The Nostalgia Of Wontons

 The Year of the Rabbit is upon us and with it comes traditional centuriess old recipes. One is wontons, They're delicous in soup, heavenly when fried. One of their best aspects is that they can be made at home - anytime.

Regular contributor and deputy editor Genvieve Ko wrote about this classic in yesterday's New YorkTimes Food section.The Lunar New Year starts ths Sunday and the perfect dish according to her is wontons. They're a comfort food that reminds immigrants of home and second generation Chinese Americans a tie to their heritage. Wontons have been eaten since ancient times according to Grace Young, an award winning cookbook author and food historian. They symbolize wealth because of their resemblance to gold ingots.It's the same reason dumplings are also served during the holiday. Keep in mind that wontons are dumplings but not all dumplings are wontons. They're also not exclusively Cantonese. There are thicker skinned ones in northern China and of course spicy ones from Szechuan in the southwest. The Hong Kong style that Ms KO grew up with has silky wrappers and is always stuffed with shrimp. There is also a dessert with this. Usually the Canonese serve oragnes becasue their Cantonese name is a homophone for gold. However Ms. Ko includes  a shortbread cookie recipe baked with the blackened sesame seeds found in such holiday candies and sweets like tang yuan,

Home chefs may be daunted making wontons.Making them is  really no different than making pasta. It's almost the same mix of flour, eggs and warm water along with salt. There is cornstarch for dusting.  It's the same well method  too, meaning a well is made in a mound of flour and the eggs are poured into it. The dough will be shaggy and it needs to be kneaded for eight to ten minutes until it's not sticky anymore. Divide the dough in two and then pat into a rectangle. Loosely wrap each section of dough in  Saran wrap and let each sit for an hour. Doing this will help the dough relax and easier to roll out. You can use a pasta roller or a rolling into create sheets. You'll need a ruler , a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut the dough into twenty-eight to thirty three inch squares. The filling is a tasty blend of shrimp, pork and scallions.It's flavored with ginger, oyster  sauce , soy sauce and sesame oil. Sugar salt and pepper are mixed in for a contrast of salty and sweet and there's the addition of Shaoxing wine or dry sherry. The wontons' edges are sealed with water when they're deep fried or cooked insoup. The cookies are an easy shortbread ,sprinkled with white  sesame seeds. This is a perfect dessert served with oranges.

What better way to start the New Year with wonton and blackened sesame shortbread cookies. Enjoy both ushering in the Year of The Rabbit. They're a fun way to celebrate.

Stockpiling Your Kitchen

There's all sorts of strange stories out there concerning the Corona virus. One odd one is about stockpiling various food stuffs in case there are shortages. That's the strange part - what shortages, especially here in the States. Is this some kind of media made panic or should we be worried? Then there's the other question, if this is true - what do we stockpile?

There's some small buzz in grocery stores in the New York City area. I heard today that water and salt are being grabbed off the shelves at local Wal-marts in the Northern New Jersey area. Storing water is kind of strange. It's not as if our supply or local reservoirs are being threatened with bio-warfare or they're compromised. The salt makes sense, People are being told to gargle, presumably by their healthcare providers. Doing such will kill some of the virus bacteria and it will also bring the bacteria to the surface of gums, tongue and teeth. It's then should be washed out with a strong mouth wash.As far as other foods, milk and eggs are also at the top of the list. It's sort of similar to what people buy before a big blizzard with the exception of bread.The United Kingdom has a bad case of stockpile fever. Brits are clearing the shelves of their local supermarkets, fighting over pasta, rice and long life milk according to the BBC.It is obviously worse in Hong Kong where life - and trade has ground to a halt.

It hopefully isn't that bad here. We may have problems with hand sanitizer and liquid hand soap. Again, that' s understandable. Yet if we do have shortages, what do we buy to survive? The best bet is all canned foods such as canned veggies and fruits. These are versatile to use in a variety of different dishes, from omelets to stews. Despite what you've heard from some natural food advocates canned  produce can be just as nutritious and vitamin packed as their fresh versions. However, try to eat as much of the fresh stuff while you can. If you do feel a bit panicky about shortages, then freeze fresh fruit and veggies.Don't worry about it losing its' nutritional value. Fruits and veggies start breaking down after a whole year in the freezer.  Your grapes and broccoli are still OK for a week in the deep freeze. Meats are another foodstuff that can be frozen for a year or two. Cereals last six to eight months while oatmeal lasts a year and a half if you want to stockpile on them. If you're in a warm weather zone, then consider starting a veggie garden. You'll always have fresh produce which helps in fighting any illness. Also buy and plant melon seeds and berry plants.

Should we listen to the crazy rumors and start stockpiling? That's up to you. If you feel better then get a few extra cans now and then. Just don't go wild and and into a frenzy of over buying.