Winter Green Dumplings in Shiitake Broth - Now Live At Cafe Flora

Winter Green Dumplings Shiitake Broth

Cafe Flora changes much of the menu seasonally, and every few months any of the employees can put up a dish for evaluation by the management team. I offered this dumpling entree and it just went on the menu a couple of nights ago. This is my first dish on a restaurant menu, so I have to say I'm pretty excited about it!

The dumplings are made with wonton wrappers, and filled with a mixture of mustard greens, kale, and ricotta. They are served in a deeply flavored shiitake broth with sauteed slices of fresh shiitake, and garnished with parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, flaky sea salt, lemon zest, and green onions.

I got the idea for this dish because I had some leftover shiitake broth from something completely different, and I was taken with the complex umami flavor. It made me think of a classic Italian tortellini in brodo (broth). But then the specific shiitake flavor lended itself to a Chinese or Japanese interpretation.

I don't normally care for "fusion" dishes, especially when it is done for shock value. What I hope this dish does is highlight the similarities between the cuisines (the wild mushrooms, spicy greens, pasta, and broth), and then pick up a little spin from each (the Italian cheeses and the Asian green onions).

So that's the story! If any of you are in Seattle and get a chance to try it, I'd love to hear you feedback. It is on the dinner menu only, probably for at least a month.

p.s. on 1/3/2008 - The dumplings got a review in the Seattle newspaper.

[where: 2901 E. Madison St., Seattle, WA, 98112]

Find related articles in: Cooking Internship | Recipes
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Published on December 13, 2007.

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frantic foodie commented on Why I'm A Vegetarian, Dammit:

Michael, love the way you wrote this one, was a vegetarian for 5 years. You should print this and wear it on your forehead, that way people won't even have to ask

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I've been a vegetarian for 4 years. I'm only 17, so I seem to get more flack from meat-eaters about my decision. It's always pretty hard for me to get my point across to people who ask because I tend to get angry or flustered and I just drop the subject before I start crying or yelling. This article explains exactly why I made my decision and continue to live by it. So, when people ask me from now on, I do believe I will tell them the URL to this article. Thank you, and I will also be checking out this website from now on.

Gigi commented on Why I'm A Vegetarian, Dammit:

Vegetarian is such a loose term, you're all just picky, and you use the term vegetarian so you don't sound rude when you don't want to eat something that someone makes for you. It's not that you CANT eat it because of your food allergies, diet or personal beliefs, it's that you DO NOT WANT TO. Stop causing trouble for everyone else and just eat your side dishes and shut the hell up.

Trish commented on Why I'm A Vegetarian, Dammit:

First of all, I love your post!

But I am concerned about the dairy. I hope you choose dairy products carefully, because very sadly supporting the dairy industry is supporting the veal industry. Cows can only lactate for so long, and once they dry up, they are inseminated and the calf is usually used for veal.

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Great article. Environmental factors were my main motivation to stop eating meat, but I definitely understand how you feel about the animals' welfare. It has never made sense to me that someone can look at a piglet or a chick or a calf and say, "Look how cute it is!" Then, suddenly, that same animal is on their plate and they're saying, "It tastes so good!" It just seems sort of twisted.
I won't go into my biggest reason for becoming vegetarian because it tends to confuse and embroil people when I get them started on it.

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I got question regarding vegetarianism - could you eat milk , cheese and etc ? I mean the products of the animals ?

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