
We’ve been a little shy with cooking posts lately here in the galley - rest assured we’ve been eating well - we’re especially thankful for considerate fishing friends dropping off ling cod and black cod tips and keeping us happy!
Today I decided we should celebrate Day of the Dave - an annual holiday dedicated to my hard working husband, friend to fishermen and captain of our ship (literally and figuratively). So, from this day forward I am declaring the second Friday of June FREE from BOAT WORK! Put down the sander, hang up the headlamp. Here in Sitka, Dave will be physically forced to stop working at 2:00 today in order to enjoy a 90 minute massage at Botankia, a hot shave and a hair cut from Malcolm, Mojitos hand crafted by the one-and-only Ramon at the Westmark and one of his all-time favorites, homemade Kare Kare.
Lucky for us, Sitka has a large Filipino population so our grocery stores feature a nice selection of imported ingredients… Although I know my attempt won’t ever quite live up to his favorite version from the Grand Aleutian, here’s my take on this Filipino comfort food.
Ingredients
3 - 4 lbs. oxtails
3 Tb. avocado oil
2 pints water
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 can banana blossoms, sliced
2 cups cubed eggplant
1 lb. green beans
1/4 cup rice flower
1.5 cups chunky peanut butter
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tb. fish sauce
2 tsp. shrimp paste
salt and pepper to taste
Season the oxtails with salt and pepper while heating some of your avocado oil in a big cast iron Dutch oven or similar pot. When the oil is smoking hot, sear the oxtails until they get nice and crusty brown on all sides. Add the water to just cover the meat and then simmer for about 3 hours, or until the meat in tender. Drain the tails, saving the broth and pull the meat off the bones (you can do this up to 3 days in advance).
Toast the rice flour in a sauté pan over medium heat until golden brown. Take a 1/2 cup of your broth and whisk in the toasted rice flour to make a paste and set aside.
When you’re ready to eat, heat the rest of your avocado oil in that same big, heavy pot and saute the onions, eggplant and green beans until el dente, add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Add in 3 cups of the reserved broth and as it comes to a simmer you can whisk in the peanut butter and then rice flour thickener, along with the cooked meat, the banana blossoms, the fish sauce and the fish paste. Let simmer for a few minutes, taste and adjust seasonings before serving.
Today I decided we should celebrate Day of the Dave - an annual holiday dedicated to my hard working husband, friend to fishermen and captain of our ship (literally and figuratively). So, from this day forward I am declaring the second Friday of June FREE from BOAT WORK! Put down the sander, hang up the headlamp. Here in Sitka, Dave will be physically forced to stop working at 2:00 today in order to enjoy a 90 minute massage at Botankia, a hot shave and a hair cut from Malcolm, Mojitos hand crafted by the one-and-only Ramon at the Westmark and one of his all-time favorites, homemade Kare Kare.
Lucky for us, Sitka has a large Filipino population so our grocery stores feature a nice selection of imported ingredients… Although I know my attempt won’t ever quite live up to his favorite version from the Grand Aleutian, here’s my take on this Filipino comfort food.
Ingredients
3 - 4 lbs. oxtails
3 Tb. avocado oil
2 pints water
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 can banana blossoms, sliced
2 cups cubed eggplant
1 lb. green beans
1/4 cup rice flower
1.5 cups chunky peanut butter
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tb. fish sauce
2 tsp. shrimp paste
salt and pepper to taste
Season the oxtails with salt and pepper while heating some of your avocado oil in a big cast iron Dutch oven or similar pot. When the oil is smoking hot, sear the oxtails until they get nice and crusty brown on all sides. Add the water to just cover the meat and then simmer for about 3 hours, or until the meat in tender. Drain the tails, saving the broth and pull the meat off the bones (you can do this up to 3 days in advance).
Toast the rice flour in a sauté pan over medium heat until golden brown. Take a 1/2 cup of your broth and whisk in the toasted rice flour to make a paste and set aside.
When you’re ready to eat, heat the rest of your avocado oil in that same big, heavy pot and saute the onions, eggplant and green beans until el dente, add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Add in 3 cups of the reserved broth and as it comes to a simmer you can whisk in the peanut butter and then rice flour thickener, along with the cooked meat, the banana blossoms, the fish sauce and the fish paste. Let simmer for a few minutes, taste and adjust seasonings before serving.