open mind, empty stomach

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  • Pig Head Pozole

    As Cinqo de Mayo approached there was a lot of talk about pozole. I couldn’t recall hearing about the pre-Columbian Mexican soup prior to this year and it captured my interest. There are several different versions of pozole, but the most intriguing was pozole rojo, made with hominy, chillies and, usually, pork. I didn’t make…

  • Hawaiian Red Veal Tongue with MA’O Baby Root Vegetables

    Last Saturday at the KCC farmers market, my friend Nanette let me know that Hawaiian Red Veal had brought some offal to sell, including two tongues. I’ve eaten tongue, but this would be my first time cooking it. MA’O Organic Farms had some baby root vegetables that looked like the perfect companion for the tongue.…

  • Rib Eye Ragu

    I enjoy pasta…a lot… I typically make pasta a couple times a week and usually sauce it with some sort of ragu. Hawai’i has come a long way in the past few years and I’m able to source most of the vegetables I use locally. Meat is another story. There is not a single butcher…

  • Sausage and Kabocha Ravioli in Purslane Pesto

    It looks like I won’t be doing any traveling until my financial situation drastically improves. In the meantime this blog will be based on things I do at home in Hawaii. One of those things is cooking and I’m going to start sharing what I make and how I make it. I apologize for the…

  • Naked Cow Dairy

    I recently had the opportunity to take part in a cheese making workshop with my local Slow Food chapter at Naked Cow Dairy in Waianae on Oahu’s leeward side. Two sisters, Monique and Sabrina, own and operate Oahu’s only dairy, where they produce buttermilk, yogurt, butter, and cheese. The only cheese the ladies have been…

  • Seattle

    Anthony Bourdain is coming out with a new show called “Layover” where he spends a day or two in a major airport hub and makes the most of it in terms of eating. I deliberately bookmarked this trip with a layover in Taipei on the way from Hawaii to Bangkok and a layover in Seattle…

  • Paris

    Paris was my final destination in Europe before heading home to Hawaii. The City of Light was also the last stop on my last Euro-trip 2 years ago. That time I visited the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the catacombs, and did a lot of the must-do touristy things. This time around, I would only be…

  • Dordogne

    My final WWOOFing experience of this trip was different from the previous two, but, like the others, I learned a lot and had an amazing time. As in the Drome, my WWOOF host in Dordogne was an English teacher. Corinne was covering for her mom, who was in Korea for a Slow Food conference, as…

  • The Drome

    My second WWOOFing experience took place in the “Tuscany of France,” the Drome. Located just above Provence in the southeast of France, the climate and environment was very similar to its Italian counterpart. Though different than my time spent WWOOFing in the Tuscany of Italy, this experience was very special and taught me a great…

  • Avignon

    After a really great three days helping Odette at school, she gave my co-WOOFer Julia and I Friday off. Odette recommended we visit nearby Avignon and we followed her advice. Avignon is a beautiful medieval city that is about one hour by train from Montelimar. The city is most well known as being the home…