Ceviche de Tres Mariscos [GF]

There comes a time when every soul must face the inevitable question: what recourse is left one when one has a hankering to whip up a homemade poke, only to discover that the supermarket is completely out of ogo?  Well, what happened to this dream deferred was a channeling of that desire for minimally processed seafood into another cultural milieu.  All the mollusks and crustaceans I had stowed in my shopping basket (mussels, octopus, and shrimp, to be specific) were now destined to become part of a ceviche with a tomato and avocado base.  A disappointment this was not: in fact, I'd say this might have hit the spot better than the poke ever could have, given my erstwhile hankering for citrus.  Anyhow, here's the recipe, which is one of the simplest I've posted to date:  

• ⅓ lb. pre-cooked mussels
• ⅓ lb. pre-cooked cocktail shrimp
• ½ lb. pre-cooked octopus
• 1 large avocado, diced
• 1 large beefsteak tomato, diced
• 2 limes
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds
• 3 dried red chilis (medium to hot)
• 1 Tbsp Tabasco sauce
• ½ Tbsp. coarse sea salt (or to taste)
• 2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Dice the mussels and octopus, and remove the tails from the cocktail shrip (should any chitin be present).  Toss the avocado, tomato, spices, sesame seeds, and seafood together in a large serving bowl.  Add the Tabasco sauce and olive oil and squeeze the juice from the limes into the mixture and mix thoroughly.  Set in the refrigerator to chill, preferably for an hour or two.  Serve cold with tortilla chips or warmed corn tortillas, along with perhaps a side salad and a piquant tempranillo.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwichfruit [V] [GF]

Since it's been a while since my last post, I thought I might as get back into blogging by baby steps — and what could be more culinarily rudimentary than that perennial denizen of elementary-schoolers' lunch boxes, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  Well, things get a little bit more complicated, sandwich-wise, when one has a gluten allergy, and furthermore, it's not as if anybody needs instructions as to how to make this American staple.  Therefore, since 'ulu is in season here on O'ahu, I have decided to alter the traditional PB&J by analogy: since peanut butter, jelly, and bread combine to yield a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; peanut butter, jelly, and breadfruit clearly combine to yield a peanut butter and jelly sandwichfruit.  Thus, the Sandwich Islands truly are the sandwichfruit islands when 'ulu is in season!

This recipe makes 4-6 servings, depending on what one considers a "serving" to be.  I recommend leaving the 'ulu ripen for several days after acquiring it before attempting it.  The fruit should be soft to the touch.  If the 'ulu is underripe, the resulting mixture will be extremely starchy and not nearly as flavorful.  Penzey's cake spice is a commercially available blend of cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves.  Normally, I don't shill for packaged products, but for this one I'll make an exception on the dual grounds that it's a small, Minnesotan business and that this particular spice blend tastes like pure triturated ambrosia.  However, if this glowing endorsement doesn't constitute sufficient grounds for plunking down $3.29 (plus shipping and handling) for a 4 oz. jar, an 2:2:1 mixture of cinnamon, star anise, and nutmeg  will suffice.

Fried breadfruit base: 

• One medium 'ulu (i.e. breadfruit), ripe
• 1½ Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2-3 cups water
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1½ Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. Penzey's cake spice
• Salt to taste

Accoutrements (per portion):

• 2 tsp. peanut butter
• 2 tsp. jam or jelly

Begin by heating the oil in a large teflon-lined frying pan on low to medium heat.  Chop the 'ulu in half, remove the stem, and cut away the meat of the fruit from the peel.  Cut that meat into half-inch chunks and sauteé for five minutes or so, until it is slightly (but not thoroughly) browned.  Add the spices, sugar, and some of the water, and over the next 45-60 min., continue periodically to stir the 'ulu chunks and incrementally add more of the water (every 5-10 min. or so) until all of the chunks are tender and the mixture could aptly be described as a thick, starchy paste.

To serve, dish the mixture into small serving bowls and mix in the peanut butter and jam (for the latter, I've tried strawberry, pineapple-guava, and fig, and the fig wins hands down) and serve, adding additional water as necessary to give the mixture a creamy texture.  Additional water (and salt) almost certainly need to be added when the mixture is stored in a refrigerator and reconstituted.