Recipes

NMO really cooks

Every so often the four of us meet to attend a conference or do a book tour, and invariably we talk about food. We talk about writing too, but we all love to eat well, and that comes out in our conversation. And when we four gather at someone's house, we often throw dinner together. In fact, previous food conversations may inspire that dinner!

So in the spirit of NMO nourishing body as well as mind, we've compiled a few of our favorite recipes. Keep in mind that the only testing some of these have received is from writers who've stirred up a pitcher of margaritas and opened a bottle of wine.

We'll be serving a few new recipes occasionally, if only so we can have an excuse to talk amongst ourselves about food. And feel free to experiment—we certainly do!

Spicy Shrimp Dumplings
Lora Roberts

½ pound large raw shrimp, shelled, deveined and finely chopped
1 small green onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp. chinese oyster sauce
1 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
scant ½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
28-30 pot sticker or gyoza wrappers, cut in half
Chicken broth for warming

Combine all ingredients, except wrappers, in a medium bowl. Arrange 8 half-circle or triangular wrappers on a cutting board; lightly moisten the edges with a small brush dipped in water. Place a generous ¼ teaspoon on the shrimp mixture on one half of each wrapper; fold over other half to enclose the filling and to form a triangle. Press the edges together to seal. Place the dumplings in a single layer, ¼ inch apart, on a waxed-paper-lined tray. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Freeze in a single layer, uncovered. When frozen solid, transfer to freezer bags and return to the freezer; these freeze well for up to 3 months. (Freshly made dumplings may be refrigerated for up to 1 hour before being cooked.) Cook frozen dumplings in boiling water until the shrimp filling turns pink, 3-4 minutes. Gently rinse in cold water. Arrange on a serving platter. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until serving time.

To serve, simmer in broth until heated through, about 2 minutes. Or steam for a few minutes in bamboo steamers lined with large, non-toxic leaves and serve from the steamer tray. Yields about 55 dumplings; 20 cals each, no fat.

Oriental Style Coleslaw
Jonnie Jacobs

1 small head cabbage, thinly sliced
4 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
½ cup sliced almonds
1 package noodles from Oriental flavor Top Ramen soup
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
seasoning pack from Top Ramen noodle soup

Mix the first five ingredients in a bowl. Mix the last four ingredients separately, then pour over salad and toss. (Add cooked chicken for a main course meal).

Tortellini Salad
The 14th Susan Henshaw mystery, Death in Duplicate, was published in March 2005. In it, Susan is approached by a neighbor whose wife has just been murdered. Susan, the other domestic diva from Connecticut, assumes that he wishes her to cook for the reception following his wife's memorial service. He actually wants something else, but, before she realizes that, she has decided to make this—a wonderfully easy recipe that can be doubled or tripled for large events. -Valerie Wolzien

3 boxes cheese tortellini
¼ cup milk
1 medium red onion
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 small jar sweet midget gherkin pickles
1 small green pepper
1 large bunch steamed broccoli or 16 oz frozen green peas, steamed
3 jars artichoke hearts, drained
1 can pitted black olives, drained
fresh dill
1 cup low fat sour cream
2 cups Hellman's mayonnaise
3-4 packets George Washington's Brown bouillon powder*
fresh pepper
dash of red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon juice from the gherkins jar

Bring large pot of water to a boil and cook tortellini, following directions on the box. Drain and immediately rinse in cold water. Drain again. Place cooked tortellini in a bowl. Add the ¼ cup of milk to moisten and toss gently. Chop onion, pickles, and green pepper. Cut artichokes into bite size pieces. Cut broccoli into bite size florets if you use broccoli. Beat sour cream and mayo together until creamy. Add bouillon powder, vinegar, pickle juice, a dash of salt, and the pepper. Thin with milk if necessary. Pour over pasta. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Garnish with dill.
Serves 10 to 12.
*This brand is available all over the East. In the West, any beef bouillon
powder can be substituted.

Ginger Chicken
Lee Harris

2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
½ pound (about two) boneless chicken breast, sliced in thin strips across the grain
2 tablespoons Chinese oyster sauce
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut in matchsticks
1 teaspoon sugar
3 scallions, cut in 1-inch lengths
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons chicken stock or water
Steamed long grain white rice, preferably jasmine
1 can bamboo shoots or water chestnuts, drained

1. Heat the oil in a wok or deep skillet. Add the chicken, stir-fry briefly, then add the oyster sauce, stirring.

2. Stir in the ginger, sugar, scallions and pepper. Continue cooking about 5 minutes longer, just until the chicken is cooked through. Add vegetable for the last 2 minutes. Moisten the mixture with a little stock or water to make a sauce that coats the chicken.

3. Remove from heat and serve with rice.

Yield: 2 servings.

More recipes from NMO:

Holiday favorites, from their 1997 newsletter
Mashed-up Murder, with recipes from Liz Sullivan (Lora Roberts)
Recipes from Kate and Kali (Jonnie Jacobs)

Lee Harris ~ Jonnie Jacobs ~ Lora Roberts ~ Valerie Wolzien
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©2005-06 by Lee Harris, Jonnie Jacobs, Lora Roberts and Valerie Wolzien.