Pork & Napa Cabbage Dumplings

So I've never made dumplings at home before! My grandma always kicked us out of the kitchen and wrapped all 1000 of them herself (give or take on the number of dumplings). I've only made wontons before (and it was almost ten years ago), shaping them into "nurse hats" the way my grandma taught me. It's pretty calming and meditative to wrap them too.

The complaint that my mom and brother had with my wontons were that the meat was "too hard" instead of being soft and tender. Looking back, I probably should have added more water to the pork, and some vegetables. My grandma told me her recipe in that classic way - get some pork hind butt meat, make sure there's enough fat, add some ginger and white pepper, make sure you add some water, take four chopsticks and stir clockwise, then wrap your dumplings. SMH.

I scoured the internets to look for a bunch of recipes, then Frankenstein-ed something together. Feel free to change things around but make sure there is a 40% ratio of meat to vegetable and a 5:8 ratio of meat to water (LOL now I sound like my grandma, but with just vague numbers).

I also didn't try to make my own skins, but that's also something you can do if you want. There is a recipe for dumpling skins here. It's definitely easy to buy them (freeze whatever you have left over for the next wrapping session) and keep in mind ... dumpling/potsticker skins are the same (round), wonton skins are different (square).

I need to learn how to pleat dumplings the "gyoza" way ... these were done by M and I thought he would do different than the mash-in-half-then-pleat method haha

Pork & Napa Cabbage Dumplings
Makes approx 35

Napa or regular cabbage

2 tsp sea salt

Chop the cabbage into tiny pieces, like almost-minced. Season with 2 tsp salt and let it sit for 10 minutes to draw out the water. Scrape into a paper towel or into a kitchen towel and then squeeze out all the water possible. Measure the weight and use 40% more ground pork than the amount of cabbage and adjust the measurements below

150 grams dehydrated cabbage
210 grams seasoned ground pork
1/2 tsp sea salt
50-60 milliliters water
Pinch white pepper powder
1/2 tsp white or dark sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp grated ginger
One finely chopped green or spring onion

Mix all ingredients thoroughly together with a spoon. Don't overwork the meat mixture or it will become tough. The vegetables and water should make the meat "soft" for the dumplings. Let the mixture sit for an hour to marry the flavors, then fill and pleat the wrappers in the form you like best.

Fresh Tomato & Almond Pasta Sauce

I wasn't quite sure what to think when I came across a recipe for a fresh tomato blended pasta sauce. But I had a ton of basil left over from my Thao Family Farms CSA box and wanted to do something with very little cooking in this heat. And optimally, as little dishes as possible (even though I don't do dishes in this household).

Don't let the photo fool you, this sauce was fantastic! And required just a food processor and a pot.

Fresh Tomato & Almond Pasta Sauce

Serves 4

1 lb pasta of choice
2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 pint small tomatoes, any kind (I used grape)
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1/2 cup fresh basil (you can mix basil and parsley)

1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 olive oil

Optional (since you'll need another pan): toast the almonds in a dry pan over low heat until they're golden and smell good. It bring out the flavor of the nuts more and adds to the dish.

Cook pasta according to package directions. While it's boiling, put the tomatoes, almonds, herbs, salt and Parmesan cheese in a food processor and puree. Scrape down the food processor bowl and turn it back on; then slowly drizzle the olive oil into the spout until the sauce comes together. Taste for seasoning and add extra salt, if necessary.

Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Garnish with additional Parmesan and shredded basil.

Rigatoni with Eggplant and Tomato Puree

Just for the record, I did not put the pasta into this bowl - that's why it looks so messy. But the taste of it was fantastic. We all loved it and 100% would make it again. The sauce consist of pureed eggplant, tomatoes, garlic and basil. Different than usual tomato sauce and so much flavor!

Rigatoni with Eggplant and Tomato Puree
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 4

1 medium Italian eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
1 lb rigatoni pasta
1/2 cup basil leaves, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup basil leaves, julienned

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

 Spread the eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, 2.5 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper out in an even layer on the baking sheet; toss thoroughly to combine. Roast in the oven until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden and slightly charred, about 35 minutes.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just before al dente, approximately 8-10 minutes depending on the pasta. Reserve one cup of pasta water, drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor or blender. Add the basil leaves and 3 Tbps olive oil. Blend until almost smooth. My food processor is small, so I had to do this in two batches, splitting the olive oil, basil and vegetables in half each time.

Mix the pureed sauce and 1/2 cup pasta water with the rigatoni thoroughly and cook everything together over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add more pasta cooking water if necessary to loosen the sauce, about 1/4 cup at a time.

Turn off the heat and mix in the Parmesan and additional basil.

* optional to add ricotta salata instead of Parmesan and/or 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Crispy Chickpeas, Summery Squashes, Garlic Yogurt, Herbs

There is a lot going on in the world right now. In the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the police brutality/violence that senselessly killed George Floyd has taken the world by storm. Protests against systemic racism abound in the streets, which are long overdue - both from people around us and from law enforcement and government.

The only thing we can hope is that real change will come about from this. I've already donated to the ACLU and am researching other organizations to donate to as well, so we can do our part to push this movement forward.

Crispy Chickpeas, Summery Squashes, Garlic Yogurt, Herbs
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 2

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large garlic clove, grated
1 cup plain Greek yogurt

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large lemon, zested and then halved
2 small summer squash, thinly sliced (or zucchini, or both)
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint, basil, parsley, or a mix

Pat chickpeas dry on a few layers of paper towels, making sure you roll them around. I generally do this early and leave the sitting out so they can additionally air-dry. Stir together garlic, yogurt, and a couple pinches of salt. Spread to cover most of bottom of two plates.

Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a medium-large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chickpeas and cook until golden and crispy, stirring to ensure they color evenly, about 7-8 minutes. Transfer them to a paper towel to drain briefly, then season while hot with lemon zest, sea salt, and pepper.

Heat the last tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high in the same pan. Add the squash/zucchini and leave it there until browned underneath (it takes a few minutes), turning occasionally and repeating the don’t-move-until-browned pause until the squash/zucchini is tender. Season well with salt.

Slide zucchini onto prepared yogurt. Drizzle hot squash/zucchini with lemon. Distribute half of chickpeas on top of each squash/zucchini portion. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh herbs.