Hooked on KABOCHA / Japanese Pumpkin

I never thought I get hooked on a pumpkin.   Not just any pumpkin, but this KABOCHA.

Very luckily they come up every year in my brother's garden.  It is firm, sweet, and addicting... I think.  Some of the buffet serves them as Tempura.  And tonight I just fried it along with my spiral cut potatoes.   Just toss the fried potatoes in Hungarian Hot Paprika and Kosher salt.  It's delicious!

Early Thanksgiving Day Dinner

We had an early Thanksgiving Day dinner on Saturday due to some conflicting schedule.  We kept the basic menu of Turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes baked in brown sugar and marshmallows, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole; purchased pumpkin pie and homemade KABOCHA KAKI Pie, Pumpkin Apple Bread; KABOCHA / Japanese Pumpkin Chiffon Cake served with Cool Whip.  

And best of all we are going to have one next week on the official Thanksgiving Day.  What are you going to serve for your family?  I recommend KABOCHA Chiffon Cake for one.  How about Turkey Seafood Ravioli?   

Young turkey brined in kosher salt, Lime and lemon, black pepper for 6 hours in ice water. Then, stuffed with fruits - pear, green apple, lime.   Placed on rack then in a roaster.  Roasted for 5 hrs for internal temp reached 180 F degree.   Well, as you can see from the picture it is cooked rather too long.  When the breast meat starts to separate from breast bone you know it's been cooked too long.   But the gravy turned out great.  All the flavor of the stuffing and brine and turkey were in the gravy.   The next time, I am going to turn the turkey breast side down and turn it over the last hour and half to brown.  I think that would work out great.

 

Kabocha Chiffon Cake

 

Pumpkin Apple Bread

Sunday Test Cooking - Chinese Steamed Meat Bao and Shu-Mai

Another fun day test cooking our favorite Dim Sums at home.  They turned out quite good.
To Prepare STEAMED MEAT BAO DOUGH: 

600 g flour

1 tsp Rapid Rise Yeast

1/8 tsp salt

350 ml warm water

To make dough mix everything and knead for good 8  to 10 minutes or until a smooth ball forms.  Set aside in a bowl, covered and let rise until double.  You can use bread machine to make the dough also.   

Prepare the meat filling just like Shier' Bien in my previous post.  

To make SHU- MAI / SAO MAI:   

chop 4 green onions, 1/4 C fresh gingers; 1/8 tsp salt. 2 tsp cooking wine; 2 tsp Sesame oil; 1/2 lb shelled and deveined shrimps.  Process in a food processor, pulse mode till shrimps are chopped finely.   20 round ready made Gyoza skin. 

Place some meat filling on half of Gyoza skin and shrimp filling in the other half.   Gsther the skin using first four fingers of your hand.  Then set on work surface to form better.   Place on a plate that will be going into a steamer.  

Heat steamer pot.   Continue making SHU-MAI.  Decorate each filled segment with tiny bit of your favorite sprinkles of carrot, peas, etc, to add 'color'.

Steamer's lid should have 'sack' cloth/ towel spreaded across to catch steam condensation from making the BAO SOGGY.  

Steam over medium heat for 15 minutes.  

Remove and serve.

To prepare Meat Bao:  

Divide the risen dough into halves.  Cover one half and work with the other half.  

Cut the half into another half then form into a rope.   Keep the other half covered while working with the other. 

Divide and cut the rope into 5 pieces. 

Cut 20 pieces of 3x3 inch parchment paper squares. This is for the Bao to sit on during steaming.

Roll out the dough into disc.  Thin at the edge just like rolling out potsticker skin.  Fill with meat filling.  Gather the edges together to enclose the filling.  

Place a piece of 3x3 cut parchment paper on the bottom and place in the steamer basket. Keep the basket covered while preparing the rest.   Steam over medium heat for 15 - 20 minutes.  Turn off the heat.

DO NOT OPEN THE LID TO PEEK.  

Let the steamer sit for 15 minutes. 

Open the lid quickly and away without letting the condensed steam water drops from dripping over the BAO.  

Serve with favorite dipping sauce.   Ours is - bit of soy sauce, seasoned sushi rice vinegar, finely thread cut fresh gingers.