Defrosting the Summer in February

In February, I found a bag of frozen grape leaves that I had carefully packaged in the previous summer. I found the leaves along the river in St. Anthony Main Park during a weekend when it was still hot outside in Minneapolis and though I wanted to start making stuffed grape leaves right away, I knew immediately I should spend the nice day outdoors rather than inside; for I'd regret it come winter. That evening, after the sun set, I cut all the stems off the leaves and blanched them. After they were cool to touch, I laid them, one on top of the other, on a flat plate. Then I tucked them into a zip lock bag and shoved them in the freezer, albeit a bit recklessly, until this past Sunday when I gently removed them from the freezer while praying that I didn't damage them from all the fumbling during the last season of eating. After the leaves defrosted, they were miraculously still in tact. Phew.

I got to bring out a few old kitchen friends for this project. I used, but not pictured here, my trusted Pyrex #404 yellow Pyrex bowl for mixing the stuffing and I boiled the stuffed grape leaves in my Caribbean Le Creuset Dutch oven! A new addition to my kitchen last week was an Epicurean cutting board. Did you know that they are responsibly made in Duluth, Minnesota, USA? I rolled my grape leaves on top of this cutting board. The smooth surface made it pretty easy for me to chop my vegetables and use it for rolling.

To protect them from unraveling during the cooking process, I used pieces of potatoes and broken grape leaves (I don't like to waste things around here) to fill in all the nooks. I can't explain the feeling inside of me when I stared into my pot and saw the layers of grape leaves perfectly "tetris'd" together so that they would not budge. You see, this pot had never held grape leaves before. And my kitchen has never witnessed such a rolling event. There were so many things that could have gone wrong, but there they all were...snugly waiting to be enjoyed by us all, well, after another hour of simmering! 

Voila! They did not fall apart! If I never make time to do this again, I can say...once upon a time, I had a pot in my kitchen full of stuffed grape leaves and they were...delicious! I can't believe it took me so long to try making these when I pay so much for them at Middle Eastern restaurants...and dare I say...mine are way better than any grape leaves I've ever eaten! I felt like the luckiest person in the world. Ok, enough self congratulatory comments. But I'll leave you with the trick to this whole thing: all you have to do is forage grape leaves on a beautiful summer day in Minnesota. 

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Stuffed Grape Leaves

40-50 grape leaves, preferably foraged

Stuffing:
1 1/2 cups of rice
6 roma tomatoes (make sure they are still a bit hard)
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup parsley, finely chopped
1TBSP 7 spice
2 tsp salt
1 TBSP pepper
1 1/2 cup of meat, diced (optional)
1 cup olive oil

1 cup lemon juice
1 cup water
1 medium potato, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices to line the bottom of the pan

Mix all the ingredients under stuffing in a Pyrex 404/444 or medium bowl. 

Roll grape leaves. I did this by pointing the stem side towards me and adding about 1 TBSP of stuffing onto the "fatter" part of the leaf. Make an elongated shape (lengthwise/left to right) with the stuffing (think a thin AA battery). I folded the bottom part up, then folded in the slides and rolled it out. You may want to watch a video on this, as I may  not be clearly explaining "how I roll." The thinner the stuffing is, the more layers of grape leaf you can roll around the stuffing and thus the more lemon juice it will soak up and the tastier it will be.

Stack all grape leaves snugly against each other, on top of the layer of potatoes. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. Or you will really regret it, because the heat could break the leaves and you'll end up with a pile of mush as your bottom layer. Keep stacking additional layers. I had 3 layers for mine. Pour in lemon juice and water. When liquid boils, turn down to a simmer and let it be that way for about an hour. After the pot cools, gently remove grape leaves and set into a storage container of your choice,

Blowing Leaves on a Spring Day

A few months ago, I really wanted to buy something Pyrex in Houston. I have the worst luck here. I have only found one other item in a thrift store - the Snowflake Garland #403 Mixing Bowl (and a Dish Water Damaged (DWD) Blue 502 which totally doesn't count) and really wanted something more out of this city. 

Then, one day, while Yelping, I found out about Thompson's Antiques and drove there immediately. I started hunting and zeroing in on anything that resembled Pyrex. Then suddenly something appeared. On the bottom shelf, of a vendor who didn't sell much Pyrex, I saw this odd turquoise colored 024 casserole dish. It has a design with white leaves drifting in the wind. I had never seen it before, and being the novice that I am, turned it around and around with my hands to inspect it more carefully. Nope, never heard of this design or seen it. Maybe it's one of those "promo" items people keep writing about. I even carried it around the store for a few rounds of deep contemplation. Should I buy this? Is it worth it? Do I have too much Pyrex? Finally, it was nearing time to leave. So, I made a split second decision (ok, it wasn't) to adopt this strange Pyrex and give it a home.

Later, I find out this promotional Pyrex pattern is called "Blowing Leaves" and it had fetched over $300 on an eBay auction. I was so happy to know that my gut instinct to purchase this item was so spot on. :) 

I got over my fear of ruining such an expensive and sought after piece of Pyrex and decided to make a salad with it. For now, I'm not going to risk using this piece in the oven!

I made Musakhan to go with this and originally wanted to use one of my oblong Pyrex casseroles to have a complete Pyrex in Action (PIA) dinner, but a simple google search advised against using Pyrex when using the broil function.

What do you make in your 024s? I have one more of these at home that I will write about someday but I think I've only used them for salads.

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I put all the ingredients directly into my Blowing Leaves Pyrex casserole. You should too! Any 024 will do!

Blowing Leaves Salad

2 large roma tomatoes, diced
1 small cucumber, diced
1 avocado, diced
2 cloves garlic, mashed
3 sprigs of green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 of a jalapeno (should be the size of a small pinky), REMOVE the inside seeds!! and diced
1 medium lime
1/2 medium lemon
2 TBSP olive oil, or a bit more according to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all items. Squeeze the lemon and lime into the salad. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

You can't just make a salad without serving it with some food. As one of my brother's friends once said, "You don't make friends with salads!" And it's kinda true. So here's the recipe for the chicken dish I served with the Blowing Leaves Salad. Don't use Pyrex for this next dish because it requires broiling. It's better to use a metal pan when you're exercising that function of your oven! This is the "healthy" version...I tried not to drench it with olive oil though it probably tastes way better the "Palestinian" way. I modified Sawsan's recipe from Chef in Disguise.

Healthy, but tasty Musakhan - Palestinian Sumac Chicken with Sauteed Onions

4 chicken leg quarters

3 medium onions, chopped
1/4 cup sumac, or more according to taste
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/4 cup olive oil

pita bread
salt and pepper to taste

wedges of lemon, optional
chopped parlsey, optional
1/4 cup sauteed slivers of almonds, optional

Preheat oven to 375. Line a metal pan with foil and place the chicken legs on it. Generously add salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat a large pan, add a bit of the oil into the pan and when it heats up, add the onions. After it starts sizzling, add the sumac, rest of the oil and salt and pepper. Cook until translucent about 10-15 minutes depending on how crowded the onion is in your pan.

In a small pan, heat up a bit of olive oil, add 1/4 cup of slivered almonds. When it starts sizzling, turn off the heat. Immediately transfer onto a dish with a paper towel to absorb all the oil. Be careful! Remove almonds here with slotted utensil so that the oil drains before you put it onto the dish.

On a plate, place one whole pita bread, scoop some of the sumac onion mixture onto it. Add a chicken leg and then scoop some more of the sumac onion mixture on it. Squeeze on a splash of lemon juice. For garnishments, add some chopped parlsey and sauteed almond slivers. 

Brother, To Hawaii We Go

I have always wanted to write these stories down for myself. But lately, I find that I do many things for Kate because she's our next generation and I want her to know the story. So Kate inspired the process of capturing these stories. So one day when she can understand, she will know who we are and where we came from.

When I think of my father's journey, I always hear that deep male voice from every movie trailer I've seen. {lightening, scene of an ocean storm and Chinese men swimming} "In a world, where friendships span beyond the land, family ties are challenged and the risk of death is better than the life in front of you...a story of three brothers and their journey to freedom in America." {melodramatic music subsides} No one in Hollywood is going to make this movie anytime soon, Kate.

So this is for you.

In this trailer, there would be flashing images of my grandfather being paraded and ridiculed by the Communist regime for his supposed capitalist beliefs in the late 1950's, when his business was taken away by the government in 1954, my grandmother crying and my Dad at her side promising her they WILL see better days in 1960, stoic but heartbreaking goodbyes as the brothers are separated hundreds of miles apart for the "Down to the Countryside Movement" in 1965 and again in 1968, my father storing his treasured belongings in cookie tin containers with his friends before he sets off for his escape to Hong Kong in 1971, and my uncles and my father serving time in prison for their failed attempts to escape China. All these images float in my head from the countless stories I've heard my father and uncles share at our dinner tables growing up. People ought to know their story.

Last Christmas, I asked my Dad if he was superstitious. I remember watching these old men who are fortune tellers in Hong Kong (and in movies) outside of dusty temples who would shake these sticks with words written on them from their wooden cups. I asked my Dad if he's ever experimented with something this silly. To me, it only seemed like old women would go ask about the fates of their loved ones. Men, and rarely young men, would be into this type of "housewife" thing. "No, but...," started my Dad. He continued with a story about how in 1974 he and Uncle Sam, when they finally reunited in Hong Kong after separate attempted escapes from China, wanted to find out what a fortune teller would say about their chance to go West. Just for fun, like how boys be. My Uncle got a stick that indicated he would have a detour. My Dad got a stick that indicated a twist of fate. They just didn't know how it would play out. Back in 1973, they had started discussions on how they would eventually need to make their way to America. After escaping from China to Hong Kong, they knew that Hong Kong would eventually be returned from Britain to China in 1997. Why did they risk their lives with a seven day hike and five hour swim from from China to Hong Kong if eventually they'd be in the same position? 

They decided that my Dad should try his chances in the Netherlands and Uncle Sam would aim for the U.S. Then they would figure out which place is better and reunite accordingly. But how?

In their late night discussions, my Dad remembered that back in China my grandfather had mentioned an employee in his shop that immigrated to Hawaii. He wrote a letter to my grandmother asking if they were still in contact. Miraculously, my grandmother was able to get an address and my Uncle Sam started corresponding with this family. Uncle Sam wrote that they will not be a financial burden, they just wanted a sponsor to come to the U.S. and then they would be financially independent as soon as possible. He was an ambitious young man and just needed someone to help them make that bridge to the U.S. where he could escape the misfortune of their circumstances. The couple responded and said they would be willing to help. 

This "Uncle" and "Auntie" made several trips to visit us in California when we were growing up. As a child, I always knew that if it wasn't for them, my father would not be in the U.S. In addition to Uncle Sam, they would later sponsor my father. The way my Dad saw it was that they were forever our benefactors. As long as I could remember, each Christmas, he would send them $200 to thank them for the opportunity they gave him. In the 80's this was big bucks for our family of four and my Dad as the sole bread winner. When I was a teenager, my Dad told me that Auntie called one year to tell him to stop. She was going to rip up any future check he sends because my Dad has been doing this for over a decade and he returned whatever he thought he owed them. From this, I've learned that my Dad is the eternal optimist and chooses to remember people for favors they've bestowed and will let me judge later what I think of their character based on other facts that arise. It's really down to what you choose to focus on because really, do we ever get to know the whole story? 

As I grew up, I also grew to know that stories are never this simple. It wasn't poof! Uncle Sam and my Dad got a sponsor and they moved to America, had children and lived happily ever after. Details often get left out when stories are told to children and as we get older we learn to ask more complicated questions that might give us a better understanding of what actually happened.

Uncle Sam would head to Hawaii first in August of 1974. And Uncle Sam's fortune telling? They were spot on. A few days before his flight to the U.S. he got appendicitis and had to reschedule his flight. At the time, he was afraid that the U.S. might change their mind if he didn't head for Hawaii right away so before fully recovering he got on the plane to enter the U.S.

And whenever good things happen to you, envy also follows. A relative of this Uncle and Auntie was annoyed that they sponsored my Uncle instead of their own son. In spite, they wrote a letter to them and said my Uncle and my Dad were with the wrong crowd (they stole money and were criminals) in Hong Kong and should not be trusted. So when he arrived in Hawaii, jetlagged, in recovery and basically broke they told him they couldn't host him for more than a week. Sounds cheesy, but those were dark days for a young man who didn't speak English well and had literally no one in a foreign land. 

When my Dad made it to Hawaii in October of 1974, Uncle Sam made enough money to also buy him a mattress so that my Dad would have something soft to sleep on. My Dad would try to save 25 cents on bus fare by walking miles from place to place in search of a job. It took him two months to finally land a job cleaning for five hours a day at Palama Meat Market.  In the meantime, they subsided on my Uncle's salary and ate at home. They relied on public transportation and one day Uncle Sam didn't come home on time. My Dad's heart felt tight the entire evening worrying about what may have happened to his brother. It turned out that he had taken the wrong bus and ended up at a cemetery. He muttered to himself on his bad luck ("Aiyah!") and prepared to go to bed not realizing that my Dad spent the whole evening wondering if he'd ever see him again when he thought they were finally reunited in America.

And through these rough times in Hawaii, my Dad still has stories of making new friends and setting up a mah jong table at the beach. Locals would come and see what these Chinese boys were doing with this obnoxious game out on the Hawaiian sand. They bought Aloha shirts, hung out at Ala Moana Beach Park, took pictures at Kapiolani Park and tried to fit in. The Uncle and Auntie kept their distance, but slowly started to see that these boys were good boys.

Auntie, Uncle Sam, Uncle and Dad at Kapiolani Park circa 1975.

Dad and a friend at Magic Island circa 1975.

The seasons passed on the island and sometime in 1978, right when my Dad announced he wanted to move to California in search of better economic opportunities, Auntie took my dad aside and showed him the letter that was written to her about my Uncle Sam and my Dad. My Dad shook his head at the result of the words that were written. He understood from their perspective the risk of taking in a stranger but also knew the hardship that it caused him and my Uncle with the only people they knew keeping a distance from them when they needed help the most. When I heard the story, I wanted to shake those mean spirited people in Hong Kong. I was young so I raged - who does this? Why would anyone want to make it so hard for someone for no real reason? And so I learned from a young age, people can suck. ("Diew, right?") So you forgive those who suck, but always remember those who helped you out along the way. No story or person is perfect.

Dad, Auntie, Uncle and friends in Honolulu circa 1975.

So sometimes growing up, when misunderstandings happened between our families, my Dad always chose to stick to the side of his brother. Because no one can take away the bond formed from those moments when all they had were each other in Hawaii. And they didn't do none of that fortune telling stuff ever again either.

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A typical meal from these two brothers in the fall of 1974 because my Uncle Sam worked at a restaurant and could take home the "body" of the Peking Duck after the crispy skin was removed and served to customers with hoisin sauce, slivers of green onions, cucumbers on soft bread (I like to say they are Chinese Tacos!). Each day, he got to bring home two ducks, so my Dad, while looking for work, ate duck for two months. Every day. 

Peking Duck and Yu Choy Hot Pot

1 whole skinned Peking duck, cut into pieces
1 bunch of washed yu choy (you can also use gai lan or other Chinese greens), cut into two inch pieces
splash of oil
salt, pepper and soy sauce to taste

In a medium sized pot, layer the yu choy on the bottom, splash some oil in it and layer the duck on top. Add water until it reaches the top of the yu choy. Boil until done. Add salt, pepper and soy sauce to taste.

Serve this with jasmine rice!

Dreaming in Purple

I love all shades of purple. In clothes, stationary, eye shadow and especially food. My hanai grandmother also shares this same sentiment for purple and every time I travel to her, we never fail to remind each other that we share a favorite color. But really, we share more than that. We both love books, pretty pens, and thrift shopping.

I am connected to my hanai grandparents through my father who immigrated to Hawaii in October of 1974 from Hong Kong. My grandparents, now retired librarians, had taught the English courses that my father attended when he was off work and he remained close to them even when he left for California in April of 1978 for better economic opportunities. They kept in touch by letter correspondence and when I was old enough to write, the responsibility was passed on to me. For more than twenty years, I addressed them as Uncle and Auntie, a term most Hawaiians call the elders whether they're related, but as they moved onto their retirement years - we went with Grandma and Grandpa. So this is the quintessential hanai relationship, one where through fate you become bonded as a family rather than through blood or legal ties. I've always been very fond of my grandma, feeling in many ways, that she's the calmer version of who I'd like to be. She also isn't the type of Asian grandmother, as she declared recently, that asks me questions because she wants to tell everyone else at the retirement home. She asks because we are family.

I came across the Hawaiian sweet potato many years ago while in Hawaii. I first saw it incorporated into a pie when I went to a lunch at my grandparent's retirement home in Hawaii Kai. They had staked out their usual table in the dining area near the lanai (where there's a breeze and enough room to put my grandma's walker) and I had a clear view of the cart rolling out of the kitchen with the soft purple hued pies - all sliced and ready to be served to the residents. 

I still remember seeing the slices of pie being pushed on the cart from table to table and all the seniors being so blasé towards this spectacular color (on a pie!)...but for me...I have since been dreaming of all the different ways I can incorporate purple onto my plate. 

Many years ago, I found frozen ube (Filipino purple sweet yam) at Sun Foods in Brooklyn Center, MN. I had mixed the ube with heavy whipping cream and sugar into a mousse as a cupcake filling. It was a surprise to those who ate it and found the sweet lavender colored cream in the middle!

This week at Central Market in Houston, TX I found Hawaiian sweet potatoes for $1.98 per pound. I have been meaning to make these soft lavender gnocchi (just for a visual treat!), but knew that if I wanted to embark on this journey that I would have to dedicate a whole afternoon to this endeavor and make a huge batch so it's worth my while. So, armed with my verde green Pyrex Cinderlla mixing bowl (#444) and a bit of determination...I finally did it!

I loved seeing the colors of purple change during the entire process - right from when you pierce the sweet potato with a fork till when you sprinkle the final little bit of flour to keep the gnocchi rope from sticking to the surface. Very reminiscent of the Hawaiian sunset. The second sunset that is, as a dear friend of mine put it - the one after the sun actually sets - when you can see the colors of the clouds changing from orange to a medley of pink, blue and purple.

I don't know when I'll be back in Hawaii again to wander around the the farmer's market on Keeaumoku and simultaneously have access to a kitchen with all the right utensils for this kind of project. In the meantime, I'll be day dreaming about the sun and as I head into the heart of the Midwestern winter, I'll defrost some of the gnocchi I hid in the freezer for a quiet evening meal. My way of sneaking the aloha into a cold, but Hawaiian, Minnesota night. 

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Hawaiian Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Butter Sage Sauce

• 2 pounds of Hawaiian Sweet Potato
• 2 TBSP of creamed honey (or a sugar of your choice)
• 8 ounces of ricotta cheese
• 2 1/4 cup of flour (approximate)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

For the Sauce

• 1 stick of butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 6-10 sage leaves, chopped

Line large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork and then set on the baking sheet; bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes. Cut in half and cool. Scrape sweet potato flesh into medium bowl and mash; transfer 3 cups to large bowl. Add ricotta cheese; blend well. Add creamed honey, 2 tsp salt, and nutmeg; mash to blend. Mix in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto floured surface; divide into dough chunks. Form each chunk into a long rope (about 1 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if it sticks to the surface. Cut each rope into one inch pieces. Indent each piece with the twines of a fork. 

Bring large pot of water to boil; add 2 tablespoons salt and return to boil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to clean baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cool completely. 

For the sauce, melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until butter solids are golden brown, stir pan occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add chopped sage and cinnamon (mixture will zizzle). Turn off heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer some sage butter into a pourable container. Add half of gnocchi into the pan. Sauté until gnocchi are heated through, about 6 minutes. Repeat with remaining sage butter and gnocchi.