Beef

Hawaii Oxtail Soup

Hawaii’s version of Oxtail Soup most likely had its roots from the first Chinese immigrant workers that came over in the mid to late 1800s. Several of the ingredients in the traditional Chinese version such as gow pee (dried Chinese tangerine peel), Szechuan peppercorns, and Chinese dates are difficult to find and over time were simply left out or just not used. Most Hawaii restaurants and diners make a recipe similar to the one listed below give or take a few ingredients.

Star anise however is one of the Chinese ingredients that you will need for this recipe and you should go to the trouble to find it. You must be asking why fuss over the star-shaped fruit wall of the Illicium vercum, a small native evergreen tree of southwest China? Can’t this recipe be done without it? The answer is: you probably can but it just won’t be the same. Besides being one of the main ingredients in Chinese five-spice powder, star anise is also used to make the flu drug Tamiflu. Star anise contains high amounts of a substance called shikimic acid and without it the people at Roche could not make the miracle drug which saved millions of people over the last few years.

So now you know a little about this Hawaii comfort food and why it is no accident that so many people here love to eat it and simply can’t do without it.
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Rich Oxtail Soup: Mainland Style

In Hawaii Oxtail Soup is made much differently due to the strong Asian influence. Because this recipe is from the mainland it will taste a lot different from what you are used to but is still very good in its own way.

The recipe calls for two ingredients not commonly used in Hawaii: parsnips and marjoram. Parsnips are root vegetables similar to carrots except that they are paler and stronger flavor. Marjoram is a perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours and can usually be found in the spice section of your local supermarket.

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Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers are simply delicious and a great way to do something different with hamburger meat which can be pretty boring at times. Instead of using just green peppers we try to also make a couple using red and yellow bell peppers. Let the kids help you make this one and tell them they are helping you make and edible traffic light.
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Microwaving Hamburger

Did you know that hamburger is great for microwaving? If you have a microwave with multiple settings, you will be able to cook even the tougher cuts of beef. To avoid that pale sick look be sure to add sauces or toppings or even better yet brown your hamburger on a grill before freezing them. Simply thaw and heat in your microwave and you got ready to eat hamburger without any “leftover” flavor.

Finnish Beef Soup

Traditional Finnish cuisine is a blend of European and Russian flavors. The food was fresh and healthy and typically made with fish, meat (reindeer), berries and ground vegetables. Being situated so far north, spices were not readily available thus the food was more on the simpler side. Too bad the Finn’s did not have Lipton Vegetable Soup Mix otherwise they could have easily made this recipe with some reindeer meat.

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