Pork and Apple Pot Stickers

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Pot Stickers are worth the effort because they are just so delicious! If you really don’t want to make your own dough you can buy store bought won ton wrappers and I will show you how to make both ways in this recipe. I gotta say, they are WAY better if you make them all from scratch! You can  freeze them and keep them for your next get together too. Your guests will be dazzled! I can just hear my friend Mary Ann saying “dough is just too much work I will make them from scratch when I retire!!” Come on, try them once and you will be hooked.

You will need:

• 2 cups of flour – all purpose
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups boiling water

*this makes enough for approx 32 (3 1/2 inch circles)

* or if you don’t want to make the dough you can use store bought won ton wrappers

• 1 pound or 1/2 kg. of minced pork (you could also use mild Italian sausage, casing removed)
• 4 small leaves of Savoy cabbage
• 1/2 white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 hot chili – I used medium hot
• 1 scallion/spring onion
• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 small handful of cilantro/coriander
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp Tamari Soy sauce
• 1/2 apple – cut into chunks, skin on
• 1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Dipping Sauce

• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp finely chopped red chili (the strength of heat you like!)
• 1 tbsp honey

Step 1: start with some good quality minced pork. If you find it difficult to find any you can use some mild Italian sausages instead. I just slit the casing and remove them so you have just the minced meat.

Step 2: in a pot add an inch of water to the bottom and add 4 small leaves of savoy cabbage. My cabbage is a small one and you can use another variety of cabbage if you have it. Cover and cook on high heat for 5 minutes until the leaves are tender and soft.

Step 3: take the onion, garlic, small red chili (as hot as you like- mine is mild/medium hot) Spring onion also called scallion, fresh grated ginger, cilantro, sesame oil, soy sauce, apple, 5 Spice powder and salt into a food processor. Pulse until minced.

Step 4: add the soft cabbage leaves and process again until finely minced and combined.

Step 5: add pork and pulse 4-5 times until combined. Place in a bowl and keep covered in fridge until you are ready to fill your dumplings.

You can get square or round won ton wrappers in the fridge of any grocery store usually.

Step 6: Place a tsp – tbsp of filling in on a few wrappers (they dry out so you must cover the remaining and only do a few at a time. I dip my finger in water and run it along 2 sides of the wrapper then seal with the 2 sides that are dry. You are folding the square to make a triangle.

Place in a floured plate or cookie sheet. Do not let them touch each other to avoid sticking. You can separate them and freeze them at this stage. Once frozen you remove them to a Ziploc Bag for storage until you need them.

Step 7: in a non stick pan (very important!) add a small bit of Olive Oil or other vegetable oil you prefer but, I am using a mild Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Step 8: fry on one side until they get browned slightly, then carefully flip to cook the other side. Once both sides are browned. Add 1/4 cup to the pan (it will spit so be careful!) then immediately cover with a lid. Let them cook for 3-4 minutes will the water evaporates and they eventually start to fry again in the oil.

Make the dipping sauce by combining all ingredients listed under the Dipping sauce above and mixing. The store bought won tons are much more fragile and delicate. They will tear easily and you should avoid filling the wrappers too much so they don’t break.

Step 6: (again! for the homemade dough) Take flour and salt and mix in a bowl.

Step 7: add boiling water 1/4 of a cup at a time. I make a well in the center of the flour and add the water. I then take a fork and start to gather the flour around the crater into the water, mixing as I go.

Step 8: once you have a shaggy dough and it is cooled enough to handle. Knead the dough and gather all remaining flour until you have a smooth dough.

It takes about 5 minutes to knead it until smooth.

Step 9: you can roll the dough out entirely into a flat sheet and take a round cookie cutter or even a drinking glass to cut out 3 1/2 inch circles. I find it easier to just keep dividing the dough in half until I get 32 even balls, then I roll each one. This avoids scraps and re-rolling and cutting. I take the ball of dough and cut it into 2, then each into 2 and so on until you have even pieces.

I flatten each ball of dough with the palm of my hand and easily roll out a circle by rolling and turning, and rolling and turning. If you find this too hard then the cookie cutter method might be the better option. I always roll a few, stuff and roll a few more to avoid drying out.

Step 10: I like to measure out the filling -these are 1 tbsp each.

Step 11: hold the circle of dough in your hand with the filling in the center. Pinch the center to hold in place. Fold a pleat and pinch, going towards one end. I kind of pull towards me, fold, pinch and go to the next one. I make 3 folds on one side, then 3 folds on the next. I am sure you can Google how to make dumplings if you don’t understand my instructions in photos. This dough is very forgiving and easy to work with.

The circles don;t need to be perfect just relatively round. Remember flatten with your palm, roll and turn, roll and turn.

Since you are only pinching and gathering dough on one side it creates a nice dumpling with a flat bottom that can stand up. Place on a floured baking sheet to finish all of them. You can freeze them at this stage or cook them. Don’t let them touch or they will stick.

In a non stick pan add some mild Extra Virgin Olive Oil or other vegetable oil if you must. I let them fry on one flat side until browned.

Then flip to brown on the other side.  Then place on its bottom and immediately add about 1/2 cup of water or broth and cover. Let them steam for 5 minutes until you hear them start to fry in the oil again.

YUM!!

Serve the homemade dumplings while hot with the dipping sauce.

Both ways are good!

Walnut Apple Phyllo Rolls with Lemon Honey Drizzle

Sticky and sweet like baklava. This dessert has the addition of a grated apple and cinnamon added to the nuts and drizzled with lemon and honey. The lemon syrup is poured immediately once it comes out of the oven and then absorbs while it cools. You can make this as straight logs (more like a nut strudel) or a circle. I have made it into a zigzag so it fits into my glass pan. I prefer to use glass for this kind of dessert because you can cut directly in the pan without damaging it. I also use a mild buttery olive oil instead of butter to brush the sheets of phyllo. The lemon goes so nicely with the apple and walnut.

You will need:

• 2 cups ground walnuts (I always store whole nuts in the freezer and grind in the food processor rather than buy ground nuts- they go rancid quickly and fresh is important.
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1 apple – peeled and grated (add the liquid and pulp)
• 6 sheets of thawed phyllo dough
• approximately 1/4-1/3 cup mild fruity olive oil for brushing – I used Domaine Oltremonti-Corsica
• 1/2 cup honey (any kind you like)
• 1/2 a lemon zested finely & then juiced
• 1/4 cup water

Step 1: I store nuts in the freezer to keep them fresh. Nuts go rancid very quickly so taste the ones you are using to make sure they are not bad. I grind nuts in the food processor to get a fine/medium course consistency. Gather all your other ingredients. Make sure your phyllo is thawed according to directions on the box. I do mine in the fridge.

Step 2: peel an apple and grate it right to the core. Take the apple and any juices and add to a bowl. Add nuts, cinnamon, sugar and salt. Mix to combine.

Step 3: brush each of 3 sheets of phyllo dough with a thin layer of mild extra virgin olive oil or butter. I love that olive oil is delicious and so much healthier. Stack and brush each sheet with oil. 3 sheets makes 1 log.

Step 4: take half of the mixture and add along the longer side of the dough. Roll up. Repeat.

Step 5: brush oil or butter on bottom of a pan or baking dish. Leave logs straight or coil or form into a circle. Brush with more olive oil and you could sprinkle a bit more of the nut mixture if you like. I like the dessert to almost fill the baking dish so when you add the syrup it is contained near the roll and will absorb into it. So, whatever dish you use should not be much larger than the dessert.

Bake 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven until browned.

Step 6: in a small pan heat honey until just warmed almost to the boil. Turn off heat and zest 1/2 lemon and add fresh lemon juice and water. Stir. As soon as the dessert is out of the over carefully pour over the entire dessert. It will bubble and sizzle and you will think there is too much syrup but, it will absorb as it cools. Once cooled slice and serve with hot tea!! YUM.

Lasts on the counter for a day or two.

 

Maple Apple and Pear Crumble

 

 

This is as simple and delicious as it gets. The perfect easy dessert. A bit of chopped fruit, an easy crumble and some whipped or ice cream…serve hot!!!!

You know you can smell that cinnamon!!!!

 

 

You will need:

• 2 apples – peeled and chopped
• 2 pears – peeled and chopped
• 1/2 lemon zested fine and juiced
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup flour – all purpose
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

*note you can add some additional fruit like blueberries or raspberries or make it all one fruit!

Crumble

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 rolled oats
• 1/4 cup flour – all purpose
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 tbsp cold butter – chopped into small cubes
• 1/4 cup – 1/3 cup pure maple syrup

Whipped cream – I take 1 cup whipping cream and add 3 tbsp vanilla sugar and whip until stiff peaks

OR serve with best quality vanilla ice cream

 

Step 1: peel and chop fruit into small dice. Add fruit to a large bowl. Add lemon zest and juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.

 

 

Step 2: pour fruit into a 9×9 pan or small ceramic dish.

 

Step 3: in a small bowl add ingredients for crumble. Add brown sugar, rolled oats, flour cinnamon, vanilla and butter. Use your fingers to massage butter into dry ingredients which will break butter into smaller chunks. This is not a huge amount of crumble if you prefer more I would suggest doubling the crumble portion of this recipe. I like the simple fruit with a modest amount of topping but, if you like more go ahead. Sprinkle crumble over fruit and finally drizzle the maple syrup over the top of the crumble. You can also add more maple syrup if you like.

 

 

Step 4: bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20-30 minutes until fruit is soft and bubbling and the crisp is browned.

 

 

 

Serve hot with sweet whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. The house smells like heaven and the dessert is a classic combination of hot and sweet and the contrast of the cool cream.

 

 

 

 

Apple Blackberry Pie

 

I prefer to use a few different varieties to make an apple pie. I always add some tart Granny Smith and either Ambrosia or Gala or Fuji. This pie has the added flavour of fresh blackberries. Let cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

 

 

 

You will need:

 

• 8 cups of apples – peeled and sliced thin. (or thick if you prefer it to be larger chunks)
• finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
• 2 sticks of cold/frozen butter cut into small cubes – unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup ice water plus a few more tbsps if necessary
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
• 1 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp cornstarch or tapioca
• 1 cup fresh blackberries
• 2 tbsp cold butter cut into small chunks
• bit of milk to brush on crust
• sprinkle of sugar to top

 

Step 1: peel apples and core or just chop around the core then place into food processor to slice.

 

 

 

 

Step 2: in a large pan add apples, lemon zest and lemon juice. Cook 10 minutes to cook out some of the water. Let cool.

 

 

Step 3: make crust in the food processor. Add flour, salt, vanilla sugar, and cubed butter. Pulse the food processor 7 times. The butter should be cut into the flour and be small pieces. You can wipe the pie pan with any residual butter than remains on the wrapper.

 

Step 4: Add ice water and pulse 7 times if you need to add a few more additional tbsps add and pulse 3 x more. As soon as you can squeeze dough together with your fingers turn out contents of food processor and gather together to form a ball. Touch as little as possible to keep dough cold and ultimately you will have a nice, flaky crust.

 

 

Step 5: wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge 20-30 minutes for butter to get hard again.

 

 

Step 6: place apples in a large bowl and add cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, salt and cornstarch. Mix well then gently toss in the blackberries. Try to avoid breaking them.

 

 

Step 7: divide dough into 2 balls, one should be slightly larger than the other. Roll out the smaller ball with a bit of flour. Place dough into the pie plate. Place in freezer for 15 minutes.

 

 

Step 8: roll out top crust until just slightly larger than the pan. Place between two sheets of plastic wrap and place in fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.

 

Step 9: place filling in pie plate and dot with the butter. Place top crust over and remove any large excess pieces of dough. I then fold the top crust under the bottom and then crimp edges. Cut out some slits or a hole in the crust to let out steam.

 

 

 

Step 10: brush with milk and sprinkle with vanilla sugar or some course sugar. Bake for 1 hour – 1 hour and 10 minutes in a 375 degree F oven. Let cool before cutting or the filling will be all runny. I like to serve with homemade vanilla ice cream.

 

Ham and Apple Quiche with Olive Oil Crust

 

 

This is a quiche made heavy on the fillings and light on the eggs. Big Pete and I are not big egg lovers however, he actually really loved this because it tasted like there was lots of filling and not so much egg. If you want to play around with amounts to get the ratio your family likes feel free. I also made the crust with frozen olive oil instead of butter. It is a bit more fussy than butter and creates a very flaky crust however, if you want to replace the oil with butter you can do that or avoid the whole crust preparation and buy a store-bought pie crust.

You will need:

 

Olive oil crust

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour – bit more for rolling out
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil – frozen at least 1 hour (you can replace with 1 stick cold or frozen unsalted butter cut into small cubes)
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp ice water

 

Filling

• 2 cups ham – diced in food processor until finely ground or the way you like it
• 4 asparagus spears – chopped
• 1 small leek – sliced fine
• 1 apple – sliced thin then chopped
• 1 tbsp hot pepper jelly
• 4 eggs
• 30 g goat cheese
• salt/pepper
• parsley and basil chopped fine
• shaved Manchego or Parmesan cheese to cover top of quiche

 

 

 

 

Step 1: in a food processor add flour, salt and lemon zest. Pulse 2 times.

 

 

Step 2: add your semi-frozen olive oil (scrape out with a spatula)  Pulse 5 times.

 

 

Step 3: remove the wet crumbles from the processor and quickly  form a ball with a bit more oil. This dough will get greasy quickly because the oil doesn’t stay cold and solid like butter does for long. It is a bit more fussy that a butter crust for this same reason but, if you like olive oil like I do you might want to try this.

 

 

Step 4: roll out quickly with flour on the parchment paper (both sides) or it will stick.

 

 

Step 5: place dough into a tart pan or pie plate.If it breaks just press it back together. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes with no filling. Let cool slightly. I placed tart tin on a piece of foil to avoid any oil that might leak and burn.

 

 

Step 6: place ham, asparagus, apples, leeks and hot pepper jelly in a  bowl. Mix.

 

 

Step 7: in a small bowl add eggs, goat cheese, salt, pepper and chopped parsley. Whisk to combine.

 

 

Place the ham mix in the slightly cooled crust and them pour over the eggs. Grate some shavings of Parmesan or Manchego and bake in 375 degree oven until browned on top and cooked to the middle of the pie 30-40 minutes. Let cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jicama and Apple Salad

 

Jicama (pronounced Hee-Ka-Ma) is one of my favourite ingredients to add to a salad. It is a crunchy, slightly sweet root vegetable. In this salad I have sliced jicama, apples and some purple cabbage and tossed with some good olive oil, some lime, fresh basil and mint to create a fresh, bright and crunchy salad. You could also add more cabbage to create more of a slaw if you like.

 

 

You will need:

 

• 1 small jicama – peel and sliced and cut into fine sticks
• 1 apple – your favourite variety –  I have used an Ambrosia
• 1 tbsp fresh red chili pepper – chopped very fine
• 2-3 leaves purple cabbage – sliced as thin as possible
• 1/2 lime juiced
• 4 -5 tbsp of your best Olive Oil – I used Donna Ricca Italian
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 – 2 tbsp honey (add 1 then taste to see if you want more)
• 4 fresh basil leaves – sliced into fine strips (chiffonade)
• 6 fresh mint leaves – sliced into fine strips
• salt and pepper to taste.

 

Step 1: Jicama can come waxed or un-waxed. This one is covered in wax to store it longer in the store. Slice off the outer skin and then slice the inside white flesh into thin slices and then into sticks.

 

 

Step 2: slice the apple into thin slices as well. Add both the apples and jicama to a large bowl.

 

 

Step 3: chop your chili pepper, cabbage fresh basil and mint. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

 

 

It`s fresh, crunchy and bright!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Pie Pinwheels

 

These are made with store bought puff pastry and filled with apples and cinnamon. They taste like apple pie in a flaky bite made quickly.

 

You will need:

• 2 apples peeled and sliced thin with a mandolin
• 2 tbsp vanilla sugar
• pinch salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 sheet all butter puff pastry (makes 6 rolls)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp additional ground cinnamon
• butter to coat muffin tins

 

 

Step 1: peel and slice apples very thinly.

 

 

Step 2: in a small pan cook apples, vanilla sugar, salt and cinnamon until water cooks out and they get soft 10 minutes. Let cool completely before spreading on puff pastry.

 

 

 

Step 3: roll out puff pastry. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cooled apples, then top with additional cinnamon. Roll up.

 

 

Step 4: press sides together to seal. With a serrated knife cut in half and then each half into 3 equal pieces. Place  in buttered muffin tin. Makes 6.

 

 

Bake in 375 degrees F oven for 30-35 minutes until browned and bubbly.

 

 

wait 2 minutes then carefully remove and sprinkle with powdered sugar or add some whipped cream or you can create a icing sugar and water drizzle.

 

 

eat while they are still warm!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Ginger Turkey Sausages

 

 

These are great little sausages when you feel like having a low carb meal or you can flatten them to create some sliders or burgers. I made these for lunch and we ate them with some sweet chili sauce and a salad. They are packed full of flavour and just take a few minutes to make.

 

You will need:

 

• 1 lb. ground Turkey
• 1/2 apple- skin on
• 1/2 onion
• handful of fresh cilantro/coriander- stems left on
• 1 medium hot fresh red chili- seeds/stem removed
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp ginger – finely grated
• 1 tsp salt/ 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Thai sweet chili sauce

 

Step 1: in a food processor add apple, onion, cilantro, fresh chili and garlic and process until pureed finely.

 

 

Step 2: add salt, pepper and olive oil. Mix well.

 

 

Step 3: form into sausages or burgers and grate fresh ginger and spread  it like a paste across the tops of all sausages.

 

 

Step 4: grill until cooked and serve with sweet chili sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speedy Apple Strudel

 

If you want a quick dessert this is made with phyllo dough,  some sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon,  breadcrumbs and a bit of butter. It is best served hot and flaky or with some whipped cream. You can also re-heat it to bring back the crunch of the phyllo if you have any leftovers. This is really the lazy version of a strudel with all the taste.

 

You will need:

 

• 4-5 apples peeled and sliced on a mandolin – I like to use Granny Smith and a variety of apples.
• 3 sheets of thawed phyllo pastry
• 4 tbsp melted butter (this is half a stick)
• 5 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 5 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

 

Step 1: peel apples. Take a mandolin and start slicing apple, keep turning until you are left with the core. I like this method because it is quick and you just throw out the cores once they are left.

 

 

Step 2: take out 3 sheets of phyllo. If you work quickly you don’t have to cover them with a damp towel to keep them pliable. Melt butter in a microwave for 25 seconds. With a brush apply a thin layer of butter to the first sheet. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp of breadcrumbs, sprinkle with 1 tbsp of sugar. Add the next sheet and repeat brushing on butter, sprinkling 1 tbsp of breadcrumbs and 1 tbsp sugar and repeat the same with the final sheet.

 

 

Step 3: add the layer of apples spread evenly. Top apples with 1-2 tbsp breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp sugar and a final 1/2 tsp sprinkling of cinnamon. (you can add a bit more cinnamon if you prefer it) You can also mix the apples with the cinnamon and sugar before you place on the phyllo sheets but, this is a speedy strudel and I didn’t even bother and it was still great. You will have sugar and breadcrumbs under the layer of apples and you will have sugar, breadcrumb and cinnamon on top.

 

 

Step 4: carefully roll up and fold under both ends. Brush all over with melted butter and sprinkle with course sugar if you like. Place on a large baking pan -I also prefer adding a layer of parchment paper for easy clean up.

 

 

Step 5: bake in a 375 degree F oven for 35 minutes or until brown and crunchy.

 

 

 

Serve warm and crunchy with some powdered sugar to top along with some sweet whipped cream.

Apple Radish Salad

 

This is a fast salad that you make in the food processor. I am all about speed these days and finding new ideas for easy winter salads. I must admit I don’t utilize radishes as much as I could. This salad has the contrast of the sweet apple to balance the sharp almost bitter radish. I fond the smaller radish tends to be less harsh then the larger ones. Pick up a bunch of radishes this week.

 

You will need:

• a small bunch of radishes
• 1/2 apple -mine was a gala
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt/pepper to taste
• a squeeze of lime juice
• 1/4 cup pea shoot tops

 

 

 

 

Step 1: on a mandolin or with the slicing attachment on a food processor thinly slice washed radishes and apple. I like to leave the peel on the apple. Place in a small bowl.

 

 

Step 2: cut the tops off some lovely sweet pea shoots. Add to the bowl.

 

Step 3: add oil, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lime juice. Toss and eat.