Chorizo and Scrambled Eggs

(serves 2)

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green onion, sliced
1/4 lb chorizo
4-5 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tbsp milk
1-2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

tortillas


Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the bell pepper until it begins to soften. Add the onion and chorizo, breaking the mixture up as it cooks with a wooden spoon until the chorizo is cooked through.

Combine the eggs and milk and pour that into the skillet over the chorizo mixture. Cook, stirring the eggs into the chorizo until the eggs are set, but still moist.

Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Serve immediately with tortillas.

Corn & Flour Tortillas

(about 8 large or 12 small tortillas)

I couldn't decide whether to make corn or flour, so I ended up combining the flours.
1 cup unbleached flour, perhaps a tbsp or so more
1 cup masa harina
1/4 cup lard, shortening or unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 - 1 cup warm water

Place 1 cup flour, masa harina, lard, shortening or butter, baking powder and salt in a bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients.

Pour about 3/4 of a cup of warm water down the chute with the motor running.

Add either a bit more water or flour until you have a soft dough ball which leaves the sides of the bowl cleanly. Run another minute or so, or remove the dough and knead it a bit. Cover and allow to rest for about 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 to 12 balls. Either roll each one out or flatten them in a tortilla press between 2 pieces of parchment paper.

Cook the tortillas, one at a time in a hot ungreased skillet, about 1-2  minutes on each side. Adjust the temperature if necessary to keep them from burning.

Homemade Chorizo (raw)

(about 1 lb of raw sausage meat)

I love chorizo. It's a spicy sausage usually made from pork. I had never tried it before moving to Texas where I've had it served to me as a side, scrambled in eggs, in soup, as fillings..   yet I had never actually cooked with it.

When I decided to make some tamales this weekend, I thought chorizo would make a nice filling. Trying to decide which package of chorizo looked better at the grocery store, I did as I always do in those situations, I checked out the ingredients. Pork salivary glands, pork lymph nodes, pork fat... what? All of a sudden I didn't feel like chorizo tamales anymore.

I felt stupid because I love the taste of chorizo and usually I don't shy away from the ingredients. I know what's in haggis for heaven's sake and I still eat the stuff, lol. I'm usually willing to try most things at least once. (At the moment the only things that come to mind that I don't care for, are tripe and brains [texture] and chitterlings [can't stand the smell].)

When I got home I decided to google chorizo and get a bit more information. Although I didn't come across a single recipe that called for salivary glands, I did find mention of it in wikipedia, "Chorizo can be made from a variety of meat cuts, including lips, lymph nodes, and salivary glands.

The following is a recipe I found on Chow which I changed up a little bit.


1 pound ground lean pork
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp hot paprika
2 tbsp sweet paprika
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp lemon zest, finely minced

Combine all the ingredients thoroughly and refrigerate at least overnight to give the flavours a chance to blend together.

Use or freeze.

Siniyeh Bitaheena (Seniyeh); Ground Lamb with Tahini

(about 4-6 servings)

I have lamb once (maybe twice) a year, around this time, in the spring. Usually I make an Indian stew of lamb chunks braised in a sauce made with peppercorns and cardamon pods.

This year I decided to make Siniyeh instead. I had this dish for the first time years ago in Toronto, at the Jerusalem, a restaurant on Eglinton Avenue. After all these years, I still order Siniyeh whenever I return to Toronto for a visit. I love this dish so much, I have never tried anything else on their menu. :)

1 1/2 lbs lamb, ground
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamon
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tsp olive oil

2/3 cup tahini
juice from 1 large lemon, about 1/4 cup
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine ground lamb, parsley, mint, onion, garlic, cinnamon, cardamon, salt, and pepper.

Brush a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with the olive oil. Pack the meat mixture evenly in the bottom.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until browned on top. The meat mixture will pull away from the sides.

Combine the tahini, lemon juice and water. Spread that evenly over meat and sprinkle the pine nuts over the sauce. (I have no idea why this time the tahini sauce thickened to a paste-like consistancy after adding the lemon juice and water. Whenever I have made this before, the opposite was the case and I had to pour the tahini mixture over the meat.)

Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F.

Bake another 15-20 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

Serve with rice.

Daring Baker Challenge, May 2010, Piece Montée, aka Croquembouche

The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

I adjusted the recipe for the pastry cream somewhat (to make it caramel-rum) which I have noted below, and I also added a bit of food colouring to the hard caramel glaze. I have copied the recipes we were given:

Preparation time: You will want to use your puff pastry batter and chocolate glaze or caramel as soon as it has been prepared and as close to serving time as possible. This is not a dessert that stores well and it may be a bit temperamental in humid areas as the glaze needs to harden to hold the choux together. The crème patissiere can be made a couple of days in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to use.

You will need approximately 10 minutes to prepare the puff pastry, 10 minutes to pipe and about 30 minutes to bake each batch. The crème patissiere should take about 10 minutes to cook and then will need to be cooled for at least 6 hours or overnight. The glazes take about 10 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

*For the Vanilla Crème Patissiere (Half Batch)
1 cup (225 ml.) whole milk
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
6 Tbsp. (100 g.) sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp. (30 g.) unsalted butter
1 Tsp. Vanilla

Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat.

Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.

Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.

Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify/cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.

Pour cream into a stainless steel/ceramic bowl. Press plastic wrap firmly against the surface. Chill immediately and until ready to use.

*For Caramel-Rum Pastry Cream. I used brown sugar instead of white which I reduced to 4 tbsp. I added a tbsp of water to the sugar and cooked it until it caramelized.

Then I slowly whisked in the butter and 3/4 of the milk (with 3 tbsp of cornstarch mixed in). I beat the egg yolks into the last 1/4 cup of the milk and cornstarch mixture, (I omitted the whole egg). Then I beat in a few tbsp of the hot custard mixture, and then whisked the egg mixture back into the custard.

Once the mixture had come to a simmer and thickened nicely, I removed it from the heat and whisked in 2 tbsp of dark rum.

For Chocolate Pastry Cream (Half Batch Recipe):
Bring ¼ cup (about 50 cl.) milk to a boil in a small pan; remove from heat and add in 3 ounces (about 80 g.) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, and mix until smooth. Whisk into pastry cream when you add the butter and vanilla.

For Coffee Pastry Cream (Half Batch recipe)
Dissolve 1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder in 1 ½ teaspoons boiling water. Whisk into pastry cream with butter and vanilla.

Pate a Choux (Yield: About 28)
¾ cup (175 ml.) water
6 Tbsp. (85 g.) unsalted butter
¼ Tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup (125 g.) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

For Egg Wash: 1 egg and pinch of salt

Pre-heat oven to 425◦F/220◦C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Preparing batter:

Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.

Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly.

Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny.

As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes.

It is at this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs.

Piping:

Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip (I piped directly from the bag opening without a tip). Pipe choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets, ( I placed parchment paper over my baking sheets first). Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide.

Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.

Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with pinch of salt).

Baking:

Bake the choux at 425◦F/220◦C degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.

Lower the temperature to 350◦F/180◦C degrees and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool.

Can be stored in a airtight box overnight.

Filling:

When you are ready to assemble your piece montée, using a plain pastry tip, pierce the bottom of each choux. Fill the choux with pastry cream using either the same tip or a star tip, and place on a paper-lined sheet. Choux can be refrigerated briefly at this point while you make your glaze.

Use one of these to top your choux and assemble your piece montée.

Chocolate Glaze:
8 ounces/200 g. finely chopped chocolate (use the finest quality you can afford as the taste will be quite pronounced; I recommend semi-sweet)

Melt chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Stir at regular intervals to avoid burning. Use the best quality chocolate you can afford. Use immediately.

Hard Caramel Glaze:
1 cup (225 g.) sugar
½ teaspoon lemon juice

Combine sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan with a metal kitchen spoon stirring until the sugar resembles wet sand. Place on medium heat; heat without stirring until sugar starts to melt around the sides of the pan and the center begins to smoke. Begin to stir sugar. Continue heating, stirring occasionally until the sugar is a clear, amber color. Remove from heat immediately; place bottom of pan in ice water to stop the cooking. Use immediately.

Assembly of your Piece Montée:

You may want to lay out your unfilled, unglazed choux in a practice design to get a feel for how to assemble the final dessert. For example, if making a conical shape, trace a circle (no bigger than 8 inches) on a piece of parchment to use as a pattern. Then take some of the larger choux and assemble them in the circle for the bottom layer. Practice seeing which pieces fit together best.

Once you are ready to assemble your piece montée, dip the top of each choux in your glaze (careful it may be still hot!), and start assembling on your cake board/plate/sheet. Continue dipping and adding choux in levels using the glaze to hold them together as you build up. (You may want to use toothpicks to hold them in place – see video #4 below).

When you have finished the design of your piece montée, you may drizzle with remaining glaze or use ribbons, sugar cookie cut-outs, almonds, flowers, etc. to decorate. Have fun and enjoy! Bon appétit!

Additional Information: Here are some videos you may want to take a look at before you get started on your piece montée.

1) Martha Stewart Assembles a Croquembouche:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/marthas-famous-croquembouche
2) Assembling croquembouche using the interior of a cylinder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq-UgMxe0Y4
3) Asembling Free-standing Croquembouche with Chocolate Glaze:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrIanD5pi9E&feature=related
4) Assembling a Croquembouche with Toothpicks and Cone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIGaidsM-NI&feature=related
See this google images search of Croquembouche for inspiration:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=croquembouche&btnG=Sea...
Here’s a link to a dairy-free pate a choux and crème patisserie recipe:
http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/dessertsbeverages/r/creampuffs.htm

Pomegranates

This past winter was a bit harsh resulting in the demise of my beloved fig tree, which I'm still mourning. I'm trying to decide which variety to try next and where to plant it. Gardens tend to have micro climates and I'm hoping to find a better spot for the next one.

Every year when it bore fruit I had to protect it with netting, otherwise the birds had a field day and there wouldn't have been anything left for me. The hassle was worth it though, because there's nothing like fresh figs from the garden for breakfast.

On the brighter side, my two pomegranate trees survived and both are covered with blossoms at the moment. If all goes well, I should have a pretty decent crop in October.

Pan Fried Fish with Watermelon Salsa

(4 servings)

I love salsa, and this was another good way to use up some of that enormous watermelon I have in my refrigerator at the moment.

watermelon salsa, about 2 1/2 cups
2 cups seedless watermelon, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1-2 small jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
juice from 2 key limes
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients, and let sit for 30 minutes or so.

fish fillets
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 lbs sole fillets or other flaky white fish

2-3 tsp canola oil

limes for garnish

Combine the flour, salt and pepper on a plate. Dredge the fillets through the flour mixture to coat both sides; shake off the excess.

Heat a small amount of oil in a non stick skillet. Fry the fish until golden brown on both sides; about 2-4 minutes on each side (until it flakes easily) depending on the thickness of the fillet.

Serve with the salsa; garnish with lime slices.

Watermelon and Feta Salad

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(serves 2)

Texas seems to forget there's a season called Spring. It's darn hot already, well at least by my standards, (and we haven't even hit the triple digits yet). This dish is pure heaven on a very hot day. :)

The flavours in this light and refreshing salad are amazing; sweet, salty, sour and a bit of mint.

salad
4 cups cold seedless watermelon, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup feta, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
2 tbsp salted pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped

freshly ground black pepper


Divide and arrange the ingredients between 2 plates. Grind a bit of fresh pepper over the salads.

dressing
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp orange juice

Combine the vinegar and orange juice. Sprinkle evenly over the salads and serve.

Vanilla and Cardamon Risotto with Berries

(about 4 servings)

This is a creamy rice pudding I make using the same method for making risotto. As always, I count on a ratio of about 1 rice to 4 parts liquid.

2 tsp butter
3/4 cup Arborio rice
1 tsp ground cardamon
*3 - 3 1/2 cups milk, heated
1-2 tbsp honey, to taste
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 pint (or more) fresh berries



Melt the butter in a non stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the rice and stir until it's coated with the butter. Stir in the cardamon.

Stir the honey into the warmed milk. Begin adding the milk to the rice, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until the milk has absorbed into the rice.

*When you get to the last 1/2 cup or so of milk, add the vanilla  to the risotto as well. I sometimes end up using a bit extra milk at this point, depending on how much "bite" is left to the rice. Stir to combine everything well. Turn off the heat and cover the skillet with a tight fitting lid. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes.

Stir and serve warm or allow to cool completely. Top with the berries.

Watermelon Margarita

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(about 2 servings)

*This recipe doesn't make a very strong drink. I'm a lightweight; if I'm not careful I'll embarrass myself before collapsing somewhere after just 2 or 3 of these. If you prefer something stronger, then reduce the amount of watermelon to 1 cup, and increase the alcohol. :)

*1 1/2 cups cold seedless watermelon, cubed
2 1/2 oz tequila
1/2 oz cointreau, or an orange liqueur
1/2 oz midori, or a melon liqueur
juice from 1 small key lime
4 ice cubes

Place everything into a blender, and process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Linguine with Bacon, Brie and Caramelized Onions

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(serves 2-3)

The first time I made this I used cream and triple cream brie. My pasta was swimming in oil, but it was very good, lol.

Whenever I plan to make it now, I look around for very lean bacon (which I purchase by the slice) and low fat brie. The resulting dish still seems quite rich to me. I love it, but just don't make it too often.

1/4 lb very lean peppered bacon, chopped
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup milk
3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 lb low fat brie, cubed (leave the rind on)

1/2 lb spinach linguine, cooked and drained

Add the bacon to a skillet and turn on the heat to medium-low. When the bacon starts to brown and release it's fat, add the onions and garlic. (If the bacon is too fatty, then remove some of the rendered fat from the skillet first.) Saute over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the onions are soft and golden brown.

Stir in the salt and vinegar. Cook for about a minute.

Add the milk, parmesan and brie. Cook and stir until the brie melts, and the mixture gets creamy.

Toss with the hot and drained linguine, and serve.

Salt & Pepper Shakers

Mocha Ice Cream

(less than 1 quart)

I usually make frozen yogurt in my ice cream machine, but every once in a blue moon I make real ice cream.

The last time I made some was a couple of years ago, and that was a delicious dulce de leche ice cream. This time I decided to combine two things I love; coffee and chocolate. The grated chocolate added last, gives this an interesting texture.

*I used a bit of coffee liqueur because the alcohol lowers the freezing temperature, resulting in a smoother and creamier consistency.

1/4 cup freshly ground dark coffee beans, very fine
1/3 cup boiling water

4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
*2-3 tbsp coffee liqueur

3 oz semisweet chocolate, grated

Pour the hot water over the coffee grounds, stir and set aside overnight, up to 24 hours. Strain and set aside.

Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Combine the cream and milk and heat until it just begins to simmer. Slowly whisk the hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture. Turn on the heat to low and cook carefully while whisking, until the mixture thickens and the custard looks like it wants to simmer; don't allow it to come to a boil - otherwise it might curdle. Remove from heat.

Stir in the coffee liqueur and the coffee.  Cover with plastic, smoothing over the surface to prevent a skin from forming and chill for at least 3 hours, up to overnight.

Stir in the grated chocolate and pour into an ice cream maker. Process according to the manufacturer's directions.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

(12 cupcakes)

cupcake batter
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2/3 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12 muffin tin with baking papers.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the the oil, then beat in the eggs one at a time.

Beat in the vanilla, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in all of the flour, cornstarch and buttermilk, then beat until well combined; less than a minute.

Spoon the batter, dividing equally among the 12. Bake for about 13-15 minutes or until done. Remove from oven immediately and cool completely before frosting. Be careful not to  leave them in the oven too long otherwise they might dry out and won't be moist.

chocolate sour cream frosting
6 oz good quality semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups sour cream, give or take a tablespoon or two.

sprinkles for decorating

Carefully melt the chocolate chips. Whisk in the sour cream until well combined. Frost the cupcakes immediately. Top with sprinkles.

These are best eaten the day they are made.

Khao Pod Tod; Thai Corn Patties with Cucumber Sauce

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 (8-10 patties)

Whenever I go out for Thai food, I try to have these corn patties as an appetizer. Whole Foods had corn on sale this week; 6 ears for $2..   I couldn't resist.

cucumber sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 english cucumber, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

Combine the vinegar, fish sauce and sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the cucumber, cilantro and mint.


corn patties
2 cups corn, about 3-4 ears fresh corn
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 green onion, chopped
a pinch or two of cayenne, or more to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 medium eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup rice flour, 1 tbsp more if needed

oil for frying

Combine all of the patty ingredients in a large bowl.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and add a bit of oil to coat the pan evenly.

Drop a couple of tablespoons of batter per patty and fry until the bottoms are brown; about 2 minutes. Flip carefully and fry the other sides until browned.

Serve immediately with the cucumber sauce.

Mango Pudding

(4 servings)

I'm not entirely sure if this is still considered a Chinese dessert if I swap out the evaporated milk for coconut milk. In any case, the coconut milk compliments the mango very nicely.

1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
5-6 gms agar agar, (this is the easiest measurement because of how it's packaged, bars or powder)
2 small mangoes, peeled, chopped, then pureed
1 1/2 cups coconut milk, (12 oz can)

1 small mango, peeled and cubed or sliced

If you are using the bar form of agar agar, then break it into several pieces and place them into a bowl. Cover them with cold water and allow to soak for about 30 minutes. Remove them and squeeze out the excess water. Tear into smaller pieces.

Heat the water and sugar. Add the agar agar and simmer until the agar agar has dissolved; about 5-9 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the mango puree and the coconut milk.

Pour into  serving bowls and let stand until it sets. Serve with sliced or cubed mango.

Har Gow; Shrimp Dumplings

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(about 42-48 dumplings)

While I was still living in Toronto, I took several evening cooking courses at George Brown College. Among them were two dim sum classes.

I loved those classes, and it wasn't until I left Toronto that I realised just how wonderful they had been. These were "hands on" classes where each student had their own workspace and prepared their own food, very unlike the classes I have come across in Dallas where you basically shell out a small fortune to squeeze between 15-20 individuals to watch someone else cook or prepare something.

Had I known how "special" these classes were at the time, I would have taken a lot more of them.

Har Gow was one of the dishes I learned to make and I still make it rather frequently. It freezes well, so I often double or even triple this recipe.

Filling
1 lb raw shrimp, cleaned and chopped
1/2 cup bamboo shoots, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
2 tbsp glutinous rice wine, or sherry
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt, or to taste
2 tbsp tapioca starch

Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to overnight.

Wrappers
3 cups wheat starch
4 tbsp tapioca starch
2 tbsp lard, or shortening, or olive oil
2 cups boiling water

Serve with
chinese mustard
chili paste

Combine the wheat and tapioca starch in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the water; add the lard, shortening or oil. Mix until a ball forms. Knead until the dough feels smooth; a minute or so.

Keep the dough under a damp cloth and break off small pieces, and roll them into little balls. Place each ball into a tortilla press, and press; this makes perfect circular wrappers. If you don't have a press, then roll each piece out by hand with a rolling pin. The ones I make in the tortilla press do make a slightly thicker wrapper, but that's the trade-off for getting them done faster.

Place a small amount of filling into the centre of each wrapper and fold starting at one side; keep one edge smooth and fold the other edge in as you work your way to the other side. Don't be tempted to overfill these; the smallest amount of filling will prevent the edges from sticking together.

*At this point the har gow can be frozen. I place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer, not touching and freeze  for 10 minutes or so before packing them into freezer bags for further freezing.

Spray the bottom of a steamer lightly with oil or cover with cabbage leaves, and arrange the har gow in one layer with a bit of space between. Steam for about 5-8 minutes. *I add a minute if I'm steaming them directly from the freezer. Be careful not to steam them for too long as the wrappers can disintegrate.

Serve these with chinese mustard and chili paste.

Green Papaya Salad

(4 servings)

I usually add long green beans to this, but forgot to get them; I even had them on my shopping list.

3 small Thai chilies or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 small cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tbsp small dried shrimp
2-3 tbsp fish sauce
2-3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1-2 tbsp brown sugar, to taste

3 cups shredded green papaya
6 cherry tomatoes, cut up
1/2 green onion, chopped
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup  peanuts

Pound together the chilies and garlic. Add the shrimp, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Combine until the sugar is dissolved. I also pound in a few slices of tomato at this point.

Place the papaya into a bowl and pour the sauce over it. Mix and gently pound a bit to crush and distribute the juices. Mix in the remaining tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Toss the peanuts over the top.

Serve.

Kimchi Mandu, Korean Dumplings

(about 90-100 dumplings; they freeze really well)

My first introduction to Korean food was many years ago in Edmonton, Canada, of all places. We used to order these with Bibimbap, a rice dish with veggies which was topped with a raw egg.

Back then we dipped the Mandu into soy sauce and sugar we mixed together at the table. Now I make a sauce similar to one I make for most asian dumplings, except that I add sugar to this one.

Filling
1 1/4 lb lean ground pork
5-6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped or 6-7 dried, soaked in water overnight, chopped
1 cup kimchi, finely chopped
2/3 cup firm tofu, crumbled
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp salt

2  12 oz. pkgs gyoza wrappers, about 90-100 total
water

Place all the filling ingredients into a large bowl, and mix gently with your hands until everything is well combined.

Place a small amount of  filling in the centre of each circular gyoza wrapper. Dip your finger into the water and wet the edges; bring them together in a half moon shape. Press firmly to seal.

*At this point the mandu can be frozen. I place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet  and freeze them for 10 minutes or so before packing them together into plastic bags for further freezing.

Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup  rice vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp chili paste, (optional)
1 tbsp green onion, finely chopped

Combine all of the sauce ingredients, and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

*Place a steamer in a wok filled with water. Either spray oil or place cabbage leaves over the bottom. Place the dumplings in one layer, cover and steam for about 10 minutes, or until done.

OR

Place them in an oiled skillet and fry for a few minutes over medium-low heat, then flip them over. Add about 1/4- 1/3 cup of water and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook for an additional 8 minutes or until the water is gone. Adjust the heat if necessary so they don't burn.

Serve with the dipping sauce.

* they can be reheated by pan frying.

No Knead Bread, Kalamata Olive Sourdough

(about 1 lb loaf)

I started this dough the same day I finished my first no knead loaf, and changed up a few ingredients. I couldn't wait to try this with Kalamata olives. The occasional olive bread I bring home costs a small fortune, and I had the feeling this would be as good if not better.

It was as good, but with more olives!

Adapted from Jim Lahey's Recipe
1/3 cup organic rye flour
2 2/3 - 3 1/3 cups unbleached flour
1/4 tsp dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups spring water, aprox.
2 tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted

Combine the rye flour, 2 2/3 cups unbleached flour, yeast and salt. Make a well in the centre and add the water and olive oil. Stir until well combined. Cover the top with a cheese cloth and set in a draft free place in a room with a temperature of about 70-75°F. for about 8-12 hours.

The dough should have risen and look bubbly. Stir it down, cover and leave at room temperature for another 8-12 hours.
 
Repeat this process for 2-3 days, twice a day. The longer you delay baking this dough the more sour it will become. I went to three days this time, and loved the result.
 
On the night before you plan to bake your loaf. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and up to 1/2 cup of flour (depending on how firm a dough you would like) . Stir this in well to combine. I thought this might help "feed" the dough. I wasn't sure if that was necessary, but I didn't think it would hurt and I wanted a slightly firmer dough than I had on my first attempt. I really ought to purchase Jim Lahey's book; I imagine it might be a good read.

Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto a piece of baking parchment paper. I placed my paper into a bowl. Add the Kalamata olives to the dough and stir down. The dough will probably have a pronounced sourdough smell at this point.

Sprinkle a small amount of flour over the dough. Flour your hands and place the dough onto the parchment paper. Shape the dough into a ball, tucking the ends underneath it. Cover it with the cheesecloth and allow to rise 2-3 hours, or until it looks like it's doubled in volume.

Place a Le Creuset cast iron dutch oven (this seems to work best from what I've read) into your oven and turn on the heat to 450-500°F. (My Breville counter top convection oven will only allow me to go to 450°, but the bread turned out fine).

When the pot is good and hot, carefully pull it out and place the parchment paper with the dough into pot and cover with lid. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Remove the lid and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the crust is a nice brown OR turn on the broiler for 3-5 minutes until the top of the loaf is nicely browned; this is what I did. In all honesty, I was a bit worried baking it any longer than that because the loaf seemed done to me, and I was concerned about drying it out.

Allow the loaf to cool at least an hour before cutting into it.