TASTE
Tasty sides go well with smoked meats
| • | Where there's smoke there's good eats |
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor
Though he attended culinary school, David Izumi doesn't "do" recipes. He works to taste. But during a tutorial on the art of smoking (meats, fish, cheese, nuts, you name it) for the men's group at Hope Chapel Kane'ohe a couple of weeks ago, we were able to "guesstimate" a recipe for a type of salsa, pico de gallo, that he serves to complement smoked meats, especially pork, and fish. And we can give you a rough idea of how he "doctors" baked beans and prepares pecans for smoking (or you could just eat them as is without smoking them). And we'll hint at an appetizer he served to his students.
DAVID'S PICO DE GALLO
Mix all together, taste and correct seasonings. Allow to sit a short time before serving. Refrigerate if holding longer than a half hour.
Makes LOTS. A serving is about 2 tablespoons.
*Izumi doesn't like to chop cilantro and mint because they tend to discolor. Instead, he trims the leaves from the stems and tears them with his hands. They don't need to be too fine.
Izumi makes a version of this salsa with chopped kiwi fruit, but for that one, he uses more mint and less cilantro. He used the kiwi fruit salsa for a pupu made with smoked hard-boiled eggs. He cut the eggs in half, topped them with a smoked cream cheese-imitation crab-Sriracha chili sauce dip and drizzled the kiwi salsa over. Rich, cool, smoky, spicy — those who tasted it said this appetizer had it all going on.
And here's a rough idea of how to make David's Lomi Lomi Beans (how much you make is up to you): Chop bacon and Portuguese sausage fine and saute over medium-high heat in a little vegetable oil with a lot of rough-chopped onion. When the onion is wilted and the bacon and sausage are browned, drain fat and place in large bowl. Add canned baked beans and defrosted lima beans. Add lots of grated cheddar cheese. Add ketchup, mustard (hot dog type), brown sugar, Worcestershire to taste. Mash this all together with your hands. Taste and add whatever seems to be missing. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and heated through.
To prepare pecans for smoking, Izumi melted one stick of butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, added a large (Costco-size) bag of pecans and a couple of handfuls of brown sugar and cooked them until golden. You must stir or flip the contents constantly as they will quickly burn.
For a surimi pupu — Izumi combined smoked cream cheese with mayonnaise and added broken-up imitation crab and lots of minced green onion, the crab and onions having first been sauteed briefly together.
Reach Wanda A. Adams at wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.
