Everybody likes a fried wonton.

Perhaps you have noticed that I cook a lot of Asian inspired dishes. What's a French Cuban like me doing cooking things like black chicken or Peking duck? Seattle is a mecca for Asian food and I have spent nearly a third of my life here, so I suppose it has crept it's way into my cooking style. Give me some gyoza and arroz con pollo and I'll eat them both. I've taken a little bit of every place I've lived to create my style of cooking. I think the more of the world that you experience, the better cook you will be. There is still a whole lot of world to see out there and a whole lot of new food to taste.

The other night I made Fried Longanisa and Arugula Ravioli with a Lau Pork and Ponzu Sauce. I used wontons to make the ravioli and stuffed them with chopped Filipino sausage and fresh greens. After frying the ravioli I made a sauce using lau pork which I steamed off in taro leaves and then shredded, and finished off with chilies, ponzu, and soy sauce. Ponzu is a Japanese citrus based sauce that has a lovely sourness and goes well with soy and pork. The lau pork is a pain to make so I'll give you the recipe with just a simple ponzu/soy sauce and you can add the pork if you have the time.

1 package of wonton skins
1 lb longanisa sausage, rough chopped
1 cup packed arugula, washed
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp cap jempol (or you could use sriracha)
2 scallions, chopped
1 egg
canola oil for frying

Place the sausage, arugula, soy, hot sauce, scallions, and egg in a food processor and pulse until throughly mixed and chopped into a fine crumbly mixture. Take one wonton sheet and place it on a dry surface. Place a 1/2 Tbsp of the mixture in the center of the wonton. Lightly dampen the outer edge of the wonton with water and place another wonton sheet over the top. Press down the edges and make sure it's sealed. Place on a tray and do it again until you run out of sausage mixture or wonton sheets. In a semi-shallow frying pan fill up with canola oil 3/4 of the way. Bring the oil up to 375F degrees and deep fry the ravioli about 1-2 minutes each side until golden brown. Remove from the oil to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve with ponzu/soy sauce.

1/4 cup ponzu
1/2 soy sauce
1 Tbsp honey
2 scallions, sliced thin
1 red jalapeno pepper, sliced thin

Heat all ingredients in a pan until honey dissolves. Bring to a boil and turn off the the heat. Serve drizzled on the wontons or on the side.