Blackberry Recipes

Blackberry Szechuan Sauce

For the sauce:

• ½ cup blackberry puree
• ½ cup saki
• 1Tsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp red pepper flacks
• ½ tsp ginger - grated
• 1tsp lime juice
• 2 large cloves garlic - mince
• 1 ½ tbsp honey

And for the filling you will need:

• Vegetable oil
• 3 oz fresh spinach -wash and trim
• 1tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp onion - chop finely
• 3 oz cream cheese - dice
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ lb cooked crabmeat - flaked is best, diced otherwise
• 2 tbsp dry breadcrumbs
• 3 dozen won ton wrappers

Add all the sauce ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil then cook gently until it thickens.  This sauce can be cooked and left or frozen for use in the future if required and as with most sauce mixes the sauce flavours will intensify if left overnight.

Cook the spinach in a frying pan, add a little water if the leaves are dry, only a tbsp or two, just to stop the leaves from burning. Cook until the spinach wilts and most of the water is gone, then chopped the leaves on a cutting board, finely, and set aside.

Melt the butter in the pan, and add the onion and sauté.  Turn the heat down to low and add the cream cheese, as the cream cheese softens add the lemon juice - add salt and pepper to taste if you wish - I prefer not to.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the crab meat, the spinach and the breadcrumbs.

Fill the won tons with the filling form the pan leaving enough room to seal them closed, and then fry in the oil, medium high heat, until they are nicely browned this should only take a few minutes. (You can use olive oil or vegetable oil - olive oil can be a bit of an acquired taste but I love it).

Serve immediately with the sauce while they are still hot. Enjoy.