EDAMAME DUMPLINGS IN SHALLOT- SAUTERNES BROTH

Edamame Dumplings in Sauternes with Sesame Seeds and Sprouts

Edamame dumplings are one of my favorites.  The first time I had them was at Buddakan in New York many years ago. And a restaurant in my town used to serve them since their chef was a former employee of Buddakan. Unfortunately, the local restaurant closed, so now the only place that I could get edamame dumplings in my town is to make my own. In the past, I have made them a number of times using an edamame puree recipe adapted from Chef Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger cookbook ttp://www.amazon.com/Blue-Ginger-East-Meets-Cooking/dp/0609605305/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348488737&sr=1-1&keywords=blue+ginger.  

 

But after having Buddakan's dumplings at the Lucky Rice Festival in May, I wanted to make them again.  Four months later and a few clicks on the Internet from time to time, I came across several adaptations from the original Buddakan recipe and created my own version.  The edamame are cooked in a dashi broth, so the first step is to make dashi. I always have kombu and bonito flakes in my pantry, so that was easy. I also had a package of frozen edamame in the freezer, so we were half-way there.  Frozen edamame are what I always used and are acceptable for this.

 

Since the dumplings were going to be served in a shallot-sauternes broth, I added caramelized shallots to the edamame filling, along with some dashi broth to give it the creamy consistency in lieu of the amount of butter that was used in the original recipe. Although I did use some heavy cream and a half-cup of white truffle oil.  After processing, I let the filling set in the fridge for about 6 hours (or it could set overnight).

 

Since we bought a bottle of Sauternes a few weeks ago (in anticipation of making the dish), I was also ready for the broth. First, I caramelized about a half-cup of shallots and then deglazed the pan with about two cups of the wine. I then added vegetable broth (home-made) and let it reduce a little.  Some fresh thyme and a little pink salt were added.  The broth was strained and kept warm.

 

Finally, I "stuffed" the wonton wrappers with the edamame filling and dusted the dumplings with some AP flour to prevent sticking.  When it was time to steam them, I lined the bamboo steamers with Napa cabbage leaves and gently placed the dumplings into each steamer tray.  I used the leftover dashi stock to steam them in lieu of water.

 

When the dumplings were done, I added them to a dish of the shallot-sauternes broth. And, as always, I "needed" to do my sprinkling of black sesame seeds and alfalfa sprouts as a garnish.  Why?  I don't know.  I just do it...because it's fun!

 

The taste was spectacular! And we drank the "leftover" wine with the dumplings.

 

Yield: 20 dumplings

 

 Dashi Broth:

1/2 cup kombu

1 cup bonito flakes

4 cups water

Place kombu in water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  When it reaches a boil, remove from heat. Add bonito flakes.  Let stand until the bonito flakes sink to the bottom of the pan, about 15 minutes.  Strain dashi in a sieve.  Use within a few hours of making because dashi does not refrigerate or freeze well.

Kombu

 

Bonito Flakes

  

Dashi being Created

 

Edamame Filling:

3 cups edamame (thawed, if frozen)

2 shallots, chopped, about 1/4 cup

4 Tablespoons butter

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup truffle oil

1/2 cup dashi broth (or more)

20 Wonton Wrappers

Cook the edamame in dashi broth until tender, about five minutes. Strain edamame and puree with the next five ingredients.  Add more or less dashi broth to make filling into a creamy consistency.  When done, let the filling set in the fridge for several hours or overnight.  Remove filling from fridge.  Fill wonton wrappers with about one teaspoon of filling.  Dust stuffed wontons with AP flour to prevent sticking.

Edamame

 

Edamame in Dashi

  

Pureed Edamame Filling

 

 

Shallot and Sauternes Broth:

3/4 cup shallots, chopped

2 1/2 cups Sauternes

1/2 cup vegetable broth

Pinch of thyme

Pink Salt and White Pepper

Caramelize the shallots.  Deglaze with the wine. Reduce and then add vegetable broth. Add thyme and simmer for ten minutes.  Season with pink salt and white pepper.

 

Sauternes Wine for Broth

 

Garnish (optional):

Black Sesame Seeds

Alfalfa Sprouts

 

To Assemble:
Steam dumplings until tender, about 8 minutes.  Remove dumplings from steamer and top with the broth and garnish with sesame seeds and alfalfa sprouts.

 

Dumplings in the Steamer

Ready to Steam

Dumplings Steaming

  

Dumplings in Broth Covered with Sesame Seeds and Sprouts

 



SWEET CORN POLENTA WITH EGGPLANT AND TOMATOES

Eggplant Sauce on Sweet Corn Polenta

This is another great recipe adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook, Plenty.  It's a polenta made with fresh sweet corn and topped with an Eggplant and Tomato Sauce.  Since the fresh corn season is coming to an end, I wanted to use some of the last few stalks of the season from my farmers' market so this was a simple and perfect dish to make.  

In lieu of cornmeal that is typically used for traditional polenta, fresh corn is cooked, then processed in the food processor where it breaks down into a sweet and pasty texture.  It is then added back to its original pan along with some butter and cheese.   I used freshly grated parmesan reggiano cheese, which is not as dense as feta cheese which was part of the original recipe.  As a result, the polenta had some excess liquid, but we strained it.

For the eggplant sauce, I had to add some garlic.  Also, I used olive oil and roasted the eggplant in the oven. 

Although we salvaged the runniness of the "polenta", the dish turned out to be very flavorful.   My meat-eating friend said that if vegetarian food tasted this good, he might give up meat. 

 

Eggpland and Tomato

Eggplant and Tomato Sauce

1/2 cup olive oil (part for eggplant; part for sautéing garlic)

1 medium eggplant cut into 3/4-inch dice
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/4 cup dry white winee
1 cup fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 oz water
1/8 teaspoo salt
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Toss olive oil and eggplant in a bowl and ensure eggplant is well covered with oil.  Place eggplant on a pan and roast in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, turning as necessary until eggplant is lightly browned and softened. 

Heat some olive oil in a large sauté pan.  Add garlic and cook until slightly aromatic and softened.  Stir in tomato paste, and then add roasted eggplant along with any residual juices from the roasting process.  Add the wine and cook for one minute.  Add the chopped tomatoes, water, salt and oregano and cook for a further 5 minutes to get a deep-flavored sauce. Set aside; warm sauce when needed.

 

Corn in Food Processor

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Sweet Corn Polenta

5 ears of corn

2 cups water, or enough to cover the corn kernels about 1/2 inch
3 tablespoons butter, dicedAsk a question about this ingredient
1 cup grated parmesan reggiano cheese
Salt
Pepper
a question about this ingredient
Shuck each ear of corn, then chop off the pointed top and stalk. Use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels. Stand each ear upright on its base and shave downward, or lay each ear on its side on a cutting board to slice off the kernels.

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Place the kernels in a medium saucepan and cover them with the water. Cook on a low simmer for about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to lift the kernels from the water and place into a food processor; reserve the cooking liquid.

Process corn for a few minutes to break as much of the kernel case as possible. Add some of the cooking liquid if the mixture becomes dry.

Return the corn paste to the pan with the cooking liquid and cook, while stirring, on low heat until the mixture thickens to a mashed potato consistency.  If there is a lot of liquid left in the pan, drain polenta while reserving the draining liquid.  Fold in the butter, the cheese, salt and some pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.  Drain again if there is too much liquid.

PUREED MUSHROOM AND LENTIL SOUP WITH WHITE TRUFFLE OIL

 

Pureed Mushroom and Lentil Soup

This is one of my favorite mushroom soup recipes that I've been making since 1995.  This recipe was adapted from chef Annie Roberts who was the executive chef of Robert Mondavi Winery at the time.  It is a rich, hearty pureed soup that is made with a combination of mushrooms and lentils.  It is then topped with sliced green onions, a drizzle of white truffle oil, and a dollop of sour cream. 

Although the original recipe called for chicken stock, I always used home-made vegetable broth until I started making the soup with my own mushroom stock.

I always keep dried porcini mushrooms in my pantry, and yesterday found some left-over shiitake stems in the freezer.  I also used the stems from the cremini mushrooms, which are the main ingredient in the soup.  The combination of porcini, shiitake, and cremini mushrooms produced an intensely flavored mushroom stock.

MUSHROOM STOCK

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 leek, chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1/2 pound mushroom stems (cremini and shiitake)
1 small carrot, chopped
5 parsley sprigs, cut in thirds
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 oregano sprigs
1 teaspoon dried sage
2 bay leaves
8 cups water

Boil 1 cup of water.  Add dried porcini mushrooms and let sit for about 20-30 minutes to reconstitute.  After mushrooms are reconstituted, drain mushrooms while reserving the liquid.  Rinse mushrooms to remove any grit.  Strain the mushroom liquid through cheesecloth or a coffee filter.

Vegetables and Porcini Mushrooms

Pour the strained mushroom liquid into a stockpot.  Add the onion, leek, garlic, porcini mushrooms, and salt.  Stir vegetables, cover the pot and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and add 8 cups water. Bring the stock to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Let stock cool, then strain, pressing as much liquid as you can from the vegetables. Discard vegetables.  Makes 6-7cups

All Stock Ingredients

 

MUSHROOM AND LENTIL SOUP

Sliced Mushrooms

1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 pound crimini mushrooms
Kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon
6 cups mushroom stock
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and picked over

For Garnish:

1 green onion, sliced
1 Tablespoon white truffle oil
1 Tablespoon sour cream

In a large stock pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add garlic and shallots and stir to mix.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until they just begin to soften and turn golden, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the mushrooms and salt, increase the heat to medium and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
 

Mushrooms Softening

Add stock and lentils, stir to mix, and bring to a boil.  Decrease heat to medium and cook until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.  Remove from the heat and set aside until cool enough to handle.

In a blender, process the mixture until well pureed.

To serve, reheat soup and ladle into bowls.  Garnish each serving with green onions, a swirl of truffle oil and dollop of sour cream.  This soup is so rich by itself, with or without the garnishes.  Serves 4.

Pureed Mushroom and Lentil Soup

 

MOQUECA MISTA - BRAZILIAN SEAFOOD STEW

 This is an adaptation of Moqueca Mista, a seafood stew from a region in Brazil, from Executive Chef Herb Wilson of Sushi Samba.  It all starts with dende oil which, according to Chef Wilson, is the sole of the dish. Dende oil is a bright orange palm oil and a staple in Brazilian cuisine. Although his sauce included okra and nuts, I omitted both.  Also, I "cheated" and used purchased sofrito in lieu of making my own from scratch.  However, I did have home-made lobster stock in the freezer.   I also used more mussels and fish and added some red chili flakes since I wanted a little more heat.  For the side dish, I steamed jasmine rice in the rice cooker with some chimicurirri seasoning (parsley, garlic, oregano, cilantro, thyme, bay leaves).   

Sauce:
2 1/2 tablespoons dende oil
1/2 cup sofrito
5 cloves of garlic, sliced (about 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups lobster stock
1 1/2 cups coconut milk, unsweetened
Pink salt, to taste
1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Lime wedges, for garnish

Seafood:

3ounces of calamari, sliced
8 ounces of cod, cut into 2" pieces
1 pound of Prince Edward Island mussels
6 Littleneck clams
6 pieces of shrimps, U-10

Rice:

2 cups steamed jasmine rice with chimichurri seasoning

In a very large sauté pan or Dutch oven, heat dendê oil. Add sofrito and sliced garlic, and stir for about 2-3 minutes. Add the lobster stock and coconut milk.  Reduce for about two minutes, and then add the calamari, cod, mussels and clams.  Shake pot until shellfish opens and calamari is cooked, about 5-6 minutes.  Add pink salt, red chili flakes, and fresh lime juice.

Separately, cook the shrimps in a lightly-oiled pan until pink on both sides, about 3-4 minutes, total.

Add cooked shrimps and parsley to seafood pot.  Garnish with lime wedges.

For rice:
Mix rice with chimichurri seasoning and cook in rice cooker.  

Spoon Moqueca over rice or serve rice as a side.

CITRUS RISOTTO WITH CELERY AND ARUGULA PESTO TOPPED WITH SAUTEED SHRIMPS AND CRAB

Another farmers' market visit this weekend led me to come up with a Citrus Risotto with Celery and Arugula Pesto Topped with Sautéed Shrimps and Crab.

I love the farmers' markets.  Every week I purchase beautiful produce that I use for a typical dish or try something new.  This time of year, the heirloom tomatoes are the best with a drizzle of olive oil and Himalayan pink salt.  http://www.cece-corner.blogspot.com/2012/08/heirloom-tomatoes-two-ways.html

And one weekend, the white eggplant turned into Purple and White Eggplant Parmigiana.  http://www.cece-corner.blogspot.com/2012/04/purple-and-white-eggplant-parmigiana.html

Then there were the beautiful leeks that became an atypical "warm" vichyssoise.

http://www.cece-corner.blogspot.com/2012/05/classic-vichyssoise-not-really.html

Purple string beans were part of a side of tri-colored string beans a few weeks ago.

 

 

And a variety of colored peppers were made into a dish of rainbow roasted peppers.

 

 

I know; too much enthusiasm about produce.  I should be looking at the Net sites of O-Stock or that Dazzle shoe site.  No. 

This weekend it was the Celery.  Yes, celery.  I've never seen such beautiful celery.  As I said before, I don't have my own garden.  I am a true urbanite, so I'm used to purchasing celery at the produce market or at the grocery store where it is sold in plastic sleeves and the prices change every other day, like a politician's comments during an election year. 

Whenever I would see the plastic-sleeved celery heads which sometimes have a few stalks with leaves embedded in the middle of the package, one particular dish that I've been making for many years immediately comes to mind:  Lemon Risotto. 

And, since the farmers' market celery was dark green and had leaves the size of those found on trees at a local park, Lemon Risotto became one dish on the menu -- with a twist, of course. Since I needed only about 1/2-cup of leaves for the dish, which I turned into one cup, I also had about 10 more cups of celery leaves left over.  I could not let them go to waste.  

 

Although some  leaves would be used as a bed for an heirloom tomato salad, I wanted to do something else with the rest.  A pesto.  When I came across a recipe for Celery and Arugula Pesto, I was ecstatic because I had arugula and parsley in the fridge.  I know, it's the "little" things that count. The Celery and Arugula Pesto recipe is adapted from Mary Ann Esposito's Ciao Italia which, I learned a few months ago, is the longest-running current cooking show on TV.

http://www.ciaoitalia.com/seasons/season-2200/episode-2212/celery-parsley-arugola-pesto

And since my initial thought for using the celery was to make Lemon Risotto, I redid the lemon risotto recipe and turned it into a Citrus Risotto where I cut the lemon juice in half and added fresh key lime juice and fresh lime juice to the mixture.  I omitted the mascarpone cheese, which was in the original recipe, and used 1/2 cup of freshly-grated parmesan cheese (since we were going to top it off with some shrimps later). 

 

Finally, I then swirled in about two tablespoons of the Celery and Arugula Pesto. And, as I said, this was topped with sautéed shrimps and a cooked miniature (cute) crab as a garnish.  Such fun.    

CELERY AND ARUGULA PESTO
1 cup celery stalks, chopped
2 cups celery leaves
1 cup arugula leaves
1 cup parsley leaves
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/2- 3/4 cups olive oil
Pink Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese*

Place the celery, celery leaves, arugula, parsley, and garlic cloves in a food processor and pulse until coarse. Add toasted almonds and pulse. Drizzle in the olive oil continuing to pulse until a loose sauce begins to form. Add pink salt and pepper to taste.

*Stir in some cheese on an "individually served" basis.  I don't "add" the cheese to the entire recipe, so I could freeze the leftover pesto, which could be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator with a light cover of olive oil for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to two months.

CITRUS RISOTTO

6 cups of vegetable broth (preferably homemade)
2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 medium red onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup) or chopped shallots
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1 green chili pepper, minced
1 cup celery leaves, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cups arborio rice
½ cup white vermouth
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2  teaspoon fresh key lime juice
2 Tablespoons of Celery Arugula Pesto
Pink Salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 pound of U 12-15 shrimps, cooked in olive oil and garlic
1 purchased and cooked crab from the local fish monger.

Heat the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Cover and keep warm. 

Separately, melt the butter in a large saucepan.  Add onion, or shallot, chopped celery, and minced chili. Cook over low heat, stirring until softened, about five minutes.  Add the celery leaves and garlic and cook for one minute.  Add the rice and cook, stirring until glossy, about 1 minute.

 
Add vermouth to the rice and simmer over moderate heat until almost absorbed, about three minutes.  Add the warm broth, one cup at a time, and cook, stirring constantly between additions, until most of the broth has been absorbed before adding more.  The rice is done when it is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes. Stir in the parmesan cheese and lemon and lime juices.  Add the pesto and pink salt and pepper.  Place Risotto in a large serving dish. Add sauteed shrimps and garnish with a cooked baby crab, for fun!