Pineapple Jalapeno Poppers

Far and away, my favorite part of going to the Greenmarket is, when I have absolutely no idea what to make  for dinner, to allow myself to be surprised and inspired by whatever delicacies I find waiting for me. Of course, being a planner and mildly OCD, this rarely happens. In fact, I almost never allow myself to go shopping without a list; otherwise I end up going crazy and coming home with various delicacies that have no relationship to one another so then I have to go back out to get whatever missing pieces I've neglected. And some of that produce invariably winds up in the trash, neglected and forgotten.


No thank you. So, in an effort to cut down on waste and generally practice more sustainable practices in my kitchen and my life, I use lists. But, also wanting to cook seasonally, I let myself be inspired by what's available. And, sometimes, I cheat.


How do I cheat, you ask? When I have work in the morning (but know I'll get home with plenty of time to go back out to the Greenmarket before they close), I first survey everything at the Greenmarket (it's right next to the subway station), file away what looks most exciting, then go home, put together a list and venture back out, this time with Ozzy and a plan.


Not long ago, I did exactly this. What piqued my interest, you ask? Jalapeno peppers. While I've occasionally seen these gems downtown at the large Union Square Greenmarket, I'd never seen them at my little Tucker Square Greenmarket, across the street from Lincoln Center. Being so excited, I wanted to highlight them as the main course of my dinner, not merely a seasoning. I'd seen a recipe for BBQ Jalapeno Poppers in The Pioneer Woman Cooks, so I figured that was a good enough place to start. Armed with 18 jalapenos (yes, I counted them), I went home and set to work.


Unfortunately, though, I'm actually quite a weakling when it comes to spice. So I needed something (other than the cheese I was stuffing inside) to cut the bite of these peppers. Mandy had made some Jalapeno Poppers with Pineapple, so the cut-up pineapple in the fridge that had been destined for my morning yogurt went into the poppers instead. I also opted to bake these rather than fry them. And, wanting to showcase the freshness of the jalapenos, I decided against breading as well. Make sure everything's at room temperature before you get started; it makes the mixing of the stuffing components much easier. I topped half the poppers (mine) with fresh bacon but it could very easily be left out. Enjoy!


Pineapple Jalapeno Poppers
adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks and Home with Mandy

• 18 jalapeno peppers
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup cheddar, grated (I used a Mexican 3-cheese blend that was very good)
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1 container pineapple, chopped
• 18 slices fresh bacon, cut in half (optional)
• Barbecue sauce, to taste

Preheat oven to 275 F. Wearing rubber gloves (and after having already taken out your contact lenses for the night -- yes, I did learn that the hard way), slice jalapenos in half lengthwise. Scrape out seeds and membranes with a spoon. If you are less heat-sensitive than I (or if your jalapenos are mild), leave some seeds in; that's where the heat is.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, cheddar, green onion and pineapple. Now stuff a heaping tablespoonful of mixture into each jalapeno half. Press down well, so there's very little chance of the stuffing falling out (especially important if you're not using the bacon to hold it in!). Arrange jalapeno halves on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. If you are using bacon, lay it on top of the open jalapeno half, pressing down to secure it to the filling. Drizzle barbecue sauce on top of either the bacon or cheese filling, depending on which option you're making. Use a pastry brush to spread it around more easily.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Make it a meal: Serve with plain steamed corn -- an excellent antidote to the spicy jalapenos and a bottle of Riesling. I recommend Nein Lives.

Leftovers: These are very rich, so there will probably be leftovers. To repurpose them for another meal, serve over kasha.

Links to other jalapeno poppers noshes:

• Jalapeno Poppers from Food People Want
• Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies from The Pioneer Woman Cooks!
• How to Make Homemade Jalapeno Poppers from Eclectic Recipes
• Jalapeno Popper Dip from Big Red Kitchen
• Jalapeno Popper Dip from My Baking Addiction

Chickpeas with Black Bean Sauce

Stir-Fried Chickpeas, in the Wok

Sorry for the extended silence -- I went on tour to Minnesota and then came home to a hurricane! We're fine now, the MTA is up and running and, in Manhattan at least, it's back to business as usual. Getting back on-track with work reminded me -- I've been cooking and not sharing the delicacies. So, here's a summer stir-fry for ya!


In trying to adapt my cooking styles to jive with a (mostly) vegetarian lifestyle, I've found myself most inspired by non-vegetarian recipes that I then adapt to my own purposes. These Chickpeas with Black Bean Sauce is one-such recipe.


Cleaning out the refrigerator, I discovered a jar of black bean sauce. It hadn't expired yet, but I also knew I hadn't used it more than once, when making a stir-fry from The Breath of a Wok. So, rather than throw it out, I decided to use it. Last time, I had used it with crabs. So first I found a stir-fry with crabs in it, Danny Chan's Ginger and Scallion Crabs from Yohana's Culinary Journey. Using that as a jumping-off point, I added in the black bean sauce. Then it was time to think of a new protein. A recipe for Chick Peas and Tuna with Spicy Black Bean Sauce came to the rescue. Eliminate the tuna, combine the recipes and ... voila! Dinner was served. My only complaint was that it was a bit dry. If anyone else has experience (and advice!) stir-frying chickpeas, please let us know in the comments. Bon appetit!


Chickpeas with Black Bean Sauce
adapted from Yohana's Culinary Journey and Goons with Spoons

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 4 slices ginger root
• 2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces, white part separated from green
• 1 tablespoon black bean sauce
• 2 tablespoons soybeans, canned
• 2 cans chickpeas (about 2 pounds)
• 1/3 cup chicken broth (substitute vegetable if desired)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
• cilantro, chopped
• 1 large egg, beaten

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with water. Set aside.


Heat wok over high heat. Swirl in grapeseed oil, add ginger and white part of green onions. Stir-fry 10 

Stir-Fried Chickpeas

seconds. Add black bean sauce and stir-fry another 10 seconds. Add soybeans and stir-fry 20 seconds. Add chickpeas and stir-fry another 20 seconds. Add broth, cover and cook 3 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, pepper, cilantro and green onion greens. Cover and cook 1 minute. Swirl in cornstarch mixture and egg. Stir-fry another 30 seconds until combined. Serve warm.


Make it a Meal: This is actually a meal in itself. If desired, you could serve over rice. For dessert, make an avocado milkshake. To drink, I recommend a rose, such as a 2010 Biohof Pratsch. Enjoy!


Leftovers: Make soup by pureeing leftovers with warm chicken or vegetable broth. Yum!


Links to other black bean sauce noshes:

• Grilled Lime Chicken with Black Bean Sauce from Simply Recipes
• Spicy Black Bean Chicken from Appetite for China
• Stir-Fried Chicken with Black Bean Sauce from Viet World Kitchen
• Chinese Steamed Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce from Steamy Kitchen
• In memory of a chef-dad, plus his from-scratch black bean sauce from The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook

Summer Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup

Summer Roasted Tomato and Eggplant Soup with Phyllo Dumplings

 Like everyone else in the food world, my favorite part of summer (aside from not having to wear a jacket outside) is the produce. Trips to the greenmarket become wonderful discoveries of fresh summer bounty and I have to force myself not to come home with everything I see.


Lately, the vegetarian and I have been traveling a lot so we haven't had time to enjoy the greenmarket as much as we'd like. Our travels took us to Hancock, NY, where we were costarring in a new play that about the founding of Laramie, WY. While this was a lot of fun, culinarily it left something to be desired (aside from an amazing restaurant we discovered on the way home, in Ellenville, NY).

Ozzy

The other thing that's been going on is that, do to some lingering behavioral problems, we had to send Ozzy to boot camp for 2 weeks. Now he's home and we're training him pretty hardcore. It's taxing but, ultimately, will be worth it.


So on our trip to the greenmarket yesterday, we wanted something fresh, non labor-intensive and that we could make into comfort food. There were beautiful baby eggplants at the greenmarket and we picked up several (white and purple). To stick with my theme of miniature produce, I grabbed two pints of cherry tomatoes as well. And, because our basil plant had died while we were away, a bunch of lemon basil came home with us as well.


My favorite way to prepare eggplant is to roast it. This concentrates the flavors without leeching out too much moisture. A quick internet search found a recipe for Roasted Eggplant with Tomato and Feta. I loved the flavors but wanted something more comforting than a warm salad. A quick cookbook search found me a recipe for Summer Roasted Tomato Soup. I put on my thinking cap, combined both recipes, and -- poof! Summer Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup was born. Enjoy!


Summer Roasted Tomato and Eggplant Soup

Freshly Pureed Soup

adapted from A Slob in the Kitchen and Green Lite Bites

• 4 small Japanese eggplants
• 1 small white eggplant
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided, plus more as necessary
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 cup lemon basil leaves, chopped
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas
• 1/2 cup feta, crumbled
• 1 red onion, minced
• 6 cups chicken stock

Preheat oven to 400 F. Toss eggplants, tomatoes, olive oil (at least 1 teaspoon), garlic, salt, basil, chickpeas and feta together.on an aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Roast 45 minutes, stirring halfway through and adding more olive oil if eggplant has dried out. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a stockpot, heat 1-2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cooking, stirring, 5-10 minutes, until onion has turned translucent. Add roasted mixture and stock. Cover, raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Remove cover, lower heat to low and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender. Season with additional salt and, if desired, black pepper, to taste. Serve warm.

Phyllo, hot out of the oven

Make it a Meal: While you can serve this as an appetizer in a multi-course meal, it is also heavy enough to be a wonderful main dish. While everything roasts, make some phyllo dumplings (a wonderful stand-in for croutons) by wrapping basil and/or feta cheese in phyllo packages. While soup cooks, bake phyllo 15 minutes in a 375 F oven. Serve in soup or alongside. To drink, I'd recommend a rose, specifically a 2010 Biohof Pratsch. A sauvignon blanc would be nice as well. And for dessert? Pomegranate seeds. Bon appetit! 

Leftovers: Make a pound of pasta and pour over as much soup as you want instead of a prepared sauce. Yum!

Links to other roasted eggplant noshes:

• Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup from Simply Recipes
• Roasted Eggplant with Mint from White on Rice Couple
• Spicy Grilled Eggplant with Red Pepper, Parsley, and Mint from Kalyn's Kitchen
• Roasted Eggplant Soup from Smitten Kitchen
• Roasted Eggplant Pesto from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

Tofu with Cranberry Paste

Tofu with Cranberry Paste

A few days after Valentine's Day, here's part two of my Valentine's Day-appropriate Cornish Hens (and Tofu) with Cranberry Paste. Obviously, today is the tofu version of the recipe. Now, just as a disclaimer, this isn't an entirely vegetarian dish. There is chicken stock in the paste and, when I made it, I cooked the tofu in the same pan as the Cornish hens. If you are cooking for a strict vegetarian, you could substitute the chicken stock with a strong-flavored vegetable stock (or even a mix of vegetable stock and cranberry juice) and if you do, I'd be fascinated to know how it turned out. However, for the sake of total honesty, I'm only writing up what I did. The Vegetarian loved it, with a side of couscous, some cinnamon sweet potato slices and a delirium tremens and I hope you do too. Enjoy!


Tofu with Cranberry Paste

• 1 pound extra-firm tofu
• 1/4 cup + 1/4 cup pistachio nuts, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 shallots, sliced
• 2 tablespoons thyme leaves, fresh
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 6 ounces cranberries, frozen
• 4 leaves basil

Wrap tofu in a clean dish towel and set on a clean plate. On top, place a colander filled with heavy bottles or boxes (I usually use a bottle of olive oil and a box of kosher salt). Let rest for as long as possible, preferably at least an hour. This removes excess moisture from the tofu and helps it to better soak up the flavors you're cooking it in.

Preheat oven to 350F. Once tofu is sufficiently pressed, slice tofu in half depthwise. Coat both sides in 1/4 

Tofu, ready for the oven

cup pistachio nuts, salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Sear tofu for 2-3 minutes on both sides. Place in a roasting pan, on a roasting rack. Once oven is heated, place tofu in oven and roast for 30 minutes.

While tofu is cooking, add shallots to pan and saute 6 minutes, mixing shallots well with any pistachio nuts that fell into pan. Stir in thyme, then deglaze with chicken stock, using a wooden spoon to get all the nuts from the pan. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. 

In a food processor, combine remaining 1/4 cup pistachios, cranberries and basil. Add shallots and pan drippings. Pulse 

Cranberry Paste

until all is a uniform texture.

Serve tofu with at least two tablespoonfuls of cranberry paste. You will have plenty left over!

Links to other tofu cranberry noshes:

• Leftover Cranberry-Soy Sauce Sticky Sweet Tofu Steaks from Healthy. Happy. Life.
• Toasted Tofu Sandwich with Cranberry & Arugula from Gluten Free Cooking School
• Cranberry Fruit Muffins from Tofu for Two
• Spelt-Oat Cookies with Chocolates and Cranberries from Tofu for Two 
• Vegan Turkey Breasts from Albion Cooks

Cornish Hens with Cranberry Paste

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CSA Week 4: Lettuce Corn Salad with Pancetta

Well, this week certainly flew by! It's already Wednesday and I realized I'd better write up this week's farm haul before Thursday's upon us and we get a whole new batch of goodies.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to do much interesting cooking. In fact, I only made real dinners Thursday night and Friday night, neither of which got photographed. The tastier dish using farm ingredients was by far the simple salad I made Thursday night, so that's the rough recipe that will follow, but, really--sorry for not offering something more groundbreaking. I'll have to make it up to you next week.

Anyway, on to the CSA! Our vegetables were: 1 lettuce, 2 spring red onions, 1 bulb fennel, 1 napa cabbage, 1 bok choi and greens (kale and swiss chard). Also, our fruit share finally got started, so we also got a small container of black currants and one of cherries.

Lettuce Corn Salad with Pancetta

• 2 heads lettuce
• 1 cup kernels corn (I used frozen kernels but if you have fresh available...)
• 4 slices pancetta
• 1/3 cup green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon herbes de provence
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/4 cup blood orange olive oil
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Remove leaves from lettuce and wash and dry well. Place corn in a small pot covered with about 1/4 inch water and simmer 4-8 minutes, depending on how fresh corn is. Drain and reserve. Fry up pancetta in a pan over medium heat until crispy. Mix lettuce, corn, pancetta and green onions in a large salad bowl.
Combine all other ingredients in a small jar to make the dressing. Shake well and pour over salad. Toss and serve immediately.
Links to other lettuce noshes:

• Lettuce Wraps from Rasa Malaysia
• Asian Lettuce Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey Filling from Kalyn's Kitchen
• Pesto Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Wraps with Smoked Turkey from Karina's Kitchen
• Wanna-Be PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps from Wasabimon!

A final note: welcome to any fellow CSA members! So glad you've stopped by and please feel free to leave comments about what you've been making with all our goodies.

Blancs de poulet et cotelettes de porc braises, avec des olives manzanilla et kalamata et des capres

Sometimes, you're at a complete loss as to what to make for dinner. You know what you have in the fridge and you know the kind of food that you want to make, but when you go to the supermarket to pick up some essentials, nothing strikes your fancy. That's what happened to me the other day. It was quite cold out, so I wanted something slow-cooked and warming. I had quite enjoyed the last braise I made, so I considered just repeating it, but that seemed rather boring. Plus the Boy announced he didn't particularly want Chicken for dinner. So I bought some Pork Chops and figured I'd braise them. Unfortunately, I didn't read the package carefully, so, when I opened it up, I realized that if I was going through the trouble of slow-cooking something, I wanted to make more than just two pork chops. So I defrosted a couple of Chicken Breasts and added those as well. It was truly delicious, the pork falling off the bones after the long cooking. Definitely something I'd make again, but with one change--because it's cooked with two kinds of Olives as well as Capers, go easy on the Salt. You really need very little (something I didn't realize until too late). Ah, well. I'll remember next time!

Blancs de poulet et cotelettes de porc braises, avec des olives manzanilla et kalamata et des capres

• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Pork Top Loin Chops
• 2 Chicken Breast Halves
• Pinch Kosher Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon Pepper, freshly ground
• 4 slices Bacon, diced
• 1 Green Onion, chopped
• 7 Carrots, diced
• 1/8 cup Manzanilla Olives, pitted
• 1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted
• 1/4 cup Capers, rinsed if packed in salt
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 cups Chicken Stock

Preheat oven to 350 F. Pour Olive Oil into large, oven-proof pot and heat over a medium-high flame until it slides around easily. Season Pork Chops and Chicken Breasts with Salt, Poultry Seasoning and Pepper. Add Pork to pot and cook 5 minutes, until browned. Turn over and cook 5 more minutes on opposite side. Remove to a plate and add Chicken Breasts to pot. Brown about 5 minutes on one side, then turn over and repeat on other side. Add to Pork Chops on plate.

Add Bacon, Green Onion and Carrots to pot and cook 2 minutes, until beginning to soften. Add both kinds of Olives, Capers, Bay Leaf, Chicken Stock, Pork and Chicken Breasts. Submerge Meat in liquid as much as possible, then raise flame to high and bring mixture to a boil. Cover pot and place to oven to braise for 45 minutes, until Meat is cooked through and Carrots are soft.

Remove from oven and return pot to stove, over a high flame. Boil 5 minutes, to concentrate braising liquid. Lower heat and cook another 5 minutes, to better combine the flavors. Serve, preferable over pasta to soak up the extra liquid. Enjoy!

Prosciutto and Tomato Open-Faced Sandwich

Some days, the best meal is a simple one.

This open-faced sandwich consists of a thick slice of Trader Joe's Rosemary Batard, spread generously with their Crushed Garlic and two slices of Prosciutto. Because my Cherry Tomatoes were so juicy, I preferred to eat them on the side, but they could easily be sliced in half and placed on top of the meat.

Delicious!

Food and Lunch and Sandwich and Quick Recipeand Meat and Pork

Belated IMBB: Fried Eggplant with Avgolemono Sauce

I will not miss another blogging event. I will not miss another blogging event. My excuse? I moved. Again. This time to sunny Southern California and I won't be leaving, except to go to New York, until May. So this is the last time I can use that excuse for almost a year. Period.

The worst part is, I participated in At Our Table's IMBB (Summer's Flying, Let's Get Frying!) in San Francisco! Or, at least, I made a dish for it. It was ridiculously simple and quite good. I had read about using the Greek soup, Avgolemono, as a sauce for vegetables all over the internet and I was anxious to try it out myself. So I fried some eggplant and poured it on. It was creamy, refreshing and delicious. I'm sure the sauce would be just as good with other foods as well, such as artichokes or even chicken breasts.

Fried Eggplant with Avgolemono Sauce

Avgolemono Sauce

1 cup Chicken Stock
2/3 tablespoon Cornflour
Water
3 Eggs
Juice of 1 Lemon

In a saucepan, bring Chicken Stock to a boil. Mix Cornflour in a cup with just enough Water to make it smooth. Add to Stock, stirring as it thickens.

In a bowl, beat Eggs until fluffy and mixture is all one color.

Add the Lemon Juice and boiling Chicken Stock. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Be sure it does not boil.

Prepare the Eggplant:

Fried Eggplant

1 Egg, beaten
Salt and Black Pepper
Oil for frying
1 Eggplant, sliced

Mix Egg in a bowl with Salt and Black Pepper to taste. Heat Oil in frying pan over high heat. Dip Eggplant slices in Egg mixture and fry in Oil until crispy.

To Assemble:

Place Fried Eggplant on plate and drizzle with Avgolemono Sauce.

Serves 2 as a side dish.

Update: Check out Linda's fabulous Round-up!

IMBB #18 + Vegetarian + Recipe

Tournedos of beef with prosciutto and artichoke hearts

When I visit a new city, I often like to buy a cookbook as a souvenir. This cookbook can have only a handful of recipes, or a hundred; it can have pictures, or not; it can be by a famous chef or a collection of housewives. The only rule is that it be recipes from that city (or country).

One of my first days in San Francisco, one of the ladies I'll live with next year, the delightful Miss Julie, took me to a used bookstore where we promptly kneeled on the floor reading cookbooks. After flipping through every one with "California" or "San Francisco" anywhere on the front cover, I finally selected what is thus far proving itself to be a very useful cookbook, the only one I have with me right now since I drove cross-country without a single cookbok (shocking, isn't it?). Anyway, this cookbook is called: A Taste of San Francisco. Published by The San Francisco Symphony, it is a collection of recipes from the best restaurants of the Bay Area. What's interesting is that each restaurant has about three recipes--a starter, main dish and dessert--so you can make, say, a Chez Panisse meal one night.

The first recipe I decided to make from this book (even though I changed a few things as is my way) was based on one from The Blue Fox, since closed. I tweaked the recipe a fair amount, as I always do, and what follows is my version. I'm sure the original is delicious as well.

Tournedos of beef with prosciutto and artichoke hearts

.70 lb Beef Tenderloin
1/2 tablespoon Capers
Oil for skillet
1/2 bunch Scallions, chopped
3 slices Prosciutto, cut into strips
4 Artichoke Hearts, quartered

1/2 + 1/4 cup Chicken Broth
Several stalks Cilantro, chopped
Salt and Black Pepper

Cut Beef into 1" cubes. Soak Capers in a small bowl of cold water to rinse off brine or salt from jar.

Heat Oil in medium skillet so it coats bottom. Saute Beef, turning frequently, until browned. If you like your meat pink inside, transfer to a plate and keep warm, otherwise continue cooking a little longer. (You can also cut the meat into smaller pieces and then cook it for shorter.) Once Meat is removed from pan, add Scallions and Prosciutto to pan. Fry quickly over high heat, then add Artichoke Hearts, Stock, drained Capers, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until liquid in the pan has thickened to a pan sauce.

Return Beef to pan, add Cilantro, Black Pepper and Salt, if needed (keep in mind--Capers and Prosciutto are quite salty in their own right). Mix everything together and serve.

IMBB 17: Green Tea Dumplings

It's that time again: Is My Blog Burning? that is. This month's theme, hosted by the creative A La Cuisine!, is tasteTea, meaning any dish, either a food or a drink, that involves tea and is tasty. I was thinking of coming up with my own interesting Ice Tea recipe, but I really wanted to try cooking with tea. I also didn't really want to make a dessert since I often have bad luck with baking. This of course led me on a hunt through all my cookbooks searching for a recipe that used tea.

Unfortunately, my search only turned up some tips on brewing the perfect cuppa. After browsing around on the internet for some time, I kept getting routed back to a cookbook called Eat Tea, so I decided to head over to Barnes & Noble to check it out. To make a long story short, I bought it.

After poring through all the recipes, I decided on the Green Tea Dumplings, especially as I've been on an Asian food kick lately. I followed the recipe more or less, substituting turkey for pork in the filling because I wanted to share them with Mom who doesn't eat mammals. I also kept the fillings in the fridge overnight where the flavors combined and deepened. And they tasted even better fried.

Green Tea Dumplings

Dough
2 1/4 cups Hot Water
1 tablespoon finely ground Green Tea Leaves (easiest in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle)
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
2 pounds Flour

Filling
1 1/2 pounds ground Turkey (or Pork)
1 head Napa Cabbage, cored and finely chopped
1 Egg, beaten
3 Shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Green Tea Leaves
2 tablespoons Ginger, minced
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Sesame Oil

For the Dough: Combine Water, Tea, Brown Sugar and Flour in a blender and mix into a ball of smooth dough. Place in a bowl, cover and let rest 30 minutes.

For the filling: While the dough is resting, mix together the Turkey, Napa Cabbage, Egg, Shallots, Tea, Ginger, Salt and Pepper, Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil in another bowl. Cook a small amount in a skillet to check the seasonings.

Cut the dough into small pieces and roll it out into circles on a floured board. Be sure to roll it out very thinly or else you will end up with monster-sized doughy dumplings (which can be very good as well).

Place 1 heaping tablespoon of Filling on the dough and fold it up, crimping the edges.

Boil the dumplings in salted water for 8 minutes, the drain on paper towels. If you like, heat the oil in a skillet and fry the dumplings on both sides. Serve with Dipping Sauce. Makes about 50 dumplings.

Uncle Wiggly's Stir-fried Turkey and Scallion

Dr. Biggles over at MeatHenge is having a contest : Uncle Wiggly's Goodtime Cooking Contest - Version Weekday, to be more precise. What this means is that Dr. Biggles is on a quest for easy meals he can serve his family on weeknights. A worthy cause, no?

Very often, our easy meals are pasta, often with a heavy meat sauce--the Boy's specialty. Or I'll make a frittata using up whatever left-overs are floating around the fridge. But it's too hot here for a heavy pasta and, well, with EoMEoTE coming up, I just wasn't in the mood to write about eggs.

I've been playing with Mom's wok since I came home and realized that stir-fries are always fast. The most time-consuming part of a stir-fry is cutting everything up! Even then, it won't take more than ten minutes of prep and the actual stir-frying is only about five minutes.

This can be a meal in itself, with a nice side of rice to preserve authenticity. If you're craving vegetables, make a quick salad on the side.

When creating this recipe, I used Grace Young's delicious book, The Breath of a Wok, for inspiration.

Stir-fried Turkey and Scallions

1 pound skinless, boneless Turkey thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes (Chicken works as well)
2 1/2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon very dry Sherry
1/2 teaspoon Brown Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
1 tablespoon cooked, canned Soy Beans (you can also use Black Beans)
2 cloves minced Garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons minced Ginger (or to taste; we used a lot of ginger)
1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
4 Scallion, cut into 1-inch chunks + 1 Scallion, chopped
1/3 cup good-quality Chicken Broth

In a medium bowl, combine Turkey, 1 1/2 teaspoons Soy Sauce, Sherry, 1/4 teaspoon Brown Sugar, Salt, Pepper and Cornstarch. Mix well, preferably with your hands. The Turkey will be slightly sticky. In a small bowl, mash the Soy Beans, then mix with the Garlic, Ginger and the rest of the Soy Sauce (1 teaspoon) and Brown Sugar (1/4 teaspoon).

Heat a flat-bottomed wok (or skillet) over high-heat until smoking. Swirl in Vegetable Oil and add Turkey mixture, spreading it evenly over the bottom of the wok. Let cook for 1 minute, allowing the Turkey to brown. Then stir-fry, lifting the Turkey with a spatula, for another minute. Add the Bean mixture, 4 Scallions and Broth and stir-fry for another minute until the Turkey is fully cooked and the sauce is thickened. Add the final chopped Scallion. Serve quickly over rice.

Cannette rotie aux fraises et rhubarbe

Because of moving and traveling, my entry for Blog Appetit is late. Also, because Blog Appetit is a French blogging event, this entry will be in French. If you don’t speak French and want the recipe anyway, I'll e-mail or post the translation.

Quand j'ai vu que le theme de ce Blog Appetit etait fraises et rhubarbe, j'etais un peu decue. Je ne suis pas tres forte avec les desserts et cette combinaison me semblait etre vraiment parfait pour un dessert. Neanmoins, j'ai reflechi et j'ai cree cette sauce des fraises et de la rhubarbe pour une cannette rotie. C'etait vraiment delicieux !

Cannette Rotie aux fraises et rhubarbe

Cannette

1 Cannette entiere
2 gousses d'Ail + 2 gousses d'Ail
1 tige de Basilique + feuilles d'une autre
Sel et Poivre Noir
1 brin Romarin + feuilles d'un autre
6 + 6 brins Thym
250 g Pommes de Terre, coupees en des

Faire chauffer le four au 180 C. Vider la Cannette et la nettoyer. Avec vos doigts, arracher autant du gras que vous pouviez. Creer un espace entre la peau et la viande. Ecraser ensemble 2 gousses d'Ail, feuilles d'une tige de Basilique, Sel, Poivre Noir, feuilles d'un brin de Romarin et feuilles de 6 brins de Thym. Mettre ce melange dans l'espace cree entre la peau et la viande de la Cannette. Mettre le reste des Herbes, Sel, Poivre et 2 gousses d'Ail dans le creux [cavity] de la Cannette. Mettre la Cannette dans un plat de verre qui va dans le four. Le plat doit etre assez large pour la Cannette et les Pommes de Terre. Mettre la Cannette dans le four pour 1 heure.

Apres 1 heure, mettre les Pommes de Terre dans le plat avec la Cannette et cuisiner le tout pour encore 30 minutes, jusqu'a ce que le jus de la Cannette soit presque clair.

Quand la Cannette cuisine, faire la sauce :

Sauce
1 Oignon, coupe en des
4 Clous de Girofle
2 gousses d'Ail
10 Baies Roses
1 brin Romarin Sel
1 + 1/2 tasses Jus de Fraises
2 tiges Rhubarbe, coupees en morceaux
1 barquette Fraises, coupes en moitie

Mettre l'Oignon, les Clous de Girofle, les Gousses d'Ail, les Baies Roses, le Romarin, le Sel, 1 tasse du Jus de Fraises et le Rhubarbe dans une casserole au feu moyen. Le mijoter pour environ 20 minutes, jusqu'a ce que le Rhubarbe soit tendre. Ajouter la 1/2 tasse de Jus de Fraises et les Fraises et laisser le tout mijoter pour encore 5 minutes. Si vous voulez que la sauce soit plus epaisse, la mettre dans un Cuisinart [blender en anglais].

Pour servir :

Mettre la sauce au-dessous de la Cannette. Enjoy !