Hearty Homemade Pot Stickers

I should preface this post with saying that I'm not a professional pot sticker-maker.  Actually, this was my first time.  I was staring at a bag of frozen pot stickers from Costco, and looking at my bag of freshly milled flour from Sonrisa Farm, and thought to myself, "I could do this...and I bet it would be better because it's fresh, whole-wheat, and full of local goodies." So I gave it a whirl.  I was surprised at how easy it is to make homemade pot stickers, and in case I miss the convenience of pulling them out of the freezer for a quick meal: This recipe made enough for filling our bellies and the freezer.

Filling: 1 lb ground pork, chicken, or pressed tofu 1 head of napa cabbage 1 bunch green onions, chopped 1-2 tbs grated fresh ginger 6 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbs toasted sesame oil 1 Tbs soy sauce 1 Tbs Mirin (or can use honey and rice vinegar) 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Dough: 1 lb (3 cups) Sonrisa Farm stone ground whole wheat flour 1 tsp salt (optional) 1 cup warm water

Sauce: 1 recipe for Teriyaki Marinade and Stir Fry Sauce (or make a simple dipping sauce with rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce and garlic)

Method: Wash and thinly slice the napa cabbage.  Place in a bowl and salt generously to draw out the moisture.  Let stand for about 15 minutes. When the cabbage has wilted, squeeze out the moisture (you can use your hands or wrap it in cheesecloth or strong paper towels).  Place the cabbage in a large bowl with the ground meat or tofu and the remaining ingredients.  Mix well with your hands so the ingredients are thoroughly combined.  If you want to test the mixture for flavor balance beforehand (which I recommend, because the strength of your ginger and garlic can vary), cook a spoonful of the mixture in oil or water for about 5 minutes.  Adjust seasonings to the filling as necessary. Cover and refrigerate until the dough is ready.

To prepare the dough, mix the salt into the flour and slowly add the warm water while stirring with a fork.  When the ingredients are combined the dough will feel quite firm (harder than a pizza dough, softer than pasta dough).  Let rest for 10 minutes.  Then begin to knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until the texture is uniform.  Pinch off one-inch cube pieces of dough (or less if you want smaller pot stickers), roll into a firm ball and set aside until you have portioned out all of the dough.  With a rolling pin, flatten and turn the dough until you have made a circle a bit larger than the palm of your hand.  It may stick to your rolling pin a bit, but should peel off easily.  You can use a little flour for dusting the board and pin, but be careful to not use too much or the pot stickers may not seal easily.  If you have someone to help with the filling and sealing, the process can go quite quickly.

Put a spoon or two of the filling in the center of the disc of dough and stretch the dough around the filling and pinch the sides together across the top.  Place the pot stickers in a heated, well-oiled, non-stick skillet with enough water to cover the bottoms of the pot stickers by about 1/3.  Cover with a lid and steam for 15 minutes. Serve with Teriyaki sauce or a simple dipping sauce.  If you want to freeze extras, place the uncooked pot stickers on a baking sheet covered with waxed or parchment paper and freeze.  Once frozen, place in a freezer-proof bag or container.  Cook as directed above.

The Perfect Roasted Potato

I have this idea in my head that everyone knows how to roast potatoes in the oven.  Who really needs a recipe for roasted potatoes?  But when I took a bite of those crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, delicious little red potatoes...I had one of those, "I need to take a photo of my food because it's that good," moments. I'm pretty sure the success has to do with the quality of the potatoes.  I have been roasting potatoes in the oven for decades.  Same method every time.  But sometimes they just taste amazing.  The little red potatoes in this week's CSA share were prime examples of when all is good in the world. So if you are standing in your kitchen with your little red potatoes, wondering if you want to steam, mash, saute or roast them for dinner tonight, the answer is roast!  And here is how you do it: 10 small red potatoes 1/4 cup oil, melted butter, or dripping from a roast Sea salt Black pepper Fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, etc.), optional Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash potatoes and pat them dry.  Cut the larger ones in half or quarters, and leave the smaller ones whole so that they are all relatively the same size.  Place the potatoes in a glass or ceramic baking dish that is large enough for the potatoes to have a little space between each one. Coat with the oil, butter or dripping.  (I used canola oil for mine and they are delicious, but butter and dripping are fantastic if you want to indulge.)  Generously sprinkle sea salt and freshly ground black pepper over the potatoes. Place in the center or top shelf of the oven and bake for a little over one hour, or until they are golden and crispy on the edges.  Serve hot.

Roasted Vegetable Stew With Beans & Spiced Chicken

This is a great soup to get you in the mood for late-summer and early-fall.  It is rich, hearty, and full of flavor.  The key is finding your favorite spice blend to create a signature flavor.  I tend to habitually reach for the sweet and spicy Jamaican Jerk blend.  But Alchemy Spice, a local spice and herb blender in Chattanooga, has an inspiring selection of blends.  What's best, is the fantastic flavor of freshly milled spices, as opposed to the bland old ones found in a grocery store. You can find Alchemy Spice online, at the Chattanooga Market, and in local specialty food shops. Ingredients: 3 Sweet peppers (any color), seeded and coarsely chopped 3 Medium tomatoes, cut into wedges 1 Yellow onion, coarsely chopped 6-8 cloves of garlic, minced 1 qt chicken or vegetable stock 3 cups beans (black, white or red beans, cooked and drained, or fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces) 1 lb boneless chicken, or leftovers from a roasted hen 1 Tbs your favorite Alchemy Spice blend (like The Jerk, Neo Masala, or Bayou Ya-Ya Cajun blends) Juice from one lime or lemon 1 Bunch cilantro, chopped (optional) Canola or olive oil Sea salt Black pepper

Method: Place the chopped peppers, tomatoes, and onions in a baking dish.  Coat with some oil, then season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Bake at 375 degrees for at least one hour, or until the vegetables are black on the tips and have begun to caramelize.  While the vegetables are cooking, season the chicken with the spices and brown in a heavy-bottomed stock pot with a little oil.  If you are using meat from a whole hen, rub the hen with the spices before roasting.  Chop the cooked chicken, and set aside.  Place the roasted peppers, onions and tomatoes in the stock pot with the chicken or vegetable stock.  Pulse with an immersion blender until coarsely pureed, or pulse in a conventional blender and return to the stock pot.  Add the beans, chicken, lime or lemon juice, and cilantro.  Simmer for a few minutes (or until the beans are cooked if using fresh green beans).  Serve with freshly baked corn bread.

Basil & Peach Gelato (Vegan)

I have nothing against cows or the milk they produce, especially milk from those happy grass-fed cows.  But 30% of the world can't digest milk products, and millions more choose not to eat animal-related foods.  That's a lot of people who don't really enjoy ice-cream.  And even for the 70% who do, this coconut-based gelato is phenomenally good. I would love to say I made this up in my kitchen, but the credit goes to CSA member Oriel Wiggins, who scooped out a bowl and handed it to me. She smiled wickedly, as she knew I would want the recipe...and want to share it with the world. It would be immoral to keep her recipe, and this goodness, hidden from the basil-loving, peach-loving, ice-cream-loving population of this great earth.  Don't worry if you don't have an ice-cream maker, David Lebovitz will tell you how to make it by hand in your freezer.

Ingredients: 2 cans unsweetened first-pressed coconut milk, chilled 1/2 cup local raw honey 2 locally grown ripe peaches, pitted 15 to 25 large basil leaves 1 tsp vanilla dash salt

Method:  Put all ingredients in the blender and blend thoroughly. Taste and adjust sweetness to your preference.  You may also add more basil to taste. (note: sweetness and flavors are subdued when frozen so take that into consideration when tasting the mixture) Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturers instructions, or click here to follow the David Lebovitz instructions for making it without an ice-cream maker.

Sweet Pepper Salsa With Peaches & Basil

Most of these ingredients were in the previously posted red pepper chutney recipe, but this raw-food version is amazing, and so lovely on top of grilled meats, in a taco, or with almost anything. Mix the following ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Serve immediately, or chill in the refrigerator for up to one day.

4 cups of diced sweet peppers (mixed colors) 1 red chili pepper, diced (optional) 1 cup diced yellow or sweet onion 1 large firm-ripe peach, diced  3-4 cloves of garlic, minced Juice from 1 lime 1 tsp sea salt Freshly ground black pepper About 15-20 10-15 large fresh basil leaves, chopped finely

Summer party Idea: Bite-sized squash fritter with smoked salmon, garlic & herb goat cheese and sweet pepper salsa