Grilled Skirt Steak... 'Hawaiian Style'

Grilled skirt steak... 'Hawaiian Style'
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Grilled skirt steak has become one of my favorite ways to serve beef.  Why you ask, because it's a cheaper cut of beef and if you follow this recipe you will love how it comes out. You want to look for the 'Outside' skirt steak cut rather than the 'Inside' skirt steak which is a tougher cut. 

To start, remove any silver skin. Silver skin is a butchery term referring to a type of connective tissue found in most animals. Its name is very descriptive: to find the silver skin you need only look for a thin membrane with a silvery sheen. It's very easy to remove with a sharp knife. If you don't the steak will be tough.

Now comes the tasty part of preparing your steak for the grill, the marinade. This marinade has lots of tropical flavors that give this steak great flavor. Read on, this is really not a difficult recipe, and your friends and family will love it.

If you live on the Hawaiian island of Moloka'i, you can sometimes find this cut at Friendly Market, if not, ask the meat department to special order it for you. Or you can call the Molokai Livestock Co-Op at (808) 567-6994 to check availability. They are located at 3367 Mauna Loa Hwy, Ho'olehua.


Marinated & Grilled Skirt Steak

This is a one pound 'outside' skirt steak,
sliced thin... plenty for 3 people.
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Ingredients:
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1-1/2 pound 'Outside' skirt steak, trimmed

1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons cilantro

Procedure:
Combine all together in a zip top bag, or Large shallow dish. Cut the skirt steak into two or three pieces, then marinate them for one hour, turning the beef in the marinade after 30 minutes.

Preheat grill to medium-high. When ready to grill, drain the skirt steak and use paper towels to pat dry. Brush and oil the grill grate. Place skirt steaks on the hot grate and grill for 3-5 minutes per side for medium rare to medium, depending on your preference.

When ready transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes, covered with foil. Slice the steak thinly against the grain, starting at one corner and cutting on the bias. Cutting the beef thinly against the grain is important. By doing this the steak will be more tender.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: This steak is great served with hot corn tortillas with thinly sliced avocado, tomato slices, and a dash of fresh lime juice and hot sauce if you desire.

Tasting Hawaiian Pineapple Recipes

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When people think of pineapple they think of Hawaii. By the early 1960s, Hawai’ì supplied over 80% of the world´s output of canned pineapple. This golden period did not last long though. Growing pineapples became cheaper in other countries and just 20 years later, in 1983, the last big Hawaiian cannery folded. Today, 75% of the world’s pineapples come from Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

The fact is that each pineapple takes over two years to grow. I know that because I have grown many of them here on the Hawaiian island of Moloka'i. I picked this little pineapple yesterday. They are simple to grow, you just twist off the top, peel off a few of the lower leaves and stick it in the ground. Two years later you can taste a little bit of Hawaii.

This image was a photograph that was put through a digital watercolor program. To purchase my art,  visit my website at: james-temple.pixels.com

Pineapple Recipes:

Pineapple Stir-Fried Rice with Shrimp
Ingredients:
1 ripe pineapple
3 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped, veins and seeds removed
2 spring onions, the green tops only, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups shrimp, shells removed and deveined
3 tablespoons garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce or light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups cold, steamed Thai jasmine rice
cilantro leaves for garnish

Procedure:
Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise with green top. Scoop out the fruit, saving the two pineapple halves to use as bowls to serve the rice in. Chop the pineapple fruit into bite sized chunks, removing the tough core. Put the fruit in a bowl and add the shallots, jalapeno, ginger, green onion and cilantro. Add a pinch of salt to bring out the juice. mix and set aside. In a wok, over high heat, add oil, and stir fry the shrimp for 2 minutes or until just pink. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside. Stir fry the garlic a minute or so until golden brown, but not burned. Add the cooked jasmine rice, and stir thoroughly until slightly toasted. Add the fish sauce and sugar, and continue stirring. When the rice is heated through, add the pineapple mixture and cooked shrimp, and stir until thoroughly heated through. Pour the mixture into the pineapple shells, garnish with cilantro leaves and serve as a side dish. 

Makes 6 servings.


Pineapple Slaw
Ingredients for slaw:
4 cups cabbage (shredded)
4 slices fresh pineapple (diced)
1 cup carrots (shredded)
1/2 cup apple (chopped)
2 tablespoons green bell pepper (chopped)
2 tablespoons red bell pepper (chopped)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Procedure:
Combine vegetables in a bowl. In smaller bowl, dissolve sugar and salt in the vinegar, then pour over slaw mix. Sprinkle with black pepper. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Watermelon-Mango-Pineapple Slushy
Ingredients:
sweet red watermelon (about 5 cups mashed, seeds removed)
1 cup of ripe mango, diced (preferably the Haden variety)
1 cup of fresh or canned, crushed pineapple
1 tablespoon of honey
13.5 ounces of canned coconut milk
1 lime, juiced
crushed ice
shredded coconut and a wedge of watermelon, for garnish
1 shot of light rum into the bottom of each chilled glass (optional)

Procedure:
Add mango, pineapple, and honey to a blender, pulsing several times, then add seedless watermelon flesh, pulse again once or twice, leaving the solution with some texture and body from the fruit.

When you get the texture to where you like it, stir in the coconut milk, and fresh squeezed lime juice. Pour into glasses over crushed ice (if you’d like) and top with shredded coconut. Garnish with a wedge of watermelon and or lime. 

Makes 8 servings.


Pineapple Perfection Cake
Perfection is an understatement, you have to try this recipe!

Ingredients:

Click on photo to enlarge

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained or 

    1/2 cup fresh, chopped fine

Topping:
1/2 cup flaked coconut
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Procedure:
In a mixing bowl, blend the sugar and oil. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the sour cream mixture. Stir in pineapple. Transfer to a greased 9 inch square baking dish. Combine the topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350˚F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.  

Makes 9 servings.

Note: Cover cake lightly with a sheet of foil during the last few minutes of cooking to keep the coconut from getting too brown. Also if you like nuts in your cake, add 1/2 cup of chopped and toasted Macadamia nuts to the batter.


Liliko'i-Pineapple Ice
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh liliko'i juice (about 28 liliko'i)
1/4 cup fresh liliko'i seeds left whole (about 4 liliko'i)
2 cups pineapple pulp
3/4 cups sugar
2 egg whites

Procedure:
To juice the liliko'i remove all pulp from all the fruit. Place in blender and pulse for 5 to 10 seconds. Pour in a fine mesh strainer placed over a bowl and with the back of a spoon push the pulp around until you are left with just the seeds in the strainer. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until well blended. Pour the mixture into a metal or plastic bowl and freeze. When frozen, break up the ice and place a small amount at a time into the food processor. When whipped and frothy, return to the bowl and freeze again. This mixture will not freeze hard and solid, so it will be easy to scoop out to serve. Sprinkle a few of the reserved seeds over the top of the ice when it is served or they may be added when the ice is returned to the freezer for the second time. 

Makes about 5 cups.

Note: Liliko'i juice can be made in advance and frozen in ice trays then transferred to freezer bags for future use.

Making Zucchini The Star

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Zucchini Ribbons
This is a delicious vegetable dish to have as a main course or as a side dish. It only takes about 20 minutes to put this together. It's a winner!

Ingredients:

4 whole roma tomatoes, diced

2 whole zucchini
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
4 whole basil leaves (cut into thin ribbons "chiffonade")
salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure:
Cut the roma tomatoes into 1/4" dice, then set aside.

Give the fresh zucchini a rinse, then cut the ends off and discard them. Leaving the green skin on the zucchini, run a vegetable peeler down the length of each zucchini creating long thin ribbons of zucchini. It is important to buy thin zucchini so that they are not too fat, otherwise you will have a hard time getting them through the peeler. Another alternative is to run them through a mandoline.

Melt the butter and olive oil together in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the minced garlic and cook for just 1 minute. 

Add the cut zucchini and gently toss around in the pan for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. 

Add the diced fresh tomatoes and parmesan cheese, then toss to heat everything up. The key is just to cook it all very quickly so the zucchini does not get soggy and the tomatoes and Parmesan just get heated.

Top the plated Zucchini ribbons with the thinly sliced basil leaves. Serve within a few minutes, before the zucchini get too soft!

Makes 4 servings