Dumplings.  They seem to be one of the few foods that appear in almost every global cuisine in some form: pierogi in Poland, vareniki/piroshki in Russia, gyoza in Japan, samosas in India, ravioli in Italy, etc.  There’s even a cookbook on it, called  World of Dumplings (which I haven’t read, but showed up when I googled “dumplings worldwide” and it looks interesting!).  And why wouldn’t they be ubiquitous?   They’re delicious, addictive, bite-sized, finger food, filled with pretty much anything you want.

When I got back from my weekly long run yesterday, Trevor was just finishing making a batch of these dumplings.  He made the wrappers from scratch, rolled them out, filled them, steamed them, fried them, and even took some of these pictures.  He’s pretty good, right?  I walked in the door, thirsty and starving and cold and absolutely did work on a plate of dumplings.  As in, I ate 15.  In one go, barely taking a breath.  (And this is why you should never skip breakfast…).  It reminded me of potsticker night at Andover, when we used to have competitions over who could eat the most potstickers.  I think the record was 52 – hey, we were young and athletic then.

The filling in these, another Ming Tsai combination, is a mix of ground pork and the ginger-apple chutney I made last week.  Ming wins again.  If you aren’t as ambitious/awesome as Trevor, you can buy the wrappers pre-made and these will be pretty quick to make.  But the homemade wrappers were delicious – tender and soft and not at all rubbery – so if you have the time I’d recommend giving them a try with this great tutorial from La Fuji Mama.  We also watched this video for tips on folding them.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Pork and Ginger-Apple Chutney Potstickers

Recipe from Ming Tsai.  Makes about 40 potstickers.

• 40-50 potsticker wrappers (store-bought or use this recipe – I think we got 30 wrappers out of it)
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 2 TBS soy sauce
• 1/2 c. sliced scallions
• 1 c. ginger apple chutney
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 2 TBS canola oil

1. In a medium bowl, mix together pork, soy sauce, scallions, and chutney with a spoon.  Season with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Mix together egg and 2 TBS of water to make an egg wash.
3. Lay out 6 of your potsticker wrappers on a cutting board.  Place 1 tsp of filling in the center of each wrapper.  Use your finger to rub egg wash around the edge of the wrapper, then fold over into a half-moon shape and tightly pinch all along the edges to seal the potsticker.  Press the straight side of the wrapper down gently on the board to allow the dumpling to stand up.  Repeat until all wrappers have been filled.
4. Heat the oil in a large pan with a lid over medium heat.  Stand the potstickers sealed side-up in the pan and cook without disturbing for 3-4 minutes.  Then, CAREFULLY add 1/2 c. water to the pan and quickly cover the pan to avoid splattering.  Once splattering has subsided, uncover pan to check that there is about a 1/4 inch of water in the pan – if not, add a little more.  Cover pan and steam for 8-10 minutes.  If the water evaporates before the potstickers are cooked (they should be puffy yet firm), add a little more.  If they seem done but there is still water in the pan, drain water from pan.  Once potstickers are cooked, recrisp in the pan without any water for 2 minutes, being careful not to let them burn.  Remove them to a platter and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

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I had the best weekend.  Seriously, the best.  There wasn’t even anything super thrilling about it, just lots of tiny happy moments with my favorite person that added up together to make me feel totally relaxed and refreshed and joyful.  We went apple picking and then stopped in to say hi to my dad and check on the Andover garden.  We made apple cider doughnut cake, Kerala-style beef stew, pumpkin whoopie pies with maple-cream cheese, this chutney, and an amazing salad I’ll tell you about soon.  Saturday we went to the Ipswich River Sanctuary and Trevor let the birds land in his hands and there was almost no one there – it was so peaceful and so beautiful.  Sunday started off with Trevor bringing me a homemade cappuccino and a slice of this tart while I was still all tucked under the big white comforter, half-asleep and letting the sunshine and cool breeze and smell of coffee slowly stir me.  Then we lounged for 3 hours before walking a few miles to brunch at M3 and listening to all the crazy folks of Somerville play in the Honk! festival.  Later that day I ran 10 miles (and was proud of myself) before falling asleep watching Dark Shadows all warm and cozy.  I live the good life.

You want to know something else that’s good?  Ming Tsai’s recipes.  I’ve written about how he’s kind of my idol before, but seriously, this man puts great flavor into his food.  And now that I’m employed and everything, I’ve even been able to eat at Blue Ginger… where the food lives up to its reputation.  Knowing I had almost half a bushel of apples to use, this chutney immediately came to mind.  I’ve made it several times before, and I really love it – it’s tangy and a little bit spicy but still sweet.  It’s also great mixed with sour cream and slathered on potato latkes, which is how I chose to enjoy it for dinner tonight.  Leave it to Ming to revolutionize latkes and applesauce… give this one a try, for sure.  And stay tuned for more ways to use this chutney later this week!

Apple Ginger Chutney

Adapted from Ming Tsai.  Makes 4 c. chutney.

• 2 onions, diced
• 2 inches ginger, peeled and finely diced
• 1 TBS canola oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 8 non-mealy apples (such as Fuji, Honey Crisp, or Empire), peeled and cored
• salt and pepper
• 1 c. apple cider or apple juice
• 1 c. rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1. Cut apples into even 1/4 inch cubes (this will take longer than you think so budget extra time!).  Place cubes into a large bowl and squeeze lemon juice over them to prevent from browning.
2. In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and ginger and cook for 3-4 minutes, until onions soften.  Add apples, and season generously with salt and pepper.  Stir to coat, then cook apples for 3-4 minutes, until beginning to soften.  Add apple cider/juice and vinegar and simmer until liquid is reduced by three quarters, about 30 minutes.  Adjust seasoning to taste.  Keeps for about 1 week in the fridge.

Scallion-Potato Latkes with Apple-Ginger-Cream

Adapted from Ming Tsai.  Makes 16 latkes.

• 1 c. apple ginger chutney (see above)
• 1 c. sour cream
• 8 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled
• 2 eggs
• salt and pepper
• 2 TBS butter
• 2 TBS olive oil

1. Mix together apple chutney, sour cream, and green parts of scallions together.  Cover and place in fridge until latkes are ready.
2. Grate potatoes on a large box grater.  Squeeze liquid out of grated potatoes into sink; place grated potatoes into large strainer set over large bowl, and continue to squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible.
3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs together gently.  Add drained potatoes and white parts of scallions and mix together.  Season with salt and pepper.
4. Heat 1 TBS olive oil and 1 TBS butter over medium-low heat in large frying pan for 3 minutes.  Form patties out of the potato mixture and place in frying pan.  Cook latkes in batches for 4-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown.  Replenish frying pan with butter and olive oil as necessary as you make multiple batches.  Place finished latkes on a plate line with a paper towel.  Serve hot with Apple-ginger-cream.

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