Gyoza anyone? I guess we call them “dumplings” here in the US of A…
Simple to make.
Tastes great (or at least that’s what my kids say).
And it’s FREEEEE at Chez Mustang.Koji’s! LOL
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Completed gyoza
Ingredients:
Ground pork (kurobuta type preferred!)
Green onions
Napa cabbage or regular cabbage is just as fine
Sesame oil
Crushed garlic (raw)
Sugar
Salt and pepper
Shredded ginger if you like
Chopped water chestnuts if you like
Do not press meat mixture.
Combine ingredients but do not press. Spoon about a tablespoon of mixture into gyoza skin. Fold. Add a touch of oil to coat bottom of cast iron skillet (non-stick does not work!), medium high heat. Cover, add about 2-3 tablespoons of water to steam. Remove when botton is browned.
Serve with a dipping sauce made of soy sauce, “ra-yu” or chili oil, and Japanese vinegar if you like.
Julia Child in Kandy, Ceylon during WWII and as part of the OSS.
I am a bit of a World War II history buff. While primarily focusing on the Pacific War due to my family’s connections, I thought this may interest the foodies here.
Julia Child was a member of the OSS – Office of Strategic Services. Spying. Intelligence. James Bond. Well, maybe not James Bond. But she was in some dastardly conditions.
But my Maytag bleu cheese salad is flavorful, colorful and with nice contrasting textures. To die for if I have to say so myself. Call me James Bond.
My Maytag bleu cheese salad. Notice the color provided by the PERFECTLY hard-boiled eggs. 🙂
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In the early 1990’s, there was a fabulous restaurant called “Stepps” in Downtown LA. It was a great stop for business meals.
One of the most stellar dishes they had was their “Maytag bleu cheese salad”. The bleu cheese exploded with its distinct flavor and the crunch from the toasted almond slivers was an excellent contrast. Indeed, the presentation was like Disney’s “Wonderful World of Color”.
I had to figure out how to make it…even back then. Not being educated in the culinary arts (OK…cooking – I just wanted to be fancy), it was one failure after another.
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But in the years leading up to today, it is perfected. At least I think so. Nobody complains except for my oldest daughter who doesn’t like bleu cheese…or mushrooms.
The key, I feel, is the bleu cheese. There is a specific variety called “Maytag” bleu cheese. You will be rewarded. It is worth the trouble.
The ingredients are simple; no quantities are shown as you pros can figure it out. Besides, everyone’s palates differ:
For the dressing:
Heavy cream
Crushed garlic
Vinegar (or lemon juice) to thicken
Mayo
Salt and black pepper (I use the Japanese version as it is such a fine powder and has a slight citrus-y taste to it)
Dash of Worcheshire (Is that spelled right?)
A dribble of olive oil
After whisking the above, toss romaine lettuce with the dressing and plate.
Throw on:
Toasted almond slivers
Chopped (perfectly) hard-boiled eggs
Maytag bleu cheese
Enjoy
The bright yellow from the eggs add great color to the salad. Be careful to not overboil the eggs. Nothing more unappealing than looking at the dark green stuff around the yolk on your beautiful salad – which I feel would add a touch of a sulphur taste or smell.
Well, this former mechanic got his greasy hands back into the kitchen. No explosion, either.
Strawberry and Almond Frangipane Tart
Another Cathy Thomas Cooks recipe, it was relatively straight forward. Didn’t need a wrench. Please click on the link for the recipe (since people seem to be asking).
Small kitchen appliances are rather skimpy in my kitchen so I had to improvise – my coffee grinder in place of a food processor.
Didn’t have a food processor so I improvised… A guy’s perogative.
I did find the pie weights to be a great tool. Lucky I had some in my toolbox…not. Went out and bought a bag. You know – a guy thing. A tool for every job.
A close up… Sorry about the tin foil but I only had one plate.
One of my best pals passed away so I made his widow a tart for Mother’s Day.
For the single guys out there… The gals at the office love it.
(Cathy Thomas has some neat recipes on her website, too!)
My young years as a mechanic were some of the most fun in my life.
Working alongside veterans of the US Army’s most decorated unit, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made it so much better. If you haven’t heard of that heroic combat team, you will be surprised.
Anyways, I didn’t do much cooking then. Can’t figure out why I started either. Old age. Too many gasoline fumes, perhaps.
But one of my most requested deserts is my homemade Tiramisu. Never mind gasoline fumes… The rum fumes will disperse all the oxygen molecules and you will get high. Just kidding. About getting high.
The only ingredient not shown here is VERY strong coffee. Even Dean Martin would have diluted it.
Tiramisu ingredients. The bottle was empty, by the way.
And no mockery of my serving plates and dishes for I have none. Remember, I am a former mechanic.
One batch finished for a party.
Another batch for a neighbor’s party… Adult party.
Like my Pyrex?
I don’t recall any pecks on the cheek, though. Hmmm.
My homemade chocolate truffles are popular with the gals. Unfortunately, they’re pretty popular with some of my buds, too. Oh well.
Following the well explained recipe in my cooking bible, Cook’s Illustrated, I made a batch to take to a couple of my friend’s 4th of July block parties. Frank Sinatra would’ve been jealous with all the attention I got from the ladies.
The ganache is the secret.Rolling the ganache into balls is the tough part.My knife skills are non-existent. But being a former mechanic, I cheat. The “hammer when in doubt” approach always prevails.
Masako and Spam Musubi 