Recipes prepared by Sous Chef Andrew Le

Steak with Sauteed Green Beans,
Roasted Garlic, and Chimichurri

Instructions
1. Preheat an outdoor or stove top grill for high heat. If you don’t have this equipment, a non stick skillet will work also.

2. Bring a 6-8 quart pot of salted water to a boil (the water should taste like the sea). Cook the beans, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 3   minutes. We want a little firmness. Transfer with tongs to a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then drain in a colander and pat dry with paper towels. Put aside.

3. Sprinkle both sides of each steak with salt and pepper. Grill steaks 3 to 4 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Let the steaks rest up to 8 minutes before serving.

4. While the steak is resting, heat a 12-inch skillet on medium high heat. Put a little butter or olive oil into pan and add the roasted garlic and long beans. Add a splash of chicken stock or water to moisten the vegetables. Then rub the thyme sprigs between your hands over the vegetables to take the leaves off the stems. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the vegetables are warm. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. cut the steak into desired portions and serve with chimichurri and the vegetables immediately.

Chimichurri
Andrew says, “This is a sauce from Argentina. It’s excellent over meats, but also on vegetarian dishes. A very versatile sauce. It traditionally has cilantro instead of basil, but it isn’t a big deal if one or two of the herbs are substituted. It will still be delicious.”

Ingredients
1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice or red wine vinegar
1 cup (packed) fresh sweet basil
1/4 cup fresh oregano
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
salt to taste

Instructions
Puree all ingredients in a food processor. Transfer to bowl. Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

Pineapple Tart Tatin

Ingredients
1 Dole Farms pineapple, sliced into 1/2-inch rings and cored*
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup chopped marcona almonds
1 package yellow cake mix (Andrew used Duncan Hines)
3 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. In a small saucepan, take brown sugar and butter and combine and melt in a on medium heat until sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbly. This should take several minutes. Add the pineapple slices and cook in the caramel for a few minutes. Doing this will allow the pineapples to absorb more caramel throughout the cooking process.

3. Pour into a 10-inch baking dish. Arrange the pineapple slices uniformly. This will be the design of the cake.
Serve at room temperature with ice cream (Andrew used Roselani brand vanilla ice cream, but also recommends white chocolate from Tropical Dreams or Sour Cream Gelato from La Gelateria).

Crispy  Moi  on Sauteed Lettuce with Bacon and Onions, and a Cherry Tomato/Black Olive Vinaigrette

Andrew says, “This dish is clean, bright, light, and definitely doesn’t disappoint.  Moi  is a beautiful-tasting fish and crisping up   the skin is one of the best ways to enjoy it. When it comes to lettuce, the first thing everyone thinks of is salad. I want people to realize that that’s not what lettuce is limited to. Its delicious cooked and is much more versatile than meets the eye. Sauteed with onions and bacon, the lettuce provides excellent substance to a dish and is a surprisingly great garnish for seafood.”

Hint: You can substitute the  moi  for any other fish, and try substituting Nalo Farms braising greens for the lettuce if you do want to save your Maunawili Greens for salad.

for crisping the fish
(2) 3/4-1 lbs    moi  filets, scaled
(2)   cloves garlic, skin on, crushed
(4) sprigs of thyme
(2) tablespoons olive oil or as needed to help pan fry
(2) tablespoons butter

for sauteed lettuce
(1) head of Maunawili Greens butter lettuce, cut in half and sliced into 1/2 in shreds
(1) onion, peeled, sliced thin
5 oz. of smoked bacon, sliced thin

for the vinaigrette
1 1/2 cups of tomato preserves (see Tomato Preserves recipe)
(1) lemon, zested and juiced
(2) tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
(1) garlic clove, chopped very fine
3/4 cup of black provencal olives, pitted, cut in 1/2 (if not available, substitute with picholine or kalamata olives)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all the ingredients for the vinaigrette into a bowl. After about ten minutes, you’ll notice that there will be a lot of liquid that leeched out. The salt has drawn out a lot of the liquid from the tomatoes and this is your sauce for the fish. Adjust the seasoning and add more lemon juice if needed. Set aside.

2. Heat up a 10-inch skillet on medium heat. Add the bacon and cook till the fat is rendered out but the bacon is not  crispy. Add the onions and sweat them until tender.

3. Add the lettuce and cook till just barely wilted. Remove from pan and put into serving bowl or portion onto plates.

4. Heat up a 10-inch heavy-bottom skillet on high heat. While the pan is getting hot, score the skin of the  moi  fillets, making little x’s. Season with salt and pepper.

5. When the pan is hot, add the oil, garlic, and thyme. Be careful, the thyme sprigs will pop a little bit! Then add the  moi  filets skin side down into the pan. Turn down the heat to medium. Add the butter.

6. When the skin is evenly browned, flip the  moi  filets and cook flesh side for 5 to 10 seconds. Remove from pan and serve with lettuce and Cherry Tomato/Black Olive Vinaigrette immediately.
Cherry Tomato Preserves

Andrew says, “Preserving is a great technique to learn. It prevents produce from spoiling  and buys you ample time to use them for later. Plus, they only get better the longer they marinate. Throughout the  recipes  I provide, you’ll see how versatile this preserve is.”

Hint: If you don’t have the right quantity of tomatoes, just adjust the recipe accordingly. Here is an article about canning, or preserving, food. It explains step-by-step how to sterilize your canning jar and then to vacuum (heat) seal it for freshness:

http://allrecipes.com//HowTo/canning-and-preserving/Detail.aspx

Ingredients
1 lb. Cherry Tomatoes
6 fresh thyme sprigs
2 basil stems, bruised
6 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
2 fresh bay leaves ( 1 dried is enough if fresh is not available)
1 lemon peel
Coarse sea salt
Olive oil
Canning jars and lids

Instructions
1. Wash and dry the tomatoes.

2. Prepare scalded or sterilized 16-ounce jars. Fill them with tomatoes, alternating with a few garlic cloves, herbs, and lemon peel. When the jars are filled to about one and a half inches from the rim, sprinkle with a pinch of coarse salt.   Cover with olive oil.

3. Close the jars with a very clean lid, vacuum (heat) seal them, and store them in a rather cool place (50 to 59 degrees F, think the temperature of your refrigerator). If possible, the tomatoes would be best if allowed to marinate at least one month. But they can be used after a day or two if needed. They go well served with pasta, fish, meat, grains, foccacia garnishes, cheese, etc.

Gnocchi  with Tomato Sauce, Bok choy, and Parmesan

Andrew says, “Gnocchi  is a beautiful thing. It’s soft, succulent…delicate pillows that just catch the sauce gently but pack a load of flavor. Fresh-made  gnocchi  is best, but not everyone has the time to make them. You can by ready-made  gnocchi  at the store (i.e. Foodland, Safeway, R. Fields) and it’s a decent substitute for fresh-made  gnocchi. It’s simple, honest comfort food.”

Ingredients

2 (9-ounce) packages refrigerated  gnocchi  or one 17.5-ounce package shelf-stable  gnocchi
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 cups of tomato preserves
1/4 teaspoon of salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper or to taste
3/4 cup of grated Parmesan, plus more for shaved Parmesan for garnishing
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 small bok choy, leaves torn, stems sliced thin.
2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

1.   Cook the  gnocchi  according to the package directions, reserving ¼ cup of the cooking liquid.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic till golden brown. Add the tomato preserves and smash with a fork. Add the reserved cooking liquid, Cook the tomatoes until it turns into a sauce. Add the bok choy and cook until its tender. Set aside.

3. In another pan, heat butter on medium high. Add the drained  gnocchi, and saute the  gnocchi, stirring often to brown thegnocchi  evenly.

4. Now add the  gnocchi  to the sauce and the Parmesan and toss. Divide among individual bowls and add shaved Parmesan for garnishing.