Make Ahead Wontons

With the beginning September, the weather has begun to cool in this part of the country. Cooler weather always has me thinking of soup.

Preparing wontons ahead of time and then freezing them is great for those busy weekday evenings when you crave a hot bowl of soup. All you need is chicken or fish broth, sliced green onions and other greens if you have those handy. Add a few frozen wontons and you are good to go in less than 10 minutes.

wontons
1 lb raw shrimp, cleaned and roughly chopped
10-12oz ground pork
3 green onions, sliced
2-3 tsp low sodium tamari or soy sauce
2-3 tsp chili or plain sesame oil
2-3 tsp finely minced fresh ginger
3/4 tsp salt, or to taste
1-2 (12oz) pkgs wonton wrappers, depending on how large you make them.

Bring a small pot of water to a simmer.

Meanwhile combine the shrimp, pork, green onions, the lesser amounts of tamari or soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and salt in a large bowl. Place a small amount of filling onto the center of a wonton wrapper. Wet the edges and fold together like a triangle and press to seal the edges.

Drop the wonton into the simmering water for about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with the tamari or soy sauce, sesame oil. ginger and salt until the filling is to your liking.

There are several ways you can fold the wonton. I'll illustrate two ways, one using less filling and one with more.

To make wontons with less filling. Place a small amount (about 1 tsp) onto the center of the wonton. Wet the edges and fold together to form a triangle. Press and seal the edges. Wet the two narrower edges and bring those together. Pinch and place onto a large cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicon mat. This will make it easier to remove the frozen wontons later. Take care the wontons don't touch each other.

If you prefer more filling and less wrapper, then place a larger amount of filling (start with about 1 1/2 tsp) onto the center of the wrapper. Wet the edges and bring two opposite corners together and pinch together. Then bring the other two corners toward the two that are already pinched together. Wet any loose flaps and pinch those together as well. Place onto a large cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicon mat. This will make it easier to remove the frozen wontons later. Take care the wontons don't touch each other.

When all of your wontons are finished. Place the cookie sheet(s) into the freezer. They will be frozen in about 3-4 hours. Peel them off the parchment paper or silicon mat and place them into freezer bags to return to the freezer.

to prepare per serving
1 1/2 cups chicken or fish broth
1/2 green onion, sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced spinach, watercress or beet greens (optional)
a drop or two, chili or plain sesame oil
3-5 frozen wontons, depending on size

Heat the broth in a pot with a lid. Add the green onion, spinach, watercress or beet greens if using, and the sesame oil. Simmer for a minute, then drop in the wontons.

Cover the pot and simmer 5-8 minutes more. Serve.