Savory Chicken Wontons

My husband and I love fried potstickers, so I thought I’d try making some from scratch. We were both impressed by the results. This recipe calls for the following:

1 chicken breast

~8 pieces of thinly sliced salami

2 small red potatoes

1/2 cup diced red cabbage

2 cloves roasted garlic

1/2 cup diced onion

fresh oregano

fresh rosemary

ginger powder

dried chives

teriyaki sauce

soy sauce

peanut oil

Mince the meats into small bits. Dice the vegetables into cubes. Grease your skillet with 3 tblspoons of butter melted over medium heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and sear until the meat is mostly white. Press the garlic into the pan. Add the salami and vegetables, using vegetable oil as necessary to prevent drying. Sprinkle about 1/8 teaspoon of each of your herbs and sautée until the vegetables are soft and shiny.

Pour enough teriyaki over the dumpling filling to just barely wet the ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat.

Wonton wrappers can be found in most grocery stores. They are little pastry dough rectangles measuring about 2 X 3 inches. Lay the wrappers on a flat surface 2 layers thick. I like to double the layers of pastry because it keeps the dough from tearing when fried.

Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of the wonton square. Wet your fingers and run them along the outer edges of the dough. Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges together to seal them. You’ll be left with a triangle shaped wonton.

Pour peanut oil into your skillet, so that it’s about 1/2 inch deep. Heat the oil over medium. When the oil is hot, take a wonton and lay it in the oil on one side. Add as many as you can fit in the pan without overlapping edges. When the edges of the dough begin to brown, flip the wontons and fry the other side. Transfer to a basket with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

To make the dipping sauce, you’ll need a small bowl for each person being served. Fill the bowl with 2 parts teriyaki and 1 part soy sauce. Stir in about 1/8 teaspoon of ginger until it is incorporated into the sauce. Top with a sprinkling of dried chives, and serve.

Greek Quesadillas

Quesadillas are always a great appetizer. This recipe includes feta cheese, kalamata olives, and roasted garlic to create a distinctive Greek flavor. You’ll need tortillas, melting cheese (I used pepperjack), a few cloves of roasted garlic (sliced thinly), crumbled feta, and diced kalamata olives.

Spray your pan with a cooking spray, turn on burner to medium heat, and lay the tortilla in the pan. Before the tortilla gets too hot, use your fingers to slide it around the pan, so the the oil is evenly distributed. Next lay down a layer of your melting cheese, then sprinkle the olives, garlic, and feta over the top. You should cover half the tortilla with your ingredients, leaving the other half free to fold over.

Using a pair of tongs, grab the free edge of the tortilla, and flip it over the the cheesy half to make a semicircular quesadilla. The bottom should be the perfect shade of golden brown, but if it isn’t as thoroughly browned as you’d like, then let it simmer a minute longer, flipping it once to get the other side.

This makes a great snack for 1 person as it’s described above. If you plan to serve Greek Quesadillas as an appetizer for a larger party, then you can modify the recipe as follows:

When laying down the ingredients, cover the entire tortilla (as opposed to half the tortilla). I added cilantro to this one, which was really tasty.

Then cover this cheesy layer with a second tortilla. Flip to brown the top layer.

Transfer to a cutting board. Slice the quesadilla like a pie into 6 even slices and serve.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

This is a really easy, surprisingly delicious appetizer that’s one of my favorites. All you need is a package of bacon (I like center cut), fresh medium sized jalapeño peppers, and cream cheese.

Wash the peppers and cut off the stem. Slice lengthwise, so that each pepper makes 2 little boats. Rinse and remove the seeds.

Spread the cream cheese inside the jalapeño half.

Slice the strips of bacon in half, and wrap each piece around the pepper, securing the ends with a toothpick.

You can use a typical oven to cook the poppers, but I like to use my small convection oven/toaster. It doesn’t heat up the room, and it cooks the bacon more evenly for a more crispy finish to complement the soft cream cheese.

Preheat the oven to to 450 degrees and bake the poppers for 15 minutes, or until the bacon looks done and the cream cheese is beginning to brown. Allow them to cool for a few minutes, then serve.

Now a lot of people expect these poppers to be too spicy to enjoy. While its true that jalapeños vary in hotness, most peppers lose their heat during the baking process. I find that the peppers are almost sweet, and I don’t like my food too spicy. If you like your peppers hotter, try leaving in the seeds or cooking them for less time. If you are particularly sensitive to hot foods, then cook them for a longer period on 400 degrees F. A soft, well cooked jalapeño pepper shouldn’t be too spicy.