Pea Dumplings, The GPS, Cuisinarts and The Broken Wrist

Hi everyone. My son had an unfortunate accident the other day from swinging off his bed and he broke his wrist. The truth is, we were wondering when he would end up in the ER, as he is a wild child. Anyway, as some of you may know by now, I learned how to drive at the ripe age of 34 when i moved to the suburbs and had to learn out of necessity. I have a HORRIBLE sense of direction, however, and can count on 1 finger the number of times I have driven on a highway by myself (that would be one time).

When the Assistant at the Doctor’s office told me I had to rush to get him x-rayed and set up with a cast a few towns over, I felt a rush of panic shoot throughout my body. My husband was in the City, I was alone. I had to do this by myself. The assistant kindly gave me overly explicit directions but I was still terrified that I would get lost.

Just then, I remembered my husband had gotten me the GPS navigational system that was in the car, as yet unused. I punched the address in, the lady’s automated voice began her instructions and a huge wave of relief passed over me. It was like magic!

I had to laugh when I got home and there was an email from a workshop participant. In the subject it said “help!!!!!!” She was emailing me because she loved my edamame dip from the workshop but her blender didn’t puree it even close to how I had made it. She needed to have that edamame dip! I advised her to get a Cuisinart or at least borrow a friend’s for now.

Do I need to explain it further? We must have the proper tools to reduce stress and get to where we need to go. In the case of the GPS, it is an enabling tool that will hopefully lead one (me) to get comfortable enough to practice more and learn the rules of the road (sorry for the cliches).

Anyhoo, here’s a great vegetarian dumpling or ravioli recipe that I got from 101 cookbooks on line that requires a fabulous Cuisinart. Please buy one new or look on ebay because it is essential if you plan to make cooking a part of your life.

Plump Pea Dumpling Recipe

The instructions here are for steaming the dumplings, but I also had success pan-frying them in just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Cover and cook in a single layer until the bottoms are deeply golden, flip using a metal spatula, cover and cook until the other side is browned.

2 cups (about 10 ounces) cups peas (freshly shelled or frozen)
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
scant 1/2 tea spoon fine grain sea salt
1 small shallot, minced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
zest of one large lemon

1 package of wonton wrappers, or round wrappers (the flour ones, not the rice ones)

special equipment: bamboo steamer or regular steamer lined with parchment paper

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Salt the water (as you would pasta water) and add the peas. Cook until bright green in color and puffy, about a minute if the peas were frozen, less if you started with fresh ones.
Drain the peas and run under cold water for one minute to stop the cooking.

With a food processor (or hand blender if need be) blend the peas, ricotta cheese, olive oil, and salt into a puree. I like a bit of texture, so I don’t go too far. Return the mixture to a big bowl and stir in the shallots, Parmesan, and lemon zest. Taste. Add more salt if needed.

Fill the dumplings using an assembly line technique – a dozen at a time (for the most part following the instructions on the wrapper packaging). Place twelve wrappers out on the counter, drop a very scant teaspoon of filling onto each wrapper, rub the perimeter of each wrapper with a wet finger seal, fold (most packages have diagrams), and set aside on a plate. Do the next dozen and repeat until all the filling is used up.

Set up your steamer, rub each dumpling with a bit of olive oil, arrange the dumplings in a single layer (being careful not to overlap), and steam for about three minutes – until the dumplings are tender and transluscent. Sprinkle with a touch of salt and enjoy. P.S. I dipped them in Hot Chili oil because I like the heat.http://www.youtube.com/get_player