Happy Chinese New Year! It is the Year of the Rabbit, a kinder and gentler year, according to Chinese Astrology. I, myself, am a Monkey – no smart remarks, thank you. To celebrate, I’m trying out several dim sum style dishes, and I’m starting with Vegetarian Pot Stickers.

The concept of dim sum is similar to Spanish tapas: lots of little plates and tastes. It’s a wonderful way to try out different flavors and textures, and to stretch your cultural palate. For me, the problem with going out to a dim sum restaurant, is that it’s tough to find dumplings and pot stickers and so on, that aren’t filled with pork or some sort of seafood.

I decided that if I’m going to get to indulge in this delectable form of Chinese cuisine with abandon, I’d have to learn to make it myself. And you know what? It’s not particularly difficult to make at home, either. You can buy egg roll and won ton wrappers in pretty much any grocery store, and while there are traditional fillings, there’s no reason you can’t create your own, or modify the recipes to suit your own needs and tastes.

Vegetarian Pot Stickers
(makes 24 – double or triple recipe as needed)

Ingredients:

24 won ton wrappers

8 oz. mushrooms (your choice – I used half whites & half baby portobellos)
1 Tbs. tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp. sriracha hot sauce
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. fresh garlic (pressed through a garlic press)
2 scallions, white & green parts, roughly chopped

A little cornstarch
A little vegetable oil
1 cup water, divided

Special equipment: 10″ skillet with a tight-fitting lid, small bowl of water

Preparation:
Add all of the ingredients (except the wrappers, cornstarch, oil, and water) to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mushrooms are finely minced and all of the ingredients are well combined. It will help if you’ve given the mushrooms a bit of a rough chop first, or if you use pre-sliced mushrooms.

Place a won ton wrapper on your work surface, turned so that it appears to be a diamond shape. Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper.

Dip a fingertip into the bowl of water and trace along the two edges farthest from you. Bring up the end closest to you, fold over the filling, and pinch the edges together to seal. Make sure you’ve gently pressed the wrapper around the filling so there are no air pockets.

Stand up your little triangle pocket so that the filling side sits on your work surface. Fold the top point down, away from you, and pinch. Now, give the edges on either side of that fold 2 little pleats and pinch. Your pot sticker will now look like it has wings. Place it on a large plate that’s been dusted with a bit of cornstarch, to prevent sticking.

Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Brush just a few drops of oil onto the hot pan surface, and place 12 of the pot stickers, upright, into the pan. Allow the bottoms to brown. Carefully add 1/2 cup water to the pan and cover it quickly. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed. Remove the pot stickers immediately to another plate to keep warm, and repeat the procedure with the rest of the uncooked ones.

Notes:

Traditionally, pot stickers are made with round dumpling wrappers, so if you have them, you can skip the part about folding the top point down. You still have to pleat, though.

Feel like you have to have meat? Substitute 4 oz. of ground chicken (or pork, if you must) for half of the mushrooms, just don’t run it through the food processor. Mix the processed ingredients with the ground chicken thoroughly and fill the wrappers as before. Add a full cup of water (instead of 1/2 cup) to the pan, and steam until the water evaporates, about 5-6 minutes.

Wouldn’t it be fun to do up a bunch of these for your Super Bowl party?

Last night I made an old favorite for supper: lentil barley soup with mushrooms. Living in South Florida, we don’t get much of an opportunity – or inclination – to eat much in the way of hearty soups of the bean-mushroom-barley persuasion. We rarely need to warm up that much! But I’ve had a yen for mushroom barley soup, lately. I was just waiting for our temps to drop enough to justify it. The cooking lentils, pearl barley, and potatoes act as natural thickeners, and give this soup lots of texture and substance. It really is a meal in a bowl!

When I was growing up in Ohio, my Mom used to make a lot of bean/lentil/mushroom/barley soups in the winter. Her soups always had a meat base, usually gotten from throwing a big old beef bone or two into the pot. While not vegetarian by any stretch, I was never really a big meat-eater, either. And modern times being what they are, I live in the wrong end of town to have much access or choices in the kosher meat department. So, my version is completely vegan*, low-fat, and a real budget-stretcher, too.

Mom called her soup, krupnik. No, I don’t know what it means, but it doesn’t sound terribly appetizing, does it? I suppose it would be sexier to call it soupe aux légumes du potager avec champignons et orge – or something – but for now, let’s stick with Lentil Mushroom Barley Soup, okay?

Lentil Mushroom Barley Soup

Ingredients:

3/4 cup lentils
1/2 cup pearl barley
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
4 – 5 thin carrots, peeled & cut into 1″ – 1-1/2″ pieces
1/2 cup mushroom slices
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
3 bay leaves
3 – 4 medium potatoes, peeled & cut into 1-1/2″ pieces
2 Tbs. worcestershire sauce* (I used Oxford Falls Vegan, Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce)
freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Preparation:

Put the lentils and pearl barley into a strainer or sieve, and rinse under cold water for about 30 seconds. Allow to drain.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a 6-quart pot. Add the onions, garlic, and salt. Sweat the vegetables until the onions are translucent and softened. Add the carrots and mushrooms, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Add the lentils and barley, vegetable broth, water, and bay leaves, stir, and bring the soup to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Now add the potatoes, worcestershire sauce, and pepper (if using) stir, cover, and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. You may need to raise the heat briefly after adding the cold potatoes, but as soon as the soup begins to boil again, reduce it back down to medium-low. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, and remember to remove the bay leaves before serving.

Notes:

Unlike most other beans, lentils don’t need to be soaked or softened before cooking, so they’re very convenient to have around for what I call “cooking by the seat of my pants”, and they’re packed with protein and other good stuff.

This recipe is a real time saver, if you choose to make it several days ahead of time and refrigerate it. While it’s very flavorful and satisfying immediately after cooking, making the soup ahead of time allows the flavors to meld and deepen. You can also freeze it for later use. Now that’s planning! Which I don’t. Usually. Oh, and if you’re really in a hurry, go ahead and use a couple of 4 oz. cans of mushrooms, drained well. I won’t tell anyone.

I referred to this recipe earlier as a “budget-stretcher”. Here’s why: As the soup cools, the starches from the lentils, barley, and potatoes, um, coagulate (for lack of a better word), and make it twice as thick as it was when it was freshly-cooked. The cooling process turns the soup into more of a soup base. To reheat, you must add more water or broth to the soup so it won’t burn. So, if you’re storing it (either refrigerated or frozen) for later meals, make portions half the size that you’ll need later. When ready to re-heat, just put the soup portion into a larger pot and add a nearly equal amount of broth or water. If you’d like, you can add another cut-up potato to leaven things out, and simmer for about another 20 minutes until the potato is fork-tender.

This soup also lends itself to nearly infinite variation, too, depending on what’s in your fridge. If you’ve got some kale or spinach you need to use up, just cut it into ribbons and toss into the pot for the last ten minutes of cooking. Chunks of squash – either summer or winter varieties – work well in here, too. Fifteen or twenty minutes should do it. So, clean out that vegetable drawer and use your imagination!

Stay warm, friends!