Pork Pot Stickers

I don't think I have met anyone who does not like pot stickers.  What's great is these can be either fried or steamed.  And the dipping sauces to choose from can vary (dumpling sauce, soy sauce, Ponzu, sweet & sour).  The sauces can work on either steamed or fried versions of the pot stickers.  You can either buy the skins at your Asian grocery store, or make it yourself (I've included the recipe).  For a light dinner we do the pot stickers with egg rolls and fried rice.  Yummmmmmm!

Ingredients for filling:
1lb ground pork
3 tblsp ginger (minced or grated)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
4-5 stalks of green onions (minced)
1/2 napa cabbage (finely chopped)
1tblsp salt
1 tsp sugar
6 tblsp sesame oil
Ground pepper to taste

Ingredients for skin:
2 cups water
4 cups all purpose flour
Pinch of salt

Cooking options:
6 tblsp Canola or olive oil for frying and 1/2 cup water
Steamer with pot of water

In a bowl, combine the finely chopped cabbage and 1 tblsp of salt. Set aside for approximately 20 minutes.  Transfer the cabbage to a clean kitchen cloth or paper towel and gently squeeze out the excess water.  Mix the cabbage with the rest of the ingredients for the filling.  Mix well to ensure all the ingredients are well incorporated.

To make the skin:

Bring water to a boil.  In a bowl mix the flour with the pinch of salt.  Slowly add the boiling water in 1/4 cup increments, mixing with chopsticks until a vall is formed and the dough is no longer too hot to touch or handle. All the water may not be needed to create the ball of dough.  Sprinkle some flour onto a work surface and knead the dough for approximately 15 minutes. Return the ball of dough to the bowl and cover with a cloth. Let it rest for 1 hour.

Roll the dough into a long baton approximately 1 inch in diameter.  Cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Flatten each piece with the palm of your hand until you form a circular disk approximately 3 inches in diameter and 1/16 inch thick.  Repeat with remaining dough pieces.

Creating pot stickers:

To fill each pot sticker, get 1/2 teaspoon of filling and place into the center of one of the skins.  Fold the skin over the filling creating a half moon.  Gently press the ends together to seal the filling in the skin.  Press the the non sealed side gently on the surface to create a flat bottom. 

When all the pot stickers are done, choose one of the cooking methods. 

Frying:  Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add pot stickers with the flat side down.  Rotate pot stickers. Cook in batches.  Allow the pot stickers to brown, then add 1/2 cup of water.  Cover and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Drain liquid and refry to crisp up the bottom for another  2-3 minutes.  Remove from pan and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Steamer:  Heat a deep pot or stock pot until water come to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow roiling boil. Line steamer basket with lettuce leaves or parchment paper.  Place pot stickers in steamer basket leaving room so they do not touch.  Place steamer basket over the pot of boiling water.  Steam for 6-8 minutes.  Server in steam basket with your favorite dipping sauce.

Potato Crusted Tilapia with Rosmary Oil

I made this some time back for my son's birthday before he left for Canada to play hockey.  I had invited family, his friends and my friends.  This is so easy.  I got this recipe watching Giada DeLaurentis one day on the FoodNetwork.  It is great to fix for a large crowd or an easy weekday dinner.  Even friends who normally do not like fish, loved this!  You can use red potatoes or Yukon Gold.  I like seasoned salt, but sea salt or kosher salt will work as well.  I find that russet or baking potatoes do not work. 

Ingredients:
4 tilapia fillets

1-2 potatoes (very thinly sliced)
2 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves (minced)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup minced fresh chives
Seasoned salt or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Using a mandoline or slicer (can be done by hand), slice the potatoes into paper thin rounds.  Place in a bowl of cold water to remove the starch.  Then remove and pat dry with a paper towel or kitchen towel.


Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper. Top each of the fillets with potato slices completely covering the surface of the fish, overlaying the potatoes like shingles. When all the fillets are covered with the potato slices, sprinkle the potato side with a little more salt and pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the minced rosemary leaves.

Heat a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the butter. When the butter is melted and the oil is hot add the fish, potato side down.  Cook the for approximately 4-5 minutes or until it looks like the potatoes are brown.  Move the skillet to the oven and bake until the fish is cooked through, about 15 to 17 minutes.

In a small bowl whisk the extra-virgin olive oil, chives, the remaining 1 tablespoon rosemary, salt and pepper.

To serve, flip the fish with the potato side up on to a plate. Drizzle the fish and the plate with the rosemary-chive oil. Serve immediately with your favorite rice pilaf.

Nilagang Manok (Filipino Chicken Vegetable Soup)

This is not your ordinary chicken vegetable soup. As with many island cultures, soup is very big in the Philippines served over rice.  You can use beef instead of chicken if you prefer.  There are no strict rules on the vegetables either.  Use whatever yo want, when I cannot find bok choy, I use cabbage. Cheyote is good with this and I have seen potatoes as well.   This is very popular in many Filipino homes since it is an easy meal to prepare with lots of vegetables.  The chicken broth just feeds your soul.  Now, I did make some changes to the original recipe.  I find I like more seasoning in mine.  I played around until I came up with this version.

Ingredients:

1-1/2lbs chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, drumsticks, etc.)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 inch ginger (minced)
2 small stalks celery (whole w/leaves)
6-8 peppercorns
3-4 carrots (peeled and cut)
1 small onion (peeled and quartered)
8 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 lb of green beans
8 baby bok choys (cleaned and removed from core)
2 tblsp canola or olive oil
Salt to taste

In a large stock pot, heat the oil, then add onion, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorn and ginger.  Cook while stirring for approximately 2-3 minutes.  You want the onions to be a little soft and translucent, but do not want the garlic or ginger to brown.  Add 8 cups of chicken broth, celery, carrots and chicken. Allow to get to a roiling boil, then reduce the heat to continue a low boil for approximately 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove and discard celery stalks and bayleaf.  Season with salt and add green beans; continue to cook for another 5 minutes.  Add the baby bok choy and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.  Taste and season with salt if needed.  In a bowl, add rice and spoon nilaga over the rice. Don't forget to be generous with the broth.  You can season to taste with patis (fish sauce).  Enjoy!

Piri Piri Shrimp

This is a South African recipe that I have seen on FoodNetwork and several cookbooks.  It looked really good and so I thought I would try it.  There were several variations, so I took bits and pieces of each recipe to come up with this one.  It has a majority of my favorite ingredients (shrimp, garlic, lime and cilantro). Adjust the "heat" with the number of serrano chillies.  One makes it pretty mild.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.  It is simple to fix, just a little planning required to allow the shrimp to marinade.

Ingredients:

1 1/2lbs Raw shrimp (remove shells)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tblsp Paprika
Juice of 2 medium size limes
1 tblsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tblsp flour
1-3 serrano chillies
1/3 cup olive oil plus 1 tblsp
1 handful of cilantro (roughly chopped)
Salt to taste

Remove shells from shrimp, pat dry and place shrimp in a glass or ceramic bowl.  Cut serrano chillies in half and with a small spoon remove the seeds and membrane (white stuff that keeps seeds intact.) Do not use your fingers to remove the seeds and membrane.  In a food processor, add the serrano chillies, garlic, paprika, lime juice, sugar and red wine vinegar.  Process until it creates a paste, add the olive oil minus the 1 tablespoon.  Continue to process for another minute.  Pour the marinade over the shrimp and let marinade for 1-2 hours or longer. 

In a skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Remove the shrimp from the marinade and toss with 1 tablespoon of flour.  Mix well.  When oil is heated, cook shrimp in batches until opaque and pink.  Transfer to a clean plate.  Continue cooking all the shrimp.  Sprinkle cooked shrimp with salt and toss with cilantro until mixed. Serve with white rice and enjoy!

Eggplant Adobo Style

We love eggplant at my house. I try to find recipes out there that utilizes this great night shade.  There are so many different types of eggplants, so you know there will be numerous ways to prepare.  Filipinos love "adobo".  They prepare just about anything adobo style.  So, when I found this recipe, I was so excited to make it.  What a find.  If you love Filipino style adobo and eggplant, this is a perfect marriage.

Ingredients:

3-4 Japanese eggplants
5 cloves of garlic (crushed whole)
1/2 cups chicken or pork broth
3 tblsp soy sauce
1/3 cup white wine vinegar or coconut vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp oyster sauce
3 tblsp canola or olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp canola or olive oil (for sauce)

Slice eggplants diagonally.  Heat the oil in a frying pan.  When hot, fry the eggplant slices until brown and semi-soft but still a little firm.  Remove the cooked eggplant to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.  Continue cooking until all the eggplant slices have been fried.  Do not crowd.  Eggplant tends to absorb the oil, so add additional oil to the pan when needed.

In another saucepan, heat 1 tsp of oil.  Add the garlic, stirring frequent, cook for 1 minute. Do not allow it to burn.  Add vinegar, soy sauce, broth and lots of pepper.  Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the eggplant, season with salt if necessary.  Continue to cook for 5 minutes, turning the eggplants occassionally.  Serve hot with jasmine or basmati rice.

Ceasar Chicken

I made this for a family friend's birthday party to celebrate his 90th birthday.  It was a hit and so easy to make (especially for 52 people).  The recipe below is for four servings.  The number of ingredients is pretty low, which makes it super easy to fix.  Using your  favorite brand of ceasar dressing.  Make sure it is not the creamy version.

4 skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup Ceasar dressing
1 cup canned tomatoes (chopped or diced)
4 strips of crisp bacon (chopped)
2 tblsp fresh parley (chopped)
2 tblsp fresh basil (chopped)
2 tblsp canola or olive oil
Pepper to taste

Pat chicken breast with a paper towel to remove any moisture.  In a deep fry pan, heat the oil.  Fry chicken breasts until brown on each side, approximately 5-7 minutes per side.  Do not crowd the chicken.  Add  chicken stock and ceasar dressing. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for 4 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes and season with pepper.  Turn chicken breasts over and continue to cook for 2 minutes.  Add the the fresh parsley and basil and cook for another 2 minutes.  There should be enough sodium in the dressing and chicken broth not to need salt.  Remove from heat and season to taste.  Serve with  a salad and your favorite rice pilauf.

Embutido

Okay, this is seasoned ground pork that has been rolled into a log and then baked.  The ingredients sounds kinda strange when you think about combining them, but actually, this is absolutely DELICIOUS!  This is my mother's recipe which I have taken some liberties ( I know she will yell at me later).  I've made two different versions, one using Spanish chorizo and another using andouille sausage.  The Spanish chorizo is part of the traditional recipe.  The andouille sausage adds a whole 'nother level.  If you like your foods with some spice, I highly recommend the andouille sausage, if not, go for the traditional Spanish chorizo.  Remember, do not use Mexican chorizo, totally different taste and seasoning.  It will not work on this dish.  This actually is not hard to make, just mix all the ingredients, roll into a log, wrap and then bake.


Ingredients:

1 1/2- 2 lbs of ground pork
1 cup bread crumbs soaked in 3/4 cup milk
2 Spanish chorizo or andouille sausage (cut into chunks)
2 eggs (beaten)
4 tblsp sweet pickle relish
4 tblsp raisins
1 small can (6oz) tomato paste
1 cup pork or chicken broth
2 tblsp of light brown or raw sugar
2 tblsp canola or olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 sheets of aluminum foil

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a food processor, add the chorizo/sausage and raisins. Process until minced but not pureed.  In a large mixing bowl, add the ingredients from the food processor, ground pork, soaked bread crumbs, eggs and sweet relish.  Mix well and season with salt and pepper.  On one of the aluminum sheets, place half of the mixture and proceed to stretch out and create a log.  It does not have to be perfectly round.  Wrap the log with the foil and crimp the ends closed. Place foil wrapped log in a baking dish.  Do the same withe other half.  Place the second foil wrapped log in the same baking dish.  Place in the heated oven and bake for 1 hour.  Remove the embutido from the oven and reserve the liquid at the bottom of the dish. 

Unwrap the embutido and remove the foil.  Place the rolled meat back into the baking dish.  Set the oven to broil - Low .  Brush each log with the oil and return to the oven for another 10 minutes to brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing. 

To make the sauce, in a sauce pan, add the tomato paste, sugar and broth.  Mix well to make a smooth sauce, and heat through using medium heat.  Pour the reserved liquid from the baking dish into the sauce.  Stir the sauce until the liquid is well incorporated.  Continue to heat until sauce is hot, season with pepper to taste.  Serve sauce with the sliced meat.  Enjoy with your favorite steamed jasmine or basmati rice.

Bacon and Egg Fried Rice

I am always looking for something different for breakfast.  I enjoy the standard American fare, but I like to do something different just to make it interesting.  With the daily grind to the office, I usually do something quick or fast food.  But on the weekends, it's nice to do something different.  Fried rice is such a versatile dish.  You can make it with just about anything.  This is a breakfast fried rice.  I normally use garlic and ginger, but since this is breakfast, I thought I would forgo it this time.  Use any bacon you prefer.  I find applewood bacon is really good with this dish. 

Ingredients:

2 tbls canola or olive oil
4 Eggs (beaten)
6-8 slices of bacon  (cut into bitesize pieces)
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots (or peas only if preferred)
2 stalks of green onions (chopped)
3 cups cooked rice
3-4 tblsp light soy sauce
2 tblsp sesame oil
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a wok or deep skillet.  On medium heat, add the beaten eggs and season with salt and pepper.  Scramble the eggs until soft but not runny.  Remove the eggs from the skillet.  Increase the heat and add the bacon to the skillet and cook until brown and crisp.  Add the green onion and cook until heated through, approximately 1minute.  Add the green peas and carrots and continue stirring until heated through.  Add in the rice. Reduce the heat to medium and continue stirring, breaking up the rice as you go.  When all the ingredients are incorporated, add soy sauce; continue stirring until soy sauce is well mixed and rice is well coated.  Drizzle the sesame oil and return the eggs into the skillet.  Continue cooking, breaking up the scrambled eggs so that it can be completed incorporated.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  If rice appears too light, add a little more of the soy sauce being careful not to add too much as this will make the dish very dark and salty.  Serve immediately with your favorite morning beverage.