God - we've been frying a lot lately...

So, some notes on frying - for two.

Every recipe for frying anything seems to be geared towards the large group - appetizers for twenty, it seems like.  

For Valentine's Day, my sweet husband and I decided to make a batch of Crab Rangoon and watch the first 8 episodes of "The West Wing" curled up in front of the TV with the dog.  I couldn't find a recipe for less than 48 pieces, about double what we wanted.  So I halved it, and bought the ingredients, and still had enough stuff for 48.  Here's how I made 28 out of enough for 48 Rangoon's.

1/2 package of wonton wrappers (put the other half away for a party later, ziploc in the fridge should be fine.  Plan on using this week - don't freeze them.)

1/2 lb artificial crab meat, or real lump crab.  (The canned is not good eats for this, and being in Alaska, real crab is pretty available, but the artificial stuff will taste like the Crab Rangoon that's usually served in restaurants.)


1 tub onion chive cream cheese

Here's the plan - blend the cream cheese and crab in a food processor until smooth (as smooth as it's getting, anyway).  Lay out the wonton wrappers on a cutting mat or wax paper.  I usually do 12 at a time, fits on my flex-mats well.  Put a good sized spoonful of crab mix on each wrapper - the recipe I found said no more than a teaspoon.  That's crap - put as much as you think the wrapper will hold, folded up.  

Now, get a small dish of water, and use your finger to wet the edges of the wrappers.  Fold them however you like, so that all the edges are sealed.  I bring all four points together to make little packages, but it's just as cool to fold them in half, or on the diagonal.  Depends on how fancy you want to get.  


Get out the sauce pan, a deep one.  Heat enough oil on medium so that it will cover the Rangoon, remembering that when they've cooked a little bit, they float.  Let the oil get hot before you put anything into it!  on my electric stove, on 6, in my pans, it takes about 12 minutes for me to be certain that the oil is hot enough.  At least, that's how long I set the timer for when I walk away so that I stop fiddling with it.  


Put in enough so that they are not touching but as many as you can get in with some spaces between.  Flip every two minutes, until the wonton wrappers look white and bubbly.  If you like a crispy Rangoon, cook for one more minute past that point.  If you like a softer shell, remove with a slotted spoon or fry basket.  Put on a plate or bowl lined with a double layer of paper towels. 


Open the plum sauce and enjoy! 

Tips, Tricks and Tired

So this week, with the time spent sick or exhausted, not much cooking got done, really.  Fortunately, that did not stop us from eating - finishing up leftovers from the fridge and having a big bucket of baby spinach in there helped.  If nothing else, coming home to whip together a salad from spinach, dried fruit, feta cheese, sunflower seeds or candied almonds, and whatever dressing I have in the fridge (usually homemade creamy garlic) is an awesome dinner.  If I need protein, cook up a little bacon or some grilled chicken strips (I keep a bag of frozen strips in the fridge for just such tired occasions).  Even if David doesn't feel like having it, it is an easy fix for a hungry Jeannie. 

Between that and the sack of frozen corn dogs in the freezer for those "I'm an adult and can eat what I want, dammit" moments, we were pretty set.  

I promised recipes on here, and I have one for you today - Chip Chop. 

Chip Chop is a pork chop crusted in crushed salt & vinegar chips.  We tried it with ten people one weekend, and they turn out spectacular.  But the recipe is for one chop, so here we go:

1 Bone-in Rib Chop pork chop, 1" - 1 1/2" thick.
1 single serving sized bag of Salt and Vinegar potato chips (Kettle Chips worked best)
1 egg
4 tablespoons of seasoned flour (little salt, pepper)

Step One: Dredge the chop in the flour.  Shake off as much flour as you can, you want the lightest coat possible on the chop.

Step Two: Dredge in the beaten egg.

Step Three: Press into crushed chips (you want them crushed, but not uniform sized, pieces the size of a pinky nail are fine).  Coat both sides of the chop well.  Place on a rack on the counter for 25 minutes. (This is important, lets the egg dry and adhere the chips to the chop.)

Step Four: Preheat Oven to 250 degrees.  Heat oil in a deep-walled skillet on the stove to 350 degrees - enough oil to come up halfway on the chop. 

Step Five: Fry Chop for one or two minutes per side, just until the chip crust starts to brown.  Do both sides.  Place on rack, on baking sheet, in oven for 20-30 minutes to finish cooking. Check temperature of chop with a probe, you want 145 degrees.  

These turn out tasty, moist, and amazing the first day, but don't make good leftovers (cooling them makes them a little too greasy, even with how much grease drains out in the oven).  So just make them one at a time, of two, or however many for your guests.  

Enjoy!