Pot Stickers (Williams-Sonoma style)

1/4 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
2 cups finely chopped napa cabbage
1/2 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 cup minced fresh garlic chives (I have never found these, but green onion tops work really well)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp rice wine
1 1/2 tsp peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp ground white pepper
45 wonton wrappers
4 tbsp canola or peanut oil
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Soak the dried mushrooms in warm water to cover for 30 minutes (rehydrate). Squeeze out excess liquid, remove stems and mince the caps.
In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage and salt and let stand for 30 minutes to leach out water from the cabbage. Using your hands, wring out as much water from the cabbage as possible. Put the cabbage in a clean bowl. Add mushrooms, pork, garlic chives, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, ginger, garlic, cornstarch, and white pepper and, using a rubber spatula, mix vigorously to combine the ingredients well.
To fill each pot sticker, place a wonton wrapper on a work surface and brush the edges with water; keep the other wrappers covered with a slightly damp cloth to prevent them from drying out. Plae 1 teaspoon filling in the center of the wrapper, fold wrapper in half to enclose the filling, and pleat the outer edge. Place the finished pot sticker on a lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.
Preheat the oven to 250*. In a large nonstick frying pan over med-high heat, heat 1 tbsp of the oil. Add 10-12 pot stickers, floured bottom down and in a single layer. Sear until bottoms are golden brown, 3-4 minutes., Pour 1/4 cup of the broth into the pan, cover, and let steam until all the broth evaporates, the pot stickers are tender but still firm, and the filling is cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a platter, cover with aluminum foil, and keep warm in the oven. Cook the remaining pot stickers and broth in 3 more batches.
Serve hot with dipping sauce.

Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce
5 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp water
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sriracha chile sauce
1 tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp red jalapeno chile, seeded and thinly sliced on the diagonal

Bulgarian Musaka

One of Beau's Bulgarian colleagues at U of R shared his mother's Mousaka recipe with us. It was a tricky translation as she doesn't speak much English, but I'll be experimenting with it to get it right!

Musaka

Ingredients
1 kilo kaima (ground pork & beef)
5-6 potatoes
1 onion
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon red pepper
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
pinch of black pepper
salt to taste

Ingredients for topping
1 egg
1-2 tablespoons yogurt
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon flour
pinch of salt

Directions
Cut the onion and potatoes separately into small cubes. Stew the onion with the oil and a bit of water at medium temperature. Add the potatoe cubes, tomato sauce and red pepper to the onion and stew, stirring for 5-7 minutes.
Turn burner off, leaving the pot on the burner. Add the kaima (meat) and stir. Add the parsley, black pepper and salt and stir. Add one big tea cup of water.
Put into baking dish and bake at 350F. Check periodically to see if it is done. When it is done, prepare the topping.

Break the egg and add some yogurt, flour, milk and salt. Put this mixture onto the baked musaka and use a spoon to cover the whole thing. Bake again until the topping is nicely baked.

Cut into slices and serve with a side of yogurt, if desired.

Bon appetit!

Beef Bulgogi

I went plunging the depths of my sister-in-law Tamara's blog today to find this recipe. I just liked it that much the first time I made it, I guess, so I'll just poach it and put it here where I can quickly find it next time!

2 lb beef top sirloin, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ Asian pear or ¼ kiwi—peeled, cored and minced (not optional. This acts as a meat tenderizer.)

4 green onions, thinly sliced

½ cup soy sauce

4 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp sesame oil

4 Tbsp rice wine or Korean cooking wine

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp minced fresh ginger or 1/8 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a large Ziploc bag, combine beef with all other ingredients. Seal and refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat grill pan over medium heat. Brush oil over grill pan, and add beef. Cook, turning to brown evenly, until done.

Serve with rice, wrapped in romaine lettuce leaves (much like a taco shell).

Spicy Cheese Ball

4 oz cream cheese
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
1 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp chopped green onion
Tabasco sauce to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
cracked black pepper

Combine ingredients and roll in cracked pepper. Chill.

Pineapple Cheese Ball

16 oz. cream cheese
3 tsp finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper
or in place of onion and bell pepper 1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix together and roll in chopped nuts. Best if chilled overnight.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
4-6 Tbs lime juice
1 cup water
2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
2 onions, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can diced chilies (4 oz)

Place chicken in crockpot.
Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over the chicken.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Shred the chicken at about the halfway point so it can soak up all the juice.
Serve over rice.

Massaged Kale and Currant Salad

My new favorite salad of all time! Big thanks to Rebecca Garrison for introducing me to it. I'd never had Kale before, unless it's the green stuff in Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana... but I think that's escarole. I guess I'm not all that familiar with my green leafy vegetables! I liked this so well though, I think I'll even grow it in my next garden!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Makes 6 servings

1 bunch kale (9-10 good sized leaves)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 c diced red onion
1/3 c currants
3/4 c diced apple (about 1/2 apple)
1/3 sunflower seeds, toasted
1/4 c olive oil
2 tablespoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1/3 c gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Destem kale by pulling leaves away from the stems. Wash leaves. Spin/pat dry. Stack leaves, roll up, and cut in thin ribbons. Put kale in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, & massage it into the kale with your hands for two minutes.

Stir onion, currants, apple, and sunflower seeds into kale. Dress with oil and vinegar. Taste for salt and vinegar, adding more if necessary. When at desired flavor, toss in cheese, This salad will keep for several days and still be great!