Oxtail Stew

I'm still not a fan of beef stew, but when it's made with oxtails, even I have difficulty resisting.

Oxtail Stew

     2-3 lbs oxtails

     garlic salt

     2 tbsp vegetable oil

     water

     1 large onion, chopped coarsely

     1 stalk celery, chopped in 1/2" pieces

     1/2 tsp sugar

     1/4 tsp pepper

     2 tsp rock salt

     12 oz tomato paste

     2 carrots, chopped into 1" pieces or 1/2 lb baby carrots

     2 large potatoes, chopped in 1" pieces

Sprinkle garlic salt over oxtails.  Heat vegetable oil in a medium Dutch oven.  Brown oxtails.  Oxtails may also be browned in an oven set to 375 degrees.  Flip oxtails as needed to brown multiple surfaces.  Add water to Dutch oven until oxtails are just covered.  Add onion, celery, sugar, pepper, and rock salt.  Cook oxtails for 2 hours.  Chill overnight and remove hardened fat the next day.  Add tomato paste and cook for 1 1/2 hours.  Add carrots and potatoes.  Cook for another hour, or until vegetables are cooked through.

Kikukat Mom: Mahogany Chiffon Cake

I have known my mom for close to a half century, and this is, hands down, her favorite cake.

Mahogany Chiffon Cake

     3/4 c boiling water
     1/2 c cocoa (I use natural, not Dutched)
     1 3/4 c cake flour
     1 1/2 tsp baking soda
     1 tsp salt
     1 3/4 c sugar, divided
     1/2 c vegetable oil
     7 eggs, separated
     2 tsp vanilla
     1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine boiling water and cocoa.  Let cool.  Sift cake flour, 1 1/4 c sugar, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl.  Make a well and add oil, egg yolks, vanilla, and cooled cocoa mixture.  Mix until smooth.  In a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until almost stiff.  Gradually add 1/2 c sugar, and beat till stiff.  Pour chocolate mixture in a thin stream over entire surface of egg whites, gently cutting and folding in with a spatula until well blended.  Pour into an ungreased 10" tube pan.  Bake 55 minutes.  Increase heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.  Invert and cool completely.

Almost Hilo Yacht Club: Salad Dressing

When I was a more frequent patron of the Hilo Yacht Club, I would often order a spinach salad to accompany my entree.  The main reason for ordering the spinach salad was the dressing.  It was thick, creamy, and unlike any other dressing.

Almost Hilo Yacht Club Salad Dressing

     1/2 c oil

     1/4 c white vinegar

     2 tbsp mayonnaise

     2 tbsp sugar (double this if you prefer it sweeter)

     1/2 clove garlic, minced

     1 tsp salt

     1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients using a whisk or blender.  Chill before serving.

Redux: Warabi Kamaboko Salad

This is the warabi you make when you don't have shiofuki konbu.

Warabi Kamaboko Salad #2

     1 bunch warabi
     2 tsp vinegar
     1 kamaboko, julienned
     2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
     1 small onion, sliced thin
     1 1/2 oz fubuki tara (shredded codfish)
     1/2 c dried shrimp
     1 tbsp sesame oil
     1/4 c shoyu
     1 tsp rock salt

Clean warabi and chop in 1 1/2" pieces, separating thick stalks from tops.  Boil water.  Add vinegar.  Add warabi stalks and set timer for 3 minutes.  When timer has 1 minute left, add tops.  Drain and plunge into bowl of ice water.  Drain.  Combine warabi with remaining ingredients.  Allow to sit at least 2 hours prior to serving.