Graduating and Celebrating

June 11th is King Kamehameha’s birthday and is an official holiday in Hawaii. Hawaiians love holidays and don’t need much of an excuse to have a luau or feast. Here in Red Wing, we’re doing a little celebrating of our own as our high school seniors graduate and that will mean a lot of graduation open houses. I’m guessing that most people giving these parties have all their plans made, but on the off chance that some are still looking for ideas, why not have a Hawaiian theme?

The Hawaiians are a generous, fun-loving people who ooze charm and hospitality and, coupled with their enchanting natural surroundings, are natural party givers. They have a tremendously diverse population, a melting pot of the Pacific, which contributes to the unique and delicious Hawaiian cuisine. Hawaiian food is derived from the Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and Filipinos who make up the greatest number of inhabitants; add to them smaller numbers of Koreans, Puerto Ricans, Germans Galician Poles, Russians, Norwegians, Gilbert Islanders, Italians, Marquesans, Spaniards, Tahitians and Samoans. Most of these latter groups returned home at the end of a contract period working on plantations, but all left a trace of their culture on the islands.

For the graduation party, a selection of finger foods, hors d’oeuvre, salads and desserts is the usual fare. The Hawaiian version of hors d’oeuvre is the puu puu dish. And it’s a wonderful dish—a potpourri of international delicacies that reflect the many ethnic influences of the Hawaiian cuisine. The most typical puu puu tray consists of Chinese-style barbecued spareribs, butterfly shrimps, Japanese Kumaki on sticks, Korean meat balls, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi salmon, cherries, punch, sugar-glazed pineapple chunks and fresh roasted macadamia nuts. Other goodies that can be added or substituted are dips, chips, small cold tidbits, shrimp balls and chicken wings.

Pineapple Kumaki (also known as Rumaki, but there is no R in the Hawaiian alphabet)

1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes
¾ pound bacon slices, halved

Marinade:
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup pineapple juice
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 slice fresh ginger root, minced

Wrap each pineapple cube with half a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place in a shallow pan and cover with marinade, coating well. Marinate for 3 hours at room temperature or overnight in refrigerator. Prior to serving, roll in additional brown sugar. Bake on a rack over a foil-lined pan in a 375 deg. oven, or broil 3 to 4 inches from flame, turning until bacon is crisp. Replace toothpicks with fancy picks before serving. Bananas can be used instead of or in addition to the pineapple.

Korean Meatballs

1 pound ground beef
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp salt
2 scallions, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
3 Tbsp sesame seeds, pulverized
Dash freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten with 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
½ cup flour mixed with 1 Tbsp. paprika
Oil for frying

Mix the first nine ingredients together in a bowl. Shape into small meatballs. Dip in egg mixture then roll in flour and paprika. Heat oil in skillet and brown evenly on all sides. Serve with Vinegar-Shoyu Sauce. 25-30 meatballs.

Vinegar-Shoyu Sauce

Combine equal amounts of soy sauce and vinegar (6 Tbsp. soy sauce, 6 Tbsp vinegar). Add 3 Tbsp sugar and mix well.


Watermelon Boat Salad

Fill a hollowed-out watermelon half with chunks of watermelon, cantaloupe, honey-dew, pineapple, banana, star fruit, grapes, Kiwi fruits and strawberries. Serve a bowl of this sauce on the side:

Sauce
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup grated fresh or packaged coconut
¼ cup apricot preserves
2 Tbsp lemon juice
½ cup chopped macadamia nuts

Blend all well and chill until serving time.

Kona Chicken Salad

3 medium sized ripe pineapples
2 small cans water chestnuts, sliced
6 cups diced cooked chicken
2 cups thinly sliced celery
2 Tbsp. grated onion
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
Dressing
Salt, pepper to taste
Strawberries and mint for garnish

Cut pineapples in half, carefully retaining the leaves. Scoop out the fruit and dice, discarding the inedible core. Drain the water chestnuts. Mix pineapple, water chestnuts, chicken, celery, onion and nuts with dressing. Add seasonings and mix. Pile into pineapple shells and garnish with strawberries and mint. Chill thoroughly before serving

Coconut Crunchies

½ cup sugar
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
¾ cup flour
2 eggs, unbeaten

½ cup sugar
½ tsp pineapple extract
¼ tsp salt
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup corn flakes
1 cup coconut


Cream sugar, butter and rind; blend in flour. Press mixture into 9-inch baking pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine eggs, extract, sugar and salt and blend well. Fold in remaining ingredients and spread over hot baked crust and return to oven for 25 minutes. Permit to cool in pan but cut into squares while hot.