Chinese Pork Dumplings

I found this recipe in our local newspaper in January, a few weeks before the Chinese New Year, and was immediately intrigued.

Worried at first about locating the dumpling wrappers, I found an ample selection in the freezer section at our local Asian market. Make sure to read the packages well, as there's a difference between dumpling and won-ton wrappers.  The dumpling wrappers are precut into either squares or circles, and are packaged in a stack.

These pork dumplings are delicious, and very easy to prepare, but make sure to allow enough time to fill, and seal.  Its a time-consuming process, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well the moistened wrappers seal.

1/2 of a small head of Napa cabbage, sliced thinly, then crosswise into 1 inch lengths
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound ground pork (I used hot Italian sausage for an added kick), lightly browned, and drained
3 to 4 green onions, sliced thin, white and light green parts only
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large egg, slightly beaten
water
30 round or square dumpling wrappers
canola oil
soy sauce, chinese mustard, plum sauce for serving
parchment paper

Place the cabbage in a bowl and toss with salt.  Let the cabbage sit for about 5 minutes, until wilted.  Squeeze handfuls of the cabbage in your fist, and discard the liquid that collects at the bottom of the bowl.

Combine the cabbage with the pork, green onions, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, pepper and egg.  Mix well.  Turn mixture into a skillet, and saute lightly.  Remove from heat.

Prepare work space.  Set a finger bowl of water, and a baking sheet lined with parchment at your work space.  Lay several dumpling wrappers on the work surface, and place a scant tablespoon of cabbage/pork filling in the center of each. Dip a finger in the water and run it around the edge of the first dumpling wrapper.  Fold the wrapper over and pinch it closed.  If the wrapper opens, come back to it in a few minutes.  Repeat with the remaining wrappers until all the filling is used.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Place as many of the dumplings in the pan as will fit in a single layer without touching.  Cook until the bottoms have turned golden-brown.  Pour 1/2 cup water into the pan, and cover immediately.  Steam the dumplings for 3 to 5 minutes, until all the water is absorbed, and the wrappers are translucent.

Transfer to a serving platter, and repeat with the remaining dumplings.  Serve with soy sauce, hot Chinese mustard, plum sauce, and mounds of sticky rice - YUM!

Beer-Braised, Roasted Pork with Onions

Pork is very popular in Ireland.  I'd just about given-up on cooking a pork roast, when I found this recipe in an Irish cookbook.  The secret to keeping the meat moist, is the Guinness.  Don't balk at the amount of onion called for in this recipe.  It really makes it special.  Serve with applesauce, potatoes in their jackets, or Colcannon.

1 boneless pork loin roast, about 5 pounds
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 large sweet onions, peeled and sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 1/4 cup Guinness stout
2 tablespoons flour

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven.  Add the pork roast, and brown well on all sides.  Remove the meat from the pan, and set aside.  Cook the onions in the meat drippings, until a bit soft, 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove from pan.  Pour half the Guinness into the Dutch oven, and deglaze (scrape the meat drippings from the bottom of the pot, and incorporate them into the stout).  Return the pork to the Dutch oven, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, and layer the cooked onions on top.  Pour the remaining Guinness, over all.

Cover, and cook at 350 degrees until the pork is fork tender, about 2 hours.  Baste the meat and onions frequently during the cooking time.

Transfer the meat to a platter.  Mix the flour with a bit of water to form a paste, and whirl it into the pan juice.  Stir vigorously, and cook on the stove-top, until the juices have thickened, about 5 minutes.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Another colorfully yummy recipe.  I made this for Brooke and Tom's wedding reception, and it was a big hit.  I used whole red, yellow and orange bell peppers for a really festive look!  The enchilada sauce has a little heat to it.  For an added kick, use hot Italian sausage.

1 recipe  Zesty Red Enchilada Sauce (click for recipe)
6 large, sweet, red peppers (pick wide peppers with a nice vertical shape)
1/2 pound Italian sausage, sweet or hot, browned and drained
1 (8 ounce) package corn bread stuffing mix (remove any seasoning packet if one exists - you won't need it)
2 cups Jack cheese, shredded
1/2  - 1 can chicken broth
1-15 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

Prepare one recipe Zesty Red Enchilada Sauce.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Note:  the first time I made these peppers, I baked the peppers without steaming them first.  I ended up with a lot of excess liquid.  By steaming them for a few minutes in the microwave, you eliminate some of the natural liquid retained in the peppers.

Cut the tops (stem end) off of six, nicely shaped peppers, and carefully remove the seeds.  Place peppers, upside-down, in a greased casserole dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for about five minutes (watch and rotate so they don't burn).  Remove from microwave, and check to see if the peppers have lost some of their liquid.  You want them to remain firm enough to stuff.  Drain the liquid and set aside to cool.

In large bowl, combine the sausage, dry stuffing, cheese, and tomato.  Add enough of the broth to softened the dry cornbread.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stuff the meat/bread mixture into the peppers, and place in the casserole dish in the upright position.  Pour enchilada sauce over the peppers and bake, uncovered for one hour (baste with the enchilada sauce every fifteen minutes).

Serve with Fiesta Rice, Rancho Red Beans, Black Bean and Avocado Salsa, roasted corn on the cob, or Comfort Corn Pudding.

Rancho Red Beans

This recipe is a variation of one my brother makes.  These beans are an excellent accompaniment to enchiladas, or may be served as an entree, over rice.  If serving them as an entree, I recommend adding a cup or more of cubed ham to the beans during the last hour  on the stove.  Adding the meat any earlier, tends to dry it out.

1 small bag of small southern red beans, or pinto beans (not red kidney beans)
1 large onion, cut into pieces
1 whole bay leaf
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon salt for cooking
2 large pieces of salt pork, or 2 smoked ham hocks
1 cup or more of cubed ham (optional - if serving as an entree)

Soak beans overnight in salted water.  Remove any irregular beans.  Place all ingredients in a large Dutch oven or soup-pot.  Cover all with water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer on stove top for about three hours, or until the beans are tender.  If adding ham cubes, do so during last hour of cooking time so the ham stays moist.  Check often to ensure the beans don't stick to bottom of pot (add more water if needed).

Before serving, remove pork hocks (salt pork) and bay leaves with a slotted spoon, and adjust seasoning to taste.  Serve with a small amount of cooking liquid, over rice, or as a side dish.

Nana's Stuffed Cabbage

Nana's "holubki" or little pigeons, are nestled on a bed of sauerkraut, and blanketed with a savory tomato sauce.  I'm fortunate to have a copy of Nana's recipe, written in her hand, with specific instructions to me :)

The city of Pittsburgh, and the surrounding area, has forever been a melting pot of old-world European ethnicities, where one is likely to find a corner restaurant serving not only pickled pigs feet and keilbasa, but pasta and lamb shish-ka-bob as well .  I grew-up believing that every child in America had a grandmother that hand-fashioned potato pierogi, and stuffed cabbage for family celebrations, as mine did.

We realized just how unique Pittsburgh is, when we moved out of the area to find that ethnic in most cities meant Chinese take-out, or the Olive Garden.  My Irish mother, a great fan of anything potato, made it a priority to learn how to make the pierogi, but it was up to me to learn the secrets behind Nana's wonderful little pigeons.


The task seemed daunting at first, and I do admit that it's taken a few attempts to really get the hang of rolling the cabbage, but perseverance paid off in the end.  Though I have found restaurants that serve them, nobody's cabbages taste like Nana's.

The hardest part of making the cabbage rolls, is finding the right head of cabbage.  You'll want to select a large, smooth head.  I've found that I'm better off buying two heads, using the best leaves from each.  You'll have waste, but you can always make cole slaw!

First, core each head.  Use your fingertips to peel away as many whole leaves as possible (tough, but possible with patience), then carefully steam the leaves until they are pliable (not cooked through).  Slide a sharp paring knife along the backside of any leaves that have a large protruding vein, and shave it off, being careful not to cut the leaf.  Set leaves aside.

For the meat filling:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/3 pound lean ground pork
1 cup of cooked white rice (not instant)

Mix the filling ingredients together, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

You'll also need:
1 large can or jar of sauerkraut (do not drain)
1 large can of condensed tomato soup
1 quart of diced or crushed tomatoes (optional)

Line the bottom of a large dutch oven with a layer of cabbage (use your discards, not your whole leaves).  Put 1/3 of sauerkraut on top of the cabbage.  Top with 1/3 tomato.

Arrange the whole leaves on the counter, so the bottom of each is closest to you - cupped side up.  Place slightly more than a tablespoon (you'll be able to judge how much will fit) of filling toward the top of each leaf. Tightly roll the top of the leaf slightly over the filling.  Wrap both sides over the filling, toward the center, and continue rolling toward the bottom of the leaf.

Place each roll, in the dutch oven in such a way as to prevent them from unrolling (see photo above).  Layer again with sauerkraut and tomato.  Continue rolling and layering cabbages.  You should end with a layer of kraut and tomato on top (see note below).

Cover all with the sauerkraut brine and water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about ninety minutes (or, after bringing to a boil, cover and bake at 350 degrees for about as long).  Check while cooking to make sure there is enough liquid in the pot so the bottom doesn't burn.  Add water if needed.

My grandmother always served these with either potato pierogi, or mashed potatoes.  Delicious!

(Note:  If you don't have a dutch oven, these can be made in a roaster.  Sray with cooking oil first, and line with cabbage leaves. Put one layer of kraut and tomato on bottom, and then lay the cabbage rolls on top, in a single layer.  Top again with kraut and tomato.  Make sure there is enough liquid in the roaster so the little pigeons don't scorch!)

Judy's Pork with Apple Kraut

This is my favorite sauerkraut recipe, courtesy of my Aunt Judy.  It reminds me of the the delicious pork and kraut dishes served in Germany, where the sauerkraut isn't sour, but sweet, and almost always cooked with apples.     

1 pork tenderloin, cut into large pieces, or 6 pork chops
1 cup peeled, chopped, Granny Smith Apple
2 tablespoons butter
1 (16 ounce) package sauerkraut, drained
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 bay leaves
1 (10 ounce) can Campbell's French Onion Soup

Melt butter in dutch oven; add apples and saute until soft, then remove.  Add pork, and brown on all sides.
Add remaining ingredients in the following order:  sauerkraut, caraway seeds, brown sugar, bay leaves, and onion soup.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Absolutely delicious!


As alternative, after browning, you may layer pork, apples, sauerkraut and remaining ingredients in a casserole dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Root Forward Into the New Year

Honestly, I'm not a very superstitious person, but I wouldn't think of celebrating the New Year without eating pork, of some kind.  

My family has always celebrated the new year with a pork roast.  My father simply wouldn't have it any other way.

Eastern Europeans believe that you must celebrate the new year by consuming the flesh of an animal that roots forward while foraging for food. By doing so, you can be assured of heading forward into the new year, thus optimizing your chances of success and good fortune.

One year, while trekking home down the Ohio turnpike on New Year's Day, we encountered a blizzard. It was getting late and there was no chance we were going to find a decent place to eat. Dad was tired, hungry and irritable, when we pulled into a highway rest-stop. It was past the dinner hour, the place was deserted and at first it appeared as though the kitchen was closed. All hope for something hot to eat seemed lost, when Mom spied the bratwurst. I'll never forget the change in Dad's demeanor. Not only was he going to get something to eat, he was going to eat pork! Alleluia! Good things were going to happen! After dinner, we piled back into the car and inched our way forward down the freeway toward home.

                             From:  Women On Tractors, Rooting Forward 2010

I remember my parents actually debating whether eating a bratwurst would satisfy the superstition.  I guess the mere fact that we were able to move forward down the highway, without having to turn back, answered that question!

Another explanation I've heard for eating pork on New Year's Day, comes from the Middle Ages, when the men of a village gathered for a boar hunt on the last day of the year.  If they returned with fresh kill, it meant that game in the local woodland was plentiful.  If they failed, then the woods were most likely hunted-out, which meant there would be starvation in the coming year.

Pork isn't the only food associated with the New Year.  No self-respecting southerner would think of ushering in a new year without eating black-eyed peas, which are believed to symbolize prosperity.  I've heard several different explanations for this tradition, but the most common seems to have originated after the Civil War, when food was scarce.  If a family had black-eyed peas in the pantry, it meant that they had luck on their side, and would be prosperous in the coming year.

Feeling I could use a little extra luck and prosperity as I rang in the new year, I whipped up a bowl of Texas Caviar, using canned black eyed peas and yellow hominy.  It was a big hit, especially with my two-year-old grandson, Richard, who loves tomatoes.

If you're in mind to try a new pork recipe, I've got a few I think you'll enjoy.  Don't be fooled by the title of the second  one though, City Chicken is pork with a twist.

Zesty Pork and Sauerkraut Balls

Mom's City Chicken

Judy's Pork with Apple-Kraut

Zesty Sausage and Sauerkraut Balls

 Don't let the sauerkraut stop you from trying these tasty little gems.  They're a little extra work, but they're worth the effort.  My aunt used only sweet Italian sausage, but I've updated them a bit by adding a bit of a kick (hot sausage) to the mixture.  

8 ounces Italian sweet or hot sausage (I use half and half)
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 (14 ounce) sauerkraut, well drained and chopped (I use the pulse option on my food processor)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs, well beaten
1/4 cup milk

In skillet, cook sausage and onion until meat is brown.  Drain.  Add sauerkraut and 2 tablespoons bread crumbs.  Blend in cream cheese, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Chill mixture until firm enough to handle.

Using a rounded teaspoonful of mixture, shape into balls.  Coat each with flour.  Add milk to beaten eggs in small bowl.  Dip flour coated balls in egg mixture and immediately roll each in bread crumbs.  Carefully fry in well oiled skillet until brown.  May freeze at this point.

To finish, place in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Serve with a good dijon mustard.

Mom's City Chicken

These little mock chicken legs will put a smile on every face at your table.  

What kid doesn't like eating a drumstick?  Back in the 1960's, City Chicken was considered a gourmet version of the All-American classic, and was served at dinner parties all over the northeast. Mom made them all the time, and I thought it such fun to eat meat from a stick with my fingers.

In many butcher shops in Pittsburgh, they still package the cubed meat together with the skewers - how convenient!  I was looking for a way to avoid having to fry them, and noticed a display of Shake and Bake next to the butcher case in my neighborhood market.  Bingo!  My family actually likes the Shake and Bake version better than the original breaded, fried and baked version.

1 1/2 pounds cubed, lean, veal
1 1/2 pounds cubed, lean, pork
1 egg, beaten
bread crumbs, or 1 box Shake and Bake, for chicken or pork
8 - 6 inch wooden skewers (the heavier type)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.

On each skewer, alternate pieces of pork and veal.  You should have room for four pieces of meat on each skewer.  If using bread crumbs, dip each skewer in egg, and roll in bread crumbs.  If using Shake and Bake, drop each skewer in the provided plastic bag to coat - no egg needed

For bread crumbs:  brown skewers in a tablespoon of oil, in skillet.  Transfer to baking dish.
For Shake and Bake:  Transfer coated skewers to baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes.  Turn over half-way through baking.  Cooking time often depends upon the size of the meat cubes, so keep an eye on them so they don't over-bake and dry-out.  Mom always served these with applesauce.