Spring onion and herb broth / pancetta & parmesan dumplings

Image courtesy of bbc good food.

This dish is perfect for springtime and will serve well as a hearty lunch or as a light evening meal. A complete meal in itself, will bring delight to the palate and satisfyingly filling, with herb inspired overtones providing a light yet fragrant dish.

You will need (serves 2):

For the broth

600ml Vegetable stock (boiling)
1 large clove garlic finely chopped
2 shallots, finely diced
1 bunch / 8 spring onions, very finely chopped
handful of mix of fresh parsley, tarragon, sage and basil, finely chopped
Teaspoon of arrowroot powder

For the dumplings:

6 Gyoza wrappers
4 slices pancetta, finely chopped
thumb sized piece of parmesan, finely grated
1/5 of the herb bouqet mentioned in the broth section
Thumbnail sized piece of butter.
1/4 tablespoon black pepper

The doing bit:

Make the dumplings first.

Mix the pepper, pancetta, parmesan, butter and herbs together in a small bowl.
Take a gyoza wrapper and add a teaspoon sized mixture of the above, and then close each wrapper and seal the edges with a little water. Set to one side.

For the broth, sautee in a saucepan the shallots until soft, add the spring onions until they turn bright green, then add the herbs and the stock. Bring to the boil.Wet down the arrowroot with a little cold water and work to a thin paste and add to the broth. Allow to cook for 2 minutes then the broth is ready to use.

In a large frying pan, add a little oil then sear the dumplings until coloured each side. Place lid on pan then turn off the heat, adding a little of the broth to the pan. Allow to stand for 2 minutes then serve in a large bowl with the broth.

Ebi Gyoza (Prawn, sesame and soy sauce dumplings)

Image courtesy of closetcooking.com

Ebi gyoza are a fantastic party treat, and as with all gyoza they sit well with almost every setting. This recipe combines the use of earthy flavours such as soy and spinach, and overtones them with prawns to create a rather unique but loveable combination.

You will need: (makes about 15)

75g cooked and peeled prawns
70g canned water chestnuts, drained
1 spring onion trimmed
60g baby spinach leaves
5g cornflour
pinch of salt, sugar and white pepper
1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
15 gyoza wrappers

The doing bit

Combine prawns, water chestnuts and spring onions in a food processor and blitz to a uniform paste.
Wilt the spinach in boiling water, and be sure to drain well and squeeze out any excess moisture. Finely chop the spinach and mix into the prawn mixture along with all the dry ingredients, the sesame oil and oyster sauce. Mix well until a uniform paste is reached.

Put a teaspoon of the mixture into the centre of each gyoza wrapper. Moisten the edge of each wrapper then fold over and press the edges. You can crimp the edges if you wish, but this is optional.

Sear the gyoza in a pan in a small amount of vegetable oil until starting to brown, then sear the other side, but be sure not to crowd the pan. no more than 4 or 5 at a time. Take the pan off the heat, add a few tablespoons of water to the pan and cover immediately. Return to the heat for one more minute then allow to rest for about 2 minutes.

Serve with gyoza sauce, sweet chilli, or another sauce of your choice.

Gyoza (Cases)

Image courtesy of closetcooking.com

Gyoza are a wonderful side dish and are technically a type of dumpling. They can be pan fried or steamed and can have almost any filling. Usually served as a type of Japanese fast food, I first came across gyoza in the wagamama cookbook(which i'm currently working my way through, and continues to fascinate me). Although a favourite in Japan, gyoza are much like alot of Japanese fast food - which they have inherited from the Chinese styles of cooking. Regardless of their origin, they are a wonderful dish that are acceptable in many settings, including parties, functions and as an informal food for social occasions.

The focus in those recipes is to use prebought gyoza cases - this can be a major time saving factor, however if my research is anything to go by, gyoza are much better when home made. the comparison is made very much to manufactured vs. home made pasta - having a smooth and less papery texture.

This recipe is in volumed proportions (cups) so you can make as much or as little gyoza as you like. Bear in mind that using a standard "cup" measurement though this recipe will make about 40 gyoza cases. They can be chilled or frozen if stored correctly for later use, so consider it an investment to your larder.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of all purpose flour (strong bread flour will give a more doughy gyoza)
1/2 cup of boiling water
1/4 teaspoon salt

The doing bit:

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl with the salt and stir with chopsticks until well mixed. Add the water and stir together the dough until all the flour is mixed and forms a dough. When a uniform dough cover the mix with a damp cloth and leave to rest for about 45 mins to an hour.

Pull out dough and knead until a smooth consistency, then roll into a sausage / cylinder shape in cling film. At this point I usually use a greased sterile plastic pipe to form it and then pull out the dough.

using a sharp knife cut into 40 slices, then roll out each slice to a desired thickness, and use a 3 in pastry cutter to form the gyoza shape. Repeat as necessary.

Wrap the gyoza cases in cling film and store or freeze.

Use as necessary.