Dips, Spreads and Dunkables

September 1, 2009

Margo Blair hosted our second Tasty Morsels gathering, dedicated to appetizers, on her rooftop. The impeccable late summer weather, amazing dips, spreads and dunkables, and delightful company made for a perfect evening.

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餃子 JIAOZI (Chinese Dumplings steamed or boiled)

锅贴 GUO TIE (Chinese Potstickers pan-fried)

(Diane Liu and Catherine Edwards)

FILLING:
6 cups of Chinese cabbage finely chopped
1 teaspoon slat
1 lb ground pork
2.5 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
2 tablespoons roasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch

50 round dumpling wrappers

Squeeze all water from the chopped cabbage and place in large bowl.
Add pork, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, ginger and cornstarch.
Mix together.

Place teaspoon of filling at center of each wrapper.
Wrap into half moon and form small pleats (this is the fun part - Catherine & Diane can show you how).
Boil or pan-fry.

To Boil - cook in boiling water 10-15 minutes
To Pan Fry - heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan with single layer of dumplings. Cook for 2 minutes. Add water, cover, and steam for 10-15 minutes, then uncover and cook until water has evaporated.

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WHITE BEAN DIP WITH PITA (Emily Nelson)
Williams-Sonoma Small Plates

4 T olive oil
1 oz prosciutto, finely chopped
4-6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
1 can cannellini beans (15 1/2 oz), rinsed and drained
1 shallot, very finely chopped
2 t lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pita bread, 6 rounds, each cut into quarters
1 tsp dried sage

Make the dip:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. In a small frying pan over medium-low heat, warm 1 T of the oil. Add the prosciutto, if using, and the fresh sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and remove from heat. In a food processor combine the beans and shallot and process. Add the lemon juice and 1 T of oil and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the sauteed sage mixture, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside for the flavors to come together.

Warm the pita:
Place the pita quarters on a baking sheet. Brush both sides lightly with the remaining 2 T olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with the diced sage and heat in the oven until crisp and warmed through, about 10 minutes. Place the toasted pita on a small platter and serve alongside the bowl of bean dip.

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CREAMY PESTO DIP (Margo Blair)
Betty Crocker

1 container (8 oz) sour cream

1/4 cup basil pesto

Veggies

1. Mix sour cream and pesto until well blended.

2. Serve with vegetables.

Yield: 1 Cup

Note: I've never measured, but usually a small container of pre-made/packaged pesto from Fairway or most grocery stores looks close to 1/4 cup and works out great proportionally.

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GOUDA AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO CHEESE BALL (Margo Blair)
Betty Crocker

Prep: 20 min. Chill: 2 hr Yield: 3 cups

1 tub (8 oz) soft cream cheese

2 c shredded Gouda or Colby cheese (8 ounces)

1/4 c chopped fresh chives

1/4 c sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained

1/4 t garlic powder

3/4 c chopped pecans

Crackers

1. Mix cream cheese and Gouda cheese in medium bowl until blended. Stir in chives, tomatoes and garlic powder.

2. Shape mixture into 1 large or 2 small balls or logs; roll in pecans. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours but no longer than 2 weeks. Serve with crackers.

Note: The "Red Wax" Gouda, freshly shredded, makes it soft and tasty. If you get "Roland" sun-dried tomatoes, the small bottles are probably about 1/4 cup. I learned from sad experience to cut the tomato into small pieces.

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ROASTED CORN SALSA (Sariah Toronto)
Chips and Dips by Claudia McQuillan

2 ears sweet corn
3 T olive oil
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4-in dice
1/4 c finely diced red bell pepper
1/4 c finely diced green bell pepper
1/4 c finely diced red onion
1 T freshly squeezed lime juice
3 basil leaves, julienned
1 small serrano child, seeded and minced
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 t ground white pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Pull back husks, remove corn silk, and rub 1 1/2 t of olive oil over each cob of corn; smooth husks back over corn kernels. Place corn on baking sheets and roast for 15 minutes, turning corn over after 8 minutes. Remove from oven, cool, husk and cut kernels from cobs.

Place the kernels in a mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients. Taste and correct seasoning, adding salt, pepper, or lime juice, as desired. Transfer salsa to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Makes 2 cups.