Maui-Style Teriyaki Beef Panini

Alooooooha!!  I just got back from a week in beautiful Maui – our first real family vacation since our daughter was born almost a year ago.  Gorgeous weather, friendly people and an all-around wonderful time.  And I brought you back a few souvenirs: details on our three favorite places to eat on Maui and an island-inspired panini recipe!

I chose to make Maui-Style Teriyaki Beef Panini based on the positively mouthwatering soy- and ginger-marinated thin strips of steak we enjoyed at Da Kitchen in Kihei.  It was pretty easy to re-create at home, especially since I cheated a little with store-bought marinade.  I also wanted to include some sweet Maui onions, which I enjoyed all over the island – crispy-fried for a little texture as well as great flavor.  And finally, what kind of Hawaiian sandwich would it be without a little pineapple?  All piled on a nice, crusty ciabatta (hey, Hawaii is all about combining cultures!) this sandwich summarized my delicious memories of the islands.

Photo: maui-nightlife.com

If you’re planning to visit Maui any time soon, allow me to recommend a few fantastic restaurants.  Our favorite place to eat on Maui, hands down, is Mama’s Ribs & Rotisserie – a tiny, family-run place in a strip mall in Napili.  My in-laws first introduced it to us and we’ve been back four times.  We have yet to find a better “plate lunch” on the island, and believe me we’ve looked!  Our favorites: the quarter-chicken (dark meat!) and fall-off-the-bone pork ribs combo, with heaping sides of mac salad, BBQ beans and rice.  On this trip alone, we made the 50-minute drive twice from Wailea up to Mama’s to indulge in this local comfort fare.

One of the most popular restaurants on Maui is Hali’imaile General Store in the town of Hali’imaile, and for good reason.  Chef Bev Gannon’s emphasis on fresh, local ingredients results in some truly amazing dishes, such as the macadamia nut-crusted fresh mahi mahi I had.  I usually tend to avoid macadamia nut-crusted items in Hawaii, as they’re often pretty touristy and mediocre, but this dish at Hali’imaile is a major exception.  The macadamias are ground to a powdered state, like a fine breadcrumb, so you have this subtle buttery, nutty flavor and a gentle crispness around the delicate fish.  The mahi mahi is served atop a bed of mashed purple sweet potatoes and is dressed with a tropical fruit salsa and a mango lilikoi (aka passionfruit) butter sauce.  Unbelievable!  We first ate here on our honeymoon and were so glad we decided to return on this trip.

Photo: Dimmerswitch

If a cozy atmosphere with sweeping panoramic views of the island is your style, Kula Lodge in the upcountry is your place.  We stumbled across the Kula Lodge on our honeymoon as we made our way down from the Haleakala crater.  Perched at 3,200 feet, the cabin-like lodge and restaurant welcomes you with a woodburning fireplace and windows overlooking the valleys and ocean down below.  What to order?  The Maui onion soup, of course!  Sweet Maui onions are the pride of Kula, and they’re only grown by a small number farmers in the area.  I was pleasantly surprised to find them back at home in my local Vons!  Enjoying a hot bowl of soup in the cool, misty Maui upcountry with the company of my husband and baby girl – nothing could have been more perfect.

Here’s the recipe for my Maui-inspired panini – I hope they hold you over until your next trip to the islands!

Maui-Style Terikayki Beef Panini

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/4 lb. flank steak, very thinly sliced crosswise
10 oz. teriyaki sauce/marinade (I used Kikkoman Less Sodium Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
1 Maui onion (Vidalia or Walla Walla onions would be fine substitutes), sliced thinly
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 slices pineapple
4 ciabatta rolls, sliced lengthwise

DIRECTIONS:

Place flank steak and teriyaki sauce (reserving 1/2 cup of sauce) in a large resealable plastic bag.  Seal and allow to marinate overnight.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a grill pan or sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Cook steak in batches, discarding marinade, about 2 minutes per side until cooked through.  Set aside and keep warm.

Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl.  Dredge onions in the flour mixture to coat.  Heat remaining 1/2 cup of canola oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Fry onions in batches for about 4-5 minutes until golden.  Carefully remove with a slotted spoon or spatula and drain on a paper towel-covered plate.

Lightly toast ciabatta halves in an oven or toaster oven.  Spread a thin layer of reserved teriyaki sauce on the inside of each piece of bread.  On each bottom ciabatta half, layer on two slices of pineapple, 1/4 of the teriyaki beef and 1/4 of the onions.  Close each sandwich with the top ciabatta halves, serve and enjoy!

>Want more panini recipes? Check out the Recipe Index for a list of all recipes on Panini Happy.

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Tagged as: ciabatta, flank steak, onions, pineapple, teriyaki