Tova's Potstickers

When I was visiting Tova in Carrboro a few weeks ago she made up a big patch of potstickers. I was surprised how easy they were and how authentic they tasted! As soon as I got back to Boston I replicated the recipe for a New Years Eve dinner party. Below is a simple vegetarian filling, but I also made a ground turkey version of this filling from the Gourmet cookbook.

1 package of "baked tofu", teriyaki or soy/sesame flavor, crumbled
bunch of green onions, chopped
small handful of cilantro, chopped
a few cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, shredded

1 cup cabbage, shredded
1/4 C soy sauce
2 t sesame oil
1 egg, beaten
package of wonton or potsticker wrappers

Stir all ingredients together, minus the egg and wonton wrappers. Taste for flavor, adjust and then stir in egg. Mix 1 T cornstarch into 1/4 C water and brush this onto edges of wrappers.

For detailed on how to fill and fold potstickers, check out this blog post with directions and photos from Steamy Kitchen.

To fry the dumplings, heat a large pan over a medium heat. Add a bit of vegetable oil, then squeeze as many potstickers that will fit into the pan, trying not to have any touching, (or else they'll stick together). Fry for 60-90 seconds until golden brown on the bottom. Add 1/4-1/2 C water, put lid on immediately, lower heat a bit and cook about 3 minutes. Remove the lid, cook off any excess water, and then remove potstickers. Repeat until all potstickers are cooked.

Tova's special dipping sauce: mix soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, mirin, sriacha. Taste and adjust.

Tostones (Fried Plantains)

Our friend Bobby, who writes a great blog about deep fried adventures, hosted a Deep Fried Thanksgiving Potluck on Sunday. In addition to a deep fried turkey, we sampled deep-fried stuffing, mashed potatoes, and of course sweet potatoes. Charlie and I decided to make tostones, or fried plantains, a dish we had loved during our trip to Nicaragua. These were very easy and really good! We couldn't cook them up fast enough for people. We served them with guacamole, but they're just as good plain or with some rice and beans.

Adapted from the Gourmet cookbook.

INGREDIENTS:

3 to 4 large unripe (green) or barely ripe (slightly yellow) plantains about 2 cups olive, canola, or peanut oil for frying 1. With a sharp small knife cut ends from each plantain and cut a lengthwise slit through skin. Cut plantains crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces and, beginning at slit, pry skin from pieces. (Warning: this is a little trickier than peeling bananas!) 2. In a 12" nonstick skillet heat 1/2 inch oil over moderate heat until just hot enough to sizzle when a plantain piece is added. Fry plantains in batches, without crowding, until tender and just golden, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. With tongs transfer plantains as fried to paper towels to drain. 3. Remove skillet from heat and reserve oil. With the bottom of a heavy saucepan or a wide solid metal spatula flatten plantains to 1/4 inch thick (about 3 inches in diameter). This is the most fun part. 4. Dip flattened plantains into a bowl of warm salted water, 1 at a time. Heat reserved oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and fry flattened plantains in batches, without crowding, until golden, about 3 minutes. Use tongs to transfer tostones to paper towels to drain. Season with salt if desired. 5. Serve immediately.

Yield: Makes 18 to 24 tostones

Muhammara

Muhammara is a Syrian roasted-pepper and walnut spread - it's a great alternative to hummus. I found this yummy recipe on a friend's blog, sweetamandine.blogspot.com - she adapted it from Bon Apetit.

1 12-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
1.5 c walnuts, toasted
3-4 slices of sourdough bread (for 1/2 cup breadcrumbs)
2 cloves garlic
2 T extra-virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 (heaping) t ground cumin
1/2 t sweet paprika
1/4 t cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On one rack, toast walnuts on a baking sheet until fragrant (about 7 minutes). On another rack, toast the sourdough bread.

Grate the toasted bread to produce 1/2 cup of crumbs.

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend to form a coarse puree. If you want it chunkier, add more crumbs and/or walnuts. If it's too dry, add a bit more olive oil.

Serve with toasted pita triangles.