T'is The Season(ing)

When we visit Hawaii, we always bring back a little something for our neighbors who kindly accept packages for us and generally keep an eye on our house while we are away. It's also the holiday season, a traditional time for gift giving. So, in grocery stores or shops in Hawaii, I'm always on the lookout for something fun to pique their interest.

This time, I found several different rubs from a new-to-me company, Aloha Spice Company in Hanapepe on the island of Kaua'i.

The ingredients on the label of Pele's Smokey Coffee Rub, the first one I tried, are organic herbs and spices, Kaua'i coffee, Hawaiian 'Alaea sea Salt, organic sugar and natural smoke flavor. Some of the spice is clearly from peppers - it has a little of Pele's heat in it.

The package recommended it for use on steaks, chicken or pork and we had a small chicken from Marin Sun Farms in the freezer, so that was our choice. We rubbed it lightly on the chicken and, laying the chicken on a square of foil to deflect the heat of the coals, grilled it for about 40 minutes on the Weber. The coffee flavor was pronounced, the heat was light and sneaky, the salt was more of an undertone than a strong presence, just the way we like it.

Clearly, this is a product we will be happy to share with our good neighbors. It was great on the chicken but I can imagine it on grilled pineapple and even roasted potatoes. I'll try that one day soon and let you know what I think.

A certain couple I know is considering going vegan for a while, and this might make that effort even more interesting, as all the ingredients are organic and vegetable or mineral based.

If you'd like to learn about the company or order some of their products, here's the website: www.alohaspice.com