Sunday, November 07, 2010

Chicken and Apple Dumplings

Ever gone apple-picking on a 90-degree day? Last weekend probably had the last of such summery temperatures until next June. But instead of lounging on the beach, I was at the apple orchard helping to pick about 30 pounds of crisp, earlyish-in-the-season apples. Signs of fall weren't completely missing: on the drive up the Hudson from New York, I spotted abut one in 30 trees with a vibrant red or orange hue.

The cool weather on the radar for this week (and my insatiable craving for appley desserts) is probably a good sign that it had been the perfect time to go apple-picking.

What does one end up doing with 30 pounds of apples? Apple bread, apple fritters, and apple cookies were all cranked out this weekend. In lieu of apple pie, we attempted apple pandowdy (which, I was reminded, is in the lyrics of an oldies hit.) For something savory, I decided to try apple dumplings.

Chicken, with a more subtle flavor than pork, seemed like a nice pairing for the apple. I added some chopped onions, ground ginger, and apple cider to the mix. They were like the chicken and apple sausages that you can find at grocery stores, except in dumpling form that you can dip into soy sauce. If you can't find pre-ground chicken, you can also try ground turkey, or (if you own a KitchenAid Mixer with a sausage attachment) make ground chicken with chicken breast meat.

For a refresher on wrapping dumplings, see my Dumpling Wrapping Photo Guide.

With 50 dumplings, I thought that most would end up frozen for a rainy day (as in, at least a week later.) By the following evening, more than half were gone.

Most of the apples, however, remain. About 25 pounds' worth. Anyone have other suggestions for dishes, savory or sweet?

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Chicken and Apple Dumplings

Makes 50

1 pound ground chicken (or substitute ground turkey)
1 or 2 medium-sized apples (any variety), finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon apple juice or cider
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 package wonton wrappers (about 50 per package)
Flour for dusting

1. Mix together the chicken, apple, onion, apple juice/cider, ginger, salt, and pepper.

2. Unwrap dumpling wrappers and keep them covered in plastic or under a damp towel. Lightly dust your work surface with flour and keep some extra flour within hand's reach.?

3. Follow steps 1 through 5 in my Dumpling Wrapping Photo Guide.

4. To pan-fry, follow steps 6 and 7 in my Dumpling Wrapping Photo Guide. To boil the dumplings instead, bring a pot of water to boil. Add dumplings and simmer until they float to the top, about 3 minutes (this method of assuring doneness works if your dumplings have no air pockets; otherwise, they float to the top immediately.) Drain well.

5. Transfer to serving plates, and serve with soy sauce.

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Similar recipes to try:

Pea and Shiitake Dumplings

Wonton Noodle Soup, Hong Kong-Style

Pork and Cabbage Dumplings

Scallion Pancakes

Taro and Pumpkin Tofu Puffs

Chicken Lollipops

Barley-Stuffed Tomatoes



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Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Hunan Eggplant with Bacon and Shiitakes

August is the beginning of eggplant season in the Northeast, so this is as good a time as any to indulge in my favorite plump vegetable.

When I was living in Beijing and teaching Sichuan cooking classes, one of the recipes that became a regular part of the curriculum was Fish-Fragrant Eggplant. Most students were indifferent to eggplant until they tried making this particular dish. The eggplant is cut into thick slices, stir-fried, then braised in a mouth-tingling Sichuan pepper and chili bean sauce. It's one of the few hearty main dishes in Chinese cuisine that's completely vegetarian (well, if you subtitute chicken stock with vegetable stock.)

This eggplant dish I'm posting today doesn't even pretend to be vegetarian. It's more Hunan-style, and uses chopped bacon to flavor the sauce. (You can also use ground pork.) In Hunan, it's more common to see eggplant deep-fried. However, I find that with deep-frying, the eggplant gets way too soggy a day later. This is an important consideration if you're cooking for one and end up with a ton of leftovers. Plus, there is no point in wasting a couple liters of oil.

So I end up shallow-frying my eggplant. You will need about 1/3 cup of oil for 1 1/2 pounds of eggplant, since the vegetable is pretty spongey. But no more than 1/3 cup. That amount of oil will get the outsides nice and golden brown. With the addition of the bacon and mushroom sauce, this dish is great for anyone whose tastebuds scream for salt, spice, and this. And it'll reheat beautifully.

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Hunan Eggplant with Bacon and Shiitakes

Serves 4

3 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 pounds eggplant
1/3 cup peanut or vegetable oil
3 ounces uncooked bacon, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt to taste
3 scallion stalks, thinly sliced

1. Soak the shiitake mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes, until they soften. Drain the shiitakes and squeeze them dry. Finely chop them and set aside.

2. Quarter eggplants along the length, then cut 1/2-inch thick slices from each quarter.?

3. Heat the 1/3 cup oil in a wok over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add the eggplants and stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the outsides turn golden brown. Remove the eggplant with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towels.

4. Reduce the heat to medium and add the bacon. Cook the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and shittakes and stir-fry for another minute. Add the chili bean sauce and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the chicken stock, soy sauce and sesame oil. Allow everything to simmer for a few minutes while the flavors penetrate the eggplants. Add salt if needed.

5. Add the chopped scallions to the eggplant mix and cook for another minute. Remove from the wok and serve.

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Related dishes to try:

Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans

Fish-Fragrant Eggplant (Yuxiang Qiezi)?

Mapo Tofu (Mapo Doufu)

Kung Pao Tofu

Sichuan-Style Snow Peas

Wild Mushroom Sauté with New Zealand Spinach?



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Tamarind Pork

I can't believe that we are already almost halfway into October. Where did the September go? For that matter, where did the entire summer go? It seemed like only yesterday that I had been busy bookmarking summer concerts and looking forward to beach trips and lazy days in the park, most of which did not materialize. (This summer I did, however, finally discover Arrested Development, and spent a good many 100-degree weekend days with the Netflix instant queue, a powerful fan, and an icy gin & tonic.) Yes, in general, the summer seemed to have flown by.

To be fair, many of my waking hours this summer had been devoted to not only side editing projects but also something pretty big and exciting. So I apologize for having been somewhat absent on the site. But the absence has been for a good reason and I can't wait to share the news with everyone in the coming weeks. And postings will definitely become more frequent again.

But first, here's a recipe fit for the fall. This week I'm teaching a Macanese cooking class at Bowery Culinary Center at the Whole Foods on Houston St. The class is already sold out, but I wanted to share one particular favorite Macanese dish with you. (And I really should post up more Macanese recipes; almost everything is hearty and good comfort food to eat in cool weather, even though Macau itself is in the sub-tropics, just west of Hong Kong.)?

Macanese cuisine is a Chinese-Portuguese fusion cuisine that stems from the 16th century, when the Portuguese first arrived. Over time, dishes evolved and picked up influences from around Southeast Asia and other colonies in Africa, Goa, and Brazil. One such dish is tamarind pork. The use of olive oil or butter as the cooking fat stems from Europe, while the tamarind paste comes from Southeast Asia and the shrimp paste is thoroughly Chinese.

What I love about tamarind pork is the very nice balance of tangy, salty, and sweet flavors (from the tamarind paste, soy sauce, and brown sugar, respectively.) A bit of warning: when you first start cooking, the shrimp paste will make the dish smell a little pungent. (Just under the pot lid, not your entire kitchen.) One friend eloquently described the aroma as "like barnyard". But I promise, after 45 to 50 minutes of cooking time the smell will have dissipated. The pork comes out so juicy and full of flavor that you may start wondering what else you can use shrimp paste for.

For a spicy kick, have a few slices of jalape?o on hand for garnish. And be sure to have plenty of rice to soak up the sauce.

(If you're in Macau, check out Restaurante Litoral for a very good version of this, plus other Macanese dishes.) ?

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Tamarind Pork


Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 shallots, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound pork shoulder or stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons tamarind paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
1 tablespoon dried shrimp, finely chopped
1 jalape?o pepper, thinly sliced

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the
shallots and garlic and cook until aromatic and slightly
softened, about 2 minutes.

2. Add the pork and cook on all sides until the outsides begin to brown.

3. Add the brown sugar, tamarind paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, and shrimp paste and give everything a quick stir. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for 45 to 50 minutes.

4. While the pork is simmering, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Fry the dried shrimp until aromatic and golden brown, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

5. When the pork is done simmering, transfer the meat and sauce to a serving bowl. Garnish with the chopped dried shrimp and sliced jalape?os.

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More pork recipes to try:

Pork Adobo

Cantonese Roast Pork (Char Siu)

Red-Cooked Pork (Hongshao rou)

Japanese Braised Pork Belly?

Twice-Cooked Pork (Huiguo rou)

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork



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