12 December

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December 13, 2011

Santa Lucia Leves

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Santa Lucia Leves (St. Lucy Soup)

Santa Lucia Leves

December 13: Feast Day of St. Lucy

Warm up during the winter weather with a saintly soup! On those darker, depressing December days in the northern hemisphere, we like to lighten up with leves (soup) of Santa Lucia.

St. Lucy, whose name means “light” in Latin, was a third-century saint from Sicily, Italy. Legends state that she was tortured to death by having her eyes gouged out and being burned at the stake for her Christian faith. St. Lucy is the patron saint of the blind and those with eye problems, as she gives hope to see the Light and Savior of the World—Jesus!

Santa Lucia Leves is a Hungarian recipe. This soup can be served during the season of Advent and Christmas and on the Feast Day of St. Lucy.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking With the Saints by Ernst Scheugraf)

Ingredients

  • ½ cup rice, uncooked
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter
  • ¼ cup onion, minced
  • 1 cup fully-cooked ham, chopped
  • ½ cup flour

Directions

Boil the rice in salted water until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain the rice-flavored water into a large bowl. Save the rice for another recipe, if desired (see Notes).

Santa Lucia Leves

Mince the onions and chop the ham into tiny pieces. In a large pot, melt the butter over low heat.

Santa Lucia Leves

Saute the onions and ham until shiny. Mix in the flour until smooth. Pour in the rice-flavored water and simmer to thicken. Stir and ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with  parsley flakes (optional). Serve hot with bread or crackers.

Santa Lucia Leves

Notes

  • Use the leftover boiled rice to make Italian-style arancini (recipe is posted on National Rice Month in September). These Sicilian rice balls are normally filled with a tomato or meat sauce, mozzarella cheese and/or peas. But on the Feast Day of St. Lucy, Sicilians celebrate with sweetened rice arancini filled with chocolate.
  • We will feature other recipes and feast day foods for St. Lucy in future blog posts.
 

December 10, 2011

Lager Chicken Wings

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Lager Chicken Wings

 Lager Chicken Wings

December 10: National Lager Day 

Islander’s Uncle Ernie B. loved lager for pau hana time and parties. His particular favorite was Primo beer, one of a few Hawaiian-style lagers made on the islands (a brewery used to be near his house in Aiea, Oahu) with a touch of sugar cane from the local plantations. So he and his other beer buddies were disappointed when Primo was discontinued for a decade.

“Hawaii’s original beer” has an interesting history. The Honolulu Brewing and Malting Company was formed around 1898 and launched the Primo lager brand in 1901. Prohibition during 1920-1933 halted operations. Since then, Hawaiian Brewing Corporation, Schlitz and Stroh brewing companies, respectively, acquired ownership of Primo. In 1997, Stroh stopped manufacturing the beer and, two years, later was bought out by Pabst.

Pabst brought back Primo in 2007. The lager sold in-state is produced on Kauai by Keoki Brewing Company, which was later  acquired by Hawaii Nui (formerly Mehana) Brewing Company. Today, Primo is an iconic beer brand and is a sponsor at surf contests and supporter of Hawaiian culture conservation organizations.

For National Lager Day, we used Primo beer and Hawaiian honey in a marinade to make Lager Chicken Wings. Okole maluna!

Recipe

(Adapted from Food.com)

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken wings
  • 2 cups lager (we used Primo Hawaiian beer)
  • 1 tablespoon honey (we used Big Island Bees brand Macadamia Nut Blossom flavor)
  • pinch of salt (we used Hawaiian black lava salt)
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Soak wooden skewers in water then spear them through the chicken wings. In a bowl, pour the lager. Season with salt.

Lager Chicken Wings

Add the honey, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

Lager Chicken Wings

Grill the chicken wings, basting with a bit of the liquid from the marinade, until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Or broil the chicken in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, basting occasionally with the marinade and turning once, until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken from the grill or broiler onto a platter. Remove the skewers (optional) and serve hot.

Lager Chicken Wings

Notes

  • We halved the recipe above to feed just the two of us. Other chicken pieces (legs, thighs, breasts, etc.) instead of wings may be used with or without skin.
  • The original recipe for Lager Chicken Wings is a bit bland. Seasoning the skewered meat with salt (we use Hawaiian sea salt) and pepper during grilling helps to improve the taste somewhat. Also brushing lightly with soy sauce (we use Aloha Shoyu brand) adds flavor and a brown beer coloring to the chicken.
 

December 9, 2011

Dokeyanas / Pets de Sœurs

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Dokeyanas / Pets de Sœurs

Dokeyanas

December 9: National Pastry Day

Whenever we have leftover pastry or pie dough, Highlander makes “dokeyanas,” a bite-sized snack similar to a cinnamon roll. This family recipe was handed down through generations by Highlander’s maternal grandmother from Canada, according to his sister, Linda R., with whom we celebrated a recent Thanksgiving holiday with her husband Gary and their daughters Nichole and Danielle in Nevada.

“Dokeyanas” are similar to other pastry recipes using leftover pie dough. They may be called “pie crust cookies, swirlies, pinwheels or rugelach” “cinnamon snails, slices, roll-ups or spirals,” “gobblies,” “winky dinks,” roly polys,” “dum dums” or “nun’s farts” (pets de sœurs).  The latter is a French-Canadian creation for Acadian cinnamon rolls.

Despite its many names, “dokeyanas” are a delicious way to use up leftover pastry or pie dough. Thanks to our nieces, Nichole and Danielle, for being the guest chefs of HI Cookery and making “dokeyanas” for our blog post for National Pastry Day.

Recipe

(From Highlander’s Grandmother)

Ingredients

  • Leftover pastry or pie dough
  • Butter or margarine
  • Brown sugar
  • Ground cinnamon

Directions

Sprinkle flour on a clean surface to prevent the leftover pastry or pie dough from sticking. Roll out about ¼ inch thick. Cut into rectangles.

Dokeyanas

Spread butter or margin on the dough, leaving about ½ an inch on all sides. Generously sprinkle brown sugar on top, followed by cinnamon. Dot with butter or margin.

Dokeyanas

Carefully roll up the dough. Score the edge with a knife and moisten with water. Press down to seal the edges.

Dokeyanas

Pinch the ends of the roll and fold over slightly to close. Place the roll(s) on a foil-lined baking pan with edges. Slice them about an inch thick. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Dokeyanas

Remove from the oven. While still hot, use a spatula to move the rolls around the pan so the sides get coated with the melted “syrup” before it hardens. Separate the slices and transfer to a foil-lined plate to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Dokeyanas

Notes

  • In France, nun’s farts (pets de nonne) are made of choux pastry instead of pie dough and are deep fried instead of baked.
  • Pre-made pie crust dough, located in the refrigerator or freezer sections of grocery stores, may be used instead of leftover pastry or pie dough. Highlander’s sister Linda made extra of the latter so that her daughters could demonstrate how to make “dokeyanas” for our blog.
 

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