Pumpkin with Dried Shrimp

Wendell came home the other day with a bag of cut-up kabocha from Costco.  A dish from waaaay back in the day that my mom used to make came to my mind.  It included dried shrimp which is a bit unusual, so I was surprised when I found several recipes online.  I chose the one from What to Cook Today site, mostly because it was the first one. 

It came out wetter than my mom's but ono enough that Wendell said that maybe he'll make it for his team!  Also, my mom's didn't include any meat, but I added ground pork so that it would turn into a main rather than just a side dish.  And I bumped up the amounts stated in the recipe just a skosh 'cause it felt right to do that. 

 

The pumpkin came in a two-bag pack for $9.99.  I used about three-fourths because I couldn't fit it all in the pan. 

   

This is the humongous dried shrimp that I used.  Wendell's friend gave the bag to him awhile back.  I thought he said that it was from Vegas, but not sure now.  Maybe it was from the Big Island.

  

750 grams pumpkin, cubed

2 Tbsp dried shrimp, soaked 10 minutes

1 tsp grated ginger

1 Tbsp cooking oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chicken broth

*ground or thinly sliced meat* if desired

Seasonings:

1 Tbsp sambal oelek (optional)

1 Tbsp oyster sauce 

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

Garnish:

Crispy fried shallots

Instructions:

Peel and cut pumpkin into cubes.  Soak dried shrimp in warm water for about 10 minutes or until softened.

Preheat 1 Tbsp of oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and ginger and stir fry for about 10 seconds.  Add the dried shrimp and stir fry for about 1 minute.  *You can add ground or thinly sliced meat here.*  Add the pumpkin followed by seasonings and continue to stir fry to combine everything.  Add chicken broth and cover with a lid to let it simmer for about 5 minutes or until pumpkins are softened but not mushy.  Adjust seasonings to your taste.

Sprinkle with some fried shallots.

Dd's Ham and Black-eyed Pea Soup

Didi said that when she has time she always likes to make soup to have on hand for lunch or dinner.  Me too, I love it whenever I have extras to freeze for another day.  So handy.

HAM & BLACK EYED PEA SOUP

 

¼ c. dry black-eyed peas

Pinch baking soda

Water as needed

 

1 medium smoked ham hock

Water as needed

½ cup white wine

 

½ small onion, small stew chop

1 medium carrot, small stew chop

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

¼ tsp. tsp. smoked paprika

¼ tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

Pinch crushed red pepper

 

In a deep mixing bowl, cover black eyed peas with water. Stir in baking soda. Allow to sit overnight. After soaking black-eyed peas, drain and rinse well.  Set aside. 

In a large saucepot cover ham hock in a stock pot with enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Add wine and bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer boiling for 1 hour. Add beans onion, carrot, garlic, thyme,  paprika, pepper and red pepper.  Add salt as needed. Bring back to a rapid boil. Allow to cook for 30-40 minutes until ham and beans are cooked through . As needed, cut through ham hock skin and shred ham. 

Serves 2-3.

Pork Tofu

I followed Didi's recipe here, but had to modify it for a pound of pork instead of a quarter pound.  I also used shiitake mushrooms instead of enoki 'cause that's what I had.

Came out winnahs!  I need to go back to Foodland and pick up more of the thin-sliced pork belly again.  I think that was the key.

 

I have to show off the ceramic spouted bowl that I made for this exact purpose!

  

Sorry, but here's the recipe.  I'm too lazy to type it out.

Mapo Tofu on Noodles

I made Mapo Tofu following this recipe and had it on noodles instead of rice.  Ho, it was so ono, I'm thinking I should always have it on noodles from now on. 

 

This is the noodles I used.  Landon got it from Marukai, and it had been in our freezer for awhile.

  

Wendell's Mini Beef Patties

Wendell got this recipe from Chef Chris Cho's site.  It was very moist and so tasty.  It made four logs.  Wendell fried up two of the logs and froze the other two for another day.  I think he'll probably make it for his softball team.  

Wendell tips:  No need to do the flour/egg coating.  Too much humbug and is unnecessary.  Also, instead of 1.4 pounds of ground pork, he used 1 pound.  And he added 1/2 tablespoon of  sugar because Chef Cho's video shows that.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Minced Beef
• 1.4 lb Minced Pork
• 130 grams Onion Finely chopped
• 90 grams Carrots Finely chopped
• 60 grams Scallions Finely chopped
• 650 grams Firm Tofu Squeezed and crumbled, Optional
• 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp Fish Sauce
• 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 tbsp Mirin
• 1.5 tbsp Garlic
• 1/2 tbsp Ginger
• 1/2 tbsp Salt
• 3 pcs Egg
• Flour For coating
• Egg For coating
• Vegetable or Canola Oil For frying

Instructions

• Place mince beef and pork in a bowl and gently fold it to combine.
• Finely chop the scallions, onion, and carrots, then add to the meat.
• Using a cheesecloth, squeeze out excess water from the tofu and crumble it on top of the meat and vegetables.
• Season the patty mixture with soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, mirin, salt, and black pepper. Add the egg on top.
• Mix the meat, vegetables, tofu, egg, and seasonings thoroughly to combine.
• Place the patty mixture on a plastic wrap and roll it to form a log. Twist to seal the ends and shape the mixture.
• Place it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
• Once firm, slice it into into mini patties. Cook what you need and you store the rest for future use.
• Prepare scrambled eggs and flour on separate plates.
• Place pan on medium heat and add a bit of oil, coat the patties with flour then egg, then fry for 2 minutes on each side or until it’s golden brown.
• Serve hot and enjoy.

Wendell's Easy Air-Fryer Pork Belly

This used basically only five ingredients, and according to Wendell was so fast and easy to make.  And it was delicious.

I can't credit the source 'cause Wendell doesn't remember other than he probably saw it on Facebook.

   

Dd's Roast Pork

Didi's photo doesn't show the gravy which she provided the recipe for, but it sure sounds good with the balsamic vinegar!

ROAST PORK

 

3 # pork butt or boneless shoulder, cut in half

2 TB Dd’s Season All* (3/4 TB kosher salt, ½ tsp. black pepper, ¼ tsp. alae salt, ¼ tsp. garlic salt, ½ tsp. Italian seasoning)

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. onion powder

1 medium onion, quartered

1 stalk celery, 1-inch pieces

1 medium carrot, 1-inch pieces

1 c water

Cremini Mushroom Gravy:

2 TB pan drippings

1 medium onion , thinly sliced

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

4 TB butter

4 TB flour

2 c beef broth

1 tsp balsamic vinegar 

additional pan drippings

salt, freshly cracked black pepper

 

Pork: Keep pork at room temperature for 1 hour before roasting. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Trim any fat (keeping in large piece(s); reserve. 

In large baking dish place vegetables. Place pork and trimmed fat onto vegetables; generously season pork on all sides. Add water into pan. Roast 2 hours. Remove roast; cover with foil to keep warm.  Serves 4.

Gravy: Carefully skim 2 TB of oil from top of pan drippings and place in skillet. Discard remaining oil (place in refrigerator to solidify before discarding). Over medium heat sauté onions in skillet. Add butter; sauté mushrooms until golden. Stir in flour, cook 2-3 minutes, stirring continually. Stir in beef broth, vinegar, any remaining drippings from roast. Season with salt and pepper.  Whisk continually until gravy is thickened.  Cover; simmer 5-10 minutes. Add additional water to bring to desired consistency. 

Makes 2 ½ cups.

Wendell's Filipino Grilled Pork Belly

Wendell followed a Foodland five-ingredient recipe to make this.  He made it for his softball team and we got the leftovers.  It was yummy.

 

• 1 pound Pork belly
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Minced garlic
• 1/2 cup Brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Shoyu
• 1/2 cup Banana ketchup (or regular ketchup)
• 1 tablespoon Oil (any neutral oil)

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Cut pork belly into 1/2inch strips. In a large bowl, combine pork belly, salt, pepper, garlic, sugar, and shoyu. Mix well.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to marinate overnight or for at least 1hour.
• Once the pork belly has finished marinating, in a small bowl, mix ketchup and oil. Reserve for basting.
• Preheat grill to med-high heat.
• Once grill is ready, place pork belly down and cook for 6-8 minutes on each side, basting the top of the poke belly after flipping it over.
• Cook until internal temperature reaches 165°F or desired doneness.

Wendell's Pork Tenderloin

This was called No-Fuss Tenderloin in the past Crave section in the Star Advertiser.  Wendell made it for a class get-together and for his team.  We got the left overs. 

I actually got to try the first slice, and it was super tender and very tasty.  

The interesting thing about this recipe is that you bake the pork for only 5 minutes at 500 degrees.  You then turn off the heat and leave it in the oven for another 30 minutes!!

(Patty, your balsamic vinegar came in handy again!)

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)

• 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

• 2 tablespoons seasoning salt

• Optional: minced parsley, as garnish

Directions:

In a container or plastic bag, place the pork with the oil, vinegar and seasoning salt and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or even overnight. Take the pork out of the refrigerator on a foil-lined pan and let it get to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Heat your oven to 500 degrees. When it reaches temperature, place the pan in the middle of your oven for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, but do not open the door for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and check the temperature of the meat with a thermometer. It should be between 145-160 degrees. Let rest 5 minutes.

Slice into 1/2-inch rounds and serve. Drizzle any liquid from pan over the meat. Garnish with minced parsley. Makes about 2-3 servings as a main dish.

Dd's Stuffed Italian Meatloaf

The stuffing is mozzarella cheese!  Uuuuu!

STUFFED ITALIAN MEATLOAF

 

½# Italian sausage, casing removed, crumbled

¼ c. breadcrumbs, oatmeal or panko

¼ c. milk

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 large egg

3 TB marinara sauce

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ pkg. onion soup mix

½ tsp. Italian seasoning

¼ tsp. dried basil

Dash tabasco

½ # ground beef

Stuffing:  ½ c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

 

Optional:  Additional 3 TB marinara sauce for topping

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients well. Allow to sit 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer half of mixture into a 9-inch loaf pan or shape as desired onto baking dish. Sprinkle cheese in center of meatloaf. Top with remaining mixture. Optional to top with additional marinara sauce. 

Bake 40 minutes. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Wendell's Dynamite Kim Chee Shrimp and Lup Cheong

This is a Foodland recipe.  Wendell chose to use aburage pouches instead of mushrooms to stuff.  He made it for his softball team.  It was a hit!

• 1 pound Crimini or Button mushrooms
• 3 ounces Lup cheong sausage
• 1/4 pound Kim Chee Shrimp Poke
• 1/2 cup Sriracha mayo
• 1/4 Yellow onion
• Salt & pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Remove stems from mushrooms and bake bottom up for 15 minutes. This will render water content to ensure filling consistency. Gently drain mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and let cool.
• Finely dice Lup Cheong and sauté. Let cool.
• Mince Kim Chee Shrimp Poke and finely dice onions.
• In a bowl, combine Kim Chee Shrimp, onions, lup cheong and sriracha mayo and mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Fill the mushrooms with filling and bake for another 10 minutes.
• Broil for 4 minutes and serve.
  
  

Cleta's Stuffed Bell Peppers

This recipe looks pretty easy.  Maybe even I can make it.

Easy Baked Spaghetti

I was craving pasta so I made this fast-kine baked spaghetti the other night.  I followed the recipe from the Salt & Lavender site. 

I used a tube-shaped pasta instead of spaghetti and Italian sausage instead of ground beef.  Also, my bottle of marinara sauce was around 1 cup shy, but still came out okay.

Ingredients

• 1 pound uncooked spaghetti
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups marinara sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella 
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
• Boil a salted pot of water for the pasta. Cook it for 2 minutes less than the package directions indicate. Once it's done, drain it and add it to a 9x13 casserole/baking dish.
• Meanwhile, add the beef, onion, oregano, and red pepper flakes to a skillet. There should be enough fat released by the beef to cook the onion, but if it's particularly lean, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat has browned/cooked through (about 10 minutes). If there's a lot of excess fat, spoon most of it out.
• To the skillet, stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute, then add in the marinara sauce and cook for a few more minutes until it's warmed through. I stir in some salt & pepper as well.
• Pour the beef mixture over top of the spaghetti. Toss until everything is coated. Smooth it out into an even layer.
• Top with the cheeses and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese if you want (watch it carefully). Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then serve by cutting it into squares using a spatula.

My Squash with Pork

Cleta gave us some hyotan squash which her husband grew.  I looked at several recipes online and came up with a filipino-ish dish.  The addition of egg is unconventional, but my mom used to add egg to her squash dishes and that was my favorite part.

 

I used this meat from Palama Market.  

Brown in oil:

1/2 onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

Add:

1 finger ginger smashed with back of knife

1 tomato, sliced

2 tablespoons patis

2 cups chicken broth

Add:

1 medium squash, sliced

Cover and simmer until squash is almost cooked, then pour in 3 or 4 beaten eggs.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Layered Tonkatsu

This is my try at making tonkatsu like Nana Ai Katsu.  

Thanks to pal Linda for the idea and tip from my sister Didi about freezing, it came out good!

 

I bought shabu shabu pork and shabu shabu belly from Palama Market.  And BTW, did you know that the front part of the meat display case at the Makaloa branch lifts up so that you can get the meats yourself?  I didn't know that!  I'd been asking for help all this time.

 

I layered the meat 1 pork/3 belly/1 pork/3 belly/1 pork and made 5 cutlets.

  

I then breaded like I did for my chicken katsu and put them in the freezer.  See the chicken katsu instructions here.

   

The next day I fried them straight outa the freezer.

 

Dd's Pan-Seared Pork Chop

 Didi says that this is a keeper and is probably great for chicken or fish too.

PAN-SEARED PORK CHOP

 

4 pork loin chops, fat trimmed

1/3 c. flour, as needed

Rub:

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

1 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. ginger powder

½ tsp. dry mustard

 

In a small mixing bowl combine rub ingredients. Sprinkle onto pork chops.  Add flour to remaining rub mixture. Dredge pork chops in mixture. 

In a skillet over medium heat brown pork chops in oil. Turn pork chops as needed to prevent over browning (you will need to do this several times, due to the addition of brown sugar in the rub….worth the trouble). 

Serves 2-4.