Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Hawaiian Night At The Wine Club – Appetizer

For this month’s wine group, the hosts selected a Hawaiian theme and provided the main course of Huli Huli Chicken with the rest of us providing the remainder of the meal.  To go with the chicken we had a salad, rice, dessert, and Bev & I provided the appetizer.  When I think of Hawaiian food, the things that come to my mind are pork and pineapple so after checking the internet and asking a few folks for suggestions, we opted for small kebabs.  We wanted something we could make ahead and at home, keep warm, and make into an interesting presentation and we found this easy recipe on line and it's shown below as written.  I pretty well followed it but I used enough of everything for 30 small kebabs (one piece each of pepper, pork, and pineapple) and a triple recipe of sauce.  I used smaller pieces so that all three items could be eaten from the skewer together.

Pork-and-Pineapple Kebabs - 2 full sized kebabs

Ingredients:
1/2 pound pork tenderloin
1½ tablespoons brown sugar
1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon grated fresh onion
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
1 bay leaf
8 (1-inch) cubes fresh pineapple
8 (1-inch) pieces red bell pepper
Vegetable cooking spray

Preparation:
Trim the fat from pork, and cut the pork into 8 (1-inch) cubes. Combine brown sugar and the next 7 ingredients (brown sugar through bay leaf) in a large zip-top heavy-duty plastic bag; add the pork cubes. Seal the bag, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour, turning bag occasionally. (To keep the texture of the pork from becoming mushy, marinate it for no more than 1 hour.)

Remove pork from bag, reserving marinade. Discard bay leaf. Thread 4 pork cubes, 4 pineapple cubes, and 4 bell pepper pieces alternately onto each of 2 (10-inch) skewers.

Prepare grill. Place kebabs on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and cook to a meat temp of 140F, turning and basting frequently with reserved marinade.  Wrap in foil and place in a 145F oven to keep warm until ready to serve.

We elected to cut off a third of a pineapple and stick the kebabs in the remainder of it to serve.


For our wine we served a V. Sattui Dry Riesling that seemed to go well with the kebabs.


The kebabs received very favorable comments and the ten of us ate all but two them.  They worked very well for this event as they were still a little warm when we served them about an hour after removing them from the oven and wrapping in a thick towel to transport.  All of the dishes and wines were very good and, as always, it was a great way to spend an evening.

On a sad note, SIL Pat’s dog, Willie, passed away Tuesday night while at the vets for an unknown illness.  It is very sad for Pat to lose her companion of 12 years.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

3/30/16 meal date

9 comments:

  1. What a wonderful get together.
    Sorry to hear about Willie ak ways sad to lose a pet (family member) .

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  2. OH NOOOO .... I'm so sorry to hear about Willie. What a little sweetheart. Please give Pat a big hug for me. And give her my sympathy.It's just such a horrible thing to go through. :(

    Love the kebabs.

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  3. I haven't made kabobs in a while and the kids were just asking for them. These look yummy. I think I'll give these a try this weekend, but will use chicken instead of pork. My sincerest condolences to Pat. It's tough loosing our four-legged family members. I still miss my little guy. Sending warm thoughts!

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  4. Looks great...nice presentation! Don't forget....more Spam© is consumed per capita in Hawaii than another place. And Knoxville holds the record for per capita Fish Stick consumption! HA!!

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  5. Oh I'm so sorry to hear about Willie. He was a sweetheart. Please tell Pat we'll be thinking of her. Losing a pet/family member is a very big thing to handle. The last time we saw Willie he seemed fine. And your kabobs look perfect for the Hawaiian party and your presentation is gorgeous.
    Sam

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  6. I am so sorry for Pat's loss! It's awful to lose a pet.

    The kebabs look tasty and the presentation is awesome!

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  7. What a beautiful presentation you made of the appetizer, Larry. I'm sure everyone loved them. Condolences to Pat on the loss of her dog. 15 years together is a long time.

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  8. Condolences to Pat on the loss of her companion.

    Your seasoning combo sounds great for a pork roast, Larry (you know I'm not going to make enough kebabs to feed the men I keep around here; it would take me all day). Sounds like you all had a great party.

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  9. Your kebabs looks great Larry. Wonderful presentation. So sorry for Pat. Give her our best. Willie was a sweet dog.

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