Royal Foodie Joust Entry: Gingered Pork Wontons

This month's Royal Foodie Joust ingredients had me excited at first; and then I had too much time to think. I got to the store today and told my oldest daughter what the three ingredients were and asked her opinion on them. She drew a blank as well as I because of the butter.

You see, the three ingredients are ginger, apricots and butter. I've been baking quite a bit lately and didn't feel like a pastry was in the cards for me, so I was going a savory route. The butter ... the butter kept throwing me. Salad; no - what would I do with the butter? A steak with gingered butter; nah, not inventive enough.

So, my frustrated eldest sighed and said, "OK, pretend it's a 'Quick-Fire'." If you don't watch Top Chef, you won't know what that is. It's the short segment at the beginning of each episode where the chefs are given a quick assignment and a short time-span in which to finish. I laughed and told her that after an hour and a half of milling around Whole Foods I would be disqualified.

I feared my cries of, "I am SO in this month!" would be all for naught and I would have to sit this one out.

Then, as we walked past the wonton wrappers, instant inspiration struck and I raced off for the rest of my foodstuffs. Here, then, is the culmination of all that angsty brain work. By the way, each and every one of my kids thought these were just the best. I think they're pretty good, too.



Gingered Pork Wontons with Apricot Plum Sauce
Printable Recipe

16 ounces ground pork
1 inch peeled ginger
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons brewed soy sauce
2 tablespoons sliced green onion
48 wonton wrappers
oil for frying

Mince together ginger and garlic until it almost forms a paste.
Mix this with pork, soy and green onion.
Drop a teaspoonful of pork mixture on each wonton and close diagonally, sealing with a small amount of water. Fry each in hot oil until golden brown. Serve with Apricot Plum Sauce.

Apricot Plum Sauce

4 tablespoons butter
1 inch peeled ginger, cut into 4 thick slices
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
3 black plums, pitted and diced - skin on
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro - minced

Melt butter over very low heat.
Add ginger and simmer until fragrant - about 5 minutes.
Toss in apricots and plums, stir and continue simmering until apricots are soft and fruits begin to caramelize.
Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Once cooled, puree with honey, orange juice and cilantro until smooth.
Run through a fine sieve and reheat just until warm.

Sunday Dinner

Dinner today is certainly not the traditional "Sunday Dinner" - I didn't roast anything! Actually, I think Sunday Dinner is whatever brings family - by any definition - together.
Chicken Fried Rice
Wonton Soup
Almond Cookies
Chicken fried rice is so easy that I don't really have a recipe for it. Technically, it's cold cooked rice, a little oil and soy sauce. I like to add garlic and ginger to mine along with diced onion and other veggies if I have them on-hand. For my family, though, the less there is, the more likely they are to eat it.

I start out with a hot wok or non-stick pan and add about a tablespoon of oil. Usually a neutral oil like canola is best, but I also use sesame oil from time to time. Toss in about 2 cups of already cooked and cooled rice - make SURE it's cool, or it will all turn to mush! Day old cold rice is best. Stir it around and toss in soy sauce to taste - a tablespoon or so - and stir until heated through. That's it! If I'm making it with chicken-like tonight-I add diced uncooked chicken to the oil first and cook until no longer pink. Then I finish up as above.

Won ton Soup is available in two different ways where I live; order it from a Chinese restaurant, or make it yourself. I like to make my own.

Here's another "no-recipe": I chop up chicken breasts, season with sherry, soy sauce - a tablespoon of each to a pound of ground chicken, garlic and ginger - about a teaspoon of each, freshly minced (and green onion if husband is not eating) and wrap up in won ton wrappers. Check out recipe HERE at A Thousand Soups.


Minced chicken with sherry, soy, garlic and ginger and wonton wrappers.


Centered on the wrapper.


Folded over.


Long corners brought together and sealed with a little water.

I set those aside - covered - and make the chicken stock.


Wontons in waiting.

To already prepared stock I add several slices of fresh ginger and garlic. Let that simmer for half an hour and strain.


Rapidly boiling.

Bring it to a rapid boil and drop in several wontons at a time and cook until they surface and stay there.


Surfaced and ready!

Add three wontons to a bowl, top with stock and sliced green onion.


Perfectly yummy.

As for almond cookies, that I have a recipe for.

Almond Cookies
Makes about 36
Printable Recipe

1/2 cup margarine, shortening or butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
whole almonds for the tops

Cream butter, shortening or margarine with sugar. Add egg and almond and mix well. Add dry ingredients - except almonds - and blend. Roll into 36 balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets lined with foil or parchment. Press an almond into each cookie and bake 20 minutes in a 350 degree F oven.

Veggie Wednesday: Dumplings, Potstickers, Gyoza

Take your pick! All are relatively similar (usually the cooking method is the only difference) and each is equally delicious! Step away from the traditional meat filling and give this veggie version a try.

Steamed Vegetable Dumplings
Printable Recipe

6 dried shiitake mushrooms
4 c cabbage-coleslaw mix-shredded
4 medium green onions-chopped
1 t ginger root-grated
2 cloves garlic-finely chopped
2 T soy sauce
1/2 t sesame oil
30 won-ton wrappers or gyoza wrappers

Soak mushrooms in hot water about 20 min. or until soft-
drain. Rinse with warm water-drain. Squeeze out excess
moisture. Remove and discard stems-chop caps. Spray
nonstick wok or 12-inch skillet with cooking spray-heat
over medium-high heat until spray starts to bubble. Add
mushrooms, coleslaw mix, green onions, ginger root and
garlic-stir-fry about 4 minutes or until vegetables
are very tender. Stir in soy sauce and sesame oil-cool.

Brush edges of 1 won ton skin with water. Place 1 T
vegetable mixture on center of skin. Cover remaining
skins with plastic wrap to keep them pliable. Fold
bottom corner of won ton skin over filling to opposite
corner, forming a triangle-pleat unfolded edges. Cover
filled dumplings with plastic wrap to keep them from
drying out. Repeat with remaining skins and vegetable
mixture.

Place dumplings on heatproof plate-place plate on rack
in steamer. Cover and steam over boiling water in wok or
Dutch oven 15 min. Serve hot with dipping sauce.
30 dumplings

See HERE for a great Cook's Illustrated pdf document on the many ways to fold dumplings.

One more link: THIS is a terrific (if a bit lengthy) article written by Michael Pollan about nutritionism that was certainly an eye-opener for me. Worth a read!