The Official Chef Robert Irvine Blog

I recently returned from doing an episode in San Francisco, the site of the largest annual Chinese New Year parade outside China. Almost a fifth of the residents of the metropolitan area are of Asian heritage, many being descendants of Chinese railroad workers or mine workers of the 1849 California Gold Rush. January 26th is the first day of this year’s 15-day celebration marking the beginning of the Year of the Ox when prosperity is thought to be brought only through fortitude and hard work. Preparations for the Chinese New Year holiday typically include the purchase of new clothing and a thorough housecleaning in anticipation of the family reunions which will, of course, be centered around a dinner. New Year menus will usually include a fish as well as dumplings, both symbols of wealth. Glutinous rice pounded into a paste and molded into shape will likely be served in one of its various forms – in a soup, in a stir fry, or possibly in a dessert rice cake. This preparation of rice is often referred to as nian gao – a name which means “higher and higher,” and is representative of the universal hope that the upcoming year will be better than the last.
“He whose wisdom brings him into power, needs goodness to secure that power. Else, though he get it, he will certainly lose it.” Confucius

Stop and think before you leap into your work…

Pork Pot Stickers
Copyright 2009, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 72 dumplings, 6 to 12 servings

Ingredients:
72 round wonton skins (approximately 3” diameter)
2 to 3 liters canola oil, as needed for deep frying
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
3/4 pound ground pork
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
9 scallions, white and tender green parts only, sliced thinly on the bias
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root, covering scraped off with the tip of a spoon
2 tablespoons soy sauce plus 1 cup of additional soy sauce as an accompaniment
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Method:
Lay the wonton skins out on a clean dry surface such as wax paper.

Heat the grapeseed oil in a skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers, add the pork, and season with salt and pepper. Cook the meat until it begins to brown, stirring often. Pour or spoon off any excess fat from the pan and add 3 tablespoons of the scallions (reserving the rest for the garnish), ginger, and soy sauce. Cook until the flavors are well integrated. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Create a slurry in a small bowl by gradually whisking two tablespoons water into the cornstarch.

Bring a shallow pan of water to boil.

Spoon 1 teaspoon of the cooked pork mixture onto each of the wontons. Brush the edges with the cornstarch slurry, fold each wonton over to enclose and pinch to seal shut.

Boil the filled dumplings in batches for 2 or 3 minutes and carefully transfer with a slotted spoon to drain on a wire rack.

Serve warm with soy sauce and garnished with scallions.


Salmon over Creamed Leeks with Apple Butter Sauce
Copyright 2009, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients for apple butter sauce
½ cup (1 stick) butter
2 apples (your choice of variety), peeled, cored and diced small
2 cups apple juice
½ cup orange juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Salt, to taste

Ingredients for cream sauce for leeks:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, chopped
1 cup white wine
6 leeks, white and tender green parts only, split into 12 pieces lengthwise and thoroughly soaked in salt water to release grit
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for fish:
6 eight-ounce salmon fillets
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, as needed to sauté
¼ pound rice noodles, deep-fried OR 2 tablespoons chopped lemon thyme, for garnish

Method for the apple butter sauce:
Melt the butter in a sauté pan and add the apples, cooking over medium heat for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add apple juice, orange juice and rice wine vinegar, cover and allow the apples to cook until very soft. Then uncover and allow liquid to reduce to about 1/3 of what you started with. Bring to room temperature and puree in a blender or food processor. Create a slurry by gradually whisking cornstarch into about ¼ cup water and blend the slurry into the sauce. Return the sauce to the pot and allow to cook for a few minutes to thicken. Season with salt if needed.

Method for the creamed leeks:
Begin the creamed leeks while the apples are cooking. Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat and sauté onion until translucent. Deglaze the pan with wine and reduce until the liquid is almost all gone. (While you are waiting for the wine to reduce, start steaming the leeks.) When the wine has mostly evaporated, stir in the cream, season with salt and pepper, and reduce heat to a simmer to allow to reduce and thicken. Strain this sauce and pour over the steamed leeks and set aside briefly in a warm place.

Method for the fish:
Season the salmon fillets with coarse sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Place a little oil into the sauté pan and bring to smoking point (you need a hot pan in order to get a crispy outside). Cook the salmon, skin side down leaving undisturbed (no peeking) for about 5 minutes, or until the skin begins to get crispy, then turn and begin cooking for 4 minutes more. This allows the surface of the fish to “caramelize.” (You may need more time on the salmon depending on the thickness). You can, if you wish, finish the salmon in the oven at 375 degrees. However, DO NOT OVERCOOK THE SALMON. Once you touch the flesh and it springs back up, it’s cooked. Remember, because of carryover cooking, the fish will continue to cook after it is removed from the heat.

Presentation:
Re-heat the apple butter sauce if necessary. Place 4 lengths of the creamed leeks on one side the serving plate, with a salmon fillet on the other. Spoon apple butter sauce on the fish and garnish with fried noodles or lemon thyme.