hawaii month

ham it up and feel your beans

~ jama ~ 10 Comments


“Breakfast at the Aloha Cafe,” by Beth Marcil.*

Howzit! You’re just in time.

I saved a table for you right here out on the lanai. Please take a seat and make yourself comfortable! What a lovely day. Can you feel that gentle ocean breeze caressing your cheek?

Hope you’re hungry, because today I’ve got soup! I would be very remiss if my first recipe of the new year wasn’t a bowl of soup, especially since January is National Soup Month and all.

Since we’re all about Hawai’i, I’m serving a local favorite: Portuguese Bean Soup. My long-time friend, Lynn, gave me this recipe eons ago, and it’s still one of my all-time favorite homemade soups. It’s usually made with Portuguese sausage, which is widely available in Hawai’i, but I’ve substituted other spicy sausages with good results. Feel free to experiment with your own favorites.

The recipe is easy to make, but requires planning ahead because it needs to simmer for several hours. Once all the ingredients are in the pot, you just need to give it a little stir now and then. It’s the perfect weekend meal, a nice hearty bowl of goodness for a cold winter’s day.  I made a big pot recently and it was “real ono.” Enjoy!

 

PORTUGUESE BEAN SOUP

1 16-oz can kidney beans, with liquid
2-3 lbs. ham hocks
2 cloves
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
2 peppercorns
8-9 cups water
1 onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
2 T catsup
1-2 T sugar
garlic salt and pepper (to taste)

Combine above in large pot. Simmer 2-1/2 hours.
Remove meat from bones and cut into small pieces.
Then add 1 ring sausage (spicy), 1 potato, 2 carrots (pared and sliced), and 1 small cabbage (chopped).
Cook another 1-1-/2 hours. Add 1/2 cup salad macaroni (which has been pre-soaked in water 1/2 hour), 1/2 hour before the soup is finished.

 

 

*Beth Marcil’s painting is available as a fine art print at HawaiiArt.com.
*Aloha Cafe image copyright © 2008 HawaiiArt.com. All rights reserved.

wednesday interlude

~ jama ~ 12 Comments

Ready for a break?

Then sip your coffee or tea, and lean back in your chair.

This lovely song, written and performed by Keali’i Reichel, makes me long for Hawai’i, and will transport you to a calm and peaceful place.  Hold on to that good feeling for the rest of the day.

Here are the lyrics:

E O Mai
by Keali’i Reichel

Kâua i ka wai
Wai olohia o Kahualoa
Kokôhi i ka wai puhia
E ku`u aloha, e ô mai

Kaomi i ka wai
Wai mâpuna hâ`ale i ka poli
Pahe`e i ka wai lohia
E ku`u aloha, e ô mai

Puhemo i ka wai
Wai welawela hô`eha i ka ili
E inu i ka wai a kena
E ku`u aloha, e ô mai

English translation:

We two in the water
The sighing waters of Kahualoa
Hold back that driven current
O my love, answer me

Restrain those waters
Surging wellsprings, stirring the heart
Glide on those waters as they sparkle
O my love, acknowledge me

Then, release the torrent
Waters of passion, burning the skin
Indulge until you are satiated
O my beloved, respond to me.

recipe for a picture book

~ jama ~ 61 Comments


Happy 15th Birthday, Dumpling Soup!!

Wonders never cease — my little picture book is still in print after all these years!

To spice up my Hawai’i celebration this month, I’m giving away three signed hardcover copies! These are original trade editions from my personal stash (currently, only paperback and library editions are still in print). This seems like the right time to part with them, as a way of thanking you for all your support and interest in my books and this blog.

All you have to do is comment on any post between now and January 31, and I’ll toss your name into my big red soup pot. Enter as many times as you like. Each comment = one entry. On Monday, February 2, the most well-behaved teddy bear in the kitchen will ladle out the winners! (Note: This giveaway is open to everyone, with or without a blog. Please include your first name and last initial if you’re logging in as “Anonymous.” Non U.S. residents also welcome to enter.)

And now, for your nibbling pleasure, HOW I COOKED DUMPLING SOUP (which is a story about celebrating the New Year in Hawai’i):

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