Chicken tsukune

Chicken tsukune
Originally uploaded by Saltygal.

I had purchased some ground chicken to make the chicken onigri from Everyday Harumi but decided to try the recipe for these little meat patties instead.
They would make great little sliders or appetizers for a party.

I adjusted the recipe for the ingredients I had on hand .
1 lb ground chicken
2 stalks celery finely diced
1 small round onion finely diced
1 large egg
4 T unbleached all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 T chopped cilantro
Combine all ingredients and shape into small patties 2' across
set aside on parchment lined baking sheet and chill while making Teriyaki sauce.
1/2 c mirin
1/2 c soy sauce ( I use kikoman low sodium)
4 T lt brown sugar
1 t ginger juice ( grate ginger , squeeze juice out of the pulp, discard pulp)
combine all ingredients in small sauce pan and bring to boil over med high heat , reduce heat to low and simmer 15 to 20 min until sauce is reduced and syrupy
Cut 2 green onions on a sharp diagonal and set aside.
heat a large non stick fry pan over med high heat and when hot add enough oil to glaze the bottom of the pan put patties in the pan without crowding , fry patties until bottom is golden then turn over and cover fro 2 minutes remove cover and continue cooking until patties are browned and cooked through.
Place teriyaki sauce in shallow bowl and add patties turning to coat , thread on skewers and garnish with green onions.

Saltygal shop update

Well we are days away from "early summer" when I predicted Saltygal would reopen on the web. I don't think I will reopen anytime soon. I am almost fully recovered from my surgery and able to stand and sew, but right now, I just have no interest, and that's not the way to run a business. Lately what's interested me, is food and the garden.
I've always been an avid gardener, but last summer I injured my foot, then knee and it kept me out of the garden almost all season. That was a good news bad news situation . Good, because most of the garden was established enough to get by in spite of my neglect. The bad news was that some didn't survive and left gaping holes where weeds took over. There is plenty of work for me in the garden this season. What a joy to return to the earth and compost , birds and butterflies. I hope to have my garden certified as a wildlife habitat this year .
The other interest which has been taking up much of my time lately is food. Before my surgery I had read about some possible side effects following a Whipple procedure. The most frightening to me was a loss of taste and appetite. I spent the weeks before my surgery treating myself to a long list of favorite foods . For the first month of my recovery, while taking the heavy painkillers I couldn't concentrate enough to read much so I watched TV, mainly the food network and PBS cooking shows. What torture! Eating wasn't easy in the beginning , well eating was OK digesting was a different story. I had to eat small meals to keep the pressure off all the internal stitches , but I has lost my sense of taste and would eat and get full but have no satisfaction. I kept making progressively spicier foods trying to get the flavor, to no avail. I thought this was a side effect of my particular surgery but apparently it happens to many people after any type of surgery under general anesthesia. Now my taste buds are starting to awaken , but Naomi who is only 3 weeks post op is going through the same thing. Spicy spicy spicy , that's all I'm cooking and eating these days.
In our household we celebrate birthdays with food, I make the dinner and cake of choice for the birthday boy or girl.This year I was sick for Naomi's birthday. I promised her I'd make it up as soon as I was able to. This coming Tuesday she's having her friends and coworkers over for a dinner of Dim Sum.It's sort of a re birtday after her surgery. I have been cooking since Saturday. I have enjoyed it so much. Today is a big day, I'll be making potstickers and mushroom bo (buns) I am made the dough and fillings yesterday, so today it's an assembly line of rolling and filling and tucking and pleating . I'm trying to remember to take pictures , so I can post more pictures. I'm pretty sure that unless the sewing bug bites me again this blog will be more about food and less about crafts .