Roy's Roasted Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder

Roy's Roasted Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder

5 ears of corn with husks
1 bell pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
1/5 lbs of sweet potatoes
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 onion
5 garlic cloves
1/4 c. leeks
1/2 stalk celery
3 quarts vegetable stock
1/2 tbsp each fresh thyme and basil and chives
1 bay leaf
2 quarts cream
salt and pepper to taste

Roast the corn and bell peppers in a 350 oven. Remove peppers to a plastic bag after 20 minutes, let the corn go 10 more minutes. When the peppers are cool, peel seed and dice them.
Shuck the corn and cut the kernels from the cobs. Keep the cobs.
Boil the sweet potoatoes until soft, then dice.
Saute the onion, garlic, leeks, celery and corn COBS in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add stock and herbs, boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until it reduced to 1 quart. Add the cream and simmer for 30 minutes over low heat to reduce. No boiling!
Strain into a clean pan. Simmer for 5-10 more minutes. Add the sweet potato, corn, and bell peppers, and season with S & P.

Rating: B- for excessive fussiness.

note: Sorry Roy, I took this one for a little ride. I just sauteed the corn and peppers with the onions, added the cooked sweet potato with the cream, halved the liquid, and voila. Tasty results in a fraction of the time. I'm sure the long drawn out version would be lovely, but not tonight. I'm thinking I might puree half of it.

Roy's Banana Pancakes with Raspberry Coulis, (with plantains and strawberry-blueberries instead)

Roy's Banana Pancakes with Raspberry Coulis

Raspberry Coulis

4 oz fresh raspberry (or strawberries, papayas, mangoes-- I used strawberries and blueberries
3 tbsp simple syrup (I used honey)

Puree the fruit and syrup in a blender, and strain.

1.5 c. flour
t tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 egg plus 1 egg white, beaten
1.5 c. whole milk
3 tbsp canola oil
5 bananas (I used 3 ripe plantains)
granulated sugar
confectioners sugar
also: mint, kiwis, strawberries, candied pecans, maple syrup.

Prepare the fruit coulis.
Combine dry ingredients, make a well and add wet ingredients. Don't overmix.
Cut the bananas (or plantains) into wedges, sprinkle with granulated sugar and broil until they brown.
Heat a griddle to 350. Add pancake batter. When bubbles start to form, place banana slices on each pancake, flip and cook the other side.
Decorate each plate with the coulis, and serve with the mint and fruit and syrup. Or just with the coulis and powdered sugar.

Rating: A

Roy's Tuscan-Style White Bean Soup

Roy's Tuscan-Style White Beans

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 c. onion, diced
1/4 c. pancetta (I used bacon), diced
2 tbsp celery, diced
2 tbsp red pepper, diced
2 tbsp carrot, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh rosemary
1 c. dried white navy beans
5 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Note: I presoaked the beans by placing them in cold water, boiling them for 5 minutes, then letting them soak till cooking time.

Heat the oil, saute the garlic, onion, pancetta (bacon), celery, pepper, and carrot (*I add a pinch of salt here) over medium heat for till the bacon becomes a little crispy. Add the tomato, thyme, and rosemary and stir to combine. Add the beans and the stock and simmer until the beans are soft but still firm in texture (45 minutes to an hour). Season with salt and pepper.

Rating: A. This was easy and simple and delicious.

Roy's Grilled Pork Medallions with Watercress Salad and Shoestring Potatoes

Roy's Grilled Pork Medallions with Watercress Salad and Shoestring Potatoes

Marinade:
warm water
1 chopped green bell pepper
1/2 chopped onion
2 bay leaves
10 black peppercorns
1/2 cup sugar

1 boneless pork loin, about 1 3/4 lbs
1 large potato

Mushroom-watercress Bed:
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp garlic
4 oz sliced shiitake mushrooms (I used dried)
1/2 c. watercress stems
1 c. julienned red bell pepper
2 c. bean sprouts
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1 quart canola oil for deep frying

Watercress salad:
3 tbsp olive oil
pinch ginger
pinch garlic
pinch chile paste with garlic
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 c. julienned red bell pepper
1/2 c. julienned yellow bell pepper
8 oz watercress leaves
3 tbsp crushed toasted mac nuts.

Marinate the pork over night in the fridge.
julienned the potato and soak in water for up to an hour.
Shortly before you're ready to cook the pork, prepare the grill. To assemble the mushroom-watercress bed, heat a wok and stir fry the ginger, garlic, mushrooms, watercress stems and bell pepper over medium heat for 1 minute. Add bean sprouts and oyster sauce, saute for 30 seconds longer, add sesame seeds and remove from heat.
Grill pork, 7-8 minutes per side over high heat for medium doneness. Cut into 12 slices.
Drain potatoes and dry thoroughly. heat the oil and deep fry the potatoes over high heat until browned and crisp, (*toss with salt) and drain on paper towels.
To make the watercress salad, heat the olive oil, lightly brown the ginger and garlic over medium-hihgh heat. stir in chile paste, vinegar, bell pepper. Put into a large salad bowl and toss with watercress leaves and mac nuts, and 1/4 of the shoestring potatoes.
Arrange a mushroom watercress bed in the center of each serving plate, top with three slices of pork. Place the watercress salad on top of the pork and remaining potatoes on top of the pile.

Rating: B for excessive fussiness.

Roy's Basic Pizza Dough

Roy's Basic Pizza Dough

3/4 tsp yeast
3/4 c. warm water
1 tbsp honey
2-2.5 c. flour
pinch salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Sprinkle yeast over the water, add honey and whisk. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Add yeast mixture to flour in a large bowl. Mix and then knead until the dough looks smooth and satiny, transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover til doubled in bulk (45 minutes). Divide into 4, knead each portion 1 or 2 minutes, then shape into balls. Let rest for 15 minutes. Roll out into 6-7" rounds with slightly raised edges.
Preheat oven to 425.
Add toppings, and bake for 15 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.

Note: I like to quadruple the recipe and freeze partially baked shells for easy homemade pizza nights. Rating: A+

Roy's Red Chile Lentil Stew

Red Chile Lentil Stew

1 c. lentils
2 tbsp olive oil
4 oz pancetta (I subbed bacon)
1 onion, diced
1.5 tbsp garlic
2 tbsp diced carrot
2 tbsp diced celery
3 bay leaves
1 tsp chile flakes
1 lb peeled and seeded tomatoes (canned ok)
2 cups veal or chicken stock
1 1/2 c. tomato juice
2 tsp fresh basil
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh tarragon
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper

Vinaigrette
1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1.5 tbsp olive oil

Soak the lentils for 30 minutes.
Saute bacon, onion, garlic, carrot, celery over high heat till lightly browned. Stir in remaining ingredients except lentiles and vinaigrette. stir for 1 minute, then add lentils. cook over medium heat for 30 minutes.
Just before serving whisk together vinaigrette and stir it into the lentils.

Rating: A+

Note: this is lovely vegetarian-- leave out the pancetta or bacon, and substitute vegetable broth for the meat stock.

Roy Yamaguchi's "Roy's Feasts From Hawaii"

This book is full of beautiful color pictures of food, of course-- mouth watering dribbles of sauces and splashes of pestos-- caramelized meats and gleaming fruits. But even more enticing than the food are the full page spreads of Hawaiian landscapes: cattle grazing in the Kamuela highlands, waterfalls, oceanscapes. And smiling Hawaiians selling lettuce, plucking basil and netting fish look wholesome, tanned and welcoming. The recipes tend toward the fussy (cut out 35 1/2" rounds of zucchini, squash, and pepper skins to make scales, julienne everything) but are deliciously sophisticated Asian Fusion Pacific Cuisine.
Aloha! E Kaukau kakou!