Two weeks ago, I was snorkeling in blue water and wearing shorts
from morning to sundown. Hawaii was stormy and rainy for the first
four days and then beautiful for four days. What to do in Hawaii
when it rains non-stop?
Two weeks ago, I was snorkeling in blue water and wearing shorts from morning to sundown. Hawaii was stormy and rainy for the first four days and then beautiful for four days. What to do in Hawaii when it rains non-stop?
Watch movies, cook, get pedicures, play games and spend time with our extended family. We had so much time on our hands that our girls played four games of Monopoly – all the way to the end. Eight of us also played a three-hour game of UNO that finally ended at 1 a.m.
Our vacation felt like it started slowly but then the sun came out and we had to fit all the planned activities into four days. Luckily, we were all so tired of staying indoors that we were ready for some action. We hiked, we ran, we got up on water skis, and down into the snorkeling coves, searching for turtles in the water made murky by the heavy storms. It was a four-day burst of hyperactivity, followed by a red-eye flight that put us in Los Angeles at 5 a.m. The girls slept, exhausted, on the benches at Burger King during our two-hour layover. Finally home at 9:45 a.m., I was happy to be here.
You know that question you always ask on vacation? “What if we moved here?” We asked it. Hawaii is warm, moist, lots of beautiful flowers, a relaxed way of life. But then I got home to sunny then foggy, bustling California and felt relieved that the seasons had actually changed. Relieved that I live here where it gets cold, but not too cold. Warm, but only too-warm a couple weeks of the year. Hallelujah for a California winter!
• Sloooooow cooking: Here’s a perfect winter dinner party side dish that doesn’t take a lot of “pot watching.” This layered vegetable dish is from the Farmhouse Cookbook by Susan Hermann Loomis. It can serve as a main vegetarian dish or goes along nicely with a roast or chicken. Make sure to chop the tomatoes well before pouring on top of the vegetables.
Six-Layer Dinner
6 small potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 small onions, peeled and thinly sliced
4 small carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 green bell peppers, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
Several sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon honey
1 can (28 oz.) Italian plum tomatoes, with liquid, finely chopped (or 4 cups fresh tomatoes)
Handful of herbs for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 10×12-inch oval baking dish.
Layer the vegetables in the baking dish, beginning with a layer of potatoes, then following with onions, carrots and green peppers. Sprinkle each layer evenly with salt and pepper, the garlic and herbs. Repeat this process until all the vegetables and herbs are used, ending the layers with the bell pepper.
Mix the honey with the tomatoes and pour over the vegetables. Cover the dish and bake in the center of the oven until the vegetables are tender and have blended together, about 2 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the garnish if desired, and serve.
• Getting ready for a Super Bowl bash? If so, here’s an appetizer idea for you. Of course, these chicken wings could serve as a main dish anytime. The recipe comes from chef Ming Tsai and author Arthur Boehm from the cookbook “Simply Ming.” As with the original, these wings are deep-fried for crispness and served with chilled celery sticks. But instead of blue cheese, Ming puts the wings in a soy-dijon marinade. Try them for a twist.
Soy-Dijon Chicken Wings
1 small head of celery, stem end removed, washed
Canola oil, for frying
2 pounds chicken wings, separated into drumettes and wings (discard the tips)
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 cup Soy-Dijon Marinade (see below)
Fill a medium bowl with water and add ice. Separate the celery head into stalks, trim the ends and leaves, and cut into 4-inch lengths, halving any wide sticks. Add to the bowl and set aside.
Fill an electric fryer with oil to the designated mark and heat to 375°F.
Alternatively, fill a large stockpot one-third full with oil and heat over high heat to 375°F.
Drain and dry the wings well. Working in batches to avoid crowding, if necessary, fry the wings in the oil until brown and crispy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the wings with a flat strainer and transfer them to a large bowl. Add the cheese to the marinade, add the mixture to the wings, and toss well. Serve immediately with the chilled celery.
Soy-Dijon Marinade
Makes 6 cups and lasts 2 weeks, refrigerated
1/4 cup cracked black peppercorns, plus freshly ground black pepper to taste
Kosher salt to taste
1 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups Dijon mustard
1/2 cup naturally brewed soy sauce
8 sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped, or 2 tablespoons dried
1/2 cup minced garlic
2 1/2 cups canola oil
In small, dry sauté pan, heat the peppercorns over medium-high heat, stirring, until the peppercorns are fragrant and just begin to smoke, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium non-reactive bowl and add the salt, wine, mustard, soy sauce, thyme, and garlic. Whisk in the canola oil gradually to emulsify the mixture. Use or store.
• Easy and impressive: If you’re a mushroom fan, try these portabellas on for size. They’re big, so they need to be served with a fork. They would also be great alongside a nice juicy steak. The rye bread imparts extra crispiness. The recipe is an old one from Gourmet Magazine.
Fried Portabella Mushrooms
4 cups fresh rye bread crumbs (from 6 large oval slices of rye with seeds, finely ground in a food processor)
3 large eggs
2 (6 oz.) packages sliced portabella mushrooms or 5 large portabella mushroom caps, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
About 4 cups vegetable oil
Toss crumbs with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl and spread on a large plate.
Lightly beat eggs in a bowl. Dip mushroom slices 3 or 4 at a time into egg, letting excess drip off, then transfer to bread crumbs, pressing mushroom slices into crumbs to help adhere and turning to coat. (Coating will be uneven.) Transfer to a tray.
Heat about 1 inch oil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until it registers 350°F on thermometer. Fry mushrooms in batches of 7 or 8, turning over occasionally, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per batch, returning oil to 350°F between batches. Transfer mushrooms with a slotted spoon as fried to paper towels to drain. Season with salt and serve warm.
Note: Mushrooms can be fried 2 hours ahead and kept, loosely covered with foil, on fresh paper towels at room temperature. Transfer to a large baking sheet, arranging in 1 layer, and reheat in a preheated 350°F oven until warm, 10 to 15 minutes.
Makes about 30 hors d’oeuvres or 10 side dishes.
Tip of the Week:
Next time you make a salad dressing, try adding a teaspoon of Dijon or yellow mustard. It gives the dressing a piquant kick.
Notes from Jenny’s Kitchen
• Don’t baste food during the last 15 minutes of cooking time with a marinade that hasn’t been boiled. Otherwise, the cooking time may be too short to kill any bacteria that was transferred from the raw meat to the marinade. Options: boil the marinade or reserve some of the marinade before food is marinated in it and use it for late basting.
• You can speed-chill bottled drinks, including wine, by completely submerging them in a bucket filled with half ice, half water for 20 minutes. This method is much faster than ice alone because all surfaces of the bottle are touched by the liquid icy cold.
• If you’re watching cholesterol, avoid coconut, palm and palm kernel oil. If you’re in a restaurant, ask what kind of oil they use.
• End notes: “The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next.”
~ Henry Ward Beecher
