4 • September 2017 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC.


Eat Well & Prosper


Dumplings are an ancient nour- ishment. Chinese cooks have been preparing a version called jiaozi


for over


1,800 years. Dur- ing the Han Dy- nasty, Zhang, the “medicine


saint”,


combined mutton, chili and warming medicinal


herbs


into a wrap. After boiling the dump- lings he gave them to the poor to “warm their body, promote


blood


fl ow and help thaw frost bit- ten ears”. Archaeologists have uncovered wooden bowls fi lled with dumplings from eighth century Tang Dynasty graves which look the same has those served


in restaurants today. Few words can express the TASTY LITTLE PACKAGES by Executive Chef Ron Skaar ~ ronskaar@comcast.net


Chinese people’s affection for dumplings, this food became a symbol of home and warmth. Ancient Rome


had their own kind of dumpling, men- tioned in the oldest cookbook of the writer


By the 15th century


Apicius. reci-


pes started to show up in Renaissance Europe, most often under the heading “gnoc-


chi”. In the beginning of the 17th century, a dumpling rec- ipe fi rst appeared in English print.


Similar to Yorkshire pudding, Norfolk dumplings were in- tended to fi ll hungry stomachs cheaply and enhance the scarci-


sin- gular u O


EmploYee OwnEd


oliver's market est. 1988


s dish. Today dumplings exist


across Europe and Asia. The same similar shapes are pre-


ty of meat. Dumplings were so diverse, that they became more of a method or a style of cook- ing rather a


than


pared all the way from Italy, straight across Asia, to China, Korea and even Japan. Many are called manti. In Central Asia and Chinese Islamic cui- sine manti are ground lamb or beef wraps accompa- nied by butter and a yogurt-onion sauce. Japan’s steamed and fried treats are called gyoza.


lings,


Western dump- including


Spatzle, are often free-form


portions


of batter or dough dropped into boiling liq- uid, accompanying a stew


or a meat dish. Dumpling doughs benefi t from the inclu- sion of tiny air pockets, which provide lightness.


The Polish prepare their


stuffed pierogi and the French have their puffed up quenel- les. The Czech make a bread dumpling called Knedliky and the Schupfnudeln, a torpedo shaped potato version which gets fried in butter, is prepared in Germany. Many sweet va- rieties, including pear dump- lings, plum dumplings and a Black Forest cherry soup with egg white dumplings are old recipes relished in Europe. Va- nilla sauce is served with the sweet, fried Dampfnudel. The fi rst syllable of this word may have given us the basis for our term dumpling.


Americans have consumed


a wide array of dim sum, pot stickers, won ton, tamales plus some of the dumplings listed above. We’ve had a penchant for chicken and


dumplings,


prepared a variety of ways. The sweet-baked dump- lings have long been popular in American cuisine. Made by wrapping fruit in pastry and baking until pastry is brown and fi lling is tender. September 17th is national apple dump- ling day while the 19th cel- ebrates butterscotch. Both are part of this recipe.


4 • September 2017 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC.


EW & P Recipe September 2017


Apple


Dumplings with


Butterscotch Sauce


PIE CRUST (enough for 2 double crusts) 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 3 tablespoons unsalt- ed butter 8 medium Winesap, Jonathan or your fa- vorite baking apples


Sauce:


2 cups brown sugar 1 cup water


2 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons corn- starch


3 tablespoons water Roll crust and cut into circles large enough to wrap around apples. Mix next four ingre- dients. Peel and core apples. Spread a pastry circle with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place an apple in the center of the circle and fi ll core with same mixture. Brush edg- es of pastry with water and fold over apples, pinching edges together. Cover rest of apples. Place apples in a buttered bak- ing pan. Bake in a 425 degree oven until pastry browns, 15 minutes, then turn down oven to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 1 1/4 hours or un- til fi lling is tender. To Make Sauce: In a saucepan combine brown sugar, 1 cup water and butter; boil for 10 minutes. Stir in mixture of cornstarch and remaining water, blending un- til thickened. Serve dumplings hot with butterscotch sauce.


“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” ~ Herman Melville


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