Monthly Archives: February 2023

Japanese Pan-Fried Dumplings

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Ingredients:

  • 4 cups loosely packed, minced Napa cabbage soft, green, leafy parts only
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 tsp table salt
  • 10 ounces ground pork
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger with a microplane grater
  • 3 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 1 stalk green onion green part only, minced
  • 2 teaspoon Japanese miso paste red/dark miso paste
  • 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon red Asian chili powder optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 40 dumpling wrappers

For cooking the dumplings:

  • 4 tablespoon cooking oil like canola, vegetable
  • 3/4 cup water

Dipping Sauce:

  • 6 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • Several drops of chili oil or Asian sesame oil

Directions:

  • Toss the minced cabbage with the salt in a large bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes. Using both hands, or a cheese cloth, squeeze the cabbage firmly to drain and discard the excess water (prevent your dumplings from becoming mushy) and then transfer the cabbage to a deep bowl. Add the pork, ginger, garlic, green onion, miso, sesame oil, chili powder, and sugar. Mix everything together with your hands until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Using your hands, scoop the mixture into a ball, lift it, and then throw it back into the bowl. Repeat several times to tenderize the meat and help the mixture stick together.
  • Have a small bowl of cold water ready. Lay a dumpling wrapper on a dry work surface, and place a teaspoon of the meat mixture in the center of the wrapper. With a fingertip moistened with water, trace a line along half of the edge of the round wrapper. Fold the wrapper over to enclose the filling, and pinch the wrapper in the center to seal the edges together at that spot. Holding the filled half-circle in the left hand, pleat the top of the wrapper from the middle out, pressing it to the flat edge of the wrapper at the back. Set aside the stuffed dumpling with the pleated-wrapper edge up. Repeat to make 40 dumplings in all.
  • In a large skillet with a tight fitting lid, heat 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil over medium-high heat. Carefully place as many of the dumplings that can fit without touching in the skillet with the pleated-wrapper edge up. Cook the dumplings for 3 minutes, or until nicely browned on the bottom. Check the progress by lifting 1 or 2 dumplings by their pleated edge.
  • Once the bottoms are nicely browned, use the skillet lid to shield yourself and carefully pour in 1/4 cup of the water. When the hissing and splattering die down, drizzle in 1 teaspoon of the cooking oil around the edge of the skillet. Place the lid on the skillet to trap in the moisture and then quickly lower the heat to keep the liquid at a bare simmer.
  • Check the dumplings after 2 minutes. When the wrappers appear slightly translucent and the meat feels firm when pressed lightly with a spoon, remove the lid and raise the heat slightly. Continue to cook until all the water has evaporated and only the oil remains (about 2 minutes). Once you hear a sizzling sound, shake the skillet. The dumplings should slide about. If they seem to stick to the skillet, move the skillet away from the stove and replace the lid for a moment. Remove the dumplings from the skillet with a broad flexible spatula. If you’d like, flip them over so that the seared surface faces up. Cook the remaining dumplings the same way. Serve the dumplings hot accompanied by the dipping sauce.
  • While the dumplings are cooking, make the dipping sauce by mixing the soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame/chili oil together in a small bowl. 

Mexican Street Corn Salad

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Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds frozen corn kernels (or fresh if corn is in season)
  • 3/4 cup crumbled Cotija cheese
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat the broiler. Defrost the corn and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil, stirring once halfway through, for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the cheese, cilantro, mayonnaise, sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, and ancho chile powder; season with salt and pepper.
  3. Add the roasted corn to the cheese mixture and stir to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.

White Chicken Chili

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Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)

3 medium poblano peppers (about 4 ounces each), seeded and white ribs removed, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more to taste

1 pound ground chicken or turkey

2 (15.5-ounce) cans white beans such as cannelini, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 (15.5-ounce) can hominy, drained and rinsed

Salt

1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Lime wedges

Directions:

  1. Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion, celery, poblanos, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  2. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink about 2 minutes. Add the white beans, broth and oregano. Cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes.
  3. Add the hominy and salt and more cayenne pepper, to taste, and continue cooking, partially covered, 10 minutes longer. Ladle into individual bowls and top each serving with 1 tablespoon of yogurt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cilantro. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

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Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups half-and-half

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

baguette bread, sliced and topped with butter and parmesan cheese, then toasted to eat with soup

4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)

1 large carrot, diced

2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

Directions:

  1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
  2. Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you’ll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)
  3. Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Serve in bowls and Garnish with cheese.

Red Miso Udon Soup

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INGREDIENTS  

  • 12-15 shittake mushrooms stems trimmed and sliced into 1/4″ pieces
  • 2 tbsp safflower oil divided
  • 1 tbsp garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp ginger minced
  • 1 8 oz pkg Udon noodles
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium tamari sauce
  • 2 heads bok choy washed and trimmed
  • 1/2 cup red miso paste
  • sriracha optional, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • In a large stockpot, add the shiitake mushrooms and 1/4 cup of water. Simmer the mushrooms until the water has almost cooked off, about 5minutes. When a small amount of water remains, add 1 tablespoon of the safflower oil. Continue to sauté the mushrooms until they are slightly crispy, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
  • Add the remaining tablespoon of safflower oil to the stockpot and heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté on medium-low heat until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tamari sauce and 7 1/2 cups of water. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  • While the broth is simmering, prepare the Udon noodles according to the package directions. Drain the noodles when they are al dente and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
  • Add the bok choy to the broth and remove the broth from the heat.
  • In a small bowl, combine the miso paste with 1/2 cup (120 ml) of warm water and whisk vigorously until the miso paste is dissolved. Add the miso slurry to the broth. Add the mushrooms to the broth.
  • Serve immediately by placing the desired amount of noodles in the bottom of your serving bowls. Top with the broth and add sriracha sauce for additional heat, if desired.

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

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Ingredients:

10 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips

14 oz silken tofu, drained and patted dry

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup vanilla soy milk or almond milk

2 tsp agave nectar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 9 inch prepared graham cracker crust

Directions:

  1. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl on medium heat 15 seconds, stir. Continue to microwave in 30 second intervals and stir until melted.
  2. Combine chocolate, tofu, peanut butter, soymilk, agave nectar, and vanilla in blender or food processor, and process until smooth, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture into crust, refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Flammkuchen – German pizza

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Ingredients

for the dough:

  • 2 cups flour 250g
  • 1/2 cup very warm water 120g
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

for the topping:

  • 1/2 cup creme fraiche 150g
  • 7 oz thick-cut bacon or Speck 200g
  • 1 small/medium onion
  • arugula with a squeeze of lemon

Instructions

Make the dough:

  • Preheat the oven to its highest setting (about 500°F/250°C).
  • In a medium/large mixing bowl stir the flour with salt.
  • Add the olive oil and very warm water (from the tap). Stir with a wooden spoon until roughly combined.
  • Knead the dough by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment for a couple of minutes until the dough is soft and smooth.
  • Wrap the dough in plastic foil and set aside to rest for 20-30 minutes.

Assemble the tart:

  • Prepare the ingredients: cut bacon into small cubes. Cut onions into thin slices and sprinkle them with a pinch of salt. Add the creme fraiche into a small bowl, season it with salt and pepper, stir until combined.
  • Roll out the dough very thinly into an oval or rectangle shape and place it on a baking sheet.
  • Spread the creme fraiche over the dough leaving some border, top with bacon and onion slices (if they released some water, squeeze it out).
  • Bake the tart for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. The baking time may be longer (up to 15-18 minutes) if your oven was not as hot as mine.
  • Sprinkle with thinly sliced chives (optional) and top with arugula