I love summer rolls.  The cold chewy texture of rice paper wrapped around a little package of refreshing flavors is so fun to eat and pleasing to the palate.  There are endless combinations and the fun is in creating rolls that match your tastes.  I was inspired to make these vegetable rolls after I enjoyed my friend Meghan's version.  They make such an impressive presentation when using vibrantly colored vegetables.  I used the vegetables that I had in my refrigerator and I also took the liberty of adding some tempeh that I sauteed in olive oil.  The process for making these is very straight forward – once all of the ingredients are prepped it's just a matter of assembly.  One tip that Meghan shared with me is wrapping each roll twice with the rice paper.  This makes for a chewier roll that stays wrapped more readily.  The dipping sauce that I used was my all-purpose peanut sauce but you can use whatever dipping sauce that you like.  Feel free to experiment with your favorite fillers too!

Veggie Roll-ups

• Rice paper wraps
• Tempeh
• Purple cabbage
• Rice vermicelli noodles
• Carrots
• Cucumber
• Cilantro

1)  Begin by cutting the tempeh into small cubes.  Heat a sautee pan over medium heat and add a tablespoon or two of olive oil.  When the pan is hot (I sometimes just flick a little water on the pan and when I hear a sizzle I know it's hot) add the tempeh and stir regularly to lightly brown all the sides.  Once the cubes of tempeh are lightly golden set aside on a plate to cool to room temperature. 

2)  For the vermicelli rice noodles just follow the instructions on the box – typically you just soak them in hot/warm water until they transform into delicate limp strands.  Set aside.

3)  Meanwhile – prepare all of the vegetables that you'd like to include in your summer roll.  I used:  purple cabbage (added great color), carrots, and cucumber.  For the cabbage just remove the outer most leaves and cut the head in half – then when its rested firmly on a flat surface cut thin slices to produce the shredded cabbage effect – use a quarter of a head of cabbage (chop some more if needed).  For the carrots and cucumber I just cut them into long thin strips.  I washed the cilantro and left a bunch of it along with the prepped veggies.  Once everything has been prepped it's time to assemble the rolls.

4) Prepare a shallow baking dish with warm/hot water for dipping the dry rice paper sheets. The rice paper, as you'll discover, comes packaged in dry and brittle sheets and you'll need to dip it into very warm water for a few seconds to allow it to soften and become malleable. You'll do this dipping step only when you're ready to assemble the rolls and you'll want to do each one individually. Take a piece of rice paper, dip it in the warm water until it's softened enough to work with, place it on a clean flat surface, place a few leaves of cilantro along the bottom, add some cabbage on top then the carrots, cucumber, and tempeh – all in a narrow row along the bottom part of the rice paper.  Finally add the vermicelli rice noodles. Now for the rolling part, you basically want to wrap it as you would a burrito. There is more than one way to do this but to help guide you I found a great site that explains this very well. This part can be a little tricky but after a roll or two you'll get the hang of it. As you get used to rolling you'll also find out the best way to layer ingredients so that they look nice through the translucent rice paper (which is why I recommended starting with the cilantro but you may find a preferable arrangement once you try a few rolls).  Now that you have your little roll – take another sheet of rice paper – soften it in the warm water and then re-roll your original roll so that it's double-wrapped.  This extra step really helps the rolls stay together and also adds more of that great chewy texture I find so enjoyable in summer rolls.  When all of your rolls are done I either leave them in the fridge or on the counter well wrapped for about 20 minutes before serving – this gives them time to slightly firm up and they'll hold together better when you cut them.  

For the peanut dipping sauce:

• 4-6 Tablespoon water (this is to thin out the sauce, I use 6 for a very runny sauce but if you prefer it a little thicker use less)
• 1/4 Cup Peanut butter (My favorite kind of peanut butter is the all natural kind so that's what I used here – there's no sugar added. If you use the kind of peanut butter that already has sugar added then go light on the brown sugar that I add later or maybe omit that ingredient all together – you'll have to go by taste…)
• 2 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoon Tamari soy sauce, low sodium (use whatever kind of soy sauce that you have on hand)
• 2 Tablespoon Rice vinegar
• 1 Teaspoon freshly grated or finely chopped ginger (I got a microplane for Christmas and I LOVE to use it for grating ginger – you'll find that the ginger blends into the sauce very easily when grated)
• 1 Teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 Clove garlic finely chopped

Instructions:

1) Mix all the ingredients together except for the water – I recommend adding the water slowly at the end so that you can control for how viscous you'd like your sauce to be – (because this sauce is so flavorful you can add quite a bit without compromising taste).  As you'll see, the peanut butter "melts" when you start stirring it with the soy sauce and other ingredients.  Stir very well until everything is combined.

Enjoy! 

A few months ago Kareem and I joined our friends Dan and Alicia for brunch in their neighborhood.  Since Kareem and I had never really explored that 'hood Dan, a fellow foodie, gave me a tip on a good gourmet market in the area.  On our way back from brunch we stopped in and spent some time meandering the aisles and checking out all of the goodies.  One of my purchases was Spanish smoked sweet paprika.  I have played with it a little here and there but I must admit that I have really not given it a fair try.  Little did I know that it would be by accident that I would discover the powerful flavor potential of this beautiful red spice.

In an attempt to de-clutter my refrigerator I decided to make some hummus with the bowl of chickpeas that were left over from a salad I had made the day before.  I poured them into my blender, added a clove of garlic, a pinch of salt, a drizzle of olive oil, a few squeezes of lemon juice, and then out of no where came the idea to add a 1/2 teaspoon of sweet paprika.  A few whizzes and whirls of the blender later I gave the hummus a taste.  Yum!  The cool chickpeas were the perfect host to the sweet yet spicy paprika and the hint of smoky flavor in the background rounded out the flavors perfectly.  Enjoy this with your favorite crackers, toasted pita bread, or crostini.

I should also note that I usually add tahini (sesame paste) to my hummus but didn’t add any this time and I actually preferred the taste – I find that the tahini easily overpowers the chickpeas.  Omitting the tahini also makes this a much lighter dip.

Hummus That Makes You Go Hmmm… 

• 1 15 oz. can chick peas – rinsed and drained
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2-3 Tablespoons water (I used 2 Tablespoons but you can add another if you want a smoother consistency)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1/2 Teaspoon sea salt (add more to taste)
• 1 Teaspoon smoked sweet paprika

1)  Add all of the ingredients into a blender/food processor and blend.  I add just 2 tablespoons of water but to get an even smoother consistency you can add more.  Once blended taste it to adjust the flavors of salt, lemon juice, etc. 

2)  Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika atop the hummus and serve!

When I was younger I recall pasta salads being a staple item come summer time.  They were ubiquitous at summer barbecues and beach parties.  I haven't encountered a pasta salad in the longest time and I don't know if this is because people are still steering clear on account of the low-carb craze or what but I miss these salads and I'm bringing one back! 

I first made this salad a year ago when I came across the recipe in a Martha Stewart cookbook.  I remember why I tried it in the first place – the idea of a minestrone salad sounded so good to me.  I love minestrone soup so I figured it wasn't much of a stretch to assume I'd like this salad.  This salad brings together a symphony of summer vegetables and it still amazes me that with such simple seasonings this salad packs so much flavor!  It's the perfect dish to bring along to a summer pot-luck or simply to enjoy with any summer meal.  This is also a very easy recipe to double so you can accomodate any size crowd!

Minestrone Salad from Martha Stewart Living Annual Recipes 2002 

1 Teaspoon coarse salt (I use sea salt)

8 oz. Gemelli or other pasta (I used farfalle)

1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil

1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice (I also added a summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice)

4 oz. green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/4 cups corn kernels, cut from 1 ear, or defrosted (I used defrosted)

Freshly ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons baslamic vinegar

1 15 oz. can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 pound of tomatoes, coarsely chopped  – use whatever variety is fresh – I used grape tomatoes

1 handful chopped fresh basil 

1) Boil water for the pasta, once it comes to a boil add a big pinch of salt and then add the pasta.  Depending on the type of pasta you've chosen the exact cooking time may vary – check the box and then test the pasta a few minutes before the instructions on the box.  That way you can make sure to get the pasta al dente without over cooking.  Because the pasta will continue cooking a little while after being drained and it will absorb the dressing you want the pasta to be very al dente.  Drain and rinse pasta and set aside.

2) Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until it begins to soften – about 2 minutes.  Then add the carrot – cook for 4 minutes.  Next add teh zucchini, green beans, and corn.  Cook until all of the veggies are tender about 10-15 minutes – stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer the veggies to a bowl, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, cannellini beans, tomatoes, and the pasta.  I also added freshly chopped basil.  Taste the salad and adjust the flavors – add more salt/pepper if necessary.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Enjoy! 

Tuscan White Bean Dip with Basil and Lemon

1 15 oz. Can of cannellini beans (rinse well with cold water in a colander before using)
1 small handful of fresh basil leaves (I used about 6-8 big leaves)
1/2 Garlic clove
2 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 pinches of lemon zest
Sea salt/ Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

1) In a dry pan I add the pine nuts over medium heat. Make sure to keep a watchful eye when toasting nuts because this takes very little time and it’s super easy to burn them. Gently shuffle the pan a little bit from time to time so they get a nice golden color evenly on more than one side. You’ll begin to smell the nutty aroma of the nuts and you’ll notice they start to glisten as the oils begin to emerge from them – these are signs that they are just about ready. When they look slightly golden or toasted remove from heat and allow to cool before adding them to the rest of the ingredients in the food processor.

2) While the pine nuts are cooling begin by rinsing the beans to rid them of the syrup in which they are preserved and add them to a food processor along with the garlic clove, olive oil, basil leaves, lemon juice, lemon zest (this is best removed using a microplane or super-fine grater that will just remove the zest – avoid getting the white part known as the pith which is very bitter). Also add the toasted pine nuts which have cooled. Pulse these ingredients together in the blender – before it’s completely blended together add a pinch of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Blend it and then taste – if you think it needs more salt or pepper add a little bit at a time. I try to blend the mixture so that it’s all combined but still has a little bit of texture meaning it isn’t completely perfectly smooth – blend it to your desired consistency though.

Enjoy with crostini which are just toasted pieces of baguette – I slice pieces of bread about 1/2 -1 inch think and line them on a baking sheet. Stick them under the broiler in the oven for about 5-10 minutes until they are toasted.

It’s so easy to make a lot of this dip so it’s great for parties and entertaining! It holds up very well in the fridge too so you can make it the day before.

I keep things simple when I make these rolls but you are only limited by your imagination when it comes to creating your own favorite combinations of ingredients here. Adding thin strips of carrots or colorful purple cabbage would be lovely additions to these summer rolls and if you want to keep it veggies only that’s fine too!
Making these treats isn’t difficult but the assembly takes a little bit of effort. Rolling the rice paper roll is the only tricky part but the reward will definitely be worth it!
I’ve taken some cross-cultural liberties with my rendition of summer rolls – I hope that you’ll enjoy the exotic tastes and textures that this appetizer brings.

Shrimp Summer Rolls with Ginger Peanut Dipping Sauce

For the Summer rolls:

• 12 medium-large sized shrimp (figure about 3 shrimp per roll – adjust according to how many you want per person – I like to buy uncooked frozen deveined shrimp and I keep them in my freezer for whenever I need some – just defrost by placing frozen shrimp in a bowl of water for 20 minutes)
• 1 Package of Vietnamese spring roll wrappers – rice paper (if you have an asian market in your area that would be a good place to look for these – also check the aisle in the grocery store where you find imported goods too – the package that I use has a red rose on it which I think is a reputable brand – they are also called ‘Banh Trang’)
• 1 head iceberg lettuce – shredded (meaning after removing outer leaves and washing, cut in half and slice very thinly)
• 1 bunch of cilantro, chop about 1/4 C worth and set aside
• 1 small handful mint, chopped
• 1 lemon
• 6 pepper corns

Instructions:

1) Fill a medium pot 3/4 full of water and add a few slices of lemon (with rind), pepper corns, and a little bunch of cilantro (the 1/4 C of chopped cilantro will be for the inside of the rolls while the cilantro that is added to the water here is just to flavor the shrimp which we’ll poach in this mixture) – put cover on and turn to high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce heat so that the water is simmering (boiling means that the water is at a violent rolling bubble while a simmer is a little rumble – hopefully that makes sense). Add the shrimp at this point – if using previously frozen shrimp they should be defrosted before adding. They will only take a little while to cook – they will turn pink evenly on all sides – that’s how you’ll know that they’re ready. This takes a few minutes. By the way, this process of cooking shrimp in simmering water is called poaching – a very lean way to cook fish, chicken, etc. as there’s no oil or fat required.

2) Prepare the rest of the ingredients for assembling the rolls: chop the mint and cilantro, shred the lettuce, and prepare a shallow baking dish with warm-hot water for dipping the dry rice paper sheets. The rice paper, as you’ll discover, comes hardened and you’ll just need to dip it into very warm water for a few seconds to allow it to soften and become malleable. You’ll do this dipping step only when you’re ready to assemble the rolls and you’ll want to do each one individually. Also, you’ll want to make sure to remove the tails from the cooked shrimp too once they’re cool enough to handle.

3) When you’ve got the shrimp poached with tails removed and all of your ingredients ready to assemble then take a rice paper, dip it in the warm water until it’s softened enough to work with, place it on a plate, place three shrimp in a row along the bottom, add some iceberg lettuce on top and sprinkle some cilantro and mint on top too. Now for the rolling part, you basically want to wrap it as you would a burrito. There is more than one way to do this but to help guide you I found a great site that explains this very well. I promise, getting used to working with the rice paper and finding the best way to roll it is the only tricky part here. As you get used to rolling you’ll also find out the best way to layer ingredients so that they look nice through the translucent rice paper.

For the dipping sauce:

• 4-6 Tablespoon water (this is to thin out the sauce, I use 6 for a very runny sauce but if you prefer it a little thicker use less)
• 1/4 Cup Peanut butter (My favorite kind of peanut butter is the all natural kind so that’s what I used here – there’s no sugar added. If you use the kind of peanut butter that already has sugar added then go light on the brown sugar that I add later or maybe omit that ingredient all together – you’ll have to go by taste…)
• 2 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoon Tamari soy sauce, low sodium (use whatever kind of soy sauce that you have on hand)
• 2 Tablespoon Rice vinegar
• 1 Teaspoon freshly grated or finely chopped ginger (I got a microplane for Christmas and I LOVE to use it for grating ginger – you’ll find that the ginger blends into the sauce very easily when grated)
• 1 Teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 Clove garlic finely chopped

Instructions:

1) I mix all the ingredients together – adding the water last so that I can control for the viscosity. As you’ll see, the peanut butter “melts” when you start stirring it with the soy sauce and other ingredients – stir very well until everything is combined.

This sauce is also great as a dressing for rice noodle salad, broccoli salad, or even along with with a stir fry….

We prepared crostini which are just slices of fresh bread or baguette in the oven at 350F until slightly toasted and crisp – I sprinkled a little olive oil on the bread prior to placing in the oven but that is optional. Then we put a little fresh basil leaf on each crostini and topped that with a slice of burrata (I use the word ‘slice’ liberally here – since the texture of the burrata is so delicate you kind of just scoop it with a knife). We sprinkled sea salt and freshly cracked pepper on top and then finished with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. The crisp texture of the crostini was the perfect compliment to the creamy soft burrata cheese. This simple appetizer embodies what I think of Italian cooking. Each of the few simple ingredients are discernable and contribute to the overall impression: sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, fresh basil, spicy extra virgin olive oil, crisp toasted bread, and of course the creamy soft burrata. This was so unbelievably easy to assemble and yet it makes a sophisticated statement in presentation and taste.

This cheese makes a fantastic appetizer whether you make these simple crostini or whether you improvise with your own ingredients. A few suggestions include making caprese crostini which would just be these toasts with basil, burrata, and fresh slices of tomato and then seasoned similarly with sea salt, cracked pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. I also tried making a sweet version where I toasted a hearty piece of multi-grain bread, added a little burrata and then drizzled honey on top. I placed a few walnut halves on top to finish – delish! Another simple combination would be balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.

A note on the burrata cheese – a little goes a long way so don’t go too top heavy with the cheese on the crostini. This bodes well if you’re planning on serving these crostini for a cocktail party as you’ll be able to make a lot! Also, the guy at the store said that burrata doesn’t have a long shelf-life so it will spoil quickly – thus plan on buying it when you’ll use it. And lastly, if you can’t find burrata, a soft fresh mozzarella will work and be delicious too.

Another note I want to make as a testament to how yummy these appetizers are is that I was able to sample them on my dear friend Grace and her lovely sister Caroline to rave reviews (and they tell it like it is).

Burrata Crostini with Fresh Basil

(Here are the ingredients you’ll need, see above for instruction)

Fresh baguette, sliced
Burrata cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh basil leaves
Sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

]]> http://www.genevestewart.com/blog/2006/05/01/you-say-burrato-i-say-burrata/feed/ 8 http://www.genevestewart.com/blog/2006/04/27/asian-persuasion/ http://www.genevestewart.com/blog/2006/04/27/asian-persuasion/#comments Fri, 28 Apr 2006 01:29:00 +0000 Geneve http://www.genevestewart.com/blog/2006/04/27/asian-persuasion/ It won’t take a lot to persuade people to try this tasty refreshing salad. Asian slaw is versatile enough to sit comfortably on a picnic table at a barbeque but not so modest that it can’t also be a sophisticated side dish to accompany an elegant show-stopping dinner. The beauty of this coleslaw is that it is no relation to the mayonnaise-laden coleslaw you may be used to. Instead, it is infused with exotic asian flavors of cilantro, ginger, and sesame oil. It’s healthy, colorful, and festive. This makes a big salad, so it’s a great dish to bring to a pot-luck.

Asian Slaw

4 Cups finely shredded cabbage (I buy the smallest head of purple cabbage and the smallest head of regular green cabbage that I can find and then to get the “shredded” effect that this recipe calls for you just remove the outer most leaves and rinse the cabbage, then cut the entire head in half and finely chop it lengthwise- you’ll end up with long strips of cabbage – I do equal parts of the purple to green – don’t worry about being too precise here)

1 Small sweet red pepper sliced into thin strips lengthwise
2 Medium carrots grated
4 Green onions chopped
1/4 Cup Chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 Cup peanuts

For the dressing:

3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
3 Tablespoons Hoisin sauce
2 Teaspoons Sesame oil
2 Teaspoons minced fresh ginger root – get about a 2 inch nob of ginger from the store (I suggest grating the ginger with a really fine grater or microplane if you’ve got one)
1 Teaspoon soy sauce
1 Teaspoon granulated sugar
1 clove of minced garlic

Mix the dressing and add it to the previously prepared vegetables – you’ll need a large bowl for this! Also, a great way to use up the left-over cabbage is to chop some more the next day and add it to the remaining salad if there is any. This salad is great the next day as the flavors have had a chance to meld together and you’ll find that the extra dressing will have drawn out some of the moisture in the veggies. Adding more cabbage will freshen up the salad and you won’t even need to add more dressing!

Turkey chili is the perfect thing to make when you plan on spending some time in the house studying, cleaning, catching up on reading, etc. All that is required of you is a little time chopping and stirring and then you can leave the pot on the stove to slowly bubble away. The flavors will intensify while the aromas will waft throughout your home reminding you that a treat awaits in the kitchen.

Also, I figured my brother would appreciate the fact that this recipe calls for a bottle of Corona.

Turkey Chili

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Medium sized yellow onion, chopped
5 Cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 Tablespoon salt (preferably sea salt)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 Cup of your favorite salsa that contains chipotles in adobo (or just chipotles if you can’t find it with adobo)
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1 12oz. bottle of Corona
1 14oz. can of crushed fire roasted tomatoes (or just regular crushed tomatoes if you can’t find the fire roasted variety)
1 15oz. can of kidney beans

Toppings to suit your fancy: shredded cheese (monterey jack or cheddar), cilantro, sour cream, tortilla chips, guacamole…

1) Heat the olive oil under medium heat in a large soup pot, then add the onion, garlic, salt, chili powder, oregano and cook until it smells yummy (about 3 minutes)

2) Stir in the tomato paste and salsa and cook another minute or so – then add the turkey and be sure to break it up using a wooden spoon – keep cooking until the turkey no longer looks raw

3) Add the Corona and simmer until it reduces by half

4) Add the crushed tomatoes, beans and cook until it thickens – at this point I usually turn down the heat a bit and leave it on the stove for a little while to simmer with the lid part way on so that steam can still escape- if you can’t be near by to check it in a half hour or so then turn it off and keep the lid on completely. Reheat when you’re ready to enjoy!