Mutual Publishing has two new little cookbooks out this month, “Hawai‘i Cooks with Coconut” and “Hawai‘i Does Desserts.”
“Coconuts have played an essential role in the culinary and cultural history of Hawai‘i and across many other Pacific Islands. The niu, coconut palm, was one of the canoe plants that Polynesian voyagers brought with them to Hawai‘i. Hawaiian used all parts of the trees. Coconut water, milk, meat, and oil were used for sustenance, while the husks and shells had functional uses such as fuel, craft-making, and storage.”
When I think of coconut, coconut milk comes to my mind as it is essential for many desserts that I make. However, coconut milk and cream are ingredients in making soups, to flavor rice, and in main dishes such as chicken satay and squid lu’au.
My friend Albert Jeyte, created this soup when he was the owner/chef at Kilauea Lodge. The cooler weather of Volcano made his soups extra special.
Coconut Cream
of Celery Soup
Serves 8 to 10
10 cups chicken broth
3 pounds celery stalks, cubed
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup coconut syrup
1-1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
Garnish:
Parsley, finely chopped
Pour the chicken broth into a large (at least 4 quart) pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Puree the chopped celery and potatoes in a food processor until very fine. Add the puree to the boiling chicken broth with a whip for 2 minutes. Add the milk and heavy cream, the coconut syrup, and stir to mix. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Add the celery salt, white pepper, and stir. Cover and let the soup simmer for 40 minutes. Stir frequently.
Remove the pot from the stove. Ladle the soup, bit by bit, into a fine sieve. After the soup has been sieved, discard the residue left in the sieve.
Cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces and add it to the hot cream of celery soup. Whisk the soup until the butter is dissolved.
This is an interesting way of combining Hawaiian and Italian dishes together:
Kalua Lu‘au Rolls
with Haupia Bechamel
Serves 4
2 packages frozen taro leaves (lu‘au) or spinach
8 lasagna noodles, prepared according to directions on box
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
2 (12 ounce) cans of coconut milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 container kalua pork or 1 pound homemade kalua pork
1/4 cup milk
Empty lu‘au leaves into a sieve and squeeze out all of the excess liquid. Set aside. Prepare lasagna noodles. Once cooked, set aside.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Once the butter is melted, add the flour slowly, whisking constantly. Cook the flour for about one minute. Slowly add the coconut milk, whisking constantly to maintain a smooth consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. Set bechamel sauce aside.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Divide lu‘au leaves into 8 equal portions. Take a piece of lasagna noodle and spread the lu‘au leaf across 3/4 of the length of the pasta. Take kalua pork and spread across 3/4 of the length of the pasta. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the bechamel over the taro leaves and kalua pork and roll. Carefully place rolled lasagna into a shallow 8 X 8 inch glass or ceramic baking pan. Continue until all 8 rolls are complete. Take remaining bechamel sauce and thin it out with milk; pour over the lasagna rolls. Bake cover for 20 to 25 minutes.
Another dish that is cross between arroz caldo (Filipino congee) and dirty rice, a Cajun classic is evident in this dish:
Arroz Valenciana (Paella)
Serves 4 to 6
1 cup uncooked Thai jasmine rice
1/2 cup short grain rice
Water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, cut into chunks
4 chicken thighs, cut into quarters
1 Portuguese sausage, sliced
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 tablespoon patis (Filipino fish sauce)
1 teaspoon safflower, toasted and crushed*
2 potatoes, cut into big chunks
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 sweet red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1/3 cup raisins
2 cups chopped raw shrimp
1/3 cup frozen peas
Soak the rice in water to cover for an hour. Drain well. Set side.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Heat a saute pan and add olive oil. Saute garlic until light brown, then add onions, cook until onions are translucent. Add the chicken and sausage, stir and cook for 10 minutes. Add the rice, tomato puree and patis; stir well and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Add safflower, potatoes, chicken stock, and coconut milk; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in sweet peppers and raisins.
Transfer to an oven-proof dish. Set this dish into a larger pan and add water to reach halfway up the sides of the dish. Cover both pans tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, remove from the oven, stir and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, add shrimp and peas; cover and let sit for 10 to 12 minutes, allowing the heat of the rice to finish cooking the shrimp and peas.
*Safflower is available on Amazon.
I will feature the ‘Hawai‘i Does Desserts’ cookbook next week.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.
