Christmas Dinner - Chinese Hot Pot

Cheese Omelet

Vietnamese Salad Rolls

rice paper eggroll or spring roll wrappers
vermicelli (clear glass) noodles
julienned carrot
deskinned, deseeded, julienned cucumber
basil chiffonade
cooked shrimp
lettuce

Fill a bowl with boiling water, and soak vermicelli noodles for 30 minutes, and then strain. Prepare the other ingredients. Fill a bowl with a wide mouth with boiling water. Place 1 rice paper wrapper in the hot water until it is translucent and soft. Remove with chopsticks. Spread out the wrapper on a paper towel. Pat the top of the wrapper dry. If the wrapper sticks to the paper towels, carefully losen it. The first couple rolls that you make will stick to the paper towels, but this process will become easier because as the towels become slightly damp it will stick less. Place julienned carrots, julienned cucumber, basil, shrimp (you may want to cut the shrimp in half), vermicelli noodles, and lettuce in a pile just above the center. Wrap burrito style. Repeat until you have made the desired number of rolls. Serve with sweet and sour bento sauce and a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, red chili flakes, apple cider vinegar, and peanuts.

Curried Butternut Squash Ravoli

Curried Butternut Squash Ravoli

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 minced shallot
1 clove minced garlic
3 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 recipe curry flavored pasta

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Peel, halve, and deseed the butternut squash. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Mix squash with curry powder, minced shallot, minced garlic, and melted butter. Bake for 30 minutes. Use a mixer to mash the cooked squash until it is as smooth as you can get it. Add 1/2 tsp salt, or more if necessary.

Prepare the curry flavored pasta dough. Roll out into sheets and flour the bottom side. Cut each sheet in half length wise. Place spoonfuls of mashed squash along one of the halved sheets. Dampen the pasta in between each spoonful. Use a second half sheet to cover the spoonfuls, pressing firmly to ensure it sticks to the first half sheet of pasta. Try and minimize the air bubbles in the ravoli. Use a knife to cut the ravoli apart and trim the ends. Continue until all the pasta and mashed squash is used up. The ravoli should be stored in the freezer, because if they become sticky when moist.

Butternut Squash Ravoli with Morels and Butter

Ingredients:
Butternut Squash Ravoli
handful of morel mushrooms
candied walnuts
grated Parmesan
spinach
balsamic vinaigrette
dried cranberries
butter

If the morels are dried, then reconstitute by soaking in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Cook ravoli in lightly boiling water (vigorously boiling water may break the ravoli apart). While the pasta is cooking, slice the morels and cook in butter for a few minutes. If you are using unsalted butter, then add a dash of salt to the morels. Place a few spoonfuls of the butter on each dish, and arrange the cooked ravoli on top. Spoon the remaining butter and morels over the ravoli. Sprinkle the walnuts on top of the pasta. Mix spinach with the salad dressing and arrange in the middle of the plates. Garnish the salad with the dried cranberries. Serve with grated Parmesan.

Butternut Squash Ravoli with Parmesan and Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:
Butternut Squash Ravoli
Parmesan
pumpkin seeds
salt

Cook ravoli in lightly boiling water (vigorously boiling water may break the ravoli apart). When the ravoli are cooked, strain and place in a bowl. If you want you can toss the ravoli with a bit of melted butter, but it isn't necessary. Sprinkle Parmesan, salt, and pumpkin seeds on the ravoli.