FOOD FOR THOUGHT
North Shore getaway a foodie trip
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor
Instead of visiting a Neighbor Island this year, my husband and I rented a vacation cottage at Malaekahana and spent an entire week during which the loudest sounds were the waves pounding on the beach, the nighttime cries of nesting wedgetail shearwaters and the pages turning as we read book after book.
The couple who own the cottage enjoy cooking and the kitchen was outfitted with everything a foodie could want. Plus there were several feet of cookbooks, which I rifled with pleasure, re-reading James Beard's autobiography, "Delights and Prejudices" and Madeline Kamman's classic, "When French Women Cook." Both are memoirs with recipes, placing each dish in its social and cultural context, a favorite of mine.
We were struck, as we cruised the North Shore, at how much closer we were to the sources of the food we were eating (see item on Page F3 about North Shore produce celebration at Daiei stores).
Homegrown papayas were piled on a tray on the dining table when we arrived. We picked bananas and coconuts on the property. We watched fishermen every day, still catching some of those schooling 'aweoweo. I shopped for eggplant, cucumber and cherry tomatoes at the North Shore Farmers Market (which is endangered, as they may lose their meeting site not far from Sunset Beach). We visited the roadside stands for the inevitable Kahuku corn, and also tasted incredibly sweet pineapple. At a Hale'iwa jewelry shop, of all places, we bought ripe liliko'i to add to other fruit juices for an afternoon refresher. And, of course, we ate shrimp from the Kahuku Shrimp Company aquaculture farms.
Two dishes stand out among those I made during the week:
Potato-corn mash: Cut the kernels from 8 ears of corn. Place kernels and cobs in large pot and pour in enough cream to cover kernels (about 1 1/2 cups); bring to a simmer; cover, turn off heat and steep 30 minutes. Peel and boil 2 pounds Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes. Drain and mash potatoes. Discard cobs; combine creamed corn with potatoes. Stir in a dollop of butter and add salt and pepper to taste.
Pan-fried shrimp a la Madeline Kamman: Purchase 2 pounds live, head-on shrimp; keep on ice on the way home. At home, inspect the shrimp for any impurities but do not wash them; keep them cool. In a dutch oven with a cover, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour in shrimp and stir-fry over medium heat, covered, 3-4 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until shrimp have turned pink. With tongs, pick shrimp out and reserve, covered. To the shrimp butter, add 1 1/2 cups cream and 2 mashed cloves garlic. Simmer cream briskly, reducing by one-third. Return shrimp to cream; heat through and serve.
