Grilled Polenta

Polenta by itself is just awful. Grilled polenta is even worse if it isn't served up with a tasty sauce. This recipe exists as a reminder why I never want to make it again. 1 c. medium-coarse stone ground organic cornmeal 3 1/2 c. water 1 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter salt, freshly ground pepper to taste olive oil for brushing 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an ovenproof pan. 2. Add cornmeal, water, 1 tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. salt and stir well. 3. Bake polenta uncovered for 45 minutes. Stir polenta and bake for 25 minutes more. 4. Remove polenta from oven. Stir in remaining 1/2 tbsp. butter and season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 5 minutes. 5. Pour polenta into an 8-inch loaf pan. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate until firm. 6. Heat a grill pan. Unmold polenta onto work surface and cut the loaf crosswise into 8 slices. Lightly brush slices with olive oil and grill over low heat to crisp slowly, turning once. About 15 minutes per side. Makes 4 servings.

Sweet Herbed Rolls

Ever try a recipe printed on the back a yeast packet? This is one of them. It's pretty tasty, though much softer than the texture of a French dinner roll with a crusty exterior.

3 c. bread flour 
1 package active dry yeast
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. butter (1/2 stick)
1/8 c. sugar 
1 tsp. salt 
2 large eggs 
3 tbsp. butter, melted 

Herbs: 1 tsp. each, dried basil, dried oregano, crushed -or- 2-3 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

1. In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and herbs; set aside. 

2. Heat milk to boiling (120 to 130 degree F) and stir in butter until it almost melts. 

3. Combine dry mix and milk/butter combo in a mixing bowl. Beat 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Add eggs. Beat 1 min.

4. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Knead dough on floured surface 5-7 minutes or until smooth and elastic. For knot rolls, use greased muffin tin.

5. Bake in 350 F preheated oven, 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown. 6. Lightly brush with melted butter.

Green Onion Pancakes

This recipe also goes by the name of "spring onion crepes", "lotus pad pancakes", or "scallion pancakes".  They are pancakes because of their shape and size, although mine tend to come out quite square and oblong in shape.  

1 1/2 c. unbleached white flour 

3 oz. boiling water 

up to 1/4 c. cold water 

2 stalks green onions, finely minced or sliced

2 tbsp. olive oil 

1. In a bowl, combine flour and 3 oz. of boiling water. Let cool 5 minutes. Add 1/8 c. cold water. Mix until just combined. 

2. Turn flour mixture out onto a floured board. Knead gently until the dough sticks together. Roll into a log and cut into equal portions, about 8 pieces. 

3. In a small bowl, combine green onion and olive oil. This is the "filling" of the pancake. 

4. Roll out a piece and place about a 1/2 tsp. of green onion in the center. Fold in half and then in half again. Set aside on a plate until all the flour sections have green onion folded in them. 

5. Now for the layering. Take one of the double folded pieces and roll it out (with a rolling pin). Spread a thin layer of oil on its surface and fold it in half and in half again. Roll it out a second time. It should be no more than 1/4" thick. Set aside for frying. 

6. Repeat with the remaining pieces of flour. Take care that you do not overwork the dough or the end result will not be a soft pancake. 

7. Heat a skillet on medium. If you use a cast-iron pan, you shouldn't need to add any oil to the pan. Air bubbles are likely to form. The pancake needs to be lightly browned on both sides. Restaurant quality green onion pancakes have several layers and are extremely tasty because lard is used. For this recipe I have substituted olive oil for lard. 

This recipe comes from a book on Chinese appetizers. When I find the book, I'll upate this post with its details.

Spicy Dipping Sauce

A tasty sauce that is good warm or cold, for hot or cold appetizers. This sauce is typically used with a Chinese chicken recipe called Bai-zhan gi (or cut white chicken).

Ingredients

2 stalks green onions, finely chopped
3 slices of ginger, peeled and minced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small dried hot pepper with seeds removed
2 tbsp red wine or rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp water dash of salt (optional)
1 tbsp sesame oil

Directions

1. In a small sauce pan, heat oil until it just begins to pop. Add ginger, garlic, green onions, and hot pepper. Stir until lightly browned. Simmer on low-medium. Do not let the ingredients burn.

2. In a small bowl combine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and water. Add this combination to the sauce pan.

3. Add sesame oil and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Deep-Fried Stuffed Taro Balls

I have only done this recipe once in my lifetime. It is one of the hardest recipes in my collection, but it's a good appetizer to impress the guests with. There is a reason why this dish is expensive at a restaurant. Give yourself a few hours for the prep work on this recipe, plus another hour for frying.

Depending on how large you make the taro balls, this recipe yields about 18-24 taro balls. 

Filling Ingredients

1/2 lb. ground pork 
3 shitake mushrooms, finely chopped 
1 tsp. rice wine 
2 tbsp. vegetable oil (for frying) 
1 lb. peeled taro (can be bought from an Asian supermarket) 

Seasoning

1/4 tsp. pepper 
1 tbsp. light soy sauce 
1 tsp. sesame oil 
1 slice ginger, minced 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1 tsp. salt 
1 tsp. sugar 

Cornstarch or potato starch 
Enough vegetable oil for deep frying 

Directions

1. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in frying pan. Add ginger and garlic and stir until lightly browned. Add ground pork and fry until lightly browned. Add remainder of filling ingredients and seasoning. Stir-fry until combined. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. 

 2. Cut taro root into 1"-2" sized chunks. Put in pot and with enough water to cover the taro. Boil until taro is soft, about 40 minutes. Remove from heat and drain (you may reserve the liquid the taro boiled in to make a sweet dessert soup). 

3. In a large bowl, mash the taro into a paste. Add salt and sugar. Mix well. Add cornstarch (or flour) until the mixture is smooth and workable. It will be sticky regardless of how much you try to fight with it. 

4. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the taro paste onto your hand. I'd suggest putting a bit of flour in your hand first. Flatten the taro paste into a circular mass, enough to accommodate about 1 tsp. of the filling. It will look a lot like mashed potatoes. 

5. Fold and pinch the edges together to form a ball of some sort. You want it in such a way so that none of the filling is showing. Set aside and work through the remainder of the taro paste and filling. 

6. You may lightly coat each ball with some flour or cornstarch to keep it from sticking to the plate, your fingers, or other taro balls. It may or may not work depending on how much moisture is in your taro paste. 

7. Heat frying oil on medium heat. Deep fry taro balls until golden brown. Remove taro balls from oil and let drain on paper towels. Serve hot. 

8. Taro balls can be reheated by frying in fairly hot oil for about 30-45 seconds. 

This recipe does come from a Chinese cuisine cookbook called China the Beautiful cookbook.