William Penn Life, 2010 (45. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2010-03-01 / 3. szám
Dumplings Part 2 FÁRADJON BE A MAGYAR KONYHÁBA. The beginning of duties as a member of the Board of Directors for the year 2010 starts this month in March. It is a three-day meeting in Pittsburgh, where the entire board gets together and reviews all new business which concerns the Association. As vice chair of the Fraternal Activities Committee, part of my job is searching for new ideas to provide more for the members. The committee always looks to improve activities for the benefit of the members. Contact me by email, letter or phone with any suggestion or ideas. The goal is to provide a win-win situation for all of the WPA. Trivia Question for the Month: Pierogi are honored with a special day every year, when is it? Last month, we started making simple dumplings you could enjoy in a soup, stew or stovetop casserole. The recipes contained a certain method of preparation and ingredients. Practice your cooking skills by keeping the same method of prep but change or add some ingredients for a different taste: • Use bread flour for heavier dumplings or cake flour for lighter dumplings. • Replace the whole milk with buttermilk or add a tablespoon of sour cream for a flavor boost. • Chicken, beef or vegetable broth in place of water will add more flavor to dumplings. • Fresh chopped herbs or a sprinkle of your favorite spice goes a long way to enhance your dish. • Try a teaspoon of hot or sweet paprika to change color of the dough. • Granulated garlic or onion powder goes well with any meat, so use them in your dumplings. Using creativity wherever in a recipe increases your culinary knowledge and abilities. A word of advice from experience: for cornmeal dumplings, par cook them halfway first, then finish in your soup or stew. You could also use hominy or white cornmeal instead of the standard yellow. Now let us look at filled dumplings. As a meal, part of the meal or dessert, serving dumplings is practical. There are two main components of a filled dumpling. The filling, which can be sweet or savory, is the main ingredient. Thick jams, preserves, cheese, nuts and spices, fruit, vegetables or meat all make perfect fillings for a dumpling. The second componet—the dough—folds, molds or wraps around to hold the filling in place. Doughs made using flour seasoned with herbs and spices or nut flours give extra flavor. Potatoes or vegetables mashed then added to the flour add color, thickness and more flavors. Cooking your dumpling is accomplished by steaming, boiling, frying, sautéing or baking. Most dumpling recipes list the ingredients for a filling, type of dough and method of cooking for best results. To add pizzazz when serving your dumplings, consider a topping or garnish. Toasted, seasoned, buttery breadcrumbs go well with meat dumplings. Brown sugar with cinnamon on an apple dumpling is classy. Pierogi fried then tossed in garlic butter will have a shiny coating not to mention great taste. Fresh chopped herbs always add flavor to any dough. Flavored syrups drizzled on boiled cheese dumplings are tasty. The recipes this month use different cooking methods, have a tasty filling and are easy to make. Try the recipes as written, then experiment with ingredient substitutions and come up with new flavor profiles. The more you cook, the better you get! Trivia answer: Ted Twardzik Sr., founder of Mrs. T's Pierogies, produced samples for a local grocery store on October 8,1952. That date is designated National Pierogi Day! Have a great month. Jé a foszaJÍá&t Bét* The Hungarian Kitchen is a trademark of William S. Vasvary. 10 William Penn Life, March 2010 Pierogi grilled in butter and onions
