These savory, pillowy creations are a snap to prepare, especially if you have an extra set of hands to help you. You can use any kind of ground meat, but the lamb-pork combo is especially good. Try them with a big salad and a bottle of rioja. Serves 4 (3 wantons per person).
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
10 green onions, trimmed and minced (tops and all)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black peppercorns
Pinch of cayenne
¼ pound ground lamb
¼ pound ground pork
12 (or so) wanton skins
3 cups loosely packed mint leaves, plus a handful more for garnish
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt (preferably Fage’s Total)
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Melt the butter with the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat, and add the onion, green onions, and cayenne. Salt and pepper generously, and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions soften. Add the lamb and pork, generously salt and pepper some more, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Pour off any fat that has accumulated, and set aside.
On a clean cutting board, lay out the wantons. Spoon some of the meat into a wanton skin, and fold to make a triangle (or any other shape you like). Cut off any obviously extra wanton, and pinch the ends shut to form a reasonably tight seal. If you lightly dip your fingers in water before pinching, you’ll get better results. Repeat with more wanton skins until you’ve used up all the meat, and place them in a bamboo (or other) steamer; several rounds may be necessary to do this.
Set a pot of water to boil. Place the steamer on top, and when the water boils steam the love letters for about 5 minutes, until they’re soft.
While the wantons are steaming, place the mint, olive oil, yogurt, and 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts in a blender, and blend. Transfer the wantons to warm individual plates (2 to 3 per person is a good serving size), drizzle the mint sauce over the top, and sprinkle on the remaining pine nuts. |
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