Apricot Jul-up

In my travel post on Lumeria Maui, I mentioned that one of the benefits of its location was the proximity to both the ocean and the Upcountry farms. It's perhaps not surprising then, that the focus at their Harvest Cafe is on locally grown, organic and free-range foods. The cafe's Chef Indica Chaves said that she "seeks to share the joy of supporting local organic farmers and enjoying a farm-to-table experience." To that end, Chef Chaves was kind enough to share the recipe (below) for a dish that reflects both those local farms and the bounty of the nearby ocean: coconut fish stew. Enjoy!

As some of you no doubt already know, the word "bruschetta" really just means grilled bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. What you put on top of that is really up to you -- even though many people (especially in the U.S.) associate bruschetta with chopped tomatoes, garlic, onion and basil. At Fresco, the new Italian restaurant in the Rainbow Bazaar at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, Executive Chef Rodhel Ibay -- inspired by the name of the restaurant ("fresco" means "fresh" in Italian) -- decided to take the flavors of local farms to create his version of the dish.

"Going out to the farms brought to light how much the flavors of one simple fresh vegetable or spice can transform into a single dish," said Ibay. "When I first tried the tomato straight off the vine at Waimanalo Farm, that first bite is what motivated me to create my bruschetta."

In addition to the "traditional" tomato bruschetta, Ibay highlights other local produce with a macadamia-crusted avocado bruschetta and a roasted Big Island mushroom bruschetta -- and was kind enough to share his recipe here with us (below). Enjoy!

Gotta love winter citrus season. In the past, we've shared recipes for a Pantescan Winter Salad from Tasha Zemke (who lives on the Italian island of Pantelleria). This year, we have a new recipe from Seasons 52 Culinary Director Cliff Pleau, who previously shared with us his tips on working with beets and a fabulous beet carpaccio recipe. This time he's sharing a recipe for his citrus tabbouleh, which at Seasons 52 they serve with scallops (pictured here). Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 lime, zest and juice
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 orange, zest and juice
1 cup bulgur wheat
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
6 ounces water
5 drops Chipotle Tabasco
12 orange segments, cut in 4
1/4 cup sun-dried cranberries, reconstituted
1/4 cup English cucumber, diced small
1/4 cup tomato, diced small
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Preparation: Wash and zest lime, lemon and orange. Squeeze juice and reserve. Place the bulgur wheat in a flat glass baking dish. Combine olive oil, ginger, salt and citrus zest. Mix with the wheat. Combine citrus juice, water and Tabasco. Heat in microwave for 1 minute. Pour liquids over wheat, set aside covered for 1 hour. Place wheat in a bowl, add all other ingredients and toss lightly. Refrigerate until needed.

I recently attended a sneak preview for the new Seasons 52 in Century City, part of a unique chain of 23 restaurants found throughout the continental U.S. that focus on healthy food using fresh seasonal ingredients (nothing on the menu is over 475 calories). As part of that focus, the Century City location features an indoor herb garden, a chef's garden and a spectacular outdoor living wall. At the preview, we were treated to a series of dishes created by Cliff Pleau, the Seasons 52 Culinary Director. The highlight, for me, was his beet carpaccio (pictured here) so I asked him for some tips on working with beets at home for those of us who are growing them or looking at them at the farmers markets and he was kind enough to send his thoughts (below). Enjoy!

Beets are awesome if you think of them as a natural root that has all the nutrients to push a plant through the soil and allow its leaves to reach sunlight. Their earthy quality allows for lots of flavor combinations. I like using gold beets and chiogga beets, but whatever is in the market is fun and tasty. Beets do need to be washed well. The tops can be de-stemmed and steamed. I like to eat them with sea salt, olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Roast beets by putting them in a roasting dish with a little bit of water (just a little in the bottom), some olive oil and sea salt to cover. Roast until almost tender in a 425 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 45 minutes. Then let them rest covered for 15 minutes. They can be chunked or peeled, and used for various creative applications. To peel, just rub off the skins with your hands and a paper towel.

For a beet carpaccio, slice peeled beets thin on a mandolin and plate with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt and add an herb salad mixture. A couple of flavors and ingredients that work well with beets include: goat cheese, wasabi (mix with sour cream), herbs, grains, citrus, ginger and black pepper.