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Cabbage Appetizers |
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Caramelized Cabbage with Farfalle serves 4 to 6 as
an appetizer 3 tablespoons butter Heat the butter and oil. Cook the onion until very soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cabbage and cook until limp, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar and continue cooking until the cabbage turns golden-brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in the pepper and poppy seed and toss with the farfalle. |
Chicken Potstickers |
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Cabbage
Turnovers 1/2 cup
butter Melt butter in a
large skillet, over medium heat. Roll pastry into 12 squares. Brush each pastry squre with a small amount of Dijon mustard. Place equal portions of filing in the centre of each square. Moisten pastry edges with water, fold over filling to form a triangle. Seal edges by pinching together. Place turnovers
on an ungreased baking sheet. Slash tops to allow steam to escape. (Brush
tops with egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water, if desired.) Bake at 400°F
for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot with sour cream. Makes
12 turnovers. |
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Pot Stickers Source: Noodles - The Essential Kitchen Serves 4 8 oz ground lean pork 1 onion, finely chopped 1 cup finely shredded green cabbage 2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon white pepper 24 round wheat wonton wrappers 4 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 cups chicken stock, or as needed Light soy sauce for serving In a bowl, combine pork, oinion, cabbage, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce and pepper. Mix well. Place wonton wrappers on work surface and cover with damp kitchen towel. Working with one wrapper at a time, lay it on work surface and place 1 teaspoon filling in middle. Brush edges with water, fold wonton in half and press edges together to seal. Using your fingertips, pinch frill around each folded wonton if desired. Set aside, covered with plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining wrappers. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Swirl to cover entire bottom of pan. Working in batches, fry filled wontons until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute. Coat pan as needed with remaining 3 tablespoons vegetable oil. Return pot stickers to pan and add enough stock to come halfway up the sides of pot stickers. Cover and simmer until stock is almost absorbed, about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until stock is completely absorbed and bottoms of pot stickers are crisp. Repeat with remaining pot stickers. Serve pot stickers warm with soy sauce. Reprinted by permission of Periplus. All rights reserved. |
Shanghai Dumplings (Potstickers) Source: The Heritage of Chinese Cooking Makes about 10 dumplings Records show that these dumplings were made more than four centuries ago. They are still a favorite in Shanghai and Beijing (Peking), where hundreds of specialty stalls make nothing else in order to satisfy the appetites of the locals. The dough, make from wheat flour, is rather heavier than that of the South where rice flour is often used, and the technique of frying first, then steaming in chicken broth (stock) makes them a very substantial snack. They should be eaten with a dip of vinegar and shredded fresh ginger. Sometimes these dumplings are called "pot stickers" because the base of the dumpling is crisped and browned in oil before steaming. Other necessary recipes: Family Chicken Broth For Filling: 1 cup stems of Chinese cabbage 7 oz ground sirloin (topside) steak 1 oz fresh pork fat, ground 2 tablespoons cilantro 1 tablespoon chopped chives 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger Good pinch of pepper 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon light soy sauce 2 teaspoons sesame oil 2 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry 1 tablespoon cornstarch For Dough: 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup boiling water 2 tablespoons peanut oil, for frying 1/2 cup Family Chicken Broth (see recipe) or water FOR FILLING: Blanch the cabbage in a pot of boiling water just to soften, drain well. Squeeze the water out between paper towels. Combine the cabbage with the remaining filling ingredients in a large bowl. Beat and knead until the mixture is soft and clingy. Chill in the refrigerator. FOR DOUGH: Sift the flour into a stainless-steel bowl. Add the boiling water gradually, mixing with a wooden spoon until a fairly thick, soft dough forms. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside for 30 minutes. Remove the dough to a floured work surface, and knead for another minute or 2 until the dough is smooth and pliable. Divide mixture in half. Roll each piece of dough into a 3/4 x 5-inch sausage. Cut each sausage into about 10 pieces. Press each piece into a circle with the palm of the hand and roll into 3-inch rounds. TO ASSEMBLE: Place 1 1/2 teaspoons of the filling into each round, close the edges together, pleating the side farthest away and seal together. (The dumpling is slightly curved because of the stretching of one side.) Place the dumplings into a bamboo steamer and steam over boiling water for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool. Place the dumplings into a thick-based skillet. Add enough peanut oil to cover one-third of the dumplings. Raise the heat and fry the dumplings for 2-3 minutes, until the bottoms become crispy and lightly browned. Sprinkle a little water into the pan to create a little steam, cover with a lid, and reduce heat to prevent burning the bottoms of the dumplings. Shake the pan a little from time to time and continue to pan-fry and steam for another 4-5 minutes. Remove and serve. Reprinted by permission of Weldon Russell. All rights reserved. -- |
| Traditional Wontons Source: Food & Wine 60 Wontons These wontons can be deep-fried, steamed or boiled and may be served with any one of the accompanying dipping sauces. 2 cups shredded napa cabbage 1/2 pound ground pork or chicken 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped 2 scallions, minced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger 1 teaspoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 60 wonton skins 2 to 3 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying (optional) Soy-Vinegar Sauce, Orange Sweet-and-Sour Sauce, Spicy Fish Sauce or Spiced Salt Soy-Vinegar Sauce: Makes 1/4 Cup 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice vinegar In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce and vinegar. Orange Sweet-and-Sour Sauce: Makes 1 Cup 1 whole small dried red chile 2/3 cup fresh orange juice 1/4 cup cider vinegar 2 tablespoons orange marmalade 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 1/4 teaspoon salt In a small nonreactive saucepan, simmer all the ingredients over low heat for 5 minutes. Let cool. Spicy Fish Sauce: 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon fish sauce* 1 teaspoon chili paste 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh cilantro *Available at Asian markets Combine all the ingredients and stir to dissolve the sugar thoroughly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Spiced Salt: Use this flavored salt as a dip for any fried food or as a dry rub in cooking. Makes About 1/4 Cup 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons coarse salt In a small dry skillet, toast the cumin seeds, fennel seeds and Szechuan peppercorns over moderately low heat, stirring often, until aromatic, about 3 minutes. Let cool. Grind in a spice grinder or in a mortar and transfer to a bowl. Add the ground pepper and salt and mix well. In a saucepan of boiling water, blanch the cabbage for 2 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. Then squeeze out the excess water. In a bowl, combine the cabbage with the pork, cilantro, scallions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Toss well. Lay out 10 wonton skins on a work surface; keep the remainder covered. Place a rounded 1/2 teaspoon of filling in the center of each skin; dampen the edges and fold over to form a triangle. Press out the air and seal the edges. Dampen the two points farthest from each other and pinch them together to form a hat, or tortellini, shape. Put the wontons on a flour-dusted baking sheet and cover with a clean towel. Repeat the procedure with the remaining skins and filling. TO DEEP-FRY THE WONTONS: Heat the oil to almost 400 degrees F. in a wok. Add the wontons in batches of 10 and cook, turning once, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. TO BOIL THE WONTONS: Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the wontons in batches and cook until they float to the top. Transfer to a colander to drain. TO SERVE: Transfer the wontons to a platter and pass one or more of the dipping sauces separately. VARIATION: For vegetable wontons, in place of the pork, steam 1 1/2 pounds stemmed fresh spinach until just wilted, squeeze dry and coarsely chop. In a small saucepan, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in the spinach. Add to the bowl in Step 2 and proceed. Reprinted by permission of Food and Wine. All rights reserved. |
Crawfish Egg Rolls with Hot Sesame Drizzle Source: Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking Makes 8 first course servings Chinese food in New Orleans? Absolutely. Light and crispy on the outside, moist and spicy on the inside, these egg rolls are a snap to make, using egg roll skins available in supermarkets. The twist is the Creole-seasoned crawfish, but if you like, you can substitute either lobster meat or shrimp. Other necessary recipes: Emeril's Creole Seasoning Hot Sesame Drizzle 1 cup Hot Sesame Drizzle (see recipe) 2 teaspoons olive oil 1/2 cup finely diced onions 1/2 cup finely diced celery 1 cup, finely shredded napa or white cabbage 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1/2 cup finely grated carrots 1/2 pound (1 cup) peeled crawfish tails 2 tablespoons sesame oil 2 teaspoons untoasted sesame seeds 1 teaspoon salt, and 6 turns freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon Emeril's Creole Seasoning (see recipe) 4 large eggs, lightly beaten in 2 separate bowls (2 eggs per bowl) 8 egg roll skins 6 cups vegetable oil 1/4 cup dry mustard, combined with 1/4 cup water Prepare the Hot Sesame Drizzle, and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions, celery, and cabbage and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and carrots and saute, stirring and shaking the skillet, for 1 minute. Add the crawfish tails and saute, shaking the skillet, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into a bowl. To the crawfish mixture, add the sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt, pepper, Creole Seasoning, and 2 of the eggs. Lay the egg roll skins on a flat surface and brush them with some of the remaining egg. Place one-eighth of the filling on one end of each skin, leaving a 1/4-inch border at the top and sides, and roll up, tucking in the ends after the first roll. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan or wok over high heat. When the oil is very hot, about 375 degrees F., fry the egg rolls until they're crisp and golden brown, for about 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly on paper towels. While the egg rolls are frying, reheat the Hot Sesame Drizzle over low heat, stirring once or twice. TO SERVE: Paint each of 8 dishes with a zigzag of mustard. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the Hot Sesame Drizzle over the mustard, and top with an egg roll. Reprinted by permission of Harper Collins. All rights reserved. |