Fusion Potsickers

Fusion Potstickers 

Fusion you say? Yes... I think. Well I said it so I'm going with it. From what I remember dumpling are normally filled with ground pork, sometimes shrimp, napa cabbage, water chestnuts, mushrooms, ginger, green onions. I used mostly shrimp, a little bit of pork, apples, celery, spinach, and ginger. The use of apples, celery and spinach I believe give it a french twist. I don't know. I may be wrong. Has happened before.

Also... A lot of pics incoming...

Ingredients
Filling
-Ground Pork
-Shrimp
-Celery
-Spinach
-Apples
-Ginger

Dough
-Flour
-Water

Sauce
-Onion
-Garlic
-Grape Jelly
-Ketchup
-Worcestershire Sauce

Creation
What?! Separated ingredients... Don't know why I didn't think of it before. So first off the filling. 

About this much shrimp

To that we add the pork, about a 1/4lb, which gives us more shrimp than pork. Which is what I wanted. Then there is one stalk of celery, plus a bit a ginger. Let's see what else did I add..

Oh yeah about this much diced apple

Not too much so when you bite it you don't get apple upfront but more sweetness from apple.

Then the final kicker.. spinach.

Yep, no cabbage, and everything is diced so that it will fit inside a dumpling. I don't have a picture of the finished filling as it mysteriously vanished. So now for the dough. Just flour, water and salt. 

Obviously needs more water

I don't have measurements here cause I just do it by feel. Keep added a little bit of water until it pulls together .

This actually needs more flour and more kneading, but I ran out of flour... I know right?

So it should look like the above picture. A tiny bit.

Rolled into a log

This is so you can cut of sliver to make each dumpling.

Like this

No I can't roll out perfect circles, had to use a measuring cup, but yeah now to attempt to show you how to make these dumplings..... deep breath... Swig of Kool-aid... Here we go.

There that is what filling like

And yeah its close to being over-filled. No matter what you do you will probably over fill a couple. it just happens. I still do it and this isn't my first dumpling rodeo.

Pinch the sides up.

Now crimp. This is a bit hard to explain. Fold the back side over into the other side. 

And do the same to the other side. This is what the back looks like

My finished dumpling. Not going to win any beauty awards... they are clearly over stuffed.

Now we turn them into potstickers

To do this brown the bottom by getting some oil in the pan good and hot. Not so hot that it's burn cause you need time to put all the dumpling in and once they are browned on the bottom. Here comes the 'fun' part. While it is on the burner. Hot oil sizzling away and everything you are going to pour about a cup of water in the pot and then quickly cover. Then when the water boils away...

This is what you get

Now about that sauce. This is the part where you realize you should have read the whole thing first. Dice some onions and get then sweating in a pot. 

Nothing to see here.

Now once they have some color add some chopped garlic.

Simple. Easy.

Now add some grape jelly and ketchup.

Wait what?

Yes. Its about 1:1 on the ketchup and jelly. And once it boils down and the jelly melts....

Yes. Now taste. Correct sweetness or ketchup and done.

Potstickers are served bottoms up.

Now that looks good.

Fusion potstickers... now...

Country-Style Pork

Sauteed Pork with an Apple Gastrique over Potatoes

Haven't cooked these in a while and I always do it the same way. Yeah. Then the potatoes had a little mishap, of which I am blaming the non-stick pan. Yep. I sure am.

Ingredients
-Pork
-Potatoes
-Apples
-Celery
-Ginger
-Onions

Creation

So, saute pork on all sides. Done. Then came the time to make a gastrique. Which apparently I have been almost doing this whole time is I just switch the order of ingredients. Caramelize sugar before deglazing and boom gastrique.

Now the potatoes... sigh. They were supposed to be yellow, but when it came to finish them with a dash of cream the excess oil (Nonstick pan) mixed with the cream and turned it brown.

However, the taste was on point and that is what matters. Especially since it is...

Shrimp Fettuccine

Shrimp Fettuccine with a Tomato Cream Sauce

I seem to be making a lot of seafood... probably because I love seafood... go figure. However, there hasn't been a lot of seafood and pasta. So here we go, back to one of my favorite sauces... the tomato cream sauce.

Ingredients

-Shrimp
-Fettuccine
-Tomato
-Heavy Cream
-Onions
-Celery
-Garlic

Creation

To get the fullest flavor out if this sauce.. at least more robust flavor.. the sauce in completely homemade and instead of removing the skin the whole thing is blended. Then thrown in with the onions and stuff cooking.

As you can see by the color there wasn't a ton of tomatoes involved. Everything else is pretty straight-forward. However, more awesomeness comes from the shrimp. They weren't cooked in any special way, but the shells help make a great shrimp stock that will be used for later. Si. I am very resourceful when making...

Celery Leaf Cream Soup

Celery Leaf Cream Soup

What? Celery leaf? Yes those leaves from celery you never use. I do, all the time actually, as celery is always in the fridge. Taste pretty much like celery... shocker! But without the texture of... well celery. But no, this doesn't taste just like a puree of celery. Its just a hint to add a little complexity.

Ingredients

-Celery Leaves
-Pasta
-Garlic
-Onions
-Milk

Creation

Looking at those ingredients it seems it should be really simple... and it is. Everything is minced.. besides the milk and pasta. Don't even think about it.

Pasta is pre-boiled a bit, don't wanna cook it all in a white sauce. Which is made with the minced stuff. Nothing special here.

Finished with a bit of the minced celery and then garnished with it. Now I don't usually use garnishes, but this one is edible and allows you to know what the flavor is of...