Gyoza

I have never really been into Asian food. However, I have always had a soft spot for good dumplings. Yesterday, I went to Gizmo's in Winter Park and had delicious gyoza. Today I decided to try making them myself. Here is what you will need:

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon onion, minced, or a bit of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 24 won ton wrapper
• 1 egg white
• A few lettuce leaves
• Bamboo steamer

I strongly recommend spending ten bucks on a bamboo steamer for this. It's a pretty useful little contraption that steams this stuff perfectly.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the pork and stir it around to break it up. Add the garlic, onion, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Cook until no longer pink. I wanted a very fine filling, so after it was cooked through I put it in a food processor for a few pulses.

Bring a pot of water to a boil.

Lay out the won ton wrappers. Put a spoonful of filling in the center of each wrapper. Brush egg white around the edges and fold each wrapper into a triangle. Bring the edges together and press to make a tortellini shape. 

Place the lettuce leaves on the bottom of the steamer. These prevent the gyoza from sticking to the steamer. Place the gyoza on top of the lettuce. If the gyoza touch each other, they will stick together.

Put the lid on the steamer. Place it on top of the pot of boiling water. Steam for 10 minutes and remove. Don't peak while they are cooking! 

Alternatively, you can deep fry them. This is also tasty. Steamed, they are fairly healthy. 

Now they are ready to nomnomnom. The steamed lettuce makes a good side dish, along with some sticky rice. Extra soy sauce for dipping is a plus.

Chicken Noodle Soup

It's getting a bit cold here, and Brent is sick. I wanted to make fresh soup for us, and chicken noodle is a classic choice. Here is what I used:

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• Handful fresh parsley
• 1 cup baby carrots
• 1 cup celery stalks
• 1 medium onion, once again I prefer Italian red
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 cup egg noodles

Combine the water and chicken broth in a large pot and bring to a boil. Rough chop 1/4 cup carrots, 1/4 cup celery, and 1/4 of the onion. Add these to the pot, along with half the parsley and the bay leaf. This will be used to season the broth.

Cut the chicken into strips and add to the pot. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Remove the chicken from the pot and place in a bowl. Strain the liquid and reserve, and dispose of the vegetables. Shred the chicken.

Chop the remaining vegetables. Heat butter in a large pot (I rinsed and reused the same pot). Add the vegetables and cook until softened. Add chicken and the reserved liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Add the egg noodles and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in remaining parsley. Enjoy!

Very simple, but it was fun and tasty in the end.