Fried Wontons!

Wontons are always a hit at parties.

It's one of the things Karen asks for--"Are you going to make wontons?!"

They're best when served hot and do surprisingly well when refreshed in the oven for a few minutes.

The filling I make is my standard chicken-shirmp-sausage filling with vegetables, the only difference with these versus the gyoza filling is that the wonton filling is cooked.

Shrimp, chicken, hot breakfast sausage, onion, celery, mushroom, waterchestnuts, garlic, fresh ginger and egg are the ingredients.

I'll list them at the end.

Fry 1/2 lb. hot breakfast or Italian sausage.

Give the shrimp a rough chop. You don't want it to be too small, or you won't be able to taste it.

Set aside and add at the end.

Chop the celery, enough to make 1/2 cup.

And 1 cup chopped onion and 1 teaspoon garlic and ginger root.

I love mushrooms, so I chopped enough for 3 cups.

I mixed crimini and shiitake mushrooms.

Saute the vegetables and sausage until the vegetables are wilted.

Then add the cooked chicken and shirmp.

When the shrimp are cooked, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool.

Dice one small can of water chestnuts and add them to the mixture.

When the filling mixture is cool, mix in one beaten egg to bind it together.

My cousin likes the filling fluffy and doesn't add egg.

That's good too.

Season with salt and pepper.

Drop a generous teaspoonful of the cool filling onto the wonton wrappers.

Moisten two edges with water.

And fold over and press the edges together.

The first package of wonton wrappers I used wasn't fresh and the wrappers were really thin and delicate feeling--they didn't separate from each other easily.

They also tore easily when filling and folding them.

I had to scrap those and run out to get some new ones.

This is the oil I use for frying.

It's made from rice bran.

Add some oil to wok or frying pan.

The heat should be at about 350 degrees F.

When you put the wontons in, they should sizzle.

When you can see a brown tinge on the edges, it's time to turn them.

You don't want the wontons to be too brown.

Remove them from the oil and drain on paper towels.

Look! You can see our reflection in the wok!

That's Gary helping me.

He's got pretty hands.

I'm going to cool these off, put them in a zippered plastic bag and pop them in the freezer, then reheat them in the oven at 350 degrees F when we're going to eat them.

Arrange them in circles in a large bowl or platter--face the side points going one way and turn them the other way in the next inside row--it makes for a pretty platter.

Bon appetit!

****

This is my friend Gwenn.

I think about her when I make wontons.

We met when our kids were this small and went to nursery school together.

Back then I must have been a bit of a "Poo-poo Head".

That was a term of endearment, right?

Gwenn's my idol.

She does everything, and does it well.

To me, she's Wonder Woman.

My kids say she's absolutely perfect.

Here, we're at her daughter's wedding.

I think of Gwenn when I make wontons because I remember when she was pregnant--she'd eat wontons right out of the freezer when she'd be feeling a little hypoglycemic.

They're that good.

Gwenn and I talked about it just this morning and had a good chuckle.

Gwenn is an amazing woman and a great friend.

I love her to pieces.



****

Wontons

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. sausage
1/2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 cup shrimp, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cup diced mushrooms
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1 package wonton skins

salt and pepper to taste

Brown the sausage and drain any fat. Add the mushrooms, onion and celery, garlic and ginger--and saute until the vegetables are wilted. Add the cooked chicken and shrimp and cook for a minute or two until the shrimp is cooked through. Remove from heat and add the water chestnuts. Cool.

When the filling mixture has cooled, add one beaten egg to the mixture and combine well.

Place a generous teaspoonful of the filling mixture to the center of a wonton skin, moisten the edges with a little water, fold into a triangle and press the edges firmly.

Fry in 350 degree F hot oil until browned, drain on paper towels.