Chả Giò (Vietnamese Egg Rolls)
These disappear pretty quickly whenever I bring them to parties. As a matter of fact, at the last gathering, when I got up to get one for myself, the platter was already empty. This makes me happy, of course. Once you make your own chả giò, you’ll never order it from the restaurant menu again.
This recipe makes 40 egg rolls, give or take.
2 bundles cellophane noodles
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
1/2 c black fungus (wood ear mushrooms)
1 lb ground pork
1 large jicama (about 2 lb), cut into skinny short matchsticks
1 medium white onion, diced
5 scallions, finely chopped
2 eggs
4 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 package (40 count) of wrappers
beer
canola oil for deep frying
In a medium bowl, place the cellophane noodles, shiitake mushrooms, and black fungus, and cover them with hot water (tap hot water is fine). Set aside to soak for about 15 minutes.
Separate the wrappers into single sheets. If frozen, allow to thaw on counter for about 30 minutes to an hour before separating.
In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, jicama, white onions, scallions, eggs, fish sauce, black pepper, and salt. Set aside.
Drain the soaked noodles and mushrooms. Remove and discard the stems of the shiitake mushrooms as they remain tough and not really edible. Squeeze to remove excess water. Chop them up together into short pieces. Add these to the large bowl with the rest of the ingredients. I put on plastic gloves so I can use my hands to break up the ground pork and mix everything well.
I like beer, so this is the best part. Open a bottle/can of your favorite beer, pour some into a small bowl. You’ll use the beer to soften and seal the roll. (My beer is inside the “squid” basting brush.) Here’s my setup right on the coffee table so I can watch TV as I roll. And drink my IPA.
To make each roll, orient the wrapper with one corner pointing at you. Fold up this corner to the center. Place about 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling near bottom edge, as shown. Moisten the opposite two edges with beer. Fold in the two sides, and roll from the bottom up. (It’s common that I run out of filling before I run out of wrappers. For this batch, I had one extra wrapper. You’ll know to adjust the amount of filling in each roll as you near the end.)
Once upon a time, I must have 5 different deep fryers, including a giant one for the Thanksgiving turkey. But for at least ten years now, the only one I use is the FryDaddy. It has no dials — meaning no setting, no timer. I fill it up to the inside mark with canola oil, plug it in, and let it preheat for 10 minutes. I gently lower 9 to 10 rolls into the hot oil. Fry for 12-13 minutes, or until golden brown. If you use another fryer, cook the rolls in 325°F for about 15 minutes.
Remove the rolls carefully with tongs. I stand the rolls inside a colander lined with paper towels to remove excess oil.
Note:
I’ve used green cabbage in place of the jicama; it’s fine. And I’m pretty sure no one will notice if you leave out the dried shiitake mushrooms. But I will know if you used something else other than beer to seal the rolls. :)
Storing Veggies and Herbs
In my perfect world, I’d live within walking distance from a farmers’ market that’s open every day. Actually, in Vietnam, very few families have a refrigerator, so people go to the market every day to get whatever they need to prepare the daily meals. I’m sure this is true with many other parts of the world. I loved Pike Place Market in Seattle where I would get three pounds of clams and ate them until I passed out.
Our local one in Ojai is open on Sundays. It’s relatively small compared to others, but there are enough stalls selling veggies and herbs that I need. (Some people go to the market to buy soaps and essential oils and I’m like why?-you-can’t-eat-that-stuff.) I’m still waiting for the price of a dozen fresh eggs to drop from $8 to something lower. The lady selling duck eggs keeps reminding everyone how much healthier they are than chicken eggs. She yells, “They are rich in B12 and antioxidants!” I yell back, “Okay! But I like blueberries better!”
The problem that I have - and there’s really just one - is buying more than we can eat. I got these greens for the week, pretending to forget that I still have too many mushrooms and carrots and asparagus in the fridge from the week before.
I tell my students that a puppy dies each time they make an egregious algebra mistake. I feel the same guilt when tossing out food. So, to make the veggies and herbs last [a lot] longer, I store them unwashed in these plastic containers.
Another good habit that I’m picking up is to cook as much of last week’s vegetables the same day that I bring new greens home. You can do this with pretty much any vegetable.
asparagus (from last week)
kale (from last week)
beet greens and tender stems (from the bundles of beets I just got)
Because these veggies are hardier, I cook them quickly in salted boiling water for no more than 2 minutes. After draining, I immediately dunk them in ice water to stop the cooking and keep them green. Then, I sauté them in olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
Plastic containers:
vertical (2 sizes)
Cyclamen and Kalanchoe
My favorite flowers include peony, gardenia, cyclamen, magnolia, plumeria. Cyclamen are probably the most accessible. I see them pretty much year round at the local nurseries, providing gorgeous colors and the lightest fragrance. They are hardier perennials than they look. When a bloom dies, I gently tug on the petal and stem to pull it out.
By mid February, the kalanchoe are in various stages of bloom. I find them one of the easiest plants (succulents) to maintain. They are in baskets and pots throughout the yard, even though the ten or so that I have came from just two plants that I got from Trader Joe’s. By easy, I mean when a stem breaks off — blaming this on our trampling cats — I just remove the lower leaves and stick it into a pot of another plant where it continues to grow and eventually get big enough to need its own container.
Limoncello
My friend Lynn gave us a bottle of the deliciously decadent limoncello that she’d made, with her own label on it. Mind you Lynn also makes fresh pasta to go with the best ragout I’d ever had. She could build you a cabin if she felt like it.
Limoncello is thick and sweet, lemony and clean. Inspired by Lynn’s careful process and desperate for an endless supply of this yummy Italian liqueur, I set out to make my own.
You’ll need:
9 organic lemons
750 ml Everclear grain alcohol (120 proof)
3.5 cups water
2.5 cups sugar
Why 9 lemons and not 10? That’s how many were in the bag from Whole Foods. No one will know if you used 8 or 10.5. Yes, the lemons really need to be organic, or the alcohol will extract gunk you don’t want. Get a hold of Meyer lemons if you can. We live where Meyer lemons are aplenty, nursing our own little tree in the sunniest part of the yard. Because you only use the peels to make limoncello, I squeeze the lemons (and additional limes) to make sour mix for the freshest margaritas.
Many recipes say vodka or Everclear, and I didn’t. Try vodka at your own peril. :) I’ve seen different proofs suggested, but the 120 is on the local shelves here.
Wash and dry the lemons well. Use a vegetable peeler to remove long strips from all the lemons. Then, use a paring knife to carefully strip away — like you’re filleting fish — any and all white piths under the peels. Place the peels inside a large glass jar and pour in the alcohol. Screw on the lid and set it aside for 2 to 4 weeks. The longer the better, but my patience wanes with age and I lasted for 24 days. I made two batches, yielding two jars of this liquid gold. I’m leaving the other jar alone for longer extraction — will update if I detect a difference in taste.
Strain the infused alcohol into a large bowl. Discard the peels.
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil and let it boil gently for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Pour the syrup into the infused alcohol. The mixture will turn slightly cloudy. Gently stir to mix. Use a funnel to transfer the limoncello into glass bottles. My funnel comes with a strainer and a 200 mesh filter, which trapped a few flecks of lemon peel bits. One batch — exactly as stated in the recipe — fills three 500-ml (16 fl. oz.) bottles nicely.
Keep chilled in the freezer. Serve your limoncello in a shot glass even though it’s meant to be sipped. Enjoy!
Supplies:
citrus juicer (to save the lemon juice)
[Added March 30]
I got a dozen Meyer lemons at the farmers’ market! The peels are thinner and so fragrant. I’m saving the lemon juice as ice cubes for another use later.
Best Mac-N-Cheese
This recipe allegedly came from Mimosa, a French bistro in LA, that’s no longer around.
8 oz elbow macaroni
1 cup whipping cream.
1 cup milk
7 to 8 oz Gruyère cheese (about 2 cups)
1 to 2 oz Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
3 oz prosciutto
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 11x7” glass baking dish.
Cook macaroni in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain well.
(I'm doubling the recipe, so the pictures show two sets of everything. One recipe is enough for a family of five.)
Whisk 1 cup Gruyère, cream, milk, prosciutto, Parmesan and nutmeg in large bowl to blend.
Add macaroni and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle remaining Gruyère over the top. Bake until cheese melts and macaroni and cheese sets, about 25 minutes. Serve warm.
I so appreciate this simple yet delicious meal.
I've been trying to duplicate the raspberry pomegranate martini that I had at Wood Ranch, and tonight's concoction came very close! The fresh raspberries made a big difference. Cheers!
