Are you tired of salads? We are too.
If you are getting CSA’s or finishing up your winter garden then you have been definitely working greens and lettuce into every meal. It may be time for shaking up the recipes to get you through the last haul before we are loaded with tomatoes and squash!
While fresh spring rolls are really just a tasty way to get more peanut sauce in your mouth, they are also a great alternative for using up your fresh veggies! The biggest tip–have everything ready to go before you start. Mise en place!
Fresh Summer Rolls
♦ Ingredients for the peanut sauce
¾ cup (190g) creamy peanut butter
⅓ cup (80ml) hot water
2 tablespoons (30ml) rice vinegar
1 tablespoon (15ml) soy sauce
1 tablespoon (15ml) fish sauce (optional)
A medium garlic clove, grated
2 teaspoons (10ml) toasted sesame oil (optional)
2 teaspoons (8g) sugar
1 teaspoon (12g) chili-garlic paste
♦ Ingredients for the summer rolls
4 ounces (115g) dried rice vermicelli noodles
16 (8-1/2-inch) round rice paper wrappers
1 bunch mint leaves, basil, and/or cilantro
16 butter or green leaf lettuce leaves
1 cup finely shredded red cabbage (about 3 oz./ 85g)
1 cup finely shredded carrots (about 3 oz./ 85g)
4 Persian (or ½ of one small English) cucumber, cut into matchsticks
3 medium scallions, cut into slivers about 3 inches long
Get creative with the types of veggies you choose: beets, mushrooms, greens, squash, beans, peas, tomatoes. Make seasonal substitutions!
♦ Instructions for the peanut sauce
you are headed this way
Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
♦ Instructions for the summer rolls
- Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Take a wide, shallow dish large enough to hold the rice paper wrappers and fill it with warm water. Arrange all of the filling ingredients within easy reach around a work surface.
- Lay down a lettuce leaf. In the middle, place and arrange a little bit of rice noodles, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, scallions and a few cilantro leaves. Roll lettuce around the noodles and vegetables making a cigar shape. Set aside, seam side down.
- Working with 1 wrapper at a time, submerge rice paper until it is soft and pliable, about 10 seconds (it will soften more as it sits). Remove the wrapper from the water and place it on the work surface.
- Place the lettuce roll in the center of the wrapper. Fold the bottom half of the rice paper wrapper over the filling and roll until the lettuce is secured. Then fold in the sides of the wrapper. Then roll the entire wrapper so it becomes sealed, like a burrito.
- Place roll on a rimmed baking sheet and cover loosely with a lightly damp paper towel and plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and fillings. Leave a little space between each summer roll so they don’t stick together.
- If not serving immediately, keep the rolls covered with damp towels and plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
- Serve with the peanut sauce for dipping.
