Mochanoytake Dumplings

 

           I love mushrooms, I mean who doesn't?  My wife is unfortunately allergic but willingly expends all her energy helping me find them each spring.  Meals such as this qualify as 'Cook's Choice Night' so I can imbibe to my pleasure while my bride does the same with her FAVs.  This recipe (Trumpet/Yellowfoot) calls for specific fungus, but any mushrooms will suffice.  I used morels, chanterelles, oysters, and shitake. It is nonetheless delicious.  With such a wet summer it provided many opportunities to hunt them.  They might be better called Mochanoytake Dumplings.  

Trumpet Mushrooms

Yellowfoot Chanterelle Mushrooms

4 cups mixed black trumpet and yellow foot chanterelles (feel free to add morel, chanterelle, lobster, or other mushrooms to the mix), roughly chopped

1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon cooking oil

2 scallions, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons minced ginger

1 small chili, minced (optional)

1 tablespoon oyster sauce (or vegetarian equivalent)

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine OR cooking sherry

1/2 teaspoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Chives, cilantro, or scallions to garnish

Szechuan Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional*)

1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

           Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a skillet over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the scallions, garlic, ginger, and chili and cook for another 5 minutes.  Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, wine, sugar, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 more minutes. Take off of the heat and let cool completely.  You may want to chop these to finer size.  

      Unwrap wonton wrappers on counter and set in individual squares.  Add about a tablespoon of the mushroom filling into the center of the circle. 

      Fold it over and press the edges together to seal. Plump it down on the working surface, forming a flat bottom with the seam facing upwards. You can pleat the top by pinching the seal several times.  Set aside on a floured surface and cover with a towel while you do the rest.  

      Heat deep skillet and place dumplings in skillet.  Pour in 3/4 cup of water and cover the skillet.   Let cook for about 8 minutes. Uncover and cook until the water dissipates completely. 

INSERT SIMMERING DUMPLING PIC HERE

       Check the bottoms of the dumplings for browning. Once nice and crispy, transfer to a plate and scatter with chopped herbs or scallions. Serve with Sichuan Dipping Sauce.  Personally, I did not care for the Won Ton wrappers for these and would use simple flour/water next time.  The Won Ton dried out too easily.  

Simmerin' 

Plated with Szechuan Sauce and Summer Squash

"On the subject of wild mushrooms, it is easy to tell who an expert is and who is not:  The expert is the one who is still alive"

Donal Henahan

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Summer Reno Projects 2023

 

      This project has taken us several years to put into motion.  We had originally bought a new toilet for the old, leaky one in the upstairs bathroom, but it never set just right.  I had a contractor in to level it out, but first it took a plumber to put a double seal in the bottom.  It worked fine, but we realized last year the floor was beginning to sag a bit.  There was no leakage, but we shut off the water just to be sure.  Another contractor could not be had till this year, so we had the plumber come out and prep the toilet and area for a completely new floor. 

       We finally got another contractor to come out and assess the damage/job.  With old farmhouse come old problems.  He was surprised to find the toilet had been set on the floor planking, but without any cross-joist support.  The wood had weakened over time and finally sagged to the point that if you stood in front to use it, the toilet tank shifted enough to make it run. 

 

      The contractor took measurements and made plans to replace the entire bathroom floor as well as tear out/dispose of the gaudy green carpeting and install new wood flooring from the landing at the top of the stairs into the bathroom, but not bedrooms.  We kept the tan carpeting in those.  We got the estimate on June 20th and scheduled the project.  I'm not going into $$$ specifics, but The Flooring Pro's gave us a good deal.  We also had the carpeting torn off the stairwell only to discover that when they installed the 2nd floor on the house 80 years ago, they were not good carpenters and probably no codes.  We rebuilt part of the framing, replaced several treads, treated the wood, and caulked the edges.  The final staircase photo was added several days after.  

Upstairs landing

Upstairs bathroom

(Don't you just love that green carpet?)

       Remodel began upon our return from bear camp in mid-September.  Additionally, we had a large, cumbersome cottonwood out next to the barn trimmed back before it took out the new roof.  

 

      The Flooring Pros did a great job even working one extra day to finish off the Rube Goldberg staircase and measuring for the rug runner.  

"The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off"

Abe Lemons

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Yogipalooza 2023 (Bucket List Part 2)

 

      When I retired one of my first 'Bucket List' goals was to harvest a black bear.  I drew a lottery tag in 2013 but did not harvest a bear.  I did shoot one but did not find him.  I hunted that year with my Ruger Blackhawk single action 45 Long Colt revolver with 300 grain HEAVY +P loads.  We tracked him for several hours with a good blood trail, but once he crossed the Sage River NO JOY.  It happens, not that I didn't agonize over the loss.  

     Both my wife and I have both been applying the lottery system since then, applying only for preference points so as to aim to the year(s) we would hunt.  We planned that I would hunt one year and her the next.  This year we figured would be our first chance, so I applied.  Barb joined me in camp, but not into the blind with her camera.  She was comfortable in camp making sure shopping was done and dinners ready when I came in.  Next year for her will be Deja Vu.  The goal for her hunt is to harvest a nice bruin for a bear rug.  On June 26 I learned my fate:  Newberry Season #1:  SUCCESSFUL.  The planning began.  

      I hunted once again with my guide and friend, Mark Boulton in Newberry, MI.  Mark is a well renowned outdoorsman in the area with considerable experience in hunting black bears.  We camped at Kritter's North Country Campground just north of town but commuted daily to my blind.  Nice sites, clean with all the amenities for $35. Newberry Campground, which is closer, is $51.  Of course, I brought along three large coolers for Yogi's comfort and convenience.   Kritter's Northcountry Campground & Cabins, Newberry, MI The weather to begin with was pretty warm (80+) and muggy with showers and storms the first two days.  Definitely A/C in the RV.  But that would change.  

      My hunting equipment this year would be different.  I brought along my Henry Big Boy 45-70 with Buffalo Bore 350 grain jacketed soft points.  I had previously used this rifle to kill a 200-pound hog in Texas; dropping him in his tracks.  Since that trip I have outfitted the rifle with a Holosun 510C Red Dot sight because as I age, so does my eyesight.   I was very happy with this system.  My sidearm is a Ruger Redhawk 44 Mag and HSM 305 grain wide flat point hard cast Bear Loads.  I fired off a few from Old Henry to ensure the red dot was still on target.  Final tuning resulting in a very nice, small group 1 1/2" high at 50 yds.  Like it or not my health status has changed significantly.  I was diagnosed with COPD 7 years ago and it has been moving along with age.  This year I am experiencing more shortness of breath and energy.  Unfortunately, with this comes a weight gain.  I discussed this with my guide so as to make the hunt easier, regardless of price.  At 70 years old, I figured this may be my last chance.  

Henry 45/70 

Ruger Redhawk 5" 44 Magnum

      We arrived in Newberry the 3rd of September with the season opener the 6th.  We arrived early for a little R n R as well as a bit of last-minute groceries, perhaps a little geocaching as well.  We set up camp and contacted Mark.  I have a variety of meals planned for this week, some OTRs ready to go and others prepared on site.  The nice thing about evening hunts is the morning off and able to prep for dinner before hunting.  We chose to concentrate on OTR meals for this trip for ease of prep when I was in the woods.  Some of our camp meals for this trip included Asparagus Cheese Soup, Ramen Cheese Broccoli Casserole, SC Pork Butt Hash, Gemelli Chicken, Walking Taco Casserole, and Pig in a Pot.  Lots of carbs for nights in the Great White North. 

Pig in a Pot

Chicken Broccoli Cheese Ramen

Carolina Pulled Pork Hash 

Tacos w/avocado and ranch

Chicken Gemelli One Pot With Pesto

Walking Taco Casserole

      I hunted hard in the evenings over bait for 5 days.  This is a tough time of year with temps usually still warm, but unpredictable and the bugs even more so.  This year was much cooler and wet.  You hunt right to the brink and after dark.  Bears are more active in the evenings.  This makes cleaning, skinning, and cooling the meat even more important.  

Mark Boulton

Blind near the river

View towards the bait pile

      The first day was a 'no-go' due to thunderstorms and rain, but day #2 was a definite step in the right direction.  I saw ZIP all afternoon till 8:05 p.m. when a good size boar walked 10' right in front of the blind.  I saw movement, looked up and then he was there and then gone.  He walked by deliberately on his way 'somewhere' completely unaware of the blind and me.  The last thing you would expect.  I waited awhile to see if he would circle around to the bait, but no joy.  In fact, the baits were hit every day, but after dark.  On Day 4 I did watch a sow and two cubs hit the bait pile, but nothing else.  Good news was they arrived at 7:30. Day 5 yielded no joys with a drizzly rain all day.  My wife and I discussed my staying another week, but Mark didn't hold much hope the hunting would improve.  The rainy weather was supposed to return.  3 of the 5 in our group harvested a bear, but a bit on the small size at 120, 140, and 150 pounds.  I was happy with the addition of the red dot sight to my rifle; easy to operate, see, and focus. 

      Unfortunately, not every story has a happy ending and much like 10 years ago neither does this one.  I hunted hard, but with rain and nocturnal bears did not get to pull the trigger.  I am saddened and my bucket list unfulfilled as yet, but it was a very nice time.  We haven't been camping since our return in May and it was a smorgasbord of weather, but thoroughly enjoyed.  It is, after all, called hunting, not finding.  Sometimes the bad times help you to appreciate the good ones.  The end of an adventure, another trip of a lifetime I will never forget.  Next year is Barb's turn.  

"If you consider an unsuccessful hunt to be a waste of time, then the true meaning of the chase eludes you altogether."

Fred Bear 

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Place skillet on medium heat and then.....

 

.....and then what?  Most recipes begin and finish in the kitchen with some sort of ingredient sautéed.  During my experience it has been either Mirepoix or the Holy Trinity.  The range of ingredients for the beginning of many cuisines around the world are varied and vast.  Most Americans don't realize this unless they stretch the envelope of their own kitchen.  This most certainly doesn't mean I have.  To date my kitchen experience has been with the use of onions, carrots, bell peppers and celery.  With Cajun this also included a Roux. 

      This is an introduction to the many different 'starters' to meals in different cultures.  Perhaps it will spark something in your plans for menu ideas.  

Spanish Sofrito: Sofrito, meaning “gently fried”, is a mixture of onions, garlic, tomatoes, and (often) peppers or herbs cooked in olive oil. This flavorful tomato-based sauce is common in many recipes including paella, stew, and pasta. There are several other versions of Sofrito, including recipes from all over Latin America and Portugal.

German Suppengrün: Suppengrün, meaning “soup greens” in German, this version of mirepoix includes leeks, carrots, and celery root (celeriac). Variations may include parsley, thyme, or other root vegetables like onions and rutabaga. In general, with Germany having a cold winter climate, the vegetables used are cold-climate roots and bulbs with longer shelf lives.

French Pinçage: Very similar to traditional mirepoix, this variation comes with added tomato paste.   This mirepoix with tomato paste added is a delicious basic tomato sauce recipe and basis for so many dishes—pizza, pasta, chicken, and fish. There are differences in cooking methods and ingredients, but all of them are easy to cook.

Polish Włoszczyzna: Włoszczyzna, meaning “Italian stuff” in Polish, consists of carrots, parsnips or parsley root, celery root or celeriac, leeks, savoy or white cabbage leaves, and sometimes celery leaves and flat-leaf parsley. Traditionally, Włoszczyzna is uniformly chopped pieces celery root, parsley root, carrots, and leeks and is boiled.

Mirepoix (French): onion + carrot + celery with butter

The Holy Trinity (Cajun): onion + celery + green bell pepper with olive oil or butter

Soffritto (Italian): onions + carrots + celery with olive oil (often contains parsley)

Chinese: garlic + scallions + ginger with cooking oil

Indian:  onion + garlic + chilies + ginger with ghee

      Such a diverse array of vegetables, herbs, and spices to start a meal, but each provides the style, heat, and flavor that the culture embraces.  This only whets my taste buds.  Don't be afraid to venture outside the box.  

"Every morning one must start from scratch, with nothing on the stoves. That is cuisine."

Fernand Point

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