Pork and Ginger Dumplings

I made these a couple of weeks ago, but I keep forgetting to write down the ingredients from the cookbook. Oops. I decided to make my own dumpling wrappers because the last time I made anything with the store bought wrappers they wouldn't stick together properly. Plus, I was curious on how well it work to make them myself. Not surprisingly, they were amazing! I used ground pork from a local farm that sells meat at the farmer's market on campus. The other ingredients, sadly, were not local. I think this was a great recipe for such quality meat. Not too overpowering and very fresh tasting.

Homemade Dumpling/Gyoza Wrappers
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tbsp. salt
3/4 cups boiling water

1) Mix the flour and salt; gradually add boiling water and stir with chopsticks

2) Let dough rest in bowl, covered with a damp towel for an hour
3) On a floured surface knead the dough until tender, about 5 minutes
4) Divide dough into balls and dust with flour and put in plastic bag and place in refrigerator until ready to use
5) Now either roll dough very thin and cut out with circular cookie cutter, about 3 1/2 inch diameter. Or if you have a pasta machine you can run the dough through the pasta machine, just make sure you dust it with flour very well. Then cut into circles

6) Dust with flour and stack until ready to use or freeze

Pork and Ginger Dumplings
Adapted from Asian: The essential recipe collection

1 lb. ground pork
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. finely chopped scallions
1/2 tsp. fine ground pepper or white pepper

1) Mix pork with soy sauce and 1/2 salt to create a thick paste. Then add the sesame oil; cover and let rest 20 minutes

2) Combine the remaining salt with the cabbage to draw out moisture; add ginger, scallions, and pepper and knead to make a thick paste, about 5 minutes; then combine with pork mixture
3) Have wrappers ready and fill one side with about 1 tbsp. of filling then seal the edges and make pleats along the edge

4) Place on floured surface until ready to cook

5) Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add as many dumplings that will fit without sticking; depends on pot size, but try and use the largest one you have
6) Cover and cook for 2 minutes and add scant 1 cup of cold water then bring back to a boil and cover; cook additional 2 minutes then drain
7) Serve with dipping sauce of choice

Ricotta Gnocchi

The other day I was searching the internet for recipes that called for ricotta. I had a lot left over from when I made those Butternut Squash Raviolis. I stumbled across a few recipes for Ricotta Gnocchi and I thought these would be perfect. I had never made gnocchi before, but they are one of my favorite dishes to order when I see them on a menu. The best potato gnocchi I have ever had were from the fusion restaurant Pronto in La Paz, Bolivia. I have no idea how the chef made them so light and fluffy. These ricotta gnocchi were really easy to make and were great with a roasted tomato sauce mixed with sauteed zucchini. Enjoy!
Recipe is in grams because I finally bought a kitchen scale and the recipe I liked best was in grams

Ricotta Gnocchi
250 grams ricotta
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp salt
30 grams Parmesan cheese, grated
50-75 grams flour

1) Mix the ricotta, egg yolk, Parmesan, and salt until combined

2) Gradually add in the flour until just combined, be careful not to over mix them, the less mixing the lighter they will be
3) Grab a ball of dough and on a lightly floured surface begin to roll dough into a skinny log, about 1/2 inch round

4) With a pastry scraper (or a knife) cut log into little pillows

5) Dust with flour until ready to use
6) Place gnocchi in salted, boiling water and cook until done (2-4 minutes)
7) Drain and serve with sauce

Roasted Tomato and Zucchini Sauce
7 Plum tomatoes, halved
3 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced into thin pieces
Crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
Splash of white wine

1) Preheat oven to 400 F
2) Place tomatoes in pan and coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper
3) Wrap garlic in foil and place alongside tomatoes and roast for 1 hour

4) Let tomatoes and garlic cool slightly then add to food processor and blend until desired thickness

5) Meanwhile, saute zucchini in olive oil with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and thyme until softened

6) Add pureed tomatoes and garlic into pan with zucchini and let cook down with wine for about 25 minutes

7) Add ricotta gnocchi and serve

Macaroni and Cheese

I am always amazed by dishes that appear so simple, yet to find the perfect way of preparing it always seems like an impossibility. Like pizza, so simple, yet so complex. For this dish is macaroni and cheese. I came close the other night in preparing my perfect macaroni and cheese. After searching all over the internet and through cookbooks for the perfect recipe I decided to combine a bunch together and add things as I went along, just to see how it came out. Well, this method seemed to work for me. Of course, this is a work in progress. I keep meaning to make a mac and cheese that has a spicy pepperjack sauce. I'll leave that for next time.

Ingredients
1/2 lb (or more, I accidentally added a little too much) dried macaroni noodles, cooked until al dente
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
2 cups milk (when I was done with the sauce and poured it over the noodles I decided to pour a little more milk in)
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
4 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese (in the end I probably added more, what can be better than more cheese?)
Cayenne (too taste)
1/4 tsp. dried mustard
Salt and pepper
Breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F
1) Cook noodles in salted water until al dente
2) Drain noodles and pour into casserole dish
3) Melt butter in pan, then add the flour until it thickens and slightly brown
4) Add milk and cayenne, salt, pepper, and dried mustard
5) Add cheddar cheeses
6) Cook sauce until thick and flavors have combined

7) Pour sauce over cooked noodles, adjusting milk if desired to make creamier
8) Top with bread crumbs and Parmesan

9) Bake for 20-25 minutes then broil until top is crispy
10) Enjoy!

Grilled Cheese Roasted Tomato Soup

This is another recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I don't know how she does it, but every recipe she uses turns out great! I made a smaller batch for lunch last weekend and regretted not making a huge batch. This is one of the best soups, mainly because it is a way to merge grilled cheese and tomato soup together. I had baked a loaf of bread the day before so I decided to slice that up and make crostini for a party we were going to later in the day. So I used a crostini on top. This recipe is so simple, yet it tastes like it took forever to prepare.

Grilled Cheese Tomato Soup
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 3-4 (remember, next time I need more tomatoes)

For the soup
6 plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
3 cloves of garlic
Olive oil to coat tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes, I like a lot, but as many as you prefer
1 tsp thyme, or just about
3 cups of chicken broth, or until you have reached your desired consistency

For the grilled cheese top
3-4 slices of bread cut into 1/2 inch slices, or your desired slice
Olive oil
1/2 to 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, for me the sharper the better

1) Preheat oven to 400 F
2) Place halved tomatoes on baking sheet and coat in olive oil and salt and pepper; wrap unpeeled garlic in foil and place on same tray; roast for 35-45 minutes

3) Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes then add tomatoes and roasted garlic (remove peels) to a food processor (or blender) and blend until desired thickness; I like mine a little chunky
4) Place mixture into dutch oven (or any large pot) and add thyme and red pepper flakes, and chicken stock and simmer, uncovered, for about 25 minutes

5) Meanwhile, as the soup is simmering, brush slices of bread on one side with olive oil and bake in 400 F oven, turning once, until crispy; remove and let sit until soup is ready
6) Spoon warm soup into ramekins, or mugs, until almost full; place a crostini over the top and then add cheddar
7) Broil until cheese is melted and beginning to brown
8) Add crushed black pepper to the tops and enjoy! And you will enjoy... these are amazing!

Dinosaur Cake

I was on a hunt the other day for a deep dish pie pan. It is just about apple pie season. But instead I came across a mold for a dinosaur cake! I love dinosaurs. Maybe its because when I tell people I study archaeology they think that means I study dinosaurs. Well I don't. But it could also be because I think dinosaurs are just awesome. So I was very happy to have found this cake mold.

I wasn't having a great day yesterday and I knew what would make it better. Having my friend come over and bake a cake. I made my usual chocolate cake only I made a green frosting to go on top and used chocolate chips and craisins for the eyes and white chocolate chips for the teeth. I don't think he looks as intimidating as a dinosaur should, but hey, this was my first time making it. And it did the job and cheered me up!

Butternut Squash Raviolis

I was at the small campus farmer's market the other day looking for some yummy fresh produce to cook with when I stumbled upon a basket of butternut squash. I had never before made butternut squash anything before, but I had on numerous occasions enjoyed them filled in raviolis. I had some misgivings about preparing butternut squash raviolis after last year's failed attempt at Halloween making pumpkin raviolis. I'm going to blame it on the pre-made wonton wrappers not sticking together.

I had made some fresh pasta the week before, and luckily had decided to make some ravioli wrappers to freeze, just in case. Well, they came in handy. So Sunday morning I woke up, had some coffee, and got started on preparing the raviolis.

They turned out amazing! The filling was smooth and had sweet flavor from roasting in the oven. We served them with browned butter and sage sauce. Nest time I think we'll make a creamier sauce. 

Filling:
Adapted from Tortellini de Zucca (tortellini with pumpkin) recipe in Trattoria Grappolo (my favorite restaurant's cookbook)

1 butternut squash roasted (I peeled and cut them into cubes, I think it must be easier to roast them whole)
Olive oil
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Dash of fresh ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

For the wrappers use either pre-made wonton wrappers, or your own recipe for pasta (mine is from a previous post on pasta making)

1) Preheat oven to 400 F
2) Cut squash into cubes and coat in olive oil and salt and pepper; roast for 45 minutes or until soft

3) Cool slightly then add to food processor and blend until smooth

4) Add cheeses, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and blend until combined
5) Refrigerate until ready to use
6) Place ravioli wrappers on surface and begin stuffing them with a small amount of filling (enough but not too much that they ooze out of the sides when pressed together)

7) Wet edges of wrappers and seal the edges tightly
8) Refrigerate until ready to use

9) Boil water in a large pot and cook raviolis for about 3-5 minutes until cooked
10) Serve with sauce of your choice

Pork Paprikash

I was flipping through some of my cookbooks looking for something to cook for dinner. I turned to one of the pages I had bookmarked in my Food and Wine Quick From Scratch One-Dish Meals and it was a recipe for Pork Paprikash. I had never heard of this dish before but I'm a sucker for anything you can put over egg noodles. There is something so comforting about them that reminds me of my mom's cooking.

This was a really simple recipe to prepare and has a lot of flavor. I cooked the pork in the sauce for a little longer than the recipe called for and it turned out to be very tender. I also added fresh parsley from my herb garden to the noodles to give the dish some green freshness. I think next time I will also include peas in the sauce.

Pork Paprikash
Adapted from Food and Wine Quick From Scratch One-Dish Meals

1. 3 tablespoons cooking oil or bacon fat
2. 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
3. 1 tablespoon flour
4. 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
5. 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
6. 1 onion, cut into thin slices
7. 2 large green bell peppers, cut into thin strips
8. 4 teaspoons paprika
9. 1 1/2 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
10. 3/4 cup sour cream
11. 3/4 pound egg noodles

1. In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately high heat. Toss the pork with the flour, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper. Add about half the pork to the pot and brown for about 3 minutes. Remove. Repeat with the remaining pork and an additional tablespoon oil. Remove.
2. Reduce the heat to moderately low and add the remaining tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the onion and bell peppers. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and the paprika. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the pork with any accumulated juices and the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, until the pork is just done, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to very low and whisk in the sour cream.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the egg noodles until just done, about 7 minutes. Drain. Remove 1/2 cup of the sauce from the stew and toss with the noodles. Serve the stew over the noodles.