Stuffed dishes are standouts at onion fest

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

Stuffing won the day at the recent Whalers Village Maui Onion Festival in Ka'anapali, with two different stuffed dishes winning first place.

One thing I noticed in judging the competition: Those old-fashioned recipes often are standouts. Bill Fehrs of Maui did an old-fashioned dilled cucumber and onion salad with sour-cream dressing that was wonderfully refreshing (it's all in how thin you slice the vegetables), and perennial contestant Jack Campbell of Kula made a Kula Kasserole that was a stepped-up version of that old artichoke dip or spread, the one with cream cheese, mayo and parmesan plus artichoke hearts; this was a thick, sliceable dish and very tasty.

Campbell had the line of the day on Saturday when he was asked if he was a professional chef. "No," he said. "I'm just a fooder." Fooder, hmmm, how much more serious that sounds than foodie. A farmer farms, a gardener gardens, a fooder does food — searches out ingredients, experiments with recipes, cooks for others. A foodie is, by comparison, a dabbler, a dilettante, a watcher.

Suzzette Metcalfe, a chef at the Rusty Harpoon, prepared a rich entree of stuffed onions served on a bed of taro and potato mash with a mushroom garnish. Metcalfe made her own kalua pork and used the braising liquid in the recipe. You can substitute stock or broth; start with 4 cups broth or stock and reduce to 2 3/4 cup. In grand style, she also used foie gras in the stuffing and truffle oil in the taro puree, but you can do without if these additions seem too costly.

Be sure to taste frequently and correct seasonings, especially if you aren't using pork stock, foie gras or truffle oil.

Sweet Glazed Maui Onions Stuffed with Kalua Pork

• 4 large Maui onions
• 2 3/4 cup red wine
• 2 3/4 cup braising liquid from kalua pork (or chicken or beef stock)
• 3 cups kalua pork
• Olive oil
• 4 ounces foie gras, roughly chopped
• 1 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh sweet basil, shredded or julienned
• Salt and pepper

For the taro puree:

• 1 large taro root, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 large potato, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Truffle oil (optional)
• For the mushroom garnish:
• Olive oil
• 3/4 pound assorted wild mushrooms
• 1 chopped garlic clove
• 1/2 cup shredded basil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Peel the out layer from the onions.

In a large pan, bring the pork juice (or broth) and red wine to a simmer. Add onions and poach gently until soft. Remove onions from pan, reserving liquid.

Carefully, going in from the top, pull out the hearts of the onions, leaving a thick exterior shell to hold the stuffing. Set aside.

Minced the onion hearts. Mince the kalua pork. Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a pan and saute the pork, onion, foie gras, shallots, garlic and basil for a few minutes; season as desired with salt and pepper. Carefully stuff the onions with this mixture.

Place the onions in a roasting pan, pour the reserved cooking liquid around the onions and roast for 30-40 minutes, basting regularly until onions are glazed or golden brown.

For the taro root puree: Place the taro and potato in a pan with garlic and milk to cover. Simmer until soft. Pour off three-quarters of the milk. Add butter and puree in blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, taste, and keep warm.

For the mushrooms: Warm a little olive oil in a saute pan and saute mixed mushrooms with garlic and basil until golden and fragrant.

To serve: Spoon taro root puree onto plate, place onion in center and scatter with mushrooms.

Rowena Felice, whose family owns Cafe Sauvage in Lahaina, made these delicious crunchy appetizers and served them in cones of pretty patterned wrapping paper. They netted her a first place in the amateur category (she's not a chef at the restaurant, though perhaps she had a little help.) The construction of these babies is a little tricky: You have to cut the onions across the grain into rings about 1 1/2 inch thick. The outer rings are minced for the filling, and the smaller inner rings are stuffed and then battered and fried. If you like the dipping sauce very spicy, use a fresh, minced chili instead of red pepper flakes; if you prefer it milder, cut back on the pepper flakes. Taste the sauce; you may wish to add a trifle more pineapple juice or even a little sugar to balance the hot and sweet.

Maui Onion Poppers

• 2 large Maui onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
• 1/4 cup onion powder
• 1 1/2 cups panko
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• For dipping sauce:
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped pineapple
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon crushed pepper flakes (optional)

Slice onions into thick rings. Separate rings. Take large, outer rings of onion and finely chop, about 1/2 cup. Mix finely chopped onions, garlic, macadamia nuts, onion powder, 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of butter. The stuffing should be somewhat stiff and able to hold together.

Stuff mixture into smaller, inner onion rings. Whisk egg in shallow bowl. Spread remaining panko on a plate. Dip stuffed onion rings into egg and roll into crumbs.

Deep-fry at 350 degrees until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve while piping hot.

Dipping Sauce: Whisk sauce ingredients together. Serve with poppers.

Metcalfe and Felice will appear on the Hawai'i's Kitchen TV program with host Brickwood Galuteria.

Winners, in order, in the festival: Professional entree: Suzzette Metcalfe, Greg "Bonz" Heath, Castaway Cafe; Keith Endo, Sansei Kapalua. Professional pupu or dessert: Christian Jorgensen, Westin Maui; Tom Selman, Sansei Kihei; Jaime Ramirez, Maui Marriott. Amateur Entree: Veronica Pietsch, Jack Campbell, Eileen Comeaux. Amateur pupu: Rowena Felice, Jack Campbell, Bill Fehrs.