French Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs (No Mayonnaise)

We had friends a lifetime ago of French heritage and she made lovely potato salads without mayonnaise using a bit of white wine and olive oil.  Since then I periodically play around with the recipe.  Today with fresh chive and dill in hand I made it again.

I have made a wonderful discovery.  Produce is plentiful, with a large variety, and quite economical at our local Asian markets.  While I shop there periodically for special ingredients it may be wise to up my game by making them a much more regular source!  This morning I found beautiful fresh dill while fetching lemon grass.  I also found an item I have sought for years at Aihua International Market, lime leaves.

French Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs:

3-4 pounds Yukon Gold (or other good boiling potato)
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3-4 T. White Wine (or Vermouth)
1-2 Shallots, sliced thinly
2 T. Red Wine Vinegar
Torn Fresh Herbs (Tarragon, Chives, Dill, whatever you like)
2 t. Dijon Mustard
1/4 C. Olive Oil

Cover the potatoes with salted cold water and bring to a boil.  Cook until fork tender, drain, an peel.  Slice onto a large platter or bowl/  Sprinkle while still warm with the wine, salt, and pepper.  Toss to combine.

While the potatoes are cooking slice the shallots into the red wine vinegar.  Drain after 5-7 minutes.  Toss the rough chop herbs and shallots atop the potatoes.

Stir the mustard into the oil and pour over the potatoes, pour over the potatoes and toss.  Taste and correct the seasonings.  Yield 4-6 servings.

Wonton Soup with Pork and Shrimp

Delicious fresh, light, complex, wonderful soup.

Yesterday I simmered the bits (backs, necks, wing tips)  from the six chickens purchased and frozen a couple of weeks ago.   The result was a rich and aromatic stock that will be the base for tonight's supper of stir fried vegetables and Wonton soup.  What I don't use will be frozen for another day.

The Durango was making a squeaking noise that ended up only needing a brake adjustment to resolve.  On the way home from B & K Auto in Chandler, Indiana I stopped at The market and picked up a half pound of raw shrimp, Wonton wrappers, and a package of pork steaks to round out the supplies needed.

After planting herbs out back I am ready to sit down and hatch my plan for supper!  The stock recipe can be found on this link  thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2011/08/fresh-herbed-chicken-stock-asian-style.html  the fried vegetables will be adapted from   thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2012/06/fried-cabbage-easiest-one-pot-meal-and.html   using sliced pork steak instead of sausage and the Wonton soup is my adaptation from Chicken Wonton Soup with Shrimp from The Ultimate Chinese and Asian Cookbook by Editor Linda Doeser.

Ingredients for Wonton Soup with Pork and Shrimp:

8 ounces ground fresh pork ( I used small chunks of lean pork steak.)
8 ounces fresh shelled and cleaned shrimp
1 t. finely minced fresh ginger
3 green onions chopped fine plus 2 green onion cut into strips
1 egg
2 t. oyster sauce (optional, I substituted Soy sauce.)
1/4 t.black pepper
1 pkg. wonton wrappers
1 T. cornstarch paste (mix 4 parts cornstarch to 5 parts water and mix until smooth)
6 C. chicken stock
1/4 C.  carrots julienned or other vegetable on hand
3-4 sprigs fresh cilantro and 1 tomato peeled, seeded and diced to garnish

Place the pork, three fourths of the shrimp , the ginger, and two green onions in the food processor and process for 2-3 minutes.   Add the egg, oyster sauce if using, and seasoning and process briefly.  Set aside.

Place 8 wonton wrappers at a time on a work surface.  Moisten the edges with cornstarch paste and place 1/2 t. of the meat filling in the center of each.  Fold them in half and pinch to seal.  Simmer in salted water for 3- 4 minutes.

Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the remaining shrimp and carrot and simmer 3-4 minutes.  Add the filled wantons and simmer 3-4 minutes more to heat through.  Garnish with the cilantro, scallion and diced tomato and serve hot.  Pass additional Asian hot sauce and Soy sauce.  Yield 8 servings.

Painted Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!

Airplanes, hammers, trucks, puppy dog paws, dinosaurs, rockets, trains, sunglasses, and more new cookie cutters!

I have had such a nice day.  Sunny, mild, widows open.  Lots of things accomplished.  The most fun has been baking these painted cookies with my new treasure trove of cookie cutters!  It's 5 pm and I have just finished cleaning up.  My big oak dinning table with the leaves still in from yesterday is half laden with colorful sparkling painted sugar cookies.  They are still resting from having come from the oven and I will pack them and ship them tomorrow to Chris our oldest son and the boys!  Bet they will have "big eyes" when they open this box!

This recipe is just too good not to make again and again and I do.  If you would like to try them here is the link.  thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2013/02/painted-hearts-cut-out-cookies-for.html

Really what I like so much about them is you just paint the cookies before baking and I sprinkle with colored sugars and as they bake and puff a bit it makes an outline it is really a cute outcome for not a lot of work.  On top of that I froze the unused paint I had made and used at Easter in little jars so I just thawed them today and they were perfect.  No waste at all!  (The paint is egg and food color.)

All those from these!!