A Taste Of Chopsticks & Wine
Wednesday - October 03, 2007
| Share
Del.icio.us
|
The Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce’s Chopsticks & Wine 2007 will bring together 12 of Hawaii’s premier chefs and restaurants for an evening of extraordinary wining and dining on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. More than 1,200 people are expected to attend the “Twilight in Tuscany”-themed event.
One of the chefs participating is Chef Michael Arita of Shogun Restaurant at the Pacific Beach Hotel in Waikiki.
Chef Michael was born and raised in Hilo and attended Kapiolani Community College’s Culinary Institute of the Pacific. He began his career at Shogun in 1980 as a teppanyaki chef; today he is the executive sous chef at Pacific Beach Hotel and oversees daily operations for both the Oceanarium and Shogun restaurants. His culinary styles include Pacific Rim blends of different cultural cuisines using only the freshest island-grown products. In 2005, Chef Michael even got the chance to work side-by-side with Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai preparing a nine-course dinner at Neptune’s Garden! Chef Michael has graciously given me to share with MidWeek readers the recipe for the dish he and Shogun Restaurant will be showcasing at Chopsticks & Wine this year.
AGLIO TONNO PINNA BLU CHA SOBA (Garlic seared Bluefin Tuna with Japanese Green Tea Soba)
* 2 pounds sashimi grade ahi, cut into a long block
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 3 tablespoons finely minced garlic
* salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
* 7 ounces green tea soba, uncooked
* 10 garlic cloves, sliced, optional
* 1/4 cup olive oil
Removed bloodline and skin from ahi and cut into a long block. Coat with olive oil. Rub minced garlic on ahi and season with salt and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes. Sear in a very hot frying pan on all sides. Keep rare. Do not cook through. Cool in refrigerator. Using a sharp knife, slice thinly.
Cook green tea soba until just cooked. Do not overcook. Drain in cold water and set aside.
Fry sliced garlic in olive oil until brown.
CHIANTI VINAIGRETTE
* 2 cups chianti wine
* 2 1/2 tablespoons honey
* 3 tablespoons chianti wine vinegar
* 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 tablespoon minced shallots
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
* 1 tablespoon minced parsley
* 3/4 cup olive oil
* salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Reduce Chianti on medium high heat until 1/3 of its volume. In mixing bowl, add first eight ingredients and mix until the sugar and honey are dissolved. Slowly whisk in olive oil until incorporated.Season to taste.
Presentation:
Place green tea soba in center of the plate. Place sliced ahi on top. Drizzle vinaigrette over ahi and soba.
Optional: Garnish with fried garlic chips.
(Diana Helfand, author of “Hawaii Light and Healthy” and “The Best of Heart-y Cooking,” has taught nutrition in the Kapiolani Community College culinary arts program.)
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS Comments (0) |
Most Recent Comment(s):
