Shrimp Chicken Gyouza エビと鶏肉の餃子

I made Ricotta and parmesan cheese meat balls from a half pound of the ground chicken we bought from the grocery store recently. From the other half, I made shrimp/chicken gyoza エビと鶏肉の餃子. I used a mixture of chicken, shrimp and cabbage as the basis for the gyoza. Somehow the shrimp took center stage taste-wise. The taste of chicken became muted and sort of disappeared leaving a nice shrimp taste and texture from the large chunks of shrimp I added. The good amount of the cabbage I added to use up the last of a head of cabbage I had in the fridge stepped back from center stage too but added a nice lighter texture. (If I wasn’t told I would never have known the chicken and cabbage were involved.)  Since I seasoned the filling rather well, the dipping sauce became optional. This is a different and great gyoza. It heated and crisped up nicely in the “toaster oven”. I made a small salad with cucumber and blanched wood ear mushroom dressed in mustard/pon-zu dressing 胡瓜と木耳のからしポン酢あえ.

Ingredients (made about 40 gyoza)
6 large shrimp, frozen,  (I used 6 large frozen shrimp, thawed, shell removed and cut into small chunks with some made more into almost paste.)
1/4 head of cabbage, core removed, finely chopped, blanched in salted water for a few minutes, moisture squeezed
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground garlic
1 tsp potato starch
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
40 Gyoza wrappers (I used Myojo 明星 brand, frozen, thawed)

For cooking
1 tbs neutral oil plus a splash of dark sesame oil
4-5 tbs water

Directions:
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients (except for the wrappers) and mix well.
Separate the wrappers and moisten the half perimeter with water, add 1tsp of the filling in the center and close the wrapper (I make a half moon shape), crimp the edges in 4-5 places
Cover it with a plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook

Cooking
Add the oil in the non-stick frying pan on medium flame and when the oil is hot, slide in the gyoza and cook for 2 minutes or until bottom side is browned.
Flip each gyoza and brown other side (optional but we like cripsy skin on all sides)
Turn down the flame and add 4-5 tbs of water and place the lid and let it steam for 2-3 minutes
When no more steam is escaping, remove the lid and crisp up the bottom (you could add more sesame oil if you like)
Repeat for another batch

Compared to my usual pork/cabbage filling, this is lighter and with a nice delicate shrimp flavor and texture (“puri-puri” プリプリ). The myojo brand of gyoza wrappers I used was perfect because they are smaller and thinner than the square wonton skins I usually use. This delicate wrapper really let the lovely delicate shrimp flavor shine through. They crisped up very nicely in the toaster oven. 

Anchovy Onion Cocktail Biscuit アンチョビイと玉ねぎカクテルビスケット

I made “plupo al ajillo” from boiled Spanish octopus legs from D’Artagnan. They were the last of the octopus legs we had gotten from D’Artagnan. I did this since the octopus was not getting any better in the freezer and has been facing some fierce competition from the very good ones we have been getting recently from Weee. Instead of just salt I used filets of oil packed anchovy. This came out extremely well. After simmering in olive oil for 5 minutes, the octopus was very tender and the anchovy really added nice salty and umami-rich flavor. With my mini-baguette, this was a really good appetizer. 

Nonetheless after this, we were left with 4-5 more anchovy fillets. (There usually seem to be more anchovies in a can of anchovies than we can usually use). My wife came to the rescue. She found this recipe for “Anchovy onion cocktail biscuit” in the Washington Post. Given the “excess anchovy” situation and since we are big fans of savory cookies and biscuits, there was no way we could “pass”. This was a really good biscuit. It tasted so good with a glass of red wine. Caramelized onion and anchovy made this biscuit really savory and the texture was great.

Ingredients (makes 50 bite-size biscuits)

For the onions
1 medium onion (6 ounces), halved and sliced
4 anchovy fillets, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (we used small amount of cayenne pepper)
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust depending on the saltiness of the anchovy)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream (we used light cream)

For the dough
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (226 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for the counter
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3 ounces/85 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice and frozen (#1 in the composite)
3/4 cup (2 1/2 ounces/71 grams) grated Gruyère cheese, plus more for sprinkling if desired (#1)
2 1/2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce/15 grams) grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling if desired (#1)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heavy cream, for brushing (we did not use)

Directions
Step 1
Make the onions: In a skillet over medium-low heat, combine the onion, anchovies, oil, crushed red pepper flakes (in our case cayenne pepper) and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary, until the onions are soft and golden, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, then chop the mixture. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, add the cream and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.

Step 2
Make the dough: In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and pulse until combined. Add the frozen butter and process until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, about 15 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the cheeses until combined (#1). Add the onion mixture and pepper and, using a fork, stir just until the onions are evenly distributed. The dough will be crumbly.

Step 3
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 4
Lightly flour a work surface, turn the dough out on it and shape it into an 8-inch square. If the dough is too dry to stay together, sprinkle it with more heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, just until it holds its shape. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut it into quarters. Stack one quarter on top of another so that you have two stacks (#2). Push them close together; then, using a rolling pin, gently flatten and roll it out into a 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick square. For neater biscuits, trim any uneven edges of the dough with a bench scraper or sharp knife, reserving the trimmings, then cut the dough into 1-inch square biscuits.

Step 5
Reroll the trimmings and cut additional biscuits as needed. Working in batches if necessary, arrange the biscuits about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet (#3).  Lightly brush each biscuit with heavy cream. Sprinkle them with additional gruyere or parmesan, if desired. (We didn’t do this). If your kitchen is very warm or the dough has gotten soft, chill the cut biscuits in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.

Step 6
Bake the biscuits for 7 minutes, rotate the pan front to back and continue baking 4 to 5 minutes more, or until the tops are golden (#4). The biscuits are tender, so if the sprinkled cheese on top melts causing them to stick to the parchment, gently free them with a thin spatula before lifting them.

Step 7
Serve warm or room temperature.

These were surprisingly good biscuits.They started out with a very strong onion flavor which as they cooled down mellowed into a smooth slightly sweet carmelized onion flavor that blended well with the saltiness of the anchovy. The texture was a bit surprising. the outside was crunchy like the crust of a pie but the inside was a very soft combination of butter and cheeses.  These make great “small-bites” to go with a glass of wine.