Takeout at Home (and Happy New Year)

Hello there and Happy (Belated) New Year!

That, my friends, was one crazy holiday season.  Thank you all for being such wonderful people and coming in to hang out with us, shop local with us, and (most importantly) bear with us as we navigated that crazy Christmas thing.  Between one shipment getting lost en route, one getting utterly destroyed somewhere in L.A. and then hoodlums vandalizing the building we're in, we decided we earned a break.  We took a vacation for the first week of January, so we're sorry if you came by and we weren't there.  We'll be happily back at the shop on Tuesday, January 12, restocked and rested from the madness. When we reopen, you'll notice a new face among us.  A lovely lady named Connie is going to be our Tuesday/Thursday and some Saturdays helper and she's great.  I think you'll like her.

What I'm doing on my vacation. 

Many of you rushed to the call and purchased our Denissimo Ultra Premium Balsamic and now I'm sure, like us, you're wondering how to get the dang stuff out of the bottle.  Well, you have to heat it up a bit.  Put your bottle in warm water or hold a blow dryer to it, because these cold days make that thick beautiful balsamic quite unwilling to move.  I know the feeling. If you have any questions about it, shoot us an email or give us a call.

So, it's that time of year again.  We are switching over to Northern Hemisphere Olive Oils!  We already have two Californian EVOOs: the mildest Sevillano I have ever tasted and a perfect (perfect, I say!) medium bodied Arbequina.  Soon we'll have some Spanish varieties (Hojiblanca and Picual for sure) and, later, some Italian and maybe a Greek oil.  I'll keep you posted.  It's also time to swap out the Vermont Maple Balsamic for the Lavender Balsamic and I'm taking it upon myself to introduce a Champagne Vinegar instead of our Red Wine Vinegar.  I hope you don't mind.

I don't know about you, but I really, really like the restaurants in Fayetteville.  I mean, we're across the street from A Taste of Thai and Petra Cafe, so it's a wonder I haven't gained 20 pounds this year.  But I never go for Chinese Takeout.  I think I have maybe eaten at one Chinese restaurant in the 10 years I've lived here, and that was because I was with a group of starving males who could truly put a hurting on a buffet. But I kind of love it and it's quite nostalgic for me, as my grandparents often took my sister and I out to eat Lo Mein and Wanton Soup.  So I decided to make my own Chinese Takeout at Home.  All of these recipes are fairly easy, although making the dumplings is a bit time consuming. And each of these recipes features our Toasted Sesame Oil, which is darker, richer and nuttier than any sesame oil I've bought from a grocery store.  Not to brag or anything.

First we'll start with the Pork Dumplings/Potstickers/Jiaozi, whatever you want to call them.  The filling comes together really easily.  It's like making meatballs, you just throw everything into one bowl and mix it around.  The filling and folding is also easy, it just takes time.  Words of warning: don't get overly ambitious and try to stuff in lots of filling because that will lead to heartache when it won't fold and then you lose all of that filling when you cook them.  Not that I learned from experience or anything.  There are tutorials on YouTube (isn't there a tutorial for everything now a days?) if you want a perfect technique.  I will say that I lay out all the wrappers first, then dole out all the filling, and then I fold them all.  It seems to be easier that way.

Then you go for the Orange Chicken.  I decided to do this instead of my favorite Cashew Chicken because 1) oranges are in season and 2) I thought my son would be more likely to eat it. The recipe I'm giving you is fine.  The marinade/sauce is actually really tasty, but the next time I make this I'm not going to fry the chicken.  Gasp!  I know!  I went for the more authentic takeout experience, but I think this recipe would be truly delicious with grilled chicken instead.  Which is great for all of you ambitious, brave souls who made healthy New Years Resolutions.  I would still marinate it the same, but leaving the chicken breasts whole, then draining the marinade and grilling them.  Make the sauce the same way, though.  And maybe add some spicy pepper, which I couldn't do to my child.

The green beans I made are not really a "recipe".  I'll just tell you, take a pound of green beans and roast them or sautee them in a little EVOO.  Once they are to your desired crispness or charred-ness, add equal parts soy sauce, Toasted Sesame Oil, Honey (1 Tbsp. each?) and 2 cloves crushed garlic and toss them all around.  Cook for a few minutes to get them glazed and that's that.  Easy peasy.

Without further ado...the recipes.

Chinese Pork Dumplings
Adapted from All Recipes

Filling:
1 lb. ground pork
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. chives or scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. Toasted Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
50 dumpling wrappers
1 c. vegetable oil, for frying
1 quart water

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. Toasted Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp. Sriracha

1.  Mix together the pork, garlic, egg, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.  Set out wrappers on a lightly floured surface (or wax paper or a Silpat liner) and spoon 1 Tbsp. filling onto each wrapper.  Wet the edge with a little water and crimp together (as per whatever YouTube video you watch) to seal the dumpling. Repeat until all are sealed.

2.  Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Place 8-10 dumplings in the pan and cook until browned, about 3 minutes.  Pour in 1 c. water, cover, and steam until dumplings are tender and pork is cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Repeat for the remaining dumplings.  Serve with the dipping sauce.

Chinese Orange Chicken
Adapted from Damn Delicious
*Again, next time I would grill the chicken.  Then I would feel healthier and my house wouldn't smell like KFC for two days. It would probably also taste awesome.

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1 inch cubes, if frying)

Marinade/Sauce:
1 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. fresh orange juice
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. distilled white vinegar or rice vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. Toasted Sesame Oil (optional)
1 tsp. Sriracha (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. orange zest
1/2 tsp. ground ginger or 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger
1/4 tsp. pepper

If frying:
1 c. cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. vegetable oil

1.  Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl.

2.  In another bowl, combine chicken and 2/3 c. of the marinade; let marinate at least 30 minutes (the perfect amount of time to cook the dumplings!).  Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding that particular marinade.

3.  If frying, dip the chicken into a bowl with the beaten eggs, then dredge it in cornstarch.  Heat 1 c. oil in a large pan and, working in batched, fry the chicken until golden brown.  Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.  Discard excess oil.

4.  Heat the remaining marinade in large pan (I used my same chicken pan, wiped out) and add 2 Tbsp. cornstarch with 2 Tbsp. water to it.  Cook until thick and bubbly.  Throw that chicken back in the pan, stir it all around to coat and voila! Orange Chicken! Sprinkle on some sesame seeds and scallions to make it look fancy and serve with white or brown rice.

Don't forget to make the green beans, too.

Thanks for shopping with us and for reading until the end.  You're the best!

Cheers,
Andrea