Madelyn goes to market

i went to the lincoln square market with the goal of getting the main ingredients for gyoza (japanese dumplings typically filled with pork and cabbage).

now a word on where i got the inspiration for this dish…. the splendid table. if you’re not familiar with this radio show, go to splendidtable.org. you can download podcasts of each episode for free. if you like food and eating, you’ll love this show. i’m obsessed with it. during one of the more recent shows, someone called in asking the host, lynne rosetto kasper, what to use in gyoza if you’re a vegetarian since they are typically made with pork. of course, LRK came through with not one idea but a multitude of filling options, one of which was making the gyoza with mushrooms. because mushrooms have umami, they can taste like meat at times. since i live with a vegetarian and needed something for dinner that night, this sounded perfect.

the lincoln square market did not disappoint me in my search for gyoza ingredients. i found cremini mushrooms (shiitake probably would have been better but these worked just fine), cabbage and green onions. i took pieces of a couple of recipes i found online and patched them together (see below). i had most of the other ingredients at home other than the gyoza wrappers which required a trip to whole foods. it was a little tricky to close up the wrappers and make them look like they do in japanese restaurants but otherwise they were fairly simple and tasted great.

gyoza couldn’t be the only component for our meal, so i used the 2/3 of the cabbage that wasn’t part of the gyoza for a side dish (recipe courtesy of susie and barb morawitz!). i set the oven to 400 and got out some aluminum foil. on the foil, i cut up the cabbage and an onion into 1/8ths, cut up a half a stick of butter, drizzled on teriyaki sauce and sprinkled with sea salt. i wrapped the foil up tightly and put it in the oven for about 30 mins. you can also do this on the grill.

i also have to mention one other thing that i found at the lincoln square farmers market which made the trip a complete success… fraises des bois strawberries (from seedling farms). after hearing about these gems on an episode of the splendid table, i’ve been looking for them at every farmers market and specialty grocery i’ve been to for the past six months. they are tiny and much more complex in flavor than you’re average grocery store strawberry. we had ice cream topped with them for dessert that same night. this is why i love farmers markets!! you’ll also notice in the picture of my finds that i walked away with a lovely strawberry pastry from delightful pastries… oops!

mushroom and cabbage gyoza

preparation:

melt the butter over medium heat and add the mushrooms, ginger and garlic for a few minutes. When the mushrooms are almost done cooking, add the scallions, soy sauce and sesame oil, stirring well to combine. allow to cook for one or two more minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

combine this mixture as well as cabbage, sugar and salt  in a bowl and mix well by hands. place a teaspoonful of filling in a gyoza wrapper and put water along the edge of the wrapper by fingers. make a semicircle, gathering the front side of the wrapper and sealing the top. heat oil in a frying pan. put gyoza in the pan and fry on high heat until the bottoms become brown. turn down the heat to low. add 1/4 cup water in the pan. cover the pan and steam the gyoza on low heat until the water is gone.

dipping sauce:
ingredients:
1 cup soy sauce
juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 scallion, minced
1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds