Monday, January 29, 2018

Rosie Makes Shrimply Delicious Egg Rolls.


When I want egg rolls, I want them NOW.
That means fresh, crisp, and delicious.
And, that means no ChinaMacs for me.  I must make them myself.


 

Rosie's Egg Rolls

Won ton wrappers

For filling:
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup water chestnuts, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch cube ginger, minced, with juice
1 egg
1 cup shrimp, cooked and minced
1- 2 TB soy sauce
1- 2 tsp sesame oil

For serving:
lightly toasted sesame seeds
sliced scallions

Rosie Note:  When I buy ginger, I cut it into 1-inch cubes and freeze it.  That way, I always have ginger on hand.  Also, frozen ginger is the only way to extract the juice.  Simply nuke a cube of ginger for about 20 seconds or so, then squeeze it with your fingers or use a garlic press to get the juice out.  Mince the remaining pulp for your recipe.

To prepare the egg, first beat it, then pour it in a thin layer in a non-stick pan over medium heat, swirling to spread out the egg.  Cook about a minute, then flip and cook the other side.  Remove from pan, let cool, then cut into strips, then cut crosswise.

For the shrimp, season water with Old Bay and bring to boil.  Drop in peeled and de-tracted shrimp and cook until just done.  About one minute.  I say "de-tract," not "de-vein," because that black line is the digestive tract of the shrimp, not a vein.  Whatever you call it, remove it.  Drain cooked shrimp, let cool, then mince.

 In a medium bowl, combine shredded cabbage, carrot, chestnuts, minced garlic, minced ginger and juice, and  cooked egg and shrimp.  Toss with 1 TB soy sauce and 1 tsp sesame oil.  Taste test and add extra soy or sesame if desired.

Position wonton wrapper on the diagonal and place a few tablespoons of filling in the center.  Roll up nearest side over filling, then fold edges over, and continue rolling, tightly.  Brush edges with water to seal.  Do not overfill the wrappers - you'll have a mess on your hands.

In deep fry pan, heat peanut oil to 350°.  Carefully lower egg rolls into hot oil, one at a time.  I fry them two at a time, so as not to crowd the pan and lower the temperature of the oil.  Fry, turning the egg rolls and spooning hot oil over the top side, for 3 - 3 1/2 minutes, or until golden brown.  Drain on racks and serve with toasted sesame seeds, sliced scallions, and dipping sauce.

For dip:
1 TB ketchup
1 TB soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp water
1 tsp cornstarch 
In small saucepan, heat ketchup, soy, sugar, and vinegar.  Stir in slurry of cornstarch and water and heat, stirring, until thickened.

Now for the step-by-steps:
Drop peeled and cleaned shrimp into boiling water.
Only needs about 1 minute until done.  
Drain, let cool, then mince.

For the egg, pour a thin layer in a non-stick pan and cook both sides for about a minute.
It's like a crepe.

Thinly slice the egg into strips, then cut across.

When filling your egg rolls, be careful not to over-fill.

Roll bottom side up over the filling, then fold in sides.

Keep rolling.

I cut the triangle off the top since you don't need all that wrap on the egg roll.
Save the triangles.  Either cut them into wonton strips or keep them whole and fry them for extras.



Babies are ready for the fryer.

I only fry two at a time to keep the temperature constant.
If you lower the temp too much by adding too many pieces, you'll end up with greasy, not crisp.
Also, I like to use a ladle to spoon hot oil over the top of the rolls.
Keep turning until lightly browned all over.

Drain on racks.

 
 Serve with dipping sauce and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions.





Enjoy!

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Rosie Makes Bread Sticks.





I had a hankerin' for bread sticks.
And when I get a hankerin', I get to work.





Rosie's Bread Sticks
1 cup warm water
1 package yeast
sprinkling of sugar

2 cups or so King Arthur bread flour
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Toppings:
grated Parmesan/ground pepper/paprika
sesame seeds

Pour water in a medium bowl.  Sprinkle yeast on top, then sprinkle the sugar.
I don't even bother mixing.  I just leave it and let the yeast do its thang.
Yeast is hungry and the sugar is a snack for it.
When  you start to see little bubbles and "poofing" in the bowl, you know the yeast is good.  And ready.  The yeast produces carbon dioxide and other happy byproducts.  That's called "proofing" the yeast.  It has to "prove" it's alive.  Now, you're ready to make bread.  And because the yeast has been "proofed," the dough will rise.

Stir in about 2 cups King Arthur bread flour.  (I like King Arthur.  It has a high gluten content and is perfect for making bread doughs.)  Add in about 1 tsp Kosher salt, 1/2 tsp ground pepper, and a tsp of olive oil.  Mix together until it forms a ball.   Place on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it all comes together into a nice, elastic mass.  Add more flour by sprinkles if needed. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, put in a warm spot, and let it rise until doubled.

Divide dough into 18 balls and just give 'em a 20-minute rest before rolling and pulling the balls out into long ropes.  Place ropes on oiled baking pans, brush with a nice extra virgin olive oil, and let rise.  I  have an assortment of flavored oils I use, so you can use whatever suits your fancy.  Some of the ropes I dusted with a grated Parmesan/black pepper/paprika mixture; others I sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Bake in a 300° oven for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

















Here's my little ball o' dough.  Ready to rise.

Let it rise.

Form into balls and let them rest about 20 minutes before rolling out into ropes.

Place ropes on oiled baking pans and top with whatever suits your fancy.
I have sesame seeds on one batch.

The other batch has a combo of grated Parmesan, paprika, and freshly ground black pepper.

Let dough rise again.  Until doubled.
And bake.


Slather on some butter.
And enjoy!