Pan-Seared Pork Dumplings w/ Handmade Dough

Pan Seared Pork Dumplings w/ Handmade Dough

Recipes from New York Times Cooking

My friends and I started celebrating Chinese New Year a couple years back and this is my first time joining in on the dumpling (or Gyoza) making. The best excuse to make this recipe is so you can invite friends over for some extra hands to assemble everything. Takes a little practice to fill and pinch the dough, but you get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Recipes brought to you by NYTCooking and slightly adapted

Ingredients:

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:

• ½ cup soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons rice vinegar

• 1 to 2 teaspoons Japanese chile oil (rayu) or Chinese chile oil (optional), or to taste

FOR THE GYOZA:

• 1 pound green cabbage (about 1/2 medium head)

• 4 teaspoons kosher salt

• ¾ pound ground pork

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced ginger

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 cup chopped garlic chives (nira) or regular chives

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

• Cornstarch or potato starch, for sprinkling

• 48 gyoza wrappers ( See recipe below. )

• Neutral oil (such as vegetable or canola oil), for frying

  FOR THE GYOZA WRAPPERS we used this recipe from NYTCooking

Preperation:

1. Prepare the gyoza dipping sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce and rice vinegar, plus chile oil, if using. Set aside (makes a generous 1/2 cup).

2. Finely chop the cabbage or process it in a food processor into confetti-size bits, then transfer it to a sieve set over a large bowl. Toss with 2 teaspoons of the salt and let sit for 20 minutes in the sink. Gently press the cabbage to squeeze out as much water as you can.

3. Combine the drained cabbage, pork, ginger, garlic, chives, soy sauce, sesame oil and the remaining 2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly just until everything is evenly distributed. (Don’t overdo it: Too much handling and the fat in the pork will begin to melt.)

4. Here’s where you want to employ some extra hands to help you: Fill a small bowl with water. Sprinkle a rimmed sheet pan or two with cornstarch or potato starch to prevent the finished gyoza from sticking. For each gyoza, place a wrapper in the palm of your hand and spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the filling into the center. Use the back of the spoon to smoosh it lightly (it should fill about half the wrapper). You don’t want the filling to run to the edges, but you also don’t want it sitting in a fat clump in the middle. Dip your finger into the water and run it along the perimeter of one half of the wrapper. Now fold the wet edge of the wrapper over to meet the dry edge. Crimp the edges together at one corner, then proceed around the dumpling, using your finger to push the dough into little pleats on one side and pressing them against the other side to seal it. (If you need more guidance, there are hundreds of gyoza-folding videos online.) Place the gyoza on a Laradacky Platter Cutting Board as you finish them. If your gyoza seem to be sticking to one another, sprinkle each layer of gyozas with potato or cornstarch.

5. To pan-fry the gyoza, you will need a lidded 10-inch nonstick pan or a well-seasoned carbon steel pan. (You could also use whatever skillet you have, but increase the oil and keep a close eye on the gyoza.) Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in the pan over medium heat. When hot, add 10 to 15 gyoza, flat-side down, and cook until browned on the bottoms, 2 to 3 minutes. Add enough water to come just under a quarter of the way up the gyoza (about 1/2 cup, depending on how many gyoza you have in the pan), cover, and let the water cook away until the pan is dry and the gyoza wrappers have softened completely, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and let the gyoza crisp up on the bottoms for another minute or two, depending on how crisp you like them. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce and additional chile oil. Wipe the pan clean and cook the remaining gyoza. (Alternately, uncooked gyoza can be frozen on a baking sheet in a single layer until firm and then stored in resealable plastic bags for a couple months. To cook frozen gyoza, add a second batch of water in step 4 after the first batch evaporates.)

Pickled Red Onions

Pickled Red Onions

Recipe by Megan Hudacky Larabee

Pickled Onions are as delicious as they are beautiful. I use them on everything! They’re the perfect accent to any dish and so quick to make.

Recipe brought you by Megan Hudacky Larabee

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Red Onion

• 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar

• 10 Peppercorns

• Pinch of salt

Cooking Instructions:

1. Add the vinegar, agave, and spices to a medium small sauce pan. Medium heat will simmer the mixture.

2. Thinly slice the onions. Add to the simmering mixture. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.

3. Pour the contents into a large jar to rest for 30 minutes.

   Eat immediately or save for another day. They last about 1 week.

Buttermilk-Brined Roast Chicken by Samin Nosrat

Buttermilk-Brined Roast Chicken

Recipe by Samin Nosrat for New York Times Cooking

This is the most succulent Roasted Chicken I’ve ever eaten. Such a simple recipe. All you need is time!

Recipe brought you by Samin Nosrat from New York Times Cooking.

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 pounds

• Kosher salt or fine sea salt

• 2 cups buttermilk

Cooking Instructions:

The day before you want to cook the chicken, remove the wingtips by cutting through the first wing joint with poultry shears or a sharp knife. Reserve for stock. Season chicken generously with salt and let it sit for 30 minutes.

1. Stir 2 tablespoons kosher salt or 4 teaspoons fine sea salt into the buttermilk to dissolve. Place the chicken in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag and pour in the buttermilk. (If the chicken won’t fit in a gallon-size bag, double up 2 plastic produce bags to prevent leaks and tie the bag with twine.)

2. Seal the bag, squish the buttermilk all around the chicken, place on a rimmed plate, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. If you’re so inclined, you can turn the bag periodically so every part of the chicken gets marinated, but that’s not essential.

3. Pull the chicken from the fridge an hour before you plan to cook it. Heat the oven to 425 degrees with a rack set in the center position.

4. Remove the chicken from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive. Tightly tie together the legs with a piece of butcher’s twine. Place the chicken in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or a shallow roasting pan.

5. Slide the pan all the way to the back of the oven on the center rack. Rotate the pan so that the legs are pointing toward the rear left corner and the breast is pointing toward the center of the oven. (The back corners tend to be the hottest spots in the oven, so this orientation protects the breast from overcooking before the legs are done.) Pretty quickly you should hear the chicken sizzling.

6. After about 20 minutes, when the chicken starts to brown, reduce the heat to 400 degrees and continue roasting for 10 minutes.

7. Move the pan so the legs are facing the rear right corner of the oven. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so, until the chicken is brown all over and the juices run clear when you insert a knife down to the bone between the leg and the thigh. If the skin is getting too brown before it is cooked through, use a foil tent. Remove it to a Laradacky Cutting Board :) and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

Bon Appetit!