POTSTICKERS, Part 2 Of 2

Servings: 2
Ingredients:

See Part 1

: Continued from Part 1

NOTES:

* Delicious Northern Chinese snack and hacker\’s staple — Hackers on both
coasts and most places in between love potstickers (though if you\’re from
the Right Coast, you probably know them as Peking Ravioli, or just ravs.
This recipe is based on one found in Chef Chu\’s Distinctive Cuisine of
China. Total preparation time is about 45 minutes. They don\’t come out as
good as the ones from Cho\’s in Mountain View, but if you don\’t happen to be
within 45 minutes of Mountain View, they\’ll do very nicely, thank you.
Servings: Makes about 2 dozen.

* You can freeze uncooked potstickers for later use, if you squeeze out
the water from the cabbage during preparation (in a colander or
cheesecloth). Freeze potstickers separately on cookie sheets until firm,
then put them in plastic bags. When rolling out the pancakes, leave the
centers slightly thicker than the edges. A thicker center will hold up
better during the browning.

* If you prefer, steam potstickers for about 12 minutes over boiling water
instead of pan-frying. (No self-respecting hacker would be caught eating
steamed potstickers, though.)

* These are really not hard to make, and come out quite nicely! Following
the dough recipe above leads to a fairly dry and floury dough; this makes
it hard to roll out and pleat. Feel free to add a little more water. There
are also now commercially available potsticker presses that take care of
folding and pleating; they\’re cheap and plastic and work rather well.

* The perfect potsticker is uniformly brown with a thick brown area on the
bottom (where it sticks to the pot); it seems that achieving this only
comes with practice. I tend to fry both sides a bit before adding the
water; this helps. Beware of too much heat; the bottom will bubble and
crack. This doesn\’t taste any different, but doesn\’t look as nice.

* If you don\’t cook the whole batch at once, store the potstickers so that
they don\’t touch; the dough tends to stick to itself, so the potstickers
may tear as you remove them.

* Many restaurants serve Hoy Sin sauce (hoisin) instead of hot sauce.

: Difficulty: moderate.
: Time: 45 minutes.
: Precision: measure the ingredients.

: Chris Kent
: DEC Western Research Lab, Palo Alto, California
: kent@decwrl.DEC.COM {ihnp4,ucbvax,decvax}!decwrl!kent

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust

—–

POTSTICKERS, Part 1 Of 2

Servings: 2
Ingredients:

-----------------------------------DOUGH-----------------------------------
2 C  Flour, all-purpose                1/2 C  Water

———————————-FILLING———————————-
1/2 lb Pork, ground 2 Water chestnuts,
1/2 sm Chinese (Napa) -chopped
-cabbage, cored 1 t Salt
-and chopped 1/2 t Sugar
1 Green onion, 1 pn White pepper
-coarsely chopped 1 t Sesame oil
2 Ginger (fresh), TO COOK
-thumb-sized slices, 5 T Vegetable oil
-minced 1 C Water

———————————–SAUCE———————————–
Hot chili oil Soy sauce
Red rice vinegar

In a bowl, combine flour and water, mixing to form a ball. Remove to a
floured board and knead with your palm for about 3 minutes. Shape into a
ball, cover with a damp towel, and let stand for about 10 minutes.

Make the filling by combining the filling ingredients above. Refrigerate
until ready to use.

To shape and assemble, knead dough for about 3 minutes. Roll into a
cylinder that is about 1 inch in diameter. Cut off the ends, then cut into
about 24 pieces, each about 3/4-inch wide. With the cut side up, press the
dough down with your palm to flatten. Use a rolling pin to make pancakes
about 2 1/2 - 3 inches in diameter. (They get quite thin; that\’s what you
want.)

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each pancake. Fold
the dough over to make a half circle and pleat the edges firmly together.

To pan-fry, heat cast-iron or other heavy-bottom skillet over moderate
heat. Add about 3 T oil, swirling to coat bottom. (Watch out, it sizzles
quite a bit. Don\’t get burned!) When oil is hot, place potstickers, seam
side up, in skillet and agitate (shake) for 30 seconds. Pour in water,
cover and gently boil over moderate heat for 7 to 8 minutes. When oil and
water start to sizzle, add remaining 2 T oil. Tip skillet to distribute oil
evenly; watch carefully (uncovered) to prevent sticking. When bottoms are
brown (usually several minutes later), remove from heat and carefully lift
out potstickers with spatula.

To serve, turn potstickers over (dark side up) and arrange on serving
platter. Combine chili oil, vinegar and soy sauce in proportions to suit
your taste and offer sauce for dipping. Alternatively, cut up a hot chili
pepper into red rice vinegar.

: Continued in Part 2

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust

—–

RIGO JANCSI, Part 2 Of 2

Servings: 1
Ingredients:

See Part 1

: Continued from Part 1

TO MAKE GLAZE: In a small, heavy saucepan, heat the sugar, water and
chocolate over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar and
chocolate are dissolved. Make sure the sugar is fully dissolved or you will
get a grainy glaze. Cover the pan and let the glaze cool for about 20
minutes.

Set a jelly-roll pan on a table with one short edge propped up. Put the
rack with the cake on something else so that it is suspended level over the
pan but offset about 2 inches so that you can reach down into the lower pan
with a spoon. Hold the pan with the glaze about 2 inches over the cake and
pour the glaze on the cake. Using a large spoon, scoop up the glaze that
collects in the jelly-roll pan and put it back on the cake. Keep doing this
until the glaze begins to stop flowing smoothly. You should end up with a
thick, even layer of glaze on the cake.

Refrigerate the cake until the glaze is firm, 10 to 20 minutes. Serve by
cutting into 35 small, equal pieces, 5 in each row across and 7 in each row
down. For cutting, use a sharp knife that has been dipped in warm water
and wiped off between slices. Keep refrigerated, but for maximum flavor,
allow to come to room temperature before serving.

NOTES:

* Serving these chocolate cream slices will guarantee the success of any
endeavor. The name is pronounced, approximately, rrigo yanshi (trilled r).
This recipe comes from ‘The Cooking of Vienna’s Empire’ and is, of course,
Hungarian. A friend of mine describes the Hungarians as the people who
taught the Viennese how to bake. Servings: Makes 35.

* Fine granulated sugar is not the same thing as confectioner’s sugar.
Regular granulated sugar will work ok for the glaze, just make sure it is
fully dissolved. You can avoid lots of chopping by using chocolate chips;
one cup of chips equals about 6 oz. chips.

: Difficulty: Quite difficult. For experienced dessert cooks only.
: Time: several hours.
: Precision: measure carefully.

: Paul Asente
: Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
: asente@cascade.stanford.edu
: decwrl!cascade.stanford.edu!asente

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust

—–

RIGO JANCSI, Part 1 Of 2

Servings: 1
Ingredients:

------------------------------------CAKE------------------------------------
2 T  Butter                            1/2 C  Sugar
Flour or cocoa                      4    Eggs, separated
3 oz Chocolate, unsweetened              1 pn Salt
3/4 C  Butter (unsalted),                1/2 C  Flour, all-purpose
-softened                                -(sifted)

———————————-FILLING———————————-
10 oz Chocolate (semisweet), 1 1/2 C Heavy cream
-chopped or broken 4 T Dark rum
-into small chunks 1 t Vanilla extract

———————————–GLAZE———————————–
7 oz Chocolate (semisweet), 1 C Sugar, granulated (fine)
-broken or chopped 1/3 C Water
-into small chunks

TO MAKE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. With a pastry brush or
paper towel, coat an 11×17 inch jelly-roll pan with the butter. This will
seem like a lot; be very generous. Sprinkle the flour or cocoa over the
butter and shake the pan to coat the butter fully. Tap the edge of the pan
on a table to knock out the excess flour. Melt the chocolate in a double
boiler or a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool to
lukewarm.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until the whites cling to the
beater. Add about 1/4 cup of the sugar and beat until the whites form
stiff, unwavering peaks. Cream the butter and the other (about) 1/4 cup of
the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate
and beat in the egg yolks one at a time.

With a rubber spatula, stir about 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the
chocolate mixture, then pour the chocolate mixture over the rest of the
whites. Sprinkle the flour lightly on top. Gently fold the mixture
together until no white streaks remain. Pour the batter into the prepared
pan, spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake in the middle of the
oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cake shrinks slightly away from the
sides of the pan and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. It
will still be very flat. Loosen the cake from the pan with a sharp knife
around the sides and turn it out onto a rack to cool. (Put the rack over
the pan and flip the whole thing over to keep the cake from breaking.)

TO MAKE FILLING: In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the cream and
chocolate and stir over medium heat until the chocolate dissolves. Then
reduce the heat to very low and simmer, stirring constantly, until the
mixture thickens to the consistency of a pudding. Pour it into a bowl and
refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

When the mixture is very cold, pour in the rum and vanilla and beat with a
whisk or beater until the filling is smooth and creamy and forms soft peaks
when the beater is lifted. Do not over-beat or you will get butter. (If
this should happen, don’t despair; chocolate buttercream makes a perfectly
fine filling.)

Cut the cake in half to make two layers, each about 8 1/2 inches wide.
Spread the filling over one layer and set the other layer on top. Smooth
out the edges with a spatula. If one of the cake layers should break, use
it on the bottom. Refrigerate on a rack for about 1 hour.

: Continued in Part 2

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust

—–

SHU MEI

Servings: 1
Ingredients:

---------------------------------DUMPLINGS---------------------------------
2 lb Turkey, ground                      6    Garlic cloves,
1 1/2 t  Cornstarch (cornflour)                   -crushed, minced
1 1/2 t  Sherry, dry                              -or pressed
3 T  Light soy sauce                     1 T  Brown sugar
1 T  Ginger, grated                      1 T  Sesame oil
-or finely chopped                  1 pk Wonton wrappers
6    Green onions, chopped                    Peanut oil

——————————-DIPPING SAUCE——————————-
1 1/2 C Fish sauce (You may 6 Garlic cloves, finely
-want to dilute this -minced or pressed
-with water, depending 1 T Ginger, finely
-on its strength) -minced or grated
1 C Vinegar 1 T Red pepper, crushed
1 C Sugar

Make the dipping sauce by mixing together all of its ingredients. Store in
the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Stir together everything but the wrappers and the peanut oil. Mix
vigorously by hand until it begins to bind together. (About 1 minute or
so.)

Place about 1 1/2 - 2 T of filling in the middle of a wonton wrapper. Fold
the sides up around the meat so that you have a little bag or cup. Press
the bottom flat so that the bag doesn’t fall over.

Oil racks of the steamer with peanut oil. Place dumplings in racks. Steam
for 15 to 20 minutes in covered rack over boiling water. Serve hot with
dipping sauce.

NOTES:

* Steamed dumplings (meatballs) — This recipe is an adaptation of the one
in ‘The Frugal Gourmet’ by Jeff Smith. The bigger the batch, the better.
There are never leftovers. Servings: makes 35-40.

* These little gems would probably go just fine with a favorite hoisin or
chili dipping sauce.

* The steamer racks I recommend are the Chinese bamboo ones. You can
stack them quite nicely (I find that three racks work well) and they sit at
just the right height above the boiling water in a wok. The real advantage
is that water will not condense on your food if you use a bamboo steamer.

* The dipping sauce is an adaption of one served at the Phoenix Vietnamese
restaurant in Saint Paul Minnesota; it was originally served with egg
rolls, but works splendidly with these dumplings.

* The original recipe calls for ground pork, but I find ground turkey
preferable. The flavor is lighter and the calories far fewer. Pork is
fine, though, and even hamburger could be used in a pinch.

: Difficulty: easy, but tedious.
: Time: 45 minutes preparation, 15-20 minutes cooking.
: Precision: approximate measurement OK.

: Kathy Marschall
: Submitted for her by David Messer.
: Lynx Data Systems, St. Paul, Minnesota USA
: dave@viper.UUCP {amdahl,ihnp4,rutgers}!{dayton,meccts}!viper!dave

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust

—–

STEAMED CARROT PUDDING

Servings: 1
Ingredients:

------------------------------DRY INGREDIENTS------------------------------
2 C  Flour, all-purpose,             1 1/2 t  Salt
-sifted and measured                2 t  Baking powder,
1 1/2 t  Cinnamon                                 -double-acting
3/4 t  Cloves

—————————–OTHER INGREDIENTS—————————–
1 1/2 C Potatoes (raw), 1 1/2 C Brown sugar (light
-grated, or ground -or dark, depends
1 1/2 t Baking soda -on what you like)
1 1/2 C Carrots (raw), ground 1 1/2 t Lemon extract
-(use medium blade) 1 1/2 t Vanilla
1 1/2 C Bread crumbs 1 1/2 C Walnuts, finely chopped
-(dry, not toasted) -(black walnuts are
1 1/2 C Crisco (vegetable -wonderful if you can
-shortening) -get them)
2 lg Eggs, lightly beaten 15 oz Raisins

—————————–SAUCE INGREDIENTS—————————–
1/4 C Water 1 t Lemon extract
1/2 C Brown sugar (I use a 1/8 t Cornstarch, well-divided
-mixture of light and dark) 1 T Butter
1 t Vanilla

MAKE PUDDING: Mix the dry ingredients and set them aside. Grease
completely three large (25-oz) tin cans, such as the kind used for tomato
puree. Do NOT use the plastic-lined variety. Alternatively, grease one
large steaming mold, with a hole in the center. Or improvise.

Add the potatoes. Mix well. Then, in turn, add the baking soda, the
carrots, the bread crumbs and the Crisco, making sure that you mix well
after adding each ingredient. This matters, so do it! You may have to get
some help from King Kong to blend adequately after adding the shortening.

Add, in sequence, the brown sugar, the beaten egg, the lemon extract and
the vanilla, mixing well after each addition. Now, add the dry ingredients
mixture, a bit at a time. The mixture will be extremely thick and very
difficult to mix. Add the walnuts and the raisins. Mix them in. Go
ahead. You’re strong enough.

Push the mixture into the tins, with each about 3/4 full, or a little more.
Seal the tins with aluminum foil and use a rubber band to hold the foil on
(the pudding should not be exposed directly to the steam). Steam 1 1/2 to
2 hours, (until the pudding seems uniform. You can’t overcook it, so err on
the long side, please!) and cool if you’re not going to serve it right now.

Make the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a small
saucepan and heating until it bubbles and all ingredients are dissolved. To
serve, reheat by steaming for at least 45 minutes, or serve out of the
original pot.

NOTES:

* An old Welsh steamed carrot pudding — This is a good steamed pudding,
despite the list of ingredients that are ‘good for you’. The sauce
(following the recipe) is not a necessity for good taste, only for
authenticity, although I LIKE it with the sauce. Some add rum to this
sauce. Suit yourself. I like it both ways.

This is a very old recipe, I gathered it from my grandmother, who would
have been 101 (sniff) this year, who learned it from her Welsh mother, who
learned it from her… (in Wales), ergo it’s at least 200 . Given its
similarity to some late Medieval puddings, one might suspect that its
origins are much earlier. I determined the quantities listed here by
measuring what my grandmother tossed into the pot. Servings: makes about 5
pounds.

* This stuff keeps in the fridge nearly forever (at least a month) as long
as you don’t let it dry out.

* Decant or spoon out (depends on if you want to be fancy or not) and
serve with sauce. Then, don’t eat for two days to make up for the calories.

Difficulty: moderate (considerable physical work required); Time: 1 hour
preparation, 3 hours steaming; Precision: no need to measure.

: Jim Johnston, (ihnp4;allegra;research)!alice!jj
: ATandT Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust

—–

BOUILLABAISSE, Part 2 Of 2

Servings: 4
Ingredients:

See Part 1

: Continued from Part 1

NOTES:

* Marseille-style fish soup — A friend and I had been talking about the
glories of bouillabaisse for the past year and we finally decided to use
New Year’s Eve as an excuse to fish rather than continuing to cut bait, ad
nauseam. The following recipes are a combination of several derived from
old issues of _Gourmet_, Julia Child, the ‘Playboy Gourmet Cookbook,’ and
‘gee, that sounds good, let’s add it.’

* The accompanying Rouille is a garlic-hot pepper mayonnaise condiment
traditional to Marseille-style fish soup. Rouille is traditionally made
with a mortar and pestle but I prefer to use a food processor, it’s just
too much work otherwise. Pass the rouille as a condiment. Usually about 1 T
per serving is sufficient, this stuff is the essence of garlic and hot
pepper.

* If you can’t get fish trimmings for the court bouillon, add bottled clam
juice and shrimp and lobster shells.

* To be truly authentic, our bouillabaisse should have included eel, but
my friend was a bit squeamish about that so we left it out. Basically, any
combination of shellfish and firm-fleshed fish can be used with the more
variety the better. I dislike using crab since it flakes so easily and is
lost in the broth. If you can’t get live lobsters, substitute frozen
lobster tails but be careful not to overcook.

* Use saffron threads, rather than saffron powder which tends to be
adulterated with safflower and not the same thing at all. Be conservative
with the saffron, a little goes a long way and can give the dish a
medicinal taste.

* We preceded our dinner with herbed leek and prosciutto tartlets served
with champagne. Dinner included bouillabaisse; a hearts-of-palm salad with
pimento and greek olives and vinaigrette dressing; lots of crusty french
bread to soak up the broth; a dry white wine (Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc
‘84); and my friend’s mother’s sponge cake with whipped cream icing, fresh
raspberries and raspberry sauce, accompanied by Asti Spumante.

: Difficulty: moderate to hard.
: Time: 2 hours.
: Precision: approximate measurement OK.

: Pamela McGarvey
: UCLA Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Los Angeles, California, USA
: {ihnp4!sdcrdcf,ucbvax!ucla-cs,hao}!cepu!pam

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust

—–

BOUILLABAISSE, Part 1 Of 2

Servings: 4
Ingredients:

----------------------------------ROUILLE----------------------------------
6    Garlic cloves                     1/3 C  Bread crumbs
1 t  Salt                                1    Egg yolk
12 lg Basil leaves                        1 C  Olive oil
1/3 C  Pimento, chopped                         Hot pepper sauce

——————————COURT BOUILLION——————————
8 C Water (more as needed, 1 Leek
-up to 10 C) -(white section only,
2 C White wine, dry -cut into large pieces)
1 Onion (coarsely chopped) 1 Celery stalk
1 lg Carrot (cut into 5 lb Fish trimmings (fish
-large pieces) -frames, heads, tails)

——————————-BOUILLABAISSE——————————-
2 sm Lobsters, live 1 C Carrot, grated
-(each about 1 1/4 lb) 1 C Onion, finely chopped
36 Mussels 1 C Fennel, roughly chopped
36 sm Clams, hard-shelled 1 t Sage
2 lb Shrimp (medium-sized) 1 Orange peel strip
3 lb Firm-fleshed fish -(about 1 x 3 inches)
-(sea bass, red snapper, 1 pn Saffron
-cod, etc.) 1 Bay leaf
1/2 C Olive oil 1 C Parsley, roughly chopped
2 Garlic cloves, minced 1 C White wine, dry
1 Leek (white part only, Salt and pepper to taste
-julienned)

MAKE ROUILLE: In a food processor fitted with the cutting blade, puree all
ingredients (except the olive oil and hot pepper sauce) until finely
minced. With the motor running, add the olive oil through the feed tube in
as thin a continuous stream as possible. Stop occasionally to scrape down
the sides. Add hot pepper sauce to taste. The rouille should be very spicy.

MAKE COURT BOUILLION: Bring water to boil and add all ingredients. Return
to boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Skim scum from top while simmering.

Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove all solids and strain through double layer
of cheesecloth.

MAKE BOUILLABAISSE: Cook lobsters in boiling water for 15 minutes, until
bright red. Remove all meat from tail and claws. Cut into chunks and set
aside. Scrub mussels and clams well to remove sand. De-beard mussels by
pulling black fibers from shell.

Steam mussels and clams over 1 inch of water for about 10 minutes, until
shells open. Discard any unopened mussels or clams. Remove one shell from
each mussel and clam, leaving meat in other shell. Strain clam/mussel
broth through double layer of cheese cloth and reserve 3 cups. Shell the
shrimp.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Saute onion, leek, carrot, fennel,
garlic, sage, saffron and orange peel until onions are soft and golden.

In a large pot, bring to a boil about 8-10 cups of court bouillon, reserved
clam/mussel broth and about 2 cups wine. Add sauteed vegetables, bay leaf,
parsley and wine and bring to simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste

Cut fish into large chunks. Add fish and shrimp and simmer 8-10 minutes.
Add lobster, mussels and clams and simmer 2 minutes. Serve in soup plates
over garlic toast.

: Continued in Part 2

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust

—–

SOPA AZTECA

Servings: 4
Ingredients:

2 C  Cream of tomato soup                2 C  Consomme
-(use the recipe of               1/4 lb Corn tortilla chips,
-your choice,                            -crumbled
-or open a can)                   1/2 lb Monterey Jack cheese,
4 oz Green chilies, diced                     -cut into half-inch
-(or use more or                         -(or smaller) cubes
-less, to taste)

Mix soups and bring to a boil. Fill each soup bowl about 1/3 full with
crumbled tortilla chips. Place a layer of cheese cubes on top of the
chips. Put one or two spoonfuls of diced, drained chilies on top of the
cheese.

When ready to serve, ladle boiling soup on top of the mixture in the soup
bowls. Do not stir. Serve immediately.

The boiling soup melts the cheese, but it also begins to make the chips
soggy as soon as you pour it on. If you chop the cheese into finer cubes,
it will melt more quickly, but if you chop it too fine, or if you grate it,
then the cheese will form a layer on top of the soup instead of remaining
as distinct chunks.

NOTES:

* Aztec soup: a simple cheese, tomato and beef soup — I got this recipe
from my mother, who got it from a friend in Tucson, Arizona. The recipe is
extremely simple and extremely quick. I like to serve it with Mexican
chef’s salad. Serves 4-6.

: Difficulty: easy.
: Time: 5 minutes preparation.
: Precision: no need to measure.

: Loretta Guarino Reid
: DEC Western Software Laboratory, Palo Alto, California, USA
: guarino@decwrl.dec.com -or- decwrl!guarino

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust

—–

MUSHROOM SOUP II

Servings: 6
Ingredients:

1 lb Mushrooms, sliced                 1/3 lb Ham leg, sliced
2 lg Onions, chopped                    12 oz Evaporated milk
1 T  French mustard                      2 T  Whisky
4 C  Beef stock                          1 t  Lemon juice

Place the mushrooms, onions, mustard and stock in a saucepan and simmer
gently for 20 minutes. Save a few mushroom slices for decoration later.

Add the remaining ingredients, except for the lemon juice. Heat through,
but do not boil.

Garnish with a few slices of mushroom (saved from before) and a squeeze of
lemon juice. Serve.

NOTES:

* Mushroom soup with whisky — This is my family’s favourite mushroom soup
recipe. The recipe originally came from a small booklet produced by
Carnation.

: Difficulty: easy.
: Time: 10 minutes preparation, 30 minutes cooking.
: Precision: no need to measure.

: Michael Oudshoorn
: Dept. of Computer Science, University of Adelaide, South Australia
: mjo@uacomsci.ua.oz

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust

—–