Veggie Egg Rolls

Egg RollsHomemade Egg Rolls

If Egg Rolls are on the menu, you can be sure that I’m going to get them.  I’ll even buy them at Jack in the Box or 7 eleven, because I like them that much.  And, if you want to take it step further, dip the Egg Rolls in a Chinese Frying batter, just like the batter that’s on Sweet and sour Pork or Chicken, and then fry it.  Mm-mm; that’s good sheet!  But for this recipe, let’s just focus on the basics, and keep it simple.

Vegetable Egg Rolls consist mostly of one simple ingredient.  Any guess’s?  That’s right, vegetables!  Which means you can put practically any vegetable you want inside these, and as long as you follow a few basic rules, they’re going to turn out great!  First, you have to season your veggies with a light saute.  I say light because you don’t want to over cook your ingredients before you fry them, thus cooking them a second time and creating a soggy flavorless mess.  That being said, 1 minute of pan time is all you need to lightly salt and pepper, maybe a pinch of sugar for sweetener and your favorite sauce.  In this case I use Tempura Dipping sauce, and I talk about it HERE!  As for the rest of my recipe, I just use a coleslaw premix I bought in the produce with the addition of Bean Sprouts.  Egg Roll Wrappers can usually be found there too.

Egg Roll Ingredients:

For 8 Egg Rolls I use
Egg Roll Wrappers
1/2 bag of Coleslaw Premix (about 8oz)
1/2 cup Bean Sprouts
2 tbsp Tempura Dipping Sauce (Teriyaki is a half decent substitute)
1 tsp Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Classic Margherita Pizza

Margherita PizzaMargherita Pizza is my Favorite!

I’ve been surprised to find that there are a lot of people that don’t know what a Margherita Pizza is.  Maybe because it isn’t on the Menu at most of the large corporate food chains.  I don’t know.  But I do know that this is one of my favorite Pizza’s by far. The sauce is made from 3 different ingredients; salt, olive oil and garlic.  And as far as I’m concerned, that’s just a winning combination.  The other ingredients that make up a Margherita Pizza, other than cheese, are Roma Tomatoes and fresh Basil.  Never EVER use dry Basil when you’re making this Pizza.  I just can’t stress that enough.  You’ll never get the same taste that everyone expects when they sink their teeth into a Master piece like this one, and you’ll very quickly turn what most people consider a work of art, into a piece of trash!

IMG_0872Margherita Pizza Ingredients:

Pizza Dough
3 large chopped Garlic Cloves
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
2 Sliced Roma Tomatoes
4 lg chopped Basil Leaves
Provolone and Mozzarella Cheese

Once you’ve rolled out your dough, throw down some corn meal on your pizza pan to prevent sticking and spread the dough out evenly.  CLICK HERE if you need a dough recipe.  Then combine the Olive Oil, Salt and Chopped Garlic in a Large bowl and place the Chopped tomatoes in it for marinating; 10 to 20 minutes.  Chop the Basil and Grade the Cheese if you haven’t already.  Drizzle the olive oil over the dough and use it as the sauce.  Lay down the cheese, then top with tomatoes and fresh Basil and spread evenly like pepperoni.  Drizzle the left over oil, chopped garlic and the juice from the tomatoes over the entire pizza, and sprinkle just a little more cheese over the tomatoes.  Bake on the very bottom rack at 550 degrees for 6 minutes, or 500 degrees for 8.  Ovens are different, that’s why there’s a variance.  Enjoy your Margherita Pizza.

Peaking Ravioli Pot Stickers

Pot StickersWhat are Pot Stickers?

If you don’t know by now, Americans love Chinese Pot Stickers.  If you’ve been to any Chinese Buffet in the last 10 years, you’ve seen them.  They’ve even become so popular, they sell them right next to the frozen burrito’s of just about every grocery store in America.  I don’t know the history or the exact Origin of the Pot Sticker, I mean, that’s what Wikipedia is for, right, but I can tell you that these are usually prepared fresh everyday, and they’re made by hand, not stamped out of a cookie cutter.

What are Pot Stickers made of?

IMG_20120712_211337The breakdown is very simple;  Ground Pork, Onion, Carrots and a few Asian Sauces, Hoisin and Oyster Sauce.  Just a few secret folds that aren’t too complicated, and Voila, you’ve got Pot Stickers!  Well, at least in theory, right.  But now what?  Do you throw them in boiling water?  The answer is NO!  Technically I guess you could, but these things are traditionally steamed.  And if you don’t have a Steamer, no worries.  This video tutorial will show you how to do it without one, So let’s dive right in and make some Pot Stickers.

Be sure to check out my Shrimp Dumplings recipe because I have the best sauce recipe in that post to dip these Pot Stickers in if Tempura dipping sauce isn’t available in your area.

Pot Stickers Ingredients:

1 pkg Pot Sticker Wrappers
8 oz Ground Pork Sausage or just Pork
1/4 cup Carrots
1/3 Cup Scallions
1 tsp Hoisin Sauce
1 tsp Oyster Sauce
1 tsp Black Ground Pepper
1/2 tsp Chopped Garlic
Water to glue the Wrappers together

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.  Wet the edges of each wrapper and place about 1 tbsp of Ground Pork mixture  in the center, and then fold in half like a taco.  Then proceed to one of the corners and pleat the edge of one side and apply pressure to make the wrapper stick, all the way around in a half moon shape.  Then place Pot Stickers in a steamer lined with Bok Choy leaves or Cabbage and Steam for 7 minutes.  Pan fry in a lightly oiled pan for a 1 minute, or until the bottoms turn a light golden brown,  Drip dry onto some paper towels then serve your Pot Stickers with some Tempura Dipping Sauce.