Vegetables Root Vegetables Beet Beet Poke with Avocado-Wasabi Mash Be the first to rate & review! This cold salad has a bright, earthy, and sweet taste to it thanks to fresh ingredients like oranges, sweet onions, and of course - beets! By Ed Kenney Ed Kenney F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Restaurant: Town (Honolulu, HI) Experience: Downtown (Honolulu, Hawaii); Ed spent ten years working at boutique restaurants in Honolulu Education: Culinary Institute of the Pacific at KCC, O'ahu What is the recipe you are most famous for? I’m embarrassed to say this, because it’s so overdone, but the recipe I’m most famous for is ahi tartare. If we were to take it off the menu there would be a citizen’s revolt. It’s a half dollar-size disk of firm risotto that is seared until it’s crispy on the top and bottom. The risotto cake is topped with a ball of chopped sashimi-grade ahi that has been seasoned with capers, anchovies, shallot and herbs. It’s finished with a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar. What is your most cherished cookbook? In my work I have referred to my old, dilapidated copy of The Joy of Cooking far more than any other cookbook because of its practicality and tried-and-true recipes. The favorite cookbook I own is Chez Panisse Vegetables, because it is personally addressed to me and signed by Alice Waters. What is the best-bang-for-the-buck ingredient? Parmigiano-Reggiano. While it’s not cheap, it packs an umami wallop, and can be used in salads, soups, pasta, sauces and even dessert. What restaurants are you dying to visit over the upcoming year? In 2014, I’ll be in Melbourne, Australia, and would really like to go to Attica. Ben Shewry is one of a group of young chefs creating beautifully simple yet complex modern dishes that reflect a particular time and place. I will also be in Tokyo and look forward to my reservation at Sukiyabashi Jiro because of his life-long commitment to creating perfect sushi. In New York City, I look forward to returning to Roberta’s in Brooklyn. I went there last summer at the suggestion of Mitchell Davis of the James Beard Foundation, and it was the most enjoyable and revelatory dining experiences that I have had in a long time. What is your dream restaurant project? It would be a restaurant as part of an educational-entrepreneurial youth leadership training program and center for agro-ecology. It would be set on a 100-acre organic farm on the North Shore of Oahu. What is your favorite supermarket-bought product? Vita Coco, because it’s cool and refreshing and because juicing fresh coconuts is a pain in the butt. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 1, 2016 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Con Poulos Active Time: 45 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 45 mins Yield: 6 to 8 Ingredients 2 1/2 pounds medium beets, scrubbed 1 navel orange, halved One 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced and smashed 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt Pepper 1/3 cup macadamia nuts 1/2 cup wakame seaweed 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1/2 cup very thinly sliced sweet onion 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions 2 Hass avocados—peeled, pitted and cut into large chunks 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons wasabi powder 1 golden beet, peeled and sliced paper-thin, for garnish (optional) Directions Preheat the oven to 350°. Set the beets in a baking dish. Squeeze the juice from the orange halves over the beets; add the orange halves and ginger to the dish. Drizzle the beets with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the beets are tender. Let cool, then peel and cut into 1-inch pieces. Leave the oven on. Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a pie plate until golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. In a bowl, cover the wakame with cold water and let stand until rehydrated, about 5 minutes; drain. Rinse under cold water, then drain again. In a large bowl, toss the beets with the wakame, toasted nuts, vinegar, sesame oil, onion and scallions. Season the poke with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until slightly chilled, about 15 minutes. In another bowl, mash the avocados with the lemon juice, wasabi powder and 1 tablespoon of water. Season the avocado with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until chilled, about 15 minutes. To serve, mound the poke on plates and garnish with the golden beet, if using. Pass the avocado-wasabi mash at the table. Make Ahead The beet poke can be refrigerated overnight. Add the nuts, then serve. Rate it Print