What did you eat last night for dinner?

[Kent Wang]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

I really like the aspect of the wontons, though, so elegantly tortured, almost makes you feel sorry when you plunge them in hot water.
It's best to get together a group of people to make and eat them. Make it a social event.

 

[Fabienne]

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

It's best to get together a group of people to make and eat them. Make it a social event.

Sure, and flop in front of everybody? Do you have a good recipe for a filling?

 

[Fabienne]

Originally Posted by tiger02

Fab, I want you to cook for me some time. So poetic.

The house is open, any time.

 

[Kent Wang]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

Sure, and flop in front of everybody? Do you have a good recipe for a filling?
I always eyeball it but the quantities of each, by volume, are: 70% pork 10% napa cabbage (boil and press it first, which will reduce its size by 80%) 20% shrimp (I like the pre-cooked small cocktail shrimp, the size of your thumb nail) Also add a tablespoon of cornstarch. For the seasonings: salt and black pepper. It's supposed to be rather bland, and even the broth is supposed to be bland as it's just water and salt, not chicken stock or anything. I suppose it's an acquired taste. To liven them up, you can always boil the dumplings until they're half done and then pan-fry them. This is easier to do with jiao-zi than wontons as there is less excess skin that will stick to the pan. I believe pan-fried jiao-zi are properly called pot-stickers but I always found that term awkward and uninformative.

 

[chorse123]

Artichokes with a vinaigrette
Vanilla ice cream with blackberries

 

[shoreman1782]

These posts are making me hungry for dinner at 10am. Forgive the unschooled question, but are you guys making wontons with premade, er, wonton shells? Or buying them and just making the filling at home?

Nothing special last night, but last week I made a pretty good meal. Caprese salad to start, then farfalle with mixed mushroom cream sauce (from a recipe). Delicious; though I supposed when you start the sauce with a pint of cream, and toss the pasta with a half stick of butter, how can you go wrong?

Anyone have a good recipe for pasta carbonara?

 

[tiger02]

^^^ Start the sauce with a pint of cream, toss the pasta with half a stick of butter, add bacon

 

[chorse123]

Don't forget the defibrilator!

 

[Fabienne]

Originally Posted by shoreman1782

These posts are making me hungry for dinner at 10am. Forgive the unschooled question, but are you guys making wontons with premade, er, wonton shells? Or buying them and just making the filling at home?

Nothing special last night, but last week I made a pretty good meal. Caprese salad to start, then farfalle with mixed mushroom cream sauce (from a recipe). Delicious; though I supposed when you start the sauce with a pint of cream, and toss the pasta with a half stick of butter, how can you go wrong?

Anyone have a good recipe for pasta carbonara?

I used store bought wrappers this time.
I don't do spaghetti carbonara anymore, but I have adapted the concept and I make a smoked salmon version, with caramelized onions and heavy cream or crème fraÃ

che. Simple, fast and with a little attention to decoration (parsley sprigs, dill, lemon wedges, etc), it looks like a fancy dish.

 

[Kent Wang]

Originally Posted by shoreman1782

These posts are making me hungry for dinner at 10am. Forgive the unschooled question, but are you guys making wontons with premade, er, wonton shells? Or buying them and just making the filling at home?
I buy premade skins; the task of folding the dumplings is labor-intensive enough for me. Premade also tends to look neater but handmade has a nicer "al dente" texture.

 

[Fabienne]

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

I always eyeball it but the quantities of each, by volume, are:
70% pork
10% napa cabbage (boil and press it first, which will reduce its size by 80%)
20% shrimp (I like the pre-cooked small cocktail shrimp, the size of your thumb nail)

Also add a tablespoon of cornstarch. For the seasonings: salt and black pepper. It's supposed to be rather bland, and even the broth is supposed to be bland as it's just water and salt, not chicken stock or anything. I suppose it's an acquired taste.

To liven them up, you can always boil the dumplings until they're half done and then pan-fry them. This is easier to do with jiao-zi than wontons as there is less excess skin that will stick to the pan. I believe pan-fried jiao-zi are properly called pot-stickers but I always found that term awkward and uninformative.

I did pretty much what you wrote, Kent, save the pork, except with more fragrant ingredients (ginger, garlic, thai peppers, soy sauce, fresh coriander). It's supposed to be bland? But why? And do you then dip them in a sauce?

 

[Kent Wang]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

I did pretty much what you wrote, Kent, save the pork, except with more fragrant ingredients (ginger, garlic, thai peppers, soy sauce, fresh coriander). It's supposed to be bland? But why? And do you then dip them in a sauce?
Dipping sauces are not that common. Some put a teaspoon of soy sauce into the broth but that only adds a neglible amount of flavor. Not all Chinese dishes are flavorful. Like I said, an acquired taste. If you want to add more flavor, altering the filling will not help much as it's really the skin that is bland. I prefer pan-frying but sometimes I'll have them plain for a change of pace. I rarely use dipping sauces as I think they cover up too much of the flavor; pan-frying is much more precise by only developing the flavor of the skins. A common tradition is to gather a group, boil up a bunch, eat and half-boil the rest so that they can be pan-fried the next day. Even as a child I always preferred the pan-fried ones. I once joined a group in making tamales which seemed to me the Mexican equivalent of the wonton social activity. I wonder if there are other labor-intensive group-labor foods in other cultures. Do you know of a French one?

 

[Fabienne]

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

Dipping sauces are not that common. Some put a teaspoon of soy sauce into the broth but that only adds a neglible amount of flavor. Not all Chinese dishes are flavorful. Like I said, an acquired taste. If you want to add more flavor, altering the filling will not help much as it's really the skin that is bland.

I prefer pan-frying but sometimes I'll have them plain for a change of pace. I rarely use dipping sauces as I think they cover up too much of the flavor; pan-frying is much more precise by only developing the flavor of the skins.

A common tradition is to gather a group, boil up a bunch, eat and half-boil the rest so that they can be pan-fried the next day. Even as a child I always preferred the pan-fried ones.

I once joined a group in making tamales which seemed to me the Mexican equivalent of the wonton social activity. I wonder if there are other labor-intensive group-labor foods in other cultures. Do you know of a French one?

Thanks for the explanation. I pan-fry my pot-stickers (the frozen kinds from Asian stores).

The first things that came to mind, as far as a group of individuals cooking together, is when a pig is slaughtered at a farm and a myriad dishes are prepared at that time (boudin, various saucisses, jambon persille, etc.). Also, in the southwest of France, people sometimes get together when making foie gras terrines, confit de canard, etc. In my family, there's nothing quite like that, except maybe when we make large quantities of tartes or jams, or in Burgundy, snail preparations (from the hunting to the starving to the filling).

 

[imageWIS]

Nothing but the best: Leftover pasta from Cheesecake factory.

(sarcasm, of course)

Jon.

 

[Histrion]

Last night I ate snow crab, cheeses (Doux pÃ

chÃ

and Cheddar à la Guinness) and chocolate cake.

Good meal.