#LetsLunch It’s Spring Time…Potstickers Anyone?

Makes perfect sense, right? Spring…potstickers? Sure, why not?!
Okay, maybe traditional Chinese dumplings and Springtime don’t exactly go hand-in-hand, but maybe they should. As the weather gets warm (after what felt like an eternity), the earth once again starts to provide a delicious bounty of greens, asparagus, spring onions, and peas. Of course, that’s just a warm up act for all of summer’s amazing produce. But that’s a different post for a different time.
For now…back to potstickers. Why do I think they are perfect for Spring? The rule of thumb when cooking produce, especially fresh produce picked at the height of the growing season, is not get in the product’s way. There’s no reason to drown freshly picked asparagus in butter, dress fresh greens in heavy dressing, etc. etc. On the other hand, a lot of your Spring vegetables aren’t fantastic raw. (Yes, I’ve seen people serve raw asparagus on Top Chef and I just shudder a litte…) So the idea is to minimally cook the vegetables in a way that preserves and accentuates their flavor.
And what are one of my top 2 favorite spring veggies? Peas!
In my experience, if you do it right, lightly boiling peas will preserve their flavor. Then, taking those peas, adding complementary flavors (in this case: mint and a thin shaving of ham), and wrapping them up as a potsticker is a great way to accentuate them and make a fine spring appetizer.
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