Wild Edibles

Another Link!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/dining/24forage.html

Love this. Although not new, eating wild items, whether foraged berries and greens or hunted game, is such an excellent way to go about the culinary experience.

In my post about the leg of lamb I roasted, I also harvested local American chestnuts to mash like potatoes. It turned out to be an excellent meal, and I felt even more proud that the side dish was harvested less than half a mile from my front door and by my own hands.

Need to prep for Thanksgiving. More on this later!

Soup Dumplings

Ever had a soup dumpling? If you have, your mouth is probably watering right now. If you have not, there is one more thing to add to your bucket list.

I could write a new post every day with a different kind of dumpling and dumpling derivative and never repeat a post for a year.

Soup dumplings are a kind of dumpling that has soup inside of it in addition to the main morsel. Arriving in bamboo steamers, they should be eaten hot and quickly. Often with the options are pork or 'seafood' which is supposed to be a crab based flavor. I always find that the pork dumplings are far superior.

The dumplings above are from Joe's Shanghai on Pell st. in Manhattan's Chinatown. I've found that these are the best. Joe's dumplings are always good. The fatty broth in the pork dumplings is a perfect balance of flavor, the dough used has excellent consistency and is never too thick or too thin. The meaty inside has a great pork taste, doesn't fall apart, isn't a glutenous ball, and is perfect after you've slurped the soup.

I don't really suggest the seafood dumplings, they really just are not as good as the pork.

Serve with vinegar and hot chili oil, add a side order of scallion pancakes, and you are certainly in for an excellent meal or snack.

Stuffed Cabbage

After I saw this article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/dining/10mini.html
in the times recently I could not stop thinking about stuffed cabbage. It's consistently delicious, and honestly I don't think I've ever had a bad version of the dish. I don't really agree with all the things that Bittman says about stuffed cabbage, but I certainly agree with his title "a classic worth revisiting."

When I get my hands on some (soon I hope!), I will be certain to share my thoughts and pictures.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em

I love smoked fish. Oily and deeply flavorful, it has always conjured up many powerful memories for me. And I've found that people that like smoked fish, have grown up eating it; half nostalgia, half culinary wonder-piece.

The fish here, a salmon 'wing' (the collar and belly) and a small mackerel, are of the Russian variety; purchased at M&I International Foods in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. But smoked fish all across the board are generally delicious and inexpensive, the intense smoke and fish oil combination lingers on the fingers for hours; a scent that both reminds and teases.

Tiny smoked fish, enormous whole smoked salmon, and all the sizes, shapes, and cuts in between will always have my attention and enamor.