maui RECIPES

All recipes are created by Chef Mike Lofaro.

Paniolo-Style Flat Iron Steak:
15-20 steaks

Marinade:
About 6 panini prickly pear fruit
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped parsley
8 cloves garlic
salt to taste
1 tsp. grated ginger
2 Tbsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. paprika
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 6 limes
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup diced red onion

Gently scrape the outside of the prickly pear fruit to make sure no tiny thorns remain.  Chop the prickly pear.  Place in a cheese cloth over a bowl.  Tighten, twist and squeeze the nectar into the bowl, leaving the seeds behind in the cheese cloth.  Continue until you have about 1/2 cup of nectar. Add cilantro and parsley to nectar.  Sprinkle garlic clove with salt and crush, making about 2-3 Tbsp. garlic paste, and add to nectar mixture.  Add ginger, cumin, paprika, orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, pepper, salt, onion and mix well.  Pour over steaks and marinade in refrigerator for at least an hour but no more than 2 hours.  

Grilled Panini pads:
8 Panini pads
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tsp. cumin
3 tsp. paprika
salt & pepper to taste

Slice thorns off pads gently with a sharp knife and peel off edges.  Wipe panini well with a cloth.
Score the pads by slicing through them vertically until about a 1/2 inch to the bottom of pad so that it still stays in one piece.  Place on a platter or cookie sheet for seasoning.  Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with about 3 pinches of cumin/paprika mixture, and 2 pinches of salt and pepper.  Flip over and do the same on the other side.  Grill.

Pickled Mango Salad:

3 ripe mangoes (Kent)
1 very thinly sliced (shaved) medium red onion
20 individual cilantro sprigs
Salt
Pepper

Pickling liquid:
1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. salt
Place ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, then chill.

Chop off the ends of the mango and peel off skin.  Slice the meat off the seed of the mango, slice in half then cut into thin strips.  Place mango and onion into a bowl and mix.  Add cilantro, salt and pepper.  10 minutes before serving toss with pickling liquid.