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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 19:32:26 GMT
Inspired by imec's mention of dough wrapped in beet leaves and in respect of this new era of global poverty, what do you think of dumplings, gnocchi and other useless blobs of crap?
Do you eat them or avoid them? Can they be made edible?
(I am of course being completely impartial.)
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Post by imec on Aug 8, 2009 20:09:03 GMT
"Inspired"? Sounds more like you were revolted...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 20:20:13 GMT
Who, me? Perhaps their deliciousness was not properly described.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 8, 2009 20:47:47 GMT
I have had dumplings very few times in my life. I learned how to make those biscuit dough kind, and have to admit they're sort of a guilty pleasure if they're light enough & if there is enough good liquid for them to sop up.
There is a kind of dumplings here called chochoyones which are sometimes put into the mole verde of Oaxaca. They are kind of fun to make & another guilty pleasure to eat.
To make them you take tortilla dough and mix it with asiento. Asiento is the dark brown stuff full of crisp bits that settles to the bottom when lard is rendered. The mixture is separated into little balls that are formed around the forefinger so they look like fat little belly buttons.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 21:42:03 GMT
I think that what destroyed any possible pleasure that I could have had from dumplings was the school cafeteria.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 21:45:30 GMT
Had a recent discussion with a friend about the Polish delicacy,pierogi ,which is basically a pocket of pasta like dough stuffed with a variety of different fillings,some meats,but my favorites being cheese and or potatoes. They are served with sour cream. Not great summertime fare but wonderful. Easy to make.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 8, 2009 21:46:06 GMT
That school cafeteria smell could be used as a secret weapon. If it were captured and emitted judiciously, it could induce anorexia in entire populations.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 8, 2009 21:46:37 GMT
Pierogis are steamed, not baked, correct?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 21:50:58 GMT
They are boiled for 8-10 minutes and then pan fried in butter or oil with finely minced onions. No baking involved.
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Post by imec on Aug 8, 2009 22:32:07 GMT
Who, me? Perhaps their deliciousness was not properly described. Actually, what makes those ones so tasty is, after baking, they are placed in a skillet in which scallions have been lightly sauteed in butter, tossed a few times and then a little cream is added and they simmer in the cream for 10 minutes or so. I'm making them tonight - I'll photograph.
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Post by lagatta on Aug 8, 2009 23:44:42 GMT
Pierogi or dumplings?
Pierogi are a typical food of imec's region as there are many people there from Northeastern Europe (Ukraine, Russia, Poland...). Logically, it was thought they would feel at home on the Canadian Prairies. My favourite pierogi are the mushroom/sauerkraut stuffed ones. Find the potato ones a bit heavy, as they are stuffed into pasta-like dough (though they can be very tasty). There are similar ravioli-like dumplings in China and Southeast Asia. I have had those steamed.
I've never had dumplings in an institutional setting. I rather like them, but don't eat them often, out of middle-aged computer-slave dietary concerns, not taste. A friend in Vienna (he moved back to his hometown after 30 years working as an architect in Toronto) makes lovely Knödel - exactly like giant gnocchi, and the words are obviously related. I've made squash gnocchi and gnocchi with spinach and ricotta as well as potatoes and semolina. Viennese friend is as enviably slim as he was 30 years ago, though he has a capacity to consume superhuman quantities of rather "bourratif" food. But he is a chain smoker.
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Post by Jazz on Aug 9, 2009 2:10:26 GMT
I love the tiny Hungarian dumplings and will order them , instead of potatoes. My Hungarian friend makes delicious dumplings.
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Post by bazfaz on Aug 9, 2009 8:09:05 GMT
I was in Prague in 1984. That was the time and the place for dumplings. There may well have been a law making them compulsory with all meals. I remember one dinner when my dish had no fewer than three different kind of dumplings hiding the meat.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2009 10:07:18 GMT
How poetic that "1984" would be the"Golden Age" of the dumpling in Prague.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Aug 9, 2009 10:39:05 GMT
I think that what destroyed any possible pleasure that I could have had from dumplings was the school cafeteria. Or, eating "Sweet Sue" Brand canned chicken and dumplings. But, there is a wide range of dumplings from around the world. Filled and unfilled. I crave roliavis, mantou, kreplach, vareniky, jiao-tze, wontons, and many more. Matzo balls—eh! K2, I know you're gonna love dampnudeln, a steamed raised dough dumpling served with stewed fruit and/or custard sauce. " While most Americans expect to eat savory foods at lunch and dinner, Germans will often bypass the savory and fill you up with noodles or dumplings that are sweetened with fruit compote and vanilla sauce.
It’s a good solution, really. We all like sweet things, but eating another dumpling for dessert after the main meal is just too much. Making it the main attraction cuts to the chase.
These dumplings caramelize on the bottom, which gives them a nice, chewy bite with soft insides." germanfood.about.com/od/flourbasedrecipes/r/Dampfnudeln.htm
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Post by auntieannie on Aug 9, 2009 11:06:29 GMT
I had the pleasure of eating Tibetan momos cooked by a tibetan woman and I would get these if I could anytime.
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Post by bazfaz on Aug 9, 2009 11:39:37 GMT
Do pelmeni count as dumplings? I went to a Russian restaurant in Riga where there wasa menu in cyrillic and an English translation that was little help. I hadn't eaten pelmeni before and I asked the waiter what they were. He lifted his eyes to the ceiling for inspiration. "Pelmeni," he told me, "is pelmeni." I probed; Are they fish, meat or fowl? He gave this half a minute's consideration and told me. "Sometimes."
I had the pelmeni though I was tempted to have Back of the Woods Cavalry Man's Salad.
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Post by lagatta on Aug 9, 2009 13:20:24 GMT
Pelmeni are dumplings in the same sense that pierogi, ravioli, manti, and a whole series of East and Southeast Asian stuffed things are.
Jazz, I've never had Hungarian dumplings. Are they similar to the Viennese kind, but smaller? Both Toronto and Montréal used to be blessed with many Hungarian restaurants and coffeehouses (and for sweets lovers, best cakes on earth) but most of them have closed since then. Many had been opened by refugees either from the Second World War or the failed Hungarian Uprising of 1956 - guess the refugees' children went into professions with less strenuous hours.
Don Cuevas, I don't particularly care for sweet things. Your chicken looks scary emerging from its big tin, but that is what poached or stewed chicken or hen looks like, and it can be very tasty. I know it is sometimes served with dumplings, but have never had that.
Kerouac, are you including the lovely steamed dumplings readily available close to your abode in Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants in those you decry? I remember a lovely meal of various dumplings, a couple of stir fries, lots of hot sauce and quite a few carafes of indifferent rosé (though it went fine with our meal) in that very neighbourhood.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2009 13:46:00 GMT
Manti,THAT'S the dish I had in Turkey that sent me. They were stuffed with ground lamb and wonderful spices and served in a yogurt cream pesto like sauce. Heavenly.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Aug 9, 2009 23:25:18 GMT
"Don Cuevas, I don't particularly care for sweet things. Your chicken looks scary emerging from its big tin, but that is what poached or stewed chicken or hen looks like, and it can be very tasty. I know it is sometimes served with dumplings, but have never had that."
Well, lagatta, that canned chicken and dumplings is really gross stuff. (It might have been better if it were heated, but sometimes we ate it cold from small cans while caving. URP!)
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Post by lagatta on Aug 10, 2009 0:33:41 GMT
That sounds rather vile, and so does caving, actually. I crave the light of day too much.
A good stewed fowl, while not the most attractive dish, can be savoury indeed...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2009 17:46:13 GMT
I have some of those Chinese fish balls in my freezer, but I am afraid to bring them out.
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Post by hwinpp on Aug 11, 2009 7:29:00 GMT
I like dumplings and haven't found one I wouldn't order again. Fried or steamed, all are appreciated.
At my favourite restaurant for 'pulled' beef noodles I always order a dish of 'water dogs' as well (no fear, no dog inside, that's just their Chinese name; pulled noodles are handmade noodles, I'm sure there's a video on youtube, you'll be fascinated).
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2009 20:21:04 GMT
There is a very vague boundary between dumplings, noodles, ravioli type items, etc. I would find it very difficult to explain what sort of item goes beyond the limit, but those balls of crap in chicken soup should not exist.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 22, 2009 4:59:37 GMT
Do you mean matzoh balls or dumplings in the chicken soup?
I had matzoh ball soup in that cafe in Boulder that was famous for being in Mork & Mindy (this was back in the time of that show). It was one BIG matzoh ball in broth. Good, though.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2009 5:01:35 GMT
I mean either. Get that stuff out of my soup!
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Post by cristina on Aug 22, 2009 5:09:26 GMT
There is a very vague boundary between dumplings, noodles, ravioli type items, etc. I would find it very difficult to explain what sort of item goes beyond the limit, but those balls of crap in chicken soup should not exist. Does that include dumplings in beef stew? I don't eat chicken much, but I love beef stew with dumplings (a comfort food, maybe?) Those dumplings, are pillowy and succulent...absorbing the sauce of the stew. This thread made me crave beef stew with dumplings, except its too hot here to make stew. And besides, I'd rather my Mom make it. I really love those dumplings, K2. Come to think of it, there may be a serious discussion about dumplings in the future... ~C
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Post by imec on Aug 22, 2009 5:13:45 GMT
I put creamed corn in my beef stew dumplings - mmmmm!
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 22, 2009 5:18:29 GMT
Oh my god -- I think he just barfed himself inside out!
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Post by imec on Aug 22, 2009 5:20:50 GMT
And a wee bit of Chipotle Chile powder.
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