Dumplings: Rumaki Liverwurst Filled

Rumaki liverwurst* filled dumplings is something I came up with on my own; not that it took a period of deep thought.

To make this a very simple process, you can buy the dumpling dough already made, rolled out and cut. They are sold in many supermarkets in the refrigerated section, and, of course, Asian markets will have them. 

Brush the edges of the dumpling with water. Add a small clump .... I mean, amount, of liverwurst. Fold the dumpling over and press the edges together. Use a fork to press and "seal" the dumpling edges. Put the dumplings into simmering water. They will float when done, but I always give them about 30 seconds more, but not much more; you don't want them to split open. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain.

With Sweet & Spicy Thai Chili Sauce on the side **

* The recipe for Rumaki liverwurst is at this link:   http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/08/rumaki-liverwurst.html

** The recipe for the Thai Chili Sauce is at this link:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/10/sweet-spicy-thai-chili-sauce.html

WORD HISTORY:
Scale-English has more than one word of this spelling, but this is the noun for "a device for weighing." This word is closely related to "shell" and to "scale;" that is, the word of the same spelling, but meaning, "covering for fish," and, "flakes of dry skin." This form of the word goes back to Indo European "skel," which had the notion "to cut, to split, to chip." This gave Old Germanic "skela," meaning, "shallow vessel for food or drink made by splitting apart mollusk shells." This gave Old English "scealu," which meant, "shell;" thus then, "cup, bowl;" thus, "dish or pan used to hold items for weighing on a scale of balance," with the latter meaning later transferring to the whole weighing device by the late 1300s to early 1400s. The Danes, who spoke Old Norse, reinforced the word, and influenced its pronunciation by bringing their form of the same word, "skál" (bowl), to England. Relatives in the other Germanic languages have largely kept the original meaning, "cup, bowl, dish:" German "Schale" (cup, shallow bowl, and it was once spelled "scala"), Dutch "schaal" (dish, bowl, but also dish/pan for a scale), West Frisian "skaal" (dish), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish "skål" (bowl, dish; long ago, the word also meant "drinking cup," which brought about the use of "skål," as a drinking toast; like, "cheers," "to your health"), Icelandic "skál" (bowl, basin). "Apparently," Low German dialects no longer use a form, but Low German Saxon once had "skala," then, "schale." 

Rumaki Liverwurst

Rumaki is "typically" an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre with marinated chicken livers and water chestnuts wrapped in bacon and held together with a toothpick. Exactly where this dish originated is something I could not find, but it has been "tied" to Polynesian-themed bars and restaurants since the post World War Two era. I've chosen to make this recipe into a type of liverwurst or pâté.

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken livers, washed and trimmed of most fat
5 slices smoked bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 inch piece of peeled ginger, roughly chopped
1/4 onion, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar (light or dark)
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon brandy
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon fresh chili, finely chopped

Use a food processor. Since you will be processing the mixture, it isn't necessarily important to uniformly chop some of the ingredients, but I would not leave them whole, as you want the flavors spread throughout the liverwurst. Put all ingredients into the processor and process until well blended. If you like "chunkiness" for this, withhold a few livers from processing, chop them to whatever texture you wish, then add the pieces to the mixture, before baking. I line a loaf baking pan with parchment paper, then I add the mixture and make sure it settles. Bake at 350 F for 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool, and it is better to cool it and then refrigerate it. It will be somewhat crumbly. If you want it to be less crumbly, you can add butter or margarine (there are margarines with various types of fat used, so whatever suits you), but you will be adding extra calories and/or cholesterol, as adding just a tablespoon or so will not really do much to reduce the crumbly texture.

Rumaki liverwurst on a half roll, also herb butter on a half roll, blue cheese stuffed olives (larger) and anchovy stuffed olives and tomato pieces

 

WORD HISTORY:
Butter-This word goes back to some ancient Iranian language, ^ likely with the general meaning of "cow cheese, curds." This was a compound which was then borrowed into Greek as "bouturon" (transliterated form from the Greek alphabet), with the meaning "cow milk cheese," from Indo European "gous/bous," which meant "cattle, oxen," and Indo European "turos," which meant "cheese, curds." Latin picked up the term from Greek as "butyrum," where it took on the more specific meaning, "butter." The word was then borrowed long ago by the West Germanic branch of Old Germanic as "butero," which gave it to its offspring as Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "butere," which then became "butter." The other West Germanic languages also have: German "Butter," Low German "Botter," Dutch "boter," and West Frisian "buter."

^ Iranian is from the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo European languages and is thus related to English, but further down the family tree.