salsa because it was originally from my Taste of Hawaii Restaurant that I used to own in Seattle, WA. It was a big hit and I served it with house-made Taro Chips.

Hawaiian Tropical Fruit Salsa
yield 6-lbs
Ingredients:
2-lbs Fresh Watermelon diced
1-lbs Fresh Mango diced
1-lbs Fresh Pineapple diced tidbits (or you can use canned tidbits in syrup)
3- large Jalapenos with seeds diced
1-large Red Onion fine diced
1/2 English Cucumber peeled and diced
2- Large Red Bell Peppers, cleaned and diced (no seeds or pulp)
1 Bunch Green Onions finely chopped
1 Bunch Cilantro finely chopped
1 Cup Sambal Olek
1/2 cup Sirrachia
7oz Can of Chipotle in Adobo Sauce finely chopped
2 Cups granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tablespoons Kosher Salt

Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl, let it rest covered in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before eating.

My It Was A Secret Big Chinese Five Spice Turkey Recipe!

I decided to share my favorite recipe for cooking a 24-26 pound Turkey in 2 1/2 hours. Yes, that’s right 2 1/2 hours and I guarantee you it will be the moistest on the inside and the most crispy turkey on the outside you ever tasted. I typically serve this with mochi rice & herb stuffing but have made it with more traditional bread stuffing’s. I included the mochi rice stuffing recipe with this post. If you use a smaller 12-14 pound turkey you can take 1 hour off of the cooking time. This is a two step technique: Step 1; Steaming to preserve moistness, tenderness and to soak up flavor! Step 2; Roasting for golden brown color and texture contrast.

You will need a large roasting pan or wok with a wire rack and a cover.

One 24-26 pound Turkey

5 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

3 tablespoons Chinese five spice

5 tablespoons sesame oil

1 cup fresh orange juice

Mochi Rice Stuffing (see recipe to follow)

Procedure:

Mix the salt, pepper, five spice, sesame oil and orange juice together. Rub the turkey inside & out with mixture.

Fill the turkey with stuffing and sew up the cavity (or use a bamboo skewer) Tie the legs together to help turkey hold it’s shape.

Place the turkey on the rack in the roasting pan backside down. Add enough water to the pan underneath the rack approximately 1 inch. cover the roasting pan tightly and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and steam turkey for 1 1/2 hours or until the center has reached 160 degrees. Replenish water periodically during steaming if needed due to evaporation.

Remove the turkey, discard the water in the pan.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Brush the turkey with a little sesame oil and five spice. Place turkey on rack in roasting pan and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until golden brown.

I typically will prepare a traditional Turkey Gravy and add  some Chinese five spice and deglaze with Shao Tsing Chinese Rice Wine.

Serves 20-24

Mochi Rice Stuffing

3 cups mochi rice

2 tablespoons soybean oil

1 cup minced shallots

1/2 cup minced green onions

1/2 cup Shao Tsing Chinese Rice Wine

1 pound Chinese Lop Cheung Pork Sausage

finely diced

3 cups Turkey or Chicken stock

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 pound chopped walnuts

1 red pepper seeded and fine diced

add to taste: fresh cilantro, tarragon, thyme, basil finely chopped

Place mochi rice in large bowl and soak overnight or for at least several hours. Drain well.

In a wok  or large skillet heat the oil, stir-fry shallots & green onions till translucent. add the Rice wine and reduce till almost all liquid has evaporated. Add the sausage, cook for approx 1 minute, add the rice, stock, soy sauce and pepper, stir occasionally to prevent sticking (this is sticky rice) until stock is absorbed. Add the walnuts, red pepper, and herbs, stir frequently while cooking for approx 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool at room temperature.

Use half of the stuffing to stuff the turkey and the rest of it bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes .

Barbecue Boneless Pork Ribs Hapa-Chinoise Style

I usually barbecue boneless Pork Ribs in the classic Chinese style Char Siu Pork. I created this recipe because I was too broke to go to the store and I wanted to utilize ingredients I had on hand at home. I had a whole bag of oranges that needed to be eaten and our Rosemary bush was starting to look like a Christmas Tree! The two ingredients are a great combination in the marinade. I cleaned out our pantry to complete the recipe. This dish is Chinese style with a little Pacific Northwest and Hawaiian twist. Unlike the classic Char Siu Pork which is bright red in color, this Pork dish is a vibrant orange color and is bursting with a harmonious blend of contrasting, complex flavors, yet simple and easy to cook. Everyone in my family and our friends loved this dish and all of them told me to write down this recipe! As a professional chef I am accustomed to accolades and standing ovations at work, but never at home! I rarely cook at home and this was one of those rare moments when I felt inspired to cook at home. Sometimes new and great recipes are created out of necessity and poverty. This Barbecue Pork recipe is one of those, made with love and passion.

Barbecue Boneless Pork Ribs

Barbecue Boneless Pork Ribs with Li-hing Five Spice Rub and Hoisin-Orange Glaze

2 1/2 Lbs boneless pork ribs

Marinade:

2 cups Aloha Shoyu (low sodium)

1 cup Shao Tsing (Chinese Rice Wine) you can substitute with Sherry

1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar

2 large Oranges fresh squeeze

5 sprigs fresh Rosemary ( remove from stems)

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1 Tbl fresh Garlic minced

1 Tbl fresh Ginger minced

Combine all marinade ingredients, whip well with wire whip. In a large pan add pork to cover and marinate for 1-2 hours in refrigerator.

Dry Rub:

1/4 cup Li Hing Powder

1/4 cup Chinese Five Spice Powder

1/4 cup Nanami Togarshi (Japanese assorted red pepper)

2 Tbsp Kosher Salt

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

Combine Dry Rub Ingredients set aside.

Hoisin-Orange Glaze:

1/2 cup Hoisin Sauce

2 large Oranges fresh squeeze

zest of 1 Orange

1/4 cup Sweet Chili Sauce

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

Mix glaze ingredients together with wire whip, set aside

Procedure:

1. Marinate Pork for 1-2 hours
2. Remove Pork from marinade, rub all over with dry rub. set on pan with wire rack
3. Place Pork Rib strips on Barbecue Grill (keep heat between 300-400 degrees, if heat is to high the glaze will burn)
4. Brush Pork with glaze after grill marking each side
5. Remove Pork from Grill, brush with more glaze and finish cooking in pre-heated oven at 400 degrees till done.
6. When Pork is done at internal temperature of 165 or higher, remove from oven, rest pork on wire rack to cool down before slicing!
7. Pork will have a vibrant and shiny orange color and should be very tender and easy to slice.

Yield: Serves 6

Serve with Jasmine Rice and Fresh Grilled Vegetables

If I Were A Spice I Would Be Turmeric!

Turmeric is one of my favorite cooking ingredients and I think it matches my personality! It adds a vibrant bright yellow color to food, it has an assertive flavor, it pairs well with other spices and bring out the best flavors in them. Turmeric is in the ginger family and fresh turmeric looks like the ginger’s sexy sister screaming for attention with her bright gold yellow dress and fragrant perfume! The addition of turmeric makes curry look and taste better, brings color to soups and stocks, combined with garlic, ginger, lemongrass, curry, red pepper and sugar creates a symphony of flavor and bright color to a sambal vegetable stir-fry (see recipe). I like to add it to hummus for it’s bright color and flavor enhancement. (see photo of White Bean Bruschetta with Crispy Proscuitto). Turmeric is also used for medicinal purposes and is proven to be good for the heart. Yes, if I were a spice I would want to be turmeric. If turmeric is not a regular part of your diet it should be and it is available in all its forms all year round.

Sambal Vegetable Recipe

Vegetables:
Green Cabbage (shredded)
Carrots (peeled)
Red and Yellow Peppers
Onions
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Eggplant

Sambal Mix:
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp ginger
1 tbsp garlic
2 tsp chili flakes
1 tbsp minced lemongrass
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp turmeric

Directions:
Julienne cut vegetables
mix all sambal ingredients, add oil to coat
stir-fry vegetables
add sambal mix
season with soy sauce and pepper to taste

Curried Chicken Satays with Peanut Sauce

Sambal Vegetables with Chow Mein Noodles. Oyster Sauce Glaze

 

Curried Chicken Satays with Peanut Sauce

Sambal Vegetables with Chow Mein Noodles, Oyster Sauce Glaze

Wok Tea Smoked Chicken

Tea Smoked Five Spice Rubbed Chicken Thighs

This is my signature dish and my favorite recipe for cooking skin-on chicken thighs. This dish is how and why I became a caterer. When I opened Cosmopolitan Catering in Seattle in 1999 Tea Smoked Chicken was my only product the first several months. It is so unique and flavorful, people loved it! You will too with all the smokey, aromatic fragrant spices combined with the sweet glaze. Pictured dish is served with spicy flavor and texture of sambal vegetables and chow mein noodles. The recipe is simple but there are a lot of steps and labor involved. I highly recommend wok cooking for smoking.

This is a unique and original recipe and you will not find this dish at your local Chinese restaurant!

Tea Smoked Five Spiced Chicken

Yield: Serves 8

Smoke Mixture:

2 cups Jasmine tea

1/2 cup Rice (uncooked)

1 cup Wood chips (I use Alder )

1 handful star anise

1 handful cloves

4 cinnamon sticks (break in half)

4 pieces whole nutmeg

1 handful sichuan peppercorn

1/2 cup brown sugar

water as needed

Chicken Marinade:

4 cups low sodium soy sauce ( I use Aloha)

1 cup Shao Tsing Chinese Rice wine

1 cup Rice wine vinegar

1 cup orange juice

2 cups brown sugar

6 star anise

handful cloves

handful sichuan peppercorns

4 cinnamon sticks (break in half)

marinate 8 bone in skin on jumbo chicken thighs overnight or minimum 2 hours

Dry Rub:

1/2 cup Chinese five spice

1/4 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup crushed sichuan peppercorns

Line wok with foil, add smoke mixture and water, cover with wok lid. turn heat on high.

Rub marinated chicken thighs with dry rub and place on wok wire rack to smoke.

This smoke mixture is very aromatic and

I usually smoke the chicken in the wok for 1/2 hour then finish them in the oven with a hoisin-honey glaze

cook to internal temperature of 155 or higher.

Hoisin-Honey Glaze:

1 cup Hoisin sauce

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup Shao Tsing Chinese Rice Wine

1 Tbsp finely minced garlic

1 Tbsp finely minced ginger

Chicken Smoking in wok

Hot Off The Stove: “Real Professional Chef’s are not Game Show Contestant’s!”

Chef Maxient

I don’t normally get on my soap box and rant on this blog, but the un-reality of reality TV game shows has compelled me to comment on the over glorification and misrepresentation of the profession! I have completely lost interest with all Food Network programs and the personalities that they prop up and call chefs!

On The “Next Food Network Star” none of the contestants had professional chef level cooking skills or qualifications to be considered expert’s in the field. They all made amateur and “rookie line cook” mistakes! How can they be on TV to teach America how to cook when they have so much to learn? Where is the next Julia Child? Jaques Pepin? Martin Yan? Last years winner of this program (a housewife) really needs to take Martin Yan’s class on knife skills! I’m surprised she has not cut herself on air! The network prefers personality and relate ability over credibility as long as they can cook a little.

“Chef vs City” I watched 10 minutes of this joke then walked to Redbox to find a decent $1.00 movie. The sell-out restaurant chefs that participate in this farce should be ashamed and embarrassed! Really guy’s think about it, is that why you became a chef? Are you passionate about making a fool of yourself just to be on TV? Is that what you want to be famous for? Your customers go to your restaurants because they saw you  make a fool of yourself on TV? Not me! I’d rather be famous for my food created with passion and love that my customers love and they line up at my door to eat!

“Iron Chef America” Sorry I lost interest in “Iron Chef” when it left Japan when it had a certain Samurai drama to it with Chairman Kaga and giggly J-Girl actress judges! Chef Batalli with his orange shoes, shorts, hair and beard is just not appetizing or sanitary, and BBQ Flay big deal!

“Hell’s Kitchen” makes for great TV drama and laughs, but seriously none of those line cook contestant’s are qualified to be the Chef at the Savoy! It takes experience, maturity and leadership to run a gross brigade! I think Gordon Ramsay is a great chef, one of the best of this era, but declaring an amateur home cook a “Master Chef” because he say’s so? I don’t think so chef! Master chef’s are masters because they paid their dues and because we say so! A few weeks on your un-reality TV show is not culinary school or even an internship! It takes years of hard work and dedication to climb up the ranks and become a Master Chef!

The reality of being a chef is, it is hard work. Long hours, dangerous work conditions with equipment, stoves, ovens, slicers, mixers, knives, gas, heat, heavy lifting, pots, pans, dishes, other people, the stress of the rush, standing on your feet for hours, the responsibility of public health and safety, cleanliness and sanitation, etc. Most chef’s are under paid and under appreciated. The true REAL “Star Chefs” are those people who do this work day in, day out in these conditions because they love it, committed to it and are passionate about food. They take pride in the comments and happy smiling faces of satisfied diners and the art of preparing food. I enjoy watching my crew  of real cooks at work in the real kitchen every day and have turned off the un-reality TV game chefs!

Rice and Lentil Hummus on Pita Crisp

Rice and Lentil Hummus Vita Meal on Pita Crisp with Bacon

We catered a fundraiser for Nuskin Vita Meal and the client requested if it was possible to come up with a recipe using their product “Vita Meal”. It is a Rice & Lentil based product that is packed with vitamins and nutrients. Each package provides 30 meals for one child. Since the event menu was Hors D’oeuvres I decided to make a hummus with pita and bacon bits. This product will also make a good rice cake, burrito and a soup.

The recipe is very simple and similar to a previous post “White Bean Bruschetta with Crispy Prosciutto.” I had a lot of fun doing this and the product was surprisingly good!

Recipe: Rice and Lentil Vita Meal on Pita Crisp with Bacon Bits

Yield: 300

1 package Vita Meal Rice & Lentil

7 Liters boiling hot water

* Cook to package directions

For the Hummus:

3 cups roasted garlic cloves

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Juice of 3 lemons

1/2 cup turmeric

1/2 cup ground cumin

1/4 cup ground coriander

2 tablespoons Cayenne

Kosher Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in food processor until it is a smooth paste.

Pita Wedges:

7″ Pita Rounds cut into 6 wedges

Deep-fry till crispy

3 lbs bacon cook till crispy then finely chop into bits

Presentation:

Using a pastry bag and tube squeeze hummus onto center of pita wedge, garnish with bacon bits and sprinkle fresh thyme or chives

Green Tea Tiramisu with Tropical Fruit

For this “Take It Up A Notch” Tiramisu, I use the basic recipe from my previous post, but use green tea instead of coffee and Shao Tsing instead of rum. I also used Chinese almond cookies and ginger cookies in place of the more traditional lady fingers. This dish is very much Chinese influenced with the use of garnishing with lots of fresh fruit. You can use any combination of fresh seasonal tropical fruits, for this one I used pineapple, honeydew, cantaloupe, mango and lychee. then I sprinkled shredded coconut to finish it off.

Tiramisu Espresso or “Pick Me Up” Quick!

I love Tiramisu, it is one of my favorite desserts. Not only is it delicious it is also quick and easy to make. This home version of the recipe will only take 10 minutes to prepare. At Celebrate Catering it is popular with our customers and the presentation is an elegant show stopper. Great dishes do not have to be complex, and this dessert is a perfect example. August Escoffier once said; “The greatest dishes are very simple dishes.”

This dessert pairs well with morning coffee or after dinner drinks. The literal Italian translation of Tiramisu is “pick me up.” The star of this dish is the creamy rich Mascarpone Cheese, all the other ingredients complement the cheese with contrasting flavors and textures. This is a basic version of Tiramisu, I have made other variations including adding chocolate chips or shredded coconut or using green tea instead of coffee etc. The classic version of this dish calls for a Zabaglione topping but this recipe is the “quickie.”

Tiramisu Recipe (serves 8 persons)

1 pound Mascarpone Cheese (you can substitute a half pound Ricotta Cheese and half pound cream cheese if you can’t find mascarpone at the market)

½ cup granulated sugar

4 oz Rum ( I prefer Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum, but I am a pirate!)

**You can omit the rum and sub with espresso coffee but coffee must be cold!

32 Lady Finger Cookies (can be purchased at Italian or gourmet specialty stores)

1 cup coffee (cold)

Whipped cream

Garnishes: cocoa powder, fresh strawberries

Method:

In a mixer combine the cheese, sugar, and rum until smooth and well-incorporated.

On a serving platter lay 8 lady fingers side by side, lightly brush cookies with cold coffee (do not brush hard or put too much coffee or the cookies will crumble and mush!) Spread mascarpone mixture evenly and smoothly over cookies (like spreading frosting on a cake) Add another layer of 8 cookies and brush with cold coffee, then spread another layer of the mascarpone cheese mixture. Spread any remaining cheese mixture around the outside of the dessert (again like frosting a cake)

Take the remaining 16 lady fingers and cut them in half. Line them side by side around the dessert (like making a fort!) Top the dessert with whipped heavy cream, sprinkle with cocoa powder, and garnish with fresh strawberries!

Baked Salmon Parmesan

Baked Salmon Parmesan

Living in the Pacific Northwest we are blessed with an abundance of fresh regional seafood. Salmon is very popular and I could probably write a cookbook with thousands of recipes about Salmon. This recipe is quick and easy to make. It is a simple, tasty show stopper that is moist and flavorful. This dish was inspired by a sushi chef I met twenty years ago. My wife and I were sitting at our favorite sushi bar working our way thru the menu and I asked him “Do you have a specialty that is not on the menu?” He said yes and on his counter top toaster oven baked a filet of very fresh snapper topped with mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic and ginger wrapped in tin foil. He called it “Dynamite” and it was!

Baked Salmon Parmesan

Serves 8

8 – 6oz Fresh Salmon Filets

Marinade:

2 cups sake or dry white wine

1 cup citrus juice (lemon, lime or yuzu)

Topping:

4 cups mayonnaise

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 cups shredded parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

1 tablespoon togarashi (Japanese red pepper)

kosher salt to taste

garnish fresh finely chopped chives

Method:

Marinate salmon filets in sake/ citrus marinade overnight or minimum 1 hour in refrigerator. It will “Cold Cook” a little but that’s a good thing!

In a mixiing bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, garlic, pepper, salt and mix well.

I use a pastry bag with a star tip to pipe the mixture on top of the fillets. If you dont have a pastry bag you can spoon the topping on top of the salmon and spread around with a spatula.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees convection or 400 degrees conventional.

Lay salmon filets on greased baking sheet pan. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes or until topping is Golden Brown

Garnish with chopped chives

Enjoy!