Perfect Potstickers

I went to my neighbor's kitchen bridal shower this weekend where we were asked to bring a recipe with a story. It was pretty simple to decide to give her a recipe for potstickers since we made these bad boys a few weeks ago. Below is the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients
• 1 pound ground pork
• ¼ cup finely chopped scallions
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 35 to 40 small wonton wrappers
• Water, for sealing wontons
• 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 1/3 cups chicken stock, divided

Directions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
Combine the first 10 ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl (pork through cayenne). Set aside.

To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush one side of the edge of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold over, seal edges, and shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.

Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil once hot. Add 8 to 10 potstickers at a time to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, without touching. Once the 2 minutes are up, gently add 1/3 cup chicken stock to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove wontons to a heatproof platter and place in the warm oven. Clean the pan in between batches by pouring in water and allowing the pan to deglaze. Repeat until all the wontons are cooked. Serve immediately.

Dipping Sauce
½ cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
½ teaspoon sesame oil
¼ to ½ teaspoon garlic chili paste (depending on how spicy you want it)

Dinner in Chicago

Since moving to Chicago, I've reconnected with a few good friends from college - one of which shares an inner love of food and has now become my partner in crime for trying restaurants around town. We've made it a point to have dinner at least once a month when our schedules coordinate properly.

On our recent Monday night dinner catch up, we tried West Town Tavern on W. Chicago. This place is unassuming from the outside, but it definitely had a neighborhood restaurant feel on the inside. I had the special of the day which was Fried Chicken and V had the trout. The chicken was crispy on the outside but tender and juicy on the inside. The garlic mash potatoes were to die for and the gravy and biscuit melt in your mouth. The trout had crispy skin on the outside but the fish was juicy and flavorful. I would definitely go back and try a few of the other dishes.

Bienvenue en Louisiane

The hubby and I went back to NOLA to visit for jazz fest. We definitely had a great time with the live music and late nights we were out. And as a foodie, I was reunited with all the foods that make me go gaga. We ate boiled crawfish, crawfish bread, crawfish monica, cochon du lait poboys, shrimp poboys, hugely insane burgers with overstuffed baked potatoes, raw gulf oysters, and a seafood meal at Jacques-Imo's Cafe.

My inner fat kid came out, and I think that I probably gained a few from the trip, but no regrets and tons of memories. Below is a sampling of the meal we had at Jacques-Imo's Cafe. It's called Godzilla meets Fried Green Tomatoes. It was a beast, and I conquered it. The soft shell crab was tender and juicy and the fried green tomatoes gave it just enough tang and flavor. Definitely give it a go if you're in town. That place is one of my all time faves.