Potstickers

We had a deep fryer when I was little and as far as I can remember, my parents only used it for making fried wontons. And when it was pulled out, it was a major production. But I was raised on dumplings and I absolutely love them. I don't have a fryer and I can't be bothered with all of that hot oil on the stove so potstickers are the best alternative. I make these with ground chicken instead of pork but you could use either.

12 oz ground chicken
1/3 finely chopped green onions - white and light green parts only
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tbsp dry sherry or rice wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp pepper
Package of wonton/gyoza wrappers

Sauce:
3 tbsp rice vinegar or balsamic
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sambal or sriracha
1 tsp minced ginger

1. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and dust with flour or corn starch.

3. On a large work surface or dry cutting board, line up 5 or 6 wrappers and wet half of the edge with water. Drop a tsp of meat into each and fold in half. I pleat the edges to seal them better. Set aside on the baking sheet until they're all stuffed.

4. At this point you could steam them in a steamer. Or for potstickers: heat a large skillet (that has a tight fitting lid) and a couple tbsp of canola oil. Add the dumplings and fry until golden or light brown. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and quickly cover. Let cook until the water is gone. Uncover and cook another couple of mins to crisp the bottoms.

Bruschetta

We're on a bit of an appetizer kick here...yesterday was Valentine's Day and I went the extra mile on Paddy's favorite meal of Pasta Bolognese by adding a few small bites to get us started. Bruschetta is so simple and delicious and can really be an app, a snack, lunch, whatever. I always make a little extra tomato topping and save till the next day to have on top of chicken, or fish, a salad, etc.

1 baguette
1 container of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 bunch of basil
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, grated
2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

1. Warm the olive oil on medium low heat in a saucepan with the garlic. Let the garlic infuse the oil but be careful not to let it burn.

2. Add the tomatoes to a bowl and pour the oil over them. Add the vinegar, salt and pepper.

3. Slice the baguette into thin slices and arrange on a baking sheet. Broil until lightly toasted, turn over and toast the other side.

4. Add the basil to the tomato mixture and mix well. Pile on top of the toasts and away you go!

Fried Calamari

Calamari is one of the most over priced menu items out there in restaurants. Did you know that? It's so cheap they should be giving it away for free. And in fact, Siobhan - the owner of our favorite North End restaurant, Pomodoro, does. When you least expect it, she comes by with a big plate of fried calamari to wet your appetite. For years we thought it was because we were regulars, or because Paddy's Irish (and so is she), or maybe we were just special? But no, it's because it's so stinkin cheap - what better way to butter up your customers? Genius. And when I say cheap, I mean enough for two will run you about $2.00 at the seafood counter in your local grocery store. Cheap enough that my dad uses it for bait.

But there is a small caveat...is it so cheap because it's not calamari? Not calamari you say? What else would it be? Well...check out this episode of This American Life (Episode 484: Dopplegangers) featuring my friend Seth who I studied with in Mali. Just beware of the fake stuff, friends. (And if you don't regularly listen to This American Life - you really need to start now.)

Oh, and when it is real and you're smart enough to make it at home, it couldn't be easier:

For 2 people:
4-5 Calamari bodies, sliced into 1/2 or 3/4 inch strips
1 cup of flour
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil - enough to submerge the calamari when frying

1. Heat the oil to 350 degrees.
2. Rinse and gently pat the calamari dry/ish
3. Dredge the calamari in the flour and shake free the extra
4. Drop in the oil and fry for about 1 minute or until golden brown.
5. Remove from oil with a spider or slotted spoon and drain on a plate with paper towel. Serve immediately with tomato sauce.

Cheesy Artichoke Dip

I'm a sucker for artichoke dip and this is the best I've come across. It's a miracle recipe actually - a miracle that something so easy can be sooooo loved by those who eat it and a miracle that these three ingredients can actually taste so good. Kinda like mom's crab dip, it's kinda better not knowing what's in this. Whatever you do, don't tell people as they're eating it. I like to say that it's a secret recipe.

Thanks to Jenny Brokaw for recipe, as she says "it's hardly a recipe..."

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese - I've used grated Asiago and it's almost better!
1 cup light mayo - yes, use the light! Otherwise, it's greasy
1 can drained and chopped artichokes

Mix together and bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned on top (if you can wait that long!). This is great served with crackers, tortilla chips or thinly sliced and toasted baguette.

Pear and Scallion Ravioli

I recently took a cooking class at the Elephant Walk in Cambridge. It was fabulous. Nyep, the owner, is an incredibly interesting woman with a remarkable story. She brought us back into their kitchen and let us loose with a few of her delicious recipes. This sweet and savory ravioli was particularly tasty as it's a great appetizer or party nibble.

2 medium pears, unpeeled, cored, and diced into 1/4 cubes
2 TB olive oil, plus 1/4 cup of olive oil for frying
3 scallions, white and green parts finely chopped
1 pack of wonton wrappers
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp water

1. Heat 2-3 TB of olive oil in a large sautee pan until hot. Add diced pear and a pinch of salt and sautee until soft - about 5 min. Add the scallion and sautee for another 10-15 min. until soft but not mushy. Remove from heat.

2. Beat the egg and the water to make an egg wash.

3. Put one small spoonful of the pear mixture onto each wonton and fold over, forming a triangle. Brush a bit of egg wash on the edges to seal.

3. Put the sautee pan back on the heat and coat with olive oil. Heat to medium high and fry each of the raviolis until they are crispy and golden on each side.

4. Place them on paper towels to drain the extra oil.

Prosciutto and Fontina Pinwheels

Yes, it's fontina again, my most beloved cheese. Now that it's the holiday season, it's always good to have a few very easy and quick nibbles on hand. These are good as a snack or as an appetizer, great for parties and totally addictive.

One package of puff pastry - thawed but still cold
About 6 slices of prosciutto
1 cup shredded fontina (you could use asiago, parmesan, romano...)
1 egg beaten with 1 1/2 tsp water

Heat oven to 375.

1. Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface to about 10 x 15in rectangle. Halve it lengthwise.

2. Top the pastry with prosciutto and then the fontina, leaving about 1/2 in. border on the far edge (you'll need this extra pastry edge to seal the roll).

3. Carefully roll up the pastry from the long side (you'll get about 2-3 times around (if you roll from the short edge, they'll be huge). Roll the dough as tightly as you can.

4. Brush the end border with the egg wash and seal.

5. Wrap in plastic and put in the freezer for a half hour so that it firms up.

6. Remove from fridge/freezer and plastic and slice 1/4 in. rounds. Place each spiral on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Sweet & Spicy Asian Chicken Wings

Paddy & I recently had over our good friends Reba & Andy for dinner. They love Asian cuisine and Andy makes fried dumplings that are out of this world! I need to get that recipe... Anyway, I went a little overboard with the food and made a ridiculous spread of Asian delights. I tried this recipe for sweet and spicy chicken and it was delicious. You can use either small drumsticks or chicken wings and this dish makes a great appetizer or part of a dinner buffet. Also good with full sized drumsticks.

2 cups orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
2 tbsp orange zest
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp minced ginger
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin
1 cup sugar
2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 dozen small chicken wings or drumsticks
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp cilantro

1. Place the first 11 ingredients (through the red pepper) in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Bring down to medium and stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved and liquid has reduced to a thick syrup (about 20 minutes).

2. Take the marinade off the heat and let cool almost completely.

3. Put the chicken in a large ziplock bag. Sprinkle with salt and pour all but about 1/4 cup of the cooled marinade into the bag with the chicken. Let the chicken marinate at least an hour but no more than a day. Put the unused marinade aside or in the fridge if you're not going to use it for more than an hour or so...you'll need it later.

4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Pull the chicken out of the bag with tongs and place the wings on the baking sheet. Discard the rest of the marinade from the bag.

5. Bake about 40-45 minutes or until the chicken is done. When done, remove from oven and drizzle the chicken lightly with the marinade that you had set aside earlier (not the marinade that was in the bag with the chicken!).

6. Sprinkle the chicken with the chopped cilantro and sesame seeds if you have them.