Pip's Plate

These are really good for throwing an informal get together at your house. I remember growing up and my mom making crab wontons when friends would be coming over for dinner. My sisters and I would always sneak a couple off the tray before anyone showed up so we could sample them too.

My friend and I created this variation a couple years ago for her annual holiday party. It combines some of our favorite flavors into a pretty tasty appetizer.

You can keep them warm in a 200/warm oven or just serve them right away (they’re best if they’re warm but we’ve also served them at room temp for an hour or so – they usually don’t last that long anyway). They’re good with sweet and sour sauce or hot mustard.

Curried Cranberry Wontons

makes approx 40

8 oz cream cheese, at room temp

4 oz chevre goat cheese

2 scallions, sliced green and white parts

1 T red curry paste

1/3 c dried cranberries (try to avoid Craisins as they’re overly sweet – I like the organic ones from my local coop that I can buy in bulk – but if Craisins are all you can buy, go for it)

1 jalapeno, diced (use the seeds if you want the wontons spicy)

wonton skins

water

oil for frying

Combine the cream cheese, goat cheese, scallions, curry paste, cranberries, and jalapeno, in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.

In a heavy skillet heat 1/4″ of oil until hot. While the oil is heating up, put some water in a little dish and lay out wonton skins on a working surface. Place about 1 1/2 t of mixture on each of the wontons. Using your finger or a pastry brush, wet two sides of a wonton and then fold over into a triangle. The water should seal each side.

You may stop at this point with triangles or you may go one step further and wet the two long ends of the triangle and fold into the middle to form a little pouch. This is a great way to mark whether or not they’re are spicy or not spicy if making a double batch.

Continue folding wontons until they are all put together. (This is a great way to get helpers involved too.)

Test to make sure the oil is hot enough by placing one wonton in the oil. It should make popping and sizzling sounds right away. If it’s hot enough, fry 4-6 wontons at a time. Fry them until slightly brown on each side (they will continue to cook once out of the oil) – and make sure you turn them once. When done, place them on a paper towel-lined tray.

Serve when ready.

If you’re looking for a beverage to serve this with, sake is always a good choice or a nice Gewurtzeminer would go well with it too.

Here I am…again…with yet another taco recipe. They’re so versatile and I absolutely love them, so why not make endless combinations? Especially when I have all that mole in the freezer.

I just used whatever I had around, plus some fresh avocado from the supermarket. As you might be able to tell, I typically don’t make food with tomatoes or bell peppers but you’re welcome to add them to this if you like.

Chicken Mole Tacos

serves 4

time: approx 20 minutes start to finish

What you’ll need:

1# boneless, skinless organic chicken breast

1 cup mole sauce (preferably homemade – if you have the time)

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T olive oil

1 avocado, cut in half then sliced

romaine, shredded

queso fresco (the amount is up to you – depends on how much you like cheese)

sour cream

cilantro leaves for garnish

8 small flour or corn tortillas

How to make it:

Heat the mole and the chicken in a saucepan over med-low heat. Cover and simmer till chicken is cooked through (about 8 – 10 minutes). When done, remove from heat, pull chicken out and shred using two forks. Use one fork to hold onto the chicken and use the other fork to scrape the meat into shredded pieces. Put the chicken back into the mole sauce and mix it up.

While the chicken is cooking, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil over low heat. Prepare the lettuce, avocado, cheese, and other ingredients.

When the chicken is ready, set a burner to med-low heat and place a tortilla on the flame. Using tongs, watch the tortilla carefully. Don’t let it burn, but it should start to puff up very slightly (turn the heat down if it burns or puffs up too quickly). Turn it over and let the other side heat up. You’ll be able to smell the tortilla warming – so use that indicator to know when it’s done. Repeat that for all tortillas. (As an alternative, you may wrap the tortillas in foil and place in a 250 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.)

Assemble the tacos. I like to do it in this order, but really it’s up to you: sour cream, avocado, cheese, onion mixture, chicken, romaine, and a couple cilantro leaves.

If your mole is a little spicy, enjoy these tacos with a beer. Heck, even if your mole isn’t spicy, enjoy these tacos with a beer.