Whoo hoo

Just got a new job in Florida!! I'm leaving Daytona today to go back to Pennsylvania, pack up my life, try to get as much stuff done as I can get done until I have to be back down here to start on October 8. I'm a little frazzled, a little fearful, a little ecstatic, and very overwhelmed.

So . . . I don't think I'll be posting for a while. But I shall be back.

Pork Dumplings with Soy Ginger Sauce

I got off my lazy butt and made the dumplings. I smell like ginger and garlic. Mmmmmmm.

Dumpling Ingredients

1 pound of ground pork

2 scallions, chopped fine

1 garlic clove, chopped fine

2 tablespoons of finely chopped ginger root

1/4 cup of chopped bamboo shoots

1/4 cup of chopped water chestnuts

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

salt and pepper

1 package of won ton skins (60 count)

Mix all of the above ingredients together with the exception of the won ton skins. I usually mix it up and refrigerate for about an hour to let the flavors combine with the meat.



Place about heaping teaspoon of the meat mixture in the middle of the won ton skin. Follow the directions on the wont ton package on how to fold the won tons. (Don't laugh at my wrap job.)



I steam the dumplings. I'm afraid to boil them for fear they will fall apart. And this recipe is too much work to screw them up at this point. I line the steamer with lettuce for added moisture and so they won't stick to the steamer. Steam until pork is no longer pink. Sorry I can't give you a better estimate than that. I used the wrong pot today and my steamer didn't fit properly. The dumplings will become slick. I'd test after about 8 minutes.



Sauce Ingredients

2 tablespoons of sesame oil

2 tablespoons of chili oil

2 tablespoons of of vegetable oil

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of of kecap manis (sweetened soy sauce, if you don't have this, just add some additional soy sauce and brown sugar)

1 tablespoons of ginger juice ( I use the Ginger People brand, but if you can't find it or don't have any on hand, just add additional ginger root)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 inch piece of fresh ginger root, minced

2 scallions, minced

5 tablespoons of chicken stock

2 tablespoons of of brown sugar

I usually mix sauce ingredients before hand to allow flavors to mingle. To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a non-stick pan and heat gently, without bringing it to a boil. Pour sauce over steamed dumplings.

New England Clam Chowder

Alright. I'll admit it I got lazy and didn't make the dumplings, but I did make the chowder. I adapted it from a recipe I found in The Clam Lover's Cookbook" by William Flagg, put out by Gorton's.
Ingredients

1 pound of bacon (if you are like me, the entire pound won't go in the chowder, you'll eat some of it. The original called for 1/4 pound, but hell . . . with all that butter and half and half, what difference is 3/4 pound of additional bacon gonna make?)

1 medium onion, diced

2 cups of potatoes, in 1 inch cubes (I use red skinned potatoes and I don't peel them.)

2 cups of clam broth

fresh ground pepper (as much as you want or as little as you want - it's your chowder)

2 cups of half and half (the original recipe said heavy cream was best, but believe it or not, I grew up drinking skim milk. Cream kinda does me in.)

2 cups of clams, chopped

3 tablespoons of butter


What to do with those ingredients

Cook the bacon over medium heat, until crispy. Remove bacon and most of the bacon fat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.



Add potatoes, clam broth, and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.



Add clams and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Add milk, butter, and chopped bacon. Heat but do not allow to boil. Adjust seasonings.

This usually tastes better after it sits for a day.

It's official

I'm making pork dumplings AND New England clam chowder. I'll eat the dumplings today and the chowder tomorrow.

I'm making my shopping list now but before I leave the house I have to fill out an application, print resumes, and pack up the books I sold and take them to the post office. Ugh. It's raining and I really wanna curl up with a good book and do nothing but read, but a forty year old slacker is just so unattractive.

Mitch Hedburg Pickle Quote

"I think pickles are cucumbers that sold out. They sold their soul to the devil, and the devil was dill."

I liked it. He's kinda like Jack Handey but he uses the f-bomb a lot more. Maybe that will be my project for the day. Searching for silly food quotes. You know . . . rather than doing something constructive that will improve my life.

Although I am going to do a edible food project today too. I'm thinking about making some pork dumplings.

The Farmers Market

I went to the farmers market today. I kinda went apeshit. I bought Concord grapes, yellow pear cherry tomatoes, pickling cukes, garlic, fresh corn, red and green bell peppers, zucchini, onions, scallions, fresh broad leaf parsley and the most beautiful ginger root I have ever seen.

So, of course, I came home and used most of it. I made corn salad.



I also made pickles. I couldn't find fresh dill there though, and I ended up having to visit three grocery stores before I could find any.



I'm packing it all up tomorrow for my trip to Georgia. I'm hoping that Aleta will make her fried chicken if I show up with food gifts.

Thai shrimp with noodles

Very easy clean-up. One bowl, one pot.

8 ounces of linguini or spaghetti, broken
1 1/2 pounds of broccoli florets (5 cups)
1 pound fresh or frozen shrimp in shells, peeled and deveined, with tails intact
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup soy sauce
3 TBS rice vinegar
2 TBS sesame oil
1 TBS chili oil
1 TBS grated ginger root
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup of chopped peanuts

Bring a large amount of water to a boil in a 4 qt. Dutch oven. Add pasta. Cook for 4 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for 2 additional minutes. Add shrimp. Cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until shrimp is pink.

Meanwhile, combine peanut butter and soy sauce in bowl. Stir in vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, ginger, and garlic. Drain pasta mixture; return to Dutch oven. Add peanut butter mixture, green onions, and nuts. Toss gently to coat. Serve.

Capellini with sausage and spinach

Quite easy and tasty. Hopefully you won't get e. coli from the spinach.

2 tsp olive oil
1 pound of sweet Italian sausage, sliced in 1/2 slices
1 large onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 cans (14 oz. each) chicken broth
1/4 cup of water
8 oz. of capellini or vermicelli pasta, broken in half
2 bags (10 oz. each) fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup heavy or whipping cream

Heat oil in Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook 3 to 4 minutes, turning as it browns. Add onion and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned.

Add broth and water to pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add spinach and pepper and cook, stirring spinach into pasta and sauce, 2 to 3 minutes more, until past is al dente and spinach is wilted. Stir in cream. Serve immediately.