| |||||||||||||
See a page from the Hawaiian Cultural Center's traditional ali'i luau recipes
|
|
|
|
|
|
For about 18 years now, dear friends Jeff and Debbie have been putting on a (nearly) annual Thanksgiving Luau at their place in Haiku. Preparation goes on for days in advance, as we round up the Kiawe wood, the banana stalks and the Ti leaves. Jeff and friends dig the hole (again) where it always is every year, in the middle of their gorgeously tended yard. They both have green thumbs, and their place is really filled with aloha! Jeff has recycled the river rocks, year after year, and they sit waiting, in a neat stack, by the base of the banana trees. In the morning, on the day before Thanksgiving, Jeff sets the fire. It's a real skill, stacking the wood in a teepee configuration and considering the air flow and chimney effects. Jeff is the Kahuna, and he places all the rocks just so, so they're deep in the fire, but not constricting the flame. The fire is lit at around 6 pm, and burns til 11 pm or midnight, til the whole thing is just a choke pile of white hot rocks and Kiawe embers. Meanwhile, we've all had a great time poking the fire, pushing wayward logs back into the conflagration, drinking and smoking, and talking story from years gone past. It's one of the most special nights of the year. This group of friends is awesome. The love flows, and Jeff and Debbie are the core of it all. What beautiful people! One year, the fire wasn't burning too well, and Jeff brought out a leaf blower. What a riot! Jeff charging that fire with forced air, the sparks flying and the whole pile burst into massive flames! It worked perfectly! OK, so the fire is all burned down and raked over. We have two big piles of foliage. The banana stalks, which carry a tremendous amount of fluid, are all split into 1" strips about 2 or 3 feet long. The banana leaves are piled up beside them. We start by laying the stalks about 12" deep directly over the hot coals, then banana leaves on top of that. Next we place 12 or 14 turkeys and hams, all wrapped in foil in big Aluminum roasting pans, along with any other stuff the hunters might have; Mouflon, pheasant, pig or Axis Deer. These are all well wrapped in Aluminum roasting pans with Ti leaves inside. We cover the food packages with more banana leaves, throw lots of wet burlap over it, then put a few sturdy tarpaulins over those, and bury the whole thing with dirt. It's important to seal in all the steam. By now, It's about 1 am, we're tired and buzzed, and we'll leave it covered til 2 or 3 pm Thanksgiving Day. Go home, sleep, prepare the potluck dishes .... then go back over. So, then comes the big "reveal" as we uncover the whole thing. The food is always delicious. It literally falls off the bones. There are around 50 or 60 people that come every year, and it has truly become one of the pivotal reconnection days for our ohana. Everyone brings other dishes, potatoes, gravy, salads, vegies, dressing, pies ... the whole deal. It's GREAT!
|
|
|
|
|
|