FoodTrek: Wasabi Woodinville Wine Woman at DeLille Cellars

I felt like a Pemco Northwest Profile character this weekend, wine tasting around Woodinville with Auntie S. visiting from Northern California. Sadly, she missed out on the Big Finish, having to fly back on Sunday, but Mr. Wasabi and I were lucky to be invited to DeLILLE Cellars' Spring Barrel Tasting on April 25th, aka, the birthing day of Wasabimus Prime. The day was blessed with lovely wines, delicious eats care of Skillet Street Food, live music, and an amazingly sunny day. Walla Walla Wine Wine Woman Woman, we salute you!

Wearing the Northwest Profile badge of honor proudly at DeLILLE Cellars - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I think the first thing people say when they come to DeLILLE is, Ye gods, how did I ever miss this place - it's freakin' amazing! Well, maybe they don't say exactly that, but you get the idea. The main DeLILLE Cellars' Chateau is along Route 202/Woodinville Redmond Road NE, nestled atop a woodsy picturesque hill, and they have a new tasting room at the nearby Carriage House, which recently opened last fall and makes their wines available to the public for tasting. For DeLILLE events, the Chateau is used and it's a beautiful space. For their seasonal releases, they have tasting bars inside and out, and for this perfect spring day, they had tables set up under a tent where a live band played, people sat on the sunny steps or found a shady spot by a little fish pond. It's such a pretty location -- I sometimes want to keep it to myself and not tell anyone, so that it stays a little hidden Northwest gem, but it's just too lovely a location, the wines are tasty, and let's face it -- I stink at keeping a secret. So consider this the wine-soaked cat being let out of the bag. And stumbling.

The most-awesome silver bullet of Skillet Street Food (bacon jam love!) was there to provide guests with picnic-friendly pulled pork sandwiches with a tangy apple slaw on a grilled bun and crispy fries, or a vegetarian spring risotto. It was too nice not to eat outside, so we grabbed a spot on a park bench by a little fish pond, sat our glasses on a wine barrel, and had our meal al fresco, with a glass of vino. If I wasn't totally om-nomming to my heart's content, it would have been a lovely photo, so just take my Wasabi Word for it.

Skillet Street, live music, tasty wine - spring is HERE! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I was lucky to chat with winemaker Chris Peterson for a bit, and he explained the process behind DeLILLE wines.Working with a profile of elegant, refined and classic tastes, they produce the Bordeaux styles that include their Chaleur Estate (red and white), and their very popular D2 full of Merlot flavor, as well as their Doyenne wines that include a Rhone-styled Syrah and their Aix, a Provence-style red that was sampled at the event. Their Chaleur Estate blends are their flagship wines, and both their Blanc and Rouge were available for tasting -- I personally enjoyed the 2008 Chaleur Estate Blanc, which had a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes. It had a dry sweetness that made it very enjoyable on its own, but could easily be paired with a fresh spring salad. One of the popular favorites has always been the D2, with a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot grapes, giving it a really rich flavor that Chris aptly described as, "voluptuous," and "silky on the palette" -- this is exactly why people love this wine with such a great mouth feel, and why it's been a favorite. And this is also why we have a bottle sitting in our humble little wine collection at home.

The DeLILLE wines represent a harmony of tastes with careful attention to the combination of grapes and the knowledgeable palettes of experts to classify flavors to match their time-tested wines. Each wine truly has its own profile, like a character in a book, and winemakers like Chris Peterson are given the opportunity to sort the flavors of the many vineyards to ensure the personalities of each wine comes through. I asked about DeLILLE's sustainable practices, and along with working towards LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) certification, they do other practices outside of typical certification like encouraging biodiversity in the plants and animals who can naturally prevent imbalances and keep pests under control, as well as "soft" farming techniques that encourage the use of environmentally friendly pesticides, like organic-certified oils. At the end of the day, responsible and careful practices in both growing the grapes and making wine is mutually beneficial to both the quality of the wine and the soil and plants that produce its rare flavor.

The tasting events at DeLILLE are fun. It's as simple as that. They have seasonal release events from February thru August, so head to their Events page to see when the next one is. Even in the dead of winter, they'll hold toasty-warm release events and you feel lucky to be living in the Pacific Northwest, sipping wine and just enjoying life. Granted, maybe it was the birthday-high of getting old(er), but this made for a super-duper spring day -- and to top it all off, we saw Mr. and Mrs. Salty Seattle at the event as well! I love foodie blogger Salty Seattle to bits -- she's such a doll and she was so sweet to leave me a Happy Birthday singing message on my phone when I had to go home and rest like an ol' lady because of a pulled back muscle. Yes, getting old kinda stinks, but a day of wine, song, and pulled pork sammiches make for a pretty nice day.

Sshhh... it's the best-kept Pac NW secret! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Wasabi Cheers to DeLILLE Cellars for the invitation to enjoy this event in the lovely springtime sun, as well as to Chris Peterson for letting me bend his hear for a bit to chat wine and the love of grapes.

UnRecipe: Fried Rice is Nice

Like most grand schemes, this one came together late one night after a couple of vodkas on the rocks while staring blankly into my parents' refrigerator. What, you think Steve Jobs doesn't do this, pondering the mysteries of the refrigerator light? My mother always cooks a couple of dishes for the week and gets a take-out lunch once or twice, so the refrigerator is always filled with leftovers of varying portions and provenance. My dad is hell-bent on never letting a single bite of food go to waste, so there are plates with little bits of things on every shelf of the fridge. Granted, the concept of Hawaii-style fried rice isn't new, but it was a direct result of a long stare into their refrigerator abyss.

Hawaii-style Fried Rice, as Conceptualized via Vodka Goggles - Photo by Wasabi Prime

A single slice of Spam, one kalbi rib, a few slices of char-siu, random bits from a take-out bento, and cold rice. The brain cells not yet euthanized from the night's cocktails managed to fire off the notion to make fried rice out of all the random stuff. Staying at my parents' house, I hadn't cooked in a few days, was feeling antsy, so I set my mind to get cookin'. I love cold rice for no other reason that this is the only useful way to take advantage of it. It will never be resurrected to the perfect, gluten-sticky consistency of it being freshly scooped from the rice cooker, and the benefit of the fridge-stale chill is that it gives the fried rice a good toothy bite. The next time you have that lone take-out box of white rice from the Chinese restaurant the night before, chop up whatever leftovers you have in the fridge, add a scrambled egg, some soy sauce, and mix with the rice -- you'll never want to order fried rice from a restaurant again because you'll realize how ridiculously simple (and cheap) it is.

Leftovers get all Voltron and form a single robo-meal of deliciousness - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I don't often get to cook for my parents, much less my mom. When I stay with family, she always insists on doing everything because, well, it's Mom. That's what they do and that's why Moms are the best. Plus, it was a nice thing to not only cook something for my dad, but to see that he enjoyed it. He has particular tastes, he likes what he likes, and while he knows I do this "cooking internet thing," I don't think he fully realized that I can indeed put a meal together without setting the house on fire or causing global nuclear meltdown. Way to go, Wasabi! Or who knows, maybe he was just being kind and thought the fried rice sucked. But again, it's our parents -- we can never truly disappoint them when they see we've made an effort. Even if it meant getting drunk and rummaging through the fridge.

Making fried rice, plus pink fish cakes that clearly live in a Barbie World - Photos by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Beans, Beans the Musical Fruit

Oh, come on, like you've never heard that song before -- just like no one's ever pressured you to pull their finger. Admit it, you laugh every time because at heart, all our senses of humor are still languishing in grade school and most likely throwing spitballs at one another. Beans truly are the musical fruit and you will toot-toot-toot aplenty after you've had a bowl or three of tasty Portuguese Bean Soup.

Portuguese Bean Soup for the Soul - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Portuguese bean soup is like chicken soup for Hawaii -- every recipe is different, but it's one of those dishes that everyone knows how to make. Hawaii was like the Ellis Island for the West Coast back in the day, so there's a variety of different food cultures that were assimilated into island cuisine. The Portuguese played a big part in a lot of the common foods, in both sweet and savory offerings. This soup is basically a tomato-based broth that slowly cooks down root vegetables, linguica sausage, a ham bone or hock of some sort, and yes of course, beans. Chunks of cabbage are also added towards the end to wilt in the thickened soup, as if the lentils weren't enough to get the body singing a little tune.

Inexpensive cuts of meat and common root vegetables -- this soup is a poor man's meal, but rich with flavor and familiarity. My mother cooked up a big pot of it during my visit, but weeks before I saw them, I cooked up a batch on my own. I used a ham bone I had been saving in the freezer from the holidays, threw in all the leftover root vegetables that were sitting in the crisper, and substituted Swiss chard for cabbage. Granted, it never tastes the same or as good as what Mom makes, but the slow cooker made quick work of it and like all soups and stews, the flavors continued to develop in the leftovers.

On cold, blustery Northwest days, this is the best thing to tuck into to shake off the chill. My parents love to have this soup on one of their brisk sixty-degree days of island living. Which to that, I throw on another pair of wool socks, wrap a blanket around my shoulders already covered in three layers of clothing, and wonder how the heck sixty degrees could be considered "cold."

The Prime's Version of Portuguese Bean Soup - Photos by Wasabi Prime

FoodTrek: CupcakeCamp is Better Than Summer Camp

This one time, at CupcakeCamp Seattle… I had enough sugar to start levitating after sampling all the sweet offerings of the Seattle area cupcakeries. On April 10th, Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood became sprinkled in sugar, frosting and even a bit of bacon at the first CupcakeCamp Seattle event, held at the new 415 Westlake event hall. Over a dozen boutique cupcake shops, along with cupcake-baking enthusiasts, came together to donate their talents and sugar-whipped sweets for a fundraiser to benefit the Hope Heart Institute, a local foundation committed towards furthering research and treatment of heart disease. Apologies for not posting this sooner, but I feel like I only recently awoke from the Rip Van Winkle sugar coma that it left me stuck in for over a week.

It's like Best in Show, but with cupcakes - Photo by Wasabi Prime

The original CupcakeCamp was started in San Francisco in 2009, a grassroots effort to promote the benefits of free community events with the added plus of eating cupcakes. Set up like a giant potluck, the original idea was to have all attendees bring cupcakes of their own and share them all at the event. I imagine it to be like a holiday cookie exchange, but multiplied several times over and spared the indignity of an ugly sweater party. These CupcakeCamp events are worldwide, ranging from New Zealand to Amsterdam, and the events themselves range from small get-togethers, to functions as large as the Seattle CupcakeCamp, which had the additional benefit of it being a fundraiser. The expectation of a neighborhood potluck of baked goods turned into a packed event space, with a line forming out the door to get in. Hundreds of people arrived to sample flavors from Bella Cupcake Couture (also the event organizers) and favorites like Trophy Cupcakes, Wink Cupcakes, Cupcake Royale, Bella Bella, and New York Cupcakes, along with new bakers on the block like Pinka Bella Cupcakes and the allergy-friendly Radical Cupcake. After a while, it starts to sound a bit like when the Smurfs used to talk, except that very other word is “cupcake.”

There was a contest open for bakers to submit their offerings into categories like Best Seattle Decorated, Most Unique Ingredients, and Healthiest Cupcake. The judging table near the entrance was filled with elegant and uniquely-decorated works of edible art, but of course the crowds were making a steady beeline towards the Epic Buffet of Cupcakery in the main reception area. The mass of sugar fiends were split into two lines by the center table that was literally blanketed with every possible combination of sweet indulgence. I think if they do this again, maybe lining the outer walls with the cupcakes instead of a single, focused table will help with the crowd traffic. Seriously, the line was cupcake-cah-razy at this thing. We only stayed for a short time because it was so packed with people.

A "Killer' cupcake, confectionary fashion, and the sugar-buzzed masses - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The best way to describe it was like the scenes in the Harry Potter movies, in the Hogwarts great hall where an abundance of food is mystically laid out before the young wizards. In this case, it really did feel like magic, as new platters and boxes of cupcakes would literally appear on the table whenever a space became available. Marshmallow whip-topped s’mores cupcakes sprinkled with graham crackers, berry-filled cupcakes with icing piped on like a flower, salted caramel with chocolate, and yes indeed, several bacon-topped cupcake offerings that ranged from maple-sweet to chipotle-spicy. For as many tentative looks the cakes blessed with what Homer Simpson calls The Magical Animal got, the attendees were willing to give bacon cupcakes a try. There was even a cupcake “dress,” worn by a girl from the Trophy Cupcakes team, with a skirt made of cupcake-filled tiers stacked like a wedding cake.

The irony wasn’t lost on the fact that an all-you-can-eat cupcake buffet was waving the banner for heart healthiness. “Sweet treats should be enjoyed in moderation,” was the event’s advice towards this somewhat satirical pairing. I can attest from my own confection-laden plate that if sugar and I don’t hang out together for a few days, I’ll be fine with that. Irony aside, it was just plain smart, because a sweet treat can go a long way for raising money for good causes. The rumor of the cupcake’s death seems greatly exaggerated, judging from the near-claustrophobic turnout of sweet-toothed enthusiasts. People were more than happy to hand over a ten dollar suggested donation amount in return for having their cake and eating it by the plateful. The cachet of the cupcake craze may be starting to plateau, but it doesn’t change people’s affection for childhood indulgences and getting a wicked sugar rush.

My tummy hurts. But it hurts so good. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Mixed Plate: Comfort Foods and What the Heart and Stomach Desires

People have different ideas behind the meaning of comfort food, as the answer varies with every person. When I return from a visit with my parents, I stay within that place of comfort for weeks, sticking with the familiar flavors and foods. It may have been weeks since I last saw family, but in a way, I still have yet to leave, as they remain with me at the most important of times -- at the table, sharing a meal.

Miso Hungry! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I always make a big pot of miso soup when I return from a family visit. Usually it's because I feel the need to do a self-imposed soup diet for at least a week after being fattened up like a Christmas goose on homecooked meals, three squares a day. I'm sure everyone has a different way of making miso soup, but the way I do it is simmer a pot of water, drop a big dollop of salt-a-licious miso paste in and break it up, adding cubes of tofu and dropping in a scrambled egg or two, to give it a kick of protein. I also use bonito for flavor. Bonito is just flakes of a dried mackerel-like fish that's often used in Asian soups. It's used the way anchovies are, to give a dish a depth of flavor, and as long as it's used with a light hand, it won't be too fishy. I usually get my supply from Uwajimaya, but I've also discovered it's sold as cat treats at pet stores. Not that I'm admitting I've bought bonito at Petco, but I'm just saying it's there. And were Uwajimaya to not be open or out of bonito, I'm not adverse to picking up a little something for myself in the kitty treat aisle of the pet store. Again, I'm just sayin'...

This latest comfort meal included cold tofu with soy and chili sauce, just because I love cold tofu, and a batch of pickled spicy cucumber from my mom's recipe collection. I added a little extra greenery from the garden, chopping up the baby greens of sugar peas that were thinned. I hate getting rid of the extra sprouts because I'm basically throwing away perfectly good plants. Granted, it's to ensure the remaining ones have enough space to grow, but I still hate ripping the little guys out. I was happy to discover the sugar pea sprouts are quite sweet and totally salad-friendly. I divided the culled sprout greens between a salad for Mr. Wasabi and the rest topped my bowl of miso soup. Waste not, want not.

Fried Mandu Filled With the Magical Animal - Photo by Wasabi Prime

The food from family that captured my heart and most likely clogged my arteries included a big dinner with family friends that had my mom cooking up fried pork-filled dumplings called mandu, rice flour-battered and fried mochiko chicken, and a tasty warabi salad brought by friends. Warabi is a baby fern, like fiddleheads, that are in season right now and available at the Hilo Farmer's Market. They grow wild in the rainforest-like conditions, and people gather them for selling at the markets. They're harder to find on other islands, but Hilo's rain is thankfully good for some things, and fern shoots is one of them. Warabi salad is made up of the blanched baby ferns mixed with tomato, red onion, and a salty mix of dried seaweed for flavor. Pretty simple and simply delicious, need I say more? I wouldn't be able to get warabi here, but am considering making a Mainland version with either fiddleheads or thinly-sliced asparagus, as the flavors are similar.

Warabi Greens from Hilo and Wasabi Pea Sprout Greens from the Garden - Photos by  Wasabi Prime

Throughout the visit, along with kalbi beef shortribs, somen salad and Portuguese bean soup, Mama Wasabi also made Hawaii-style cream puffs, which is to say, pastries the size of a softball and filled with vanilla pudding. They don't do it light in Da Islands, that's for sure. I don't normally crave pastries, but when I'm there, I absolutely indulge my sweet tooth. It might be because it's so easy to just take it easy there. A sugar-sprinkled malasada is perfect in the morning with coffee while you read the paper -- yes, like a for-reals newspaper -- because my parents don't have a computer and it's kind of nice that they don't. And maybe that's the secret behind why comfort foods of all kinds taste especially good -- we are most likely in a state of calm, and food will always taste better with a mind at ease.

Cream Puffs Baked by Mama Wasabi - Photo by Wasabi Prime

All these dishes are commonly served favorites, it's nothing particularly gourmet or high-end, and it's a No Food Snobs Allowed standing rule in my parents' house. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way, because it's cooking of the highest order -- honest, hearty fare that's designed to be cooked regularly for the home. Sure, I could make these foods in my own kitchen, but I never do because I know it wouldn't be the same. This food tastes better when it's being enjoyed with family, and maybe that's why I often long for these tastes and flavors, because it's less about the stomach and more about the heart that craves what it loves most dearly.

Mochiko Chicken and Meals with Family and Friends - Photos by Wasabi Prime

FoodTrek: Springtime Feast at Artisanal

Spring has sprung, the flowers are blooming, and lighter, brighter fare is popping up on restaurant menus. Not that the recent crazy weather of heavy hailstorms and frosty mornings aren't proof that winter's not leaving us without a few tantrums, but I think people's appetites are starting to turn towards fresh eats. The Prime was lucky to be invited to a spring preview luncheon at Artisanal Brasserie and Winebar, presented by the award-winning chef and owner Terrance Brennan himself, to introduce their new seasonal menu and celebrate their weekend-long Spring Fling event at The Bravern.

Artisanal's Pork Belly Bowl - an Asian eggs n' bacon. Photo by Wasabi Prime

Chef Brennan visited for the weekend to host cooking demos, meet fans, as well as explain some of the thoughts behind the seasonal menu updates. Still heavily French-inspired, the new dishes try to give little nods to the Pacific Northwest tastes. Heavy stews and root vegetables are giving way to lighter broths and fresh-picked greens in the Artisanal springtime menu. It was a good reminder to shake off the winter's chill and start looking for what's sprouting up in markets, like asparagus and baby greens. It's also a time to look for dancing squirrel statues -- see, even they're happy spring is here!

Celebrating spring with Chef Terrance Brennan, soft cheese, and dancing squirrels - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Having the opportunity to try the new menu items was like an edible preview for the season, plus an easy guided tour of some dishes and flavors for those who may be stuck in a food rut. The appeal of a place like Artisanal is that it has the classic French bistro dishes like steak frites as well as super-comfort foods like the simple grilled cheese sandwich, but amped with the benefit of choosing from a menu of nearly fifty cheeses. These dishes become easy favorites and people may tend to not stray from their comfort zone. Among the new dishes on the Artisanal menu, there are items that introduce different textures and flavors without being overwhelming, along with appealing to Pacific Northwest tastes that don't mind mixing the flavors of cultures up a bit. For the picky eaters out there, consider some of these dishes baby steps towards expanding one's food horizons.

Spring is here - eat up! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

In general, most people won't jump at the chance of having a bit of liver. People probably remember it cooked with onions and just not having a great first impression of organ meat. The torchon of foie gras with a rhubarb jam and grilled country bread at Artisanal is like Liver 101. For those who list liver as a favorite, this will likely be too mild, without the heavier taste they're used to, but for a person who's not sure about a chilled coin-shaped slice of a liver terrine, it's a light and creamy introduction into enjoying the benefits of an animal, from rooter to tooter. Liver is one of those great stepladder organ meats that gets people realizing that it's not just the traditional cuts that are the only tasty bits.

The springtime-friendly dishes with a particular nods towards the Pacific Northwest are the gnocchi Parisienne with wild morels, asparagus and pea tendrils, along with the pork belly bowl with noodles, vegetables and a poached egg laid atop. The gnocchi is a lightly seared buttery indulgence with the NW-friendly morels giving it an earthier anchor to balance the richness. The noodle bowl is meant to be more of a lunch item and anticipated to be a popular choice. Taking a nod from the popular Asian flavors that are so prevalent in this area, a bed of buckwheat noodles and vegetables soak in a thin broth with a perfectly poached egg placed on top. While not a typical bistro meal, it addresses Chef Brennan's  goal to craft the menu to fit where those dishes live, and the Asian influence in menus is most certainly prevalent.

Other samplings included an Alaskan halibut with fava beans a la Francais in a lemon-parmesan mousseline that was light and lovely, and the finishing dessert of a rhubarb tart topped with strawberry-balsamic Ice cream was sweet but not overwhelming. There were wine pairings with all the courses, but probably my own personal favorite was the Apex Cellars 2008 Viognier, a light, pleasantly sweet wine that was enjoyable with food and just as tasty on its own.

The biggest takeaway from a meal like this was a reminder to eat with the seasons. Granted, this isn't a new idea in any way, but the meal was a good elbow-nudge to look at menus and grocery produce aisles with an eye for what's new. Sure, we can have hamburgers or spaghetti year-round, with consistency of taste to comfort us, but eating with the seasons makes for a more interesting variety of foods as well as makes for a more active involvement in what to take a bite out of.

Dessert, slicing ham and a tasty bottle of Viognier - Photos by Wasabi Prime

It was a true pleasure meeting so many other bloggers and writers at this luncheon. Much thanks to Chef Brennan and the whole team at Artisanal for crafting such a beautiful meal.

Mixed Plate: A Wishful Wasabi Preserving the Past

So, perhaps an explanation beyond "Island Time" is in order for why I haven't done a proper post about the recent visit to Hawaii to visit Clan Wasabi. Firstly, there were a lot of photos to sort through -- nearly five hundy of 'em. Another big reason was the whirlwind of meeting, greeting and eating for networking events and appointments these last two weeks -- me = exhausted. But to be honest, the main reason why the Prime is a Scrooge McDuck with the food and cultural tour of Hilo Town is that I think it really is a good story. Good enough to try sending these tales of Aloha to any and all magazines in the hopes of getting it published, if this Wasabi may be so bold to dream of such lofty things.

Hilo-style Saimin - my reason for living! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

When I tell people I'm going to visit family in Hawaii, their responses immediately go towards the idea that I'll be sitting on a beach with a fruity, umbrella-staked drink in hand, waiting for the next luau. While picture-postcard perfect, this is not the heart of this place. The state relies heavily on the industry of tourism, and this will most likely never change, but a vivid heartbeat of integrated cultures exists. It's not something that necessarily fits the outside expectation of what a tropical paradise should be, yet it is no less engaging. I'm writing a couple of articles that focus on the strong survivor spirit behind the city of Hilo, and Hawaii's prevalent food culture, as shown through visits of local restaurant. Aside from the obvious desire to have something published, to achieve this milestone would have deeper personal meaning, as it all comes from well-loved childhood memories and a desire to preserve the things that I fear will someday be lost.

So why the heck should we care about your perspective on the Aloha State, Wasabi? What do you have to offer that's so freakin' awesome? No grass skirts. No drinks made in coconuts. My vivid sense memories of Hawaii are the sound of wind whistling through the tall grass in the fields of my mother's upcountry Maui, racing the passing rain showers that come down from the volcano, driving the loamy smell of the iron-oxidized red dirt into the air. There were misty mornings where neighbors' roosters crow at dawn to signal the day's start, and fresh sugar-dusted malasadas picked up from the local bakery waiting at the table in a pink string-tied box. My hands still recall the feeling of shucking sugary-sweet white corn for the night's dinner, and hoping there's no fat green caterpillar below the silken husks. I close my eyes and can still smell the wood burning mid afternoon, to stoke the fire that will heat the heavy wooden furo soaking tub my grandfather built with his carpenter-skilled hands. Age and use had seasoned the wood to an almost velveteen softness, and the fire-heated water drew away the day's worries and concerns.

The Palace Theater in downtown Hilo, opened in the 1930s and still running movies today - Photo by Wasabi Prime

From my father, I recall vintage, time-worn memories of his hometown Hilo, a working class city built up by the hands of plantation workers, passed down through many generations, with buildings still captured in a turn of the century bubble. Passing the afternoon time looking through dog-eared magazines and comics, I would sit on the back steps of the Sakaki Barbershop, with the sound of aunties chatting and cutting customers' hair. With my paternal grandfather, Ayato, there were daily visits to all the shops in the city to talk-story and trade gossip, and he indulged my every whim when we'd pass by a place for ice cream or candy, and then a stop at Cafe 100 for saimin. The evenings were lazy in the enclosed patio, snacking on boiled peanuts, watching my electrician grandpa's collection of old bar signs and colorful strings of lights come on with his obsessive use of timers. Everyone talking, eating and drinking late into the night, we watched samurai movies and listened to the intervals of nightly Hilo rain that would pound down on the metal roof.

Most of this exists only in memory, as many of the people are no longer with us and the houses have new lives and people within. But these recollections still feel incredibly vivid, and the measured pace of daily life that created those memories continues in cities like Hilo, where that life sustains itself amid threats of tsunamis and economic hard times. I went back to see family and being immersed in a memory-laden place really drove a strong need to preserve and reconcile the past -- the past of a city or an individual in emotional turmoil? Who the heck knows, most likely a bit of both. But it beats a writeup about a luau and a bunch of grass skirts, right?
So please forgive my vanity of wanting to get published. I can only hope you'll support and spread the word that Wasabi's in the market for anyone who will help get the stories of  island life and edibles in a small town out into the world. If you have any suggestions, tips or email addresses of editors that I may stalk mercilessly, please feel free to send them over with much Wasabi Thanks in advance. I'm still planning on posting many a homecooked dish that my mom cooked, so don't despair about the thought of a Wasabi world without Spam.

And if you're still dying for some tropical Aloha, you can see some Hilo Farmer's Market finds on my other non-foodie blog, the Jaunty Magpie:

Jewelry designer Keanalu Art Glass
Getting Clean with the Filthy Farmgirl

A few peeks at the sights of life in Hilo - Photos by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe/FoodTrek: Good Fridays and Sunday Casino Royale with Cheese

Many people sought family time and quiet spiritual reflection over this Passover/Easter weekend. I went to the Tulalip Casino on Sunday to eat-it-like-I-stole-it for $19 ($21 and change after tax, plus tip), and had shellfish and bacon on Good Friday. For these edible transgressions I will most likely be cast into the charnel pits of Hell, but at least I'll go knowing I had a full stomach.

Digging on Swine and Making Good Friday Grrrrrrrreat! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I'm a good person. I pay my taxes, return my library books on time and try not to swear like a sailor in front of impressionable toddlers. But let's say I'm more spiritual than religious, so yes, I went forth on Sunday and burdened several plates with the unholy buffet combinations of cashew chicken stir fry, mass-produced Eggs Benedict, pepperoni pizza, barbecue beef brisket, and sorbet. I won't frighten those who are faint of heart with photos, but suffice it to say, if there is a hell, I'm pretty sure my lower intestines are there now. To be honest, there are, in fact, no photos of this event, and I would have totally taken snaps of this Insane Clown Posse Breakfast Buffet of Earthly Delights, but casino security totally put the NO CAMERA shutdown in my face the second I walked in. So, that was my Easter, in a three-plates-piled-high sort of nutshell, with only my heartburn as a witness.

On Good Friday, when everyone was having their loaves and fishes, I put together a dinner of seared scallops over asparagus with an orange cognac sauce and crispy bits of bacon. The swine definitely tipped the scales towards Totally Not Good Friday, I know, but having a non-four-legged, swimmy meal wasn't the original intent behind the meal. The genesis (har-har) was strangely enough, a bottle of chive oil. I noticed the chives in the strawberry pot of mixed herbs were getting long and they just grow better with regular haircuts, so I snipped them all down. Way too many chives to use before they wilted, I buzzed them in the blender with oil, strained out the solid bits, and now have a nice bottle of bright green goodness to flavor my way through the next month of meals.

Turning chives into chive oil - not quite a miracle, but mighty tasty - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I've made no bones about my love of frozen stuff from Costco and made no attempt to hide the sins of my impulse buying. Giant bag of frozen strawberries? Yes, please, and make it three. I had a few frozen scallops leftover from an ill-conceived bulk purchase of aforementioned frozen critters, and so I thought a flavor-heavy sauce using orange and cognac, and a finishing drizzle of the chive oil would be a good way to finish 'em off. Plus, oh snap, asparagus is on sale and they do go well with all those ingredients and flavors. This is how meals come to be at Wasabi Kitchen Stadium, pure happenstance. Plus the orange I had in the fruit bowl was getting questionably soft, so when there is threat of janky produce, make sauce, because booze and heat will kill everything.

Using the salt of the earth. Literally. - Photo by Wasabi Prime

A more foodie-fancy ingredient that's been inspiring meals of pure happenstance has been specialty salts. I got a few small containers of them over the holidays from my foodie pal, Ms. Radish. Their strong flavors can overpower things, so they're used sparingly, but they add such a nice, richness to food. A dash of smoked salt on the scallops made for a pleasant little hit of flavor, plus it's great to sprinkle on roasting vegetables to give them some interest. And oh my holy Easter Sunday, it's great mixed with regular salt to season the rim of a Bloody Mary.

So maybe the selections of meals and buffets weren't totally Easter or Passover-friendly but I'm all about celebrating the seasons in my own special, socially-inappropriate Wasabi Way. Even if that means frozen shellfish, crispy swine, questionable produce, and a buffet concoction that would make Escoffier turn in his grave.

Salt, in Still Life - Photos by Wasabi Prime