E.Coli Madness

Article and short video from NYtimes about E.Coli and hamburgers.
Prepare yourself to be haunted.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/health/04meat.html
(Article was posted on Oct. 3, 2009)

Excerpt from the article:
"The ingredients came from slaughterhouses in Nebraska, Texas and Uruguay, and from a South Dakota company that processes fatty trimmings and treats them with ammonia to kill bacteria.

Using a combination of sources — a practice followed by most large producers of fresh and packaged hamburger — allowed Cargill to spend about 25 percent less than it would have for cuts of whole meat.

Those low-grade ingredients are cut from areas of the cow that are more likely to have had contact with feces, which carries E. coli, industry research shows...

Many big slaughterhouses will sell only to grinders who agree not to test their shipments for E. coli, according to officials at two large grinding companies. Slaughterhouses fear that one grinder’s discovery of E. coli will set off a recall of ingredients they sold to others."

Vegan Gyozas

So this recipe is from a while ago, so I might have a little trouble remembering all that was in this thing. BUT. it was mighty delicious, so here we go.

Vegan Gyoz-asssss!
1 pkg ravioli/dumpling wrapper skins (you could also make this yourself, but if you decide to purchase, make sure you read the ingredients! some have egg in it)
1/2 head of red cabbage
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
hunk of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2-3 carrots, shredded
4-5 shitake mushrooms, minced (make sure you soak for at least a few hours if they're dried)
plentiful dashes of sesame oil
few good shakes of grounded white pepper
OPTIONAL green onions, chopped

Once you've got all these ingredients down, all you gots to do is mix them up in a big bowl and make sure the pieces are pretty chopped up. If you have the option, using a food processor will make things go much faster. The next step is to gather materials and friends to have a gyoza wrapping party! Make sure you have a bowl of water for sealing the gyozas, a couple of spoons for scooping the filling, and a large sized platter to house the wrapped gyozas. There are many ways to wrap a gyoza, but I think the main things to look for are good amounts of filling (try to squeeze out some of the liquid with your spoon otherwise the dough might get soggy) and making sure they are fully-sealed. Don't worry if the first few tear, you'll get better at it eventually!

After the gyozas are wrapped (you can also do this simultaneously while other people continue to wrap), you have two options. Gyozas can be eaten fried (pot-sticker-style) or steamed/boiled. To fry: heat up a pan with oil and arrange gyozas in the pan so they do not stick to each other. When they begin to brown, carefully pour in a couple tablespoons of water into the pan and cover with a lid until all the water has been evaporated. Place on paper towels to drain.
To steam/boil: heat up a pot of water (or stock if you are planning to boil). Add gyozas to a steam basket (you should probably line the basket with lettuce or paper) and steam up to 5 minutes or until they look ready. To boil, just drop the gyozas into the boiling water and scoop them out when they begin to float (if your gyozas are punctured, consider using the other two methods, otherwise the filling will all leak out).

To enjoy, dip in pre-made gyoza sauce or make one yourself. One of my favorites is a mix of vinegar, soy sauce (or Bragg's), chili oil, slivers of fresh ginger, a squirt of citrus, and cilantro.

Tada! Gyozas may sound like a lot of work, but they're really fun and quick if you can convince your friends to help and make it a party!