Home Cooking Dish of the Month (December 2012) - Voting

[L.Nightshade]

Welcome to the voting thread for the Home Cooking Dish of the Month!

We had over 30 nominations for the December dish, but the great majority of nominations went to only two dishes.

If you'd like to view the nomination thread, and all the exciting discussion, click here:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/878496

Now it's time to vote for the dish we'll be cooking in December Please write your vote in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, only one vote per person. Reply to this original post when you are voting. And please, if you are discussing a dish after your vote, please keep the dish name in lower case. It makes it much easier to count that way!

Here are the two contenders for December:

1. GRATINS

2. DUMPLINGS

Once again, I'm going to ask that you say a little something about how you imagine the dish, in other words, what are the ingredients and the techniques that make it a dish.

Voting will remain open until November 30th at 8pm Pacific time, 11pm Eastern time, and 3am December 1st GMT. The reporting thread will go up on December 1st.

[L.Nightshade]

The reporting thread is now up here:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/880021

[debbypo]

GRATIN... although I prefer dumplings. Gratins seem more holiday-esque and I'd love to do dumplings in January or February when things are a bit dull.

[L.Nightshade]

Voting is now CLOSED for the Home Cooking Dish of the Month for December.

Please stay tuned for the results, and the reporting thread.

[soccermom13]

GRATINS

[BigSal]

DUMPLINGS

[dkennedy]

DUMPLINGS!

[perrottwilliamson]

I'll vote for dumplings. We are definitely going to be eating traditional Southern chicken and dumplings at least once this month. I don't think we'll get around to gratins in December. Maybe gratins for January?

[mariacarmen]

you have to put your vote in CAPITALS for the vote to be counted.

[herby]

I'll vote for GRATIN but will be just as happy with dumplings. I know that I will make at least one gratin during December and not sure weather I would make a dumpling though I really want to learn to make Asian dumplings.

[jpr54_1]

GRATIN

[Dirtywextraolives]

So, apparently according to some, they want all the definitions of dumplings included. Some of us would like more clarification and guidelines, if this becomes the DOTM. As I stated before, if someone makes gnocchi, then someone makes pierogies and someone else make gyozas, it seems we are all just cooking all over the map. Hell, let's just include ravioli in there too, since "technically" they are dumplings, "dough that is cooked in a liquid..." and might as well include the kind of dumplings that go on top of a stew, since now we are out of the realm of a filled dough product cooked in liquid. Cats and dogs will start sleeping with each other...... (It's a joke, people....!)

[JungMann]

I vote for DUMPLINGS, particularly since I have excess bread that needs to be made into Knödel and am serving jiaozi at Christmastime. Unfortunately I think that means my definition for dumpling is all over the map, too, dweo!

[blue room]

I pick one recipe at a time. I know I won't just cook dumplings or gratins all month, but if I choose a specific dish I'm anxious to get at it. This morning I saw an Alice Waters recipe
http://www.marthastewart.com/326563/c... I could easily do with maybe no trip to the store -- perfect! And it's true what they say -- action leads to motivation, more effectively than the other way around. After one gratin, there will be another! (No gratin dishes! They'll have to be baked in round cazuelas (sp?)

[Jay F]

That looks nice to me, too. Thanks.

[ellabee]

GRATINS.

I'll probably learn more from the reports if dumplings win the month, but I'm much more likely to participate if gratins do.

[mariacarmen]

that's kind of a very good point.... even though i voted for dumplings....

[KrumTx]

Me, too. This will be my first time participating. I wish I'd looked at these threads before enchilada October, as I make enchiladas a couple of times a month. Either choice this month is fine with me ... one will just be much harder!

[Dirtywextraolives]

You can certainly share your enchilada recipes with us on that thread!

[aching]

I feel the same way. I love to eat dumplings, but I'm more likely to cook gratins.

[GretchenS]

DUMPLINGS

[limoen]

I'm really torn between the two and although I nominated dumplings earlier, I've spotted some GRATIN recipes I'd really like to try, so...But either nomination would be a winner for me

[Cynsa]

do both ; )

[Goblin]

I'm voting for GRATINS, because I like that they can bake away with no attention till done!

[sandylc]

DUMPLINGS. So much variety is possible here! My grandmother's dumplings contain only three ingredients, but are the essence of comfort food.

[dimsumgirl]

DUMPLINGS

[weezieduzzit]

As much as I love dumplings, I'm not eating anything with dough/ wheat/grains these days so it would be yet another DOTM that I wouldn't be able to participate in.... so I vote

GRATINS

I think it's a lot more flexible for those of us that have common food limitations.

[biondanonima]

We're staying on the low-carb straight and narrow for the time being too, and I agree that gratins are a bit more flexible. Therefore, I vote:

GRATINS

[Dirtywextraolives]

GRATINS

[Jay F]

Regardless of which one wins, I went shopping to make a butternut squash/leek/apple gratin tonight.

[herby]

Sounds yummy :) Any chance the recipe is online? I have butternut squash and apples sitting around begging to be cooked.

[Jay F]

Here's the one I'm using, herby. Let me know how you like it.

http://www.marthastewart.com/344010/a...

[herby]

Thank you!

[Jay F]

Herby, I made it, and it's pretty good. I think I'd like it more if I'd put more salt in it. Also, if I'd made it to go with something else, like fish or meat. But, as I often do, I tried it out for the first time on its own.

[herby]

I thought it was one of your T&T :) Glad to hear that it is good as I am thinking it will make a nice side to simply roasted chicken.

[rasputina]

Yep, just got back from the store and I have a cauliflower gratin and a potato and poblano pepper gratin planned for this week.

[DiningDiva]

Can I have the ptoato/poblano recipe. Thx

[rasputina]

It's not really a recipe, I just thought it sounded good when I was at the store. I'm planning on doing a normal potato gratin with yukon golds and cream and then adding roasted, peeled and sliced poblano peppers that I bought fresh. I'm debating on adding cheese. I have some fontina in the fridge.

[mariacarmen]

sounds great.

[DiningDiva]

I wondered if you might not be doing something off the cuff like that. Add the cheese, it'll make it really nice.

Thanks for the idea, sounds great

[gingershelley]

+1! Dry Jack would be awesome in that as well......

[aching]

GRATINS

[mariacarmen]

i'm again torn....

dammit.

DUMPLINGS.

(and here's sincerely hoping i make more than one next month of whichever wins!)

[eperdu]

GRATIN

[Jay F]

GRATINS

[gingershelley]

I really can be interested in either, but since it was my idea in the first place - I am throwing support to

GRATIN
and agree it can have/not have breadcrumbs, cheese, etc. Many variations!

[blue room]

I used the Wikipedia definition for my dumpling vote, I thought it was clear and helpful for this thread.
Here's the Wiki definition for "gratin", I think it's clear and helpful too.
"Gratin... is a widespread culinary technique in food preparation in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter. Gratin originated in French cuisine and is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind. A gratin is baked or cooked under an overhead grill or broiler to form a golden crust on top and is traditionally served in its baking dish.

[Dave MP]

My vote is for GRATIN

As you can see in my profile, dumplings are my favorite type of food, but I personally think it's a bit too broad for this project. If we narrowed it down a bit in the future (for example, *just* do wontons or ravioli or gyoza), then I'd definitely be on board.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Good point, I agree. There are just too many variations of dumplings, as we've already covered in the nominating thread. If one makes a gnocchi, one makes some wontons, and another makes pierogies, it's really not the same as we are cooking the same type of thing but with different ingredients or methods, like enchiladas or meatballs.

[melpy]

Seriously! I think gnocchi itself has so many variations that I would be inclined to nominate it one month. I don't know for sure if I can participate but my vote is for GRATIN!

[rasputina]

GRATINS

[cleopatra999]

dumplings. I think filled are more interesting, including perogies, gyoza, potstickers, wontons. But I would think the 'matzo ball' style dumpling could be included too?

[blue room]

cleopatra999, votes must be in ALL CAPS to count!

[cleopatra999]

DUMPLINGS

(thanks blue room, reading thoroughly is not my forte, gets me in trouble with recipes too LOL)

[Cynsa]

yes, most certainly, matzo balls are dumplings.

[blue room]

DUMPLINGS

If dumplings win, here's the definition I'll use, it's straight out of Wikipedia:

"Dumplings are cooked balls of dough. They are based on flour, potatoes or bread, and may include meat, fish, vegetables, or sweets. They may be cooked by boiling, steaming, simmering, frying, or baking. They may have a filling, or there may be other ingredients mixed into the dough. Dumplings may be sweet or savoury. They can be eaten by themselves, in soups or stews, with gravy, or in any other way. While some dumplings resemble solid water-boiled doughs, such as gnocchi, others such as wontons resemble meatballs with a thin dough covering."

I'd add that to me, a dumpling can be eaten in one or two bites. (So apple dumplings are too big for this category!)
I think the filled ones are more interesting, and more fun to make, but I'd like to learn to do matzoh balls (Jewish soup dumplings) too.

[PesachBenSchlomo]

DUMPLINGS

Gratin just hasn't yet interested me. This is a personal idiosyncrasy, and one hopes I will try a recipe here that changes my mind, but if I am going to cook, I want to cook dumplings. Kneidlach, spaetzel, wonton, gnocchi - I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

[lilham]

I think filled dumplings are more interesting too. Hence why I narrowed it to just filled ones.

[Cynsa]

DUMPLINGS

[Dirtywextraolives]

This makes me feel that samosas are technically considered dumplings, no? But I am confused when they mention gnocchi, which I adore, but would not consider it a dumpling, more like a pasta, as compared to ravioli, if we are using this definition.

[Cynsa]

Gnocchi falls into the the dumpling definition of 'dough that is cooked in liquid such as water or soup'. google the definition for gnocchi and it's a dumpling : )

I think of the samosa as a fried or baked pastry or turnover.

[jen kalb]

a samosa is not a dumpling - it is a filled, friedflaky pastry - like a hand pie. A dumpling will be a piece of dough, either filled or not that -usually it is cooked in fluid but sometimes fried. gnocchi is clearly a dumpling though an italian type.

[perrottwilliamson]

They aren't balls of dough if they are Southern dumplings. Those are Northern dumplings.

[Jay F]

perrottwilliamson: <<They aren't balls of dough if they are Southern dumplings. Those are Northern dumplings.>>

Do tell.

[sandylc]

My grandmother's Southern dumplings were flat.

[mariacarmen]

like a Knedliky? http://allrecipes.com/recipe/knedliky...

[JungMann]

I think a knedlik is boiled round but sliced into many knedliky before serving.

[mariacarmen]

ah..

[Berheenia]

GRATINS

I'm a cheese head

[lilham]

I think you need to define gratin better. I make potato or sweet potato gratins with cream only.

See
Potato gratin
http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/creamy-potato-gratin-2567
I make this one often since I bought Ottolenghi
http://www.food.com/recipe/danielles-sweet-potato-gratin-from-otto-lenghi-468628

And potato dauphinoise has no cheese either
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/dau...
(Though I think dauphinoise is basically potato gratin. Someone might correct me again)!

[linguafood]

There are any number of varieties on gratin -- w/breadcrumbs or without, w/cheese or without, w/cream or without. FWIW, my potato gratin has cream AND cheese, but no breadcrumbs. It's still a gratin, though.

I think we can agree on the fact that it is generally a layered dish that is baked in the oven.

oh, and...

GRATIN GRATIN GRATIN.

[rasputina]

not to mention the many varities of vegetables used in gratins, no need for just potatoes.

[lilham]

DUMPLINGS

Savory filling wrapped in a thin, elastic piece of dough skin. They have to be cooked, but can use a variety of techniques such as boiling, steaming, pan frying or deep frying. (I don't think there are uncooked filled dumplings, but maybe there are)! Examples are Chinese jiaozi and wonton, Japanese gyoza and Italian tortellini and ravioli.

[DiningDiva]

GRATIN