Elizabeth Nyland's Perfect Summer Patio Food
(NC)—“It's summer! Most summers you'll find me at the local farmers markets, farm gates and other local foodie havens. It's there where I find all the goodies to make those light and refreshing foods everyone wants to chow down on a hot sunny patio. Who needs heavy pastas and meat–centred dishes during the sweat inducing height of summer. Besides that, it's also swimwear season right? A girl's gotta eat, but there's always room for food and health.
That's where these fresh wraps come in. I have to admit, we eat them almost weekly in our house during the summer months. They are just perfect patio food. You don't even need a fork or knife to eat them and they always please guests with their complex nature.
If you find that you want to make these in the peak of summer and can't find good quality asparagus anymore, try adding blanched scallions, steamed beans or even peas. It's a very forgiving dish.”
Mushroom, Pork and Asparagus Fresh Rolls
Yield: 8 rollsPrep Time: 30 minutes
Active Cooking Time: 10 minutes
For the Pork
500g Pork shoulder blade steak
1/4 cup black bean sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for eight hours.
2 When done, pull apart with two forks. Set aside.
For the Rolls:
250g asparagus
2 tsp grapeseed oil
sea or kosher salt, to taste
fresh cracked pepper to taste
105g rice vermicelli noodles
115g fresh mushrooms, such as shiitake or oyster
1 tsp butter
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped fine
8 rice paper wrappers
1 Place asparagus on a baking sheet and pour grapeseed oil over, rolling the asparagus around to coat. Season with salt and pepper and place in a 425°F oven for 12–15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
2 Fill a kettle with water and bring to a boil.
3 Set vermicelli noodles in large bowl. Pour boiling water over until just submerged. Allow to sit for five minutes and then drain.
4 To the rice vermicelli noodles, add the rice vinegar, sugar, 2 tbsp of water, 1 tsp of salt and garlic. Stir to coat.
5 Coarsely chop the mushrooms. In a small sauté pan, heat the butter and add the mushrooms. Sauté for about five minutes, season with salt and pepper and add to the noodles. Stir in cilantro.
6 Fill a bowl with hot–to–the–touch water and set out a tea towel. Soak one rice paper wrapper at a time for about 20 seconds or until it softens up. Lay out on the tea towel and dab it until it is just slightly moist. Place a portion of the noodle/mushroom mix in the centre. Lay a few stalks of roasted asparagus over, followed by a small handful of the pulled pork.
7 Fold the bottom up over the filling, then fold in the sides, then roll it towards the end until it is completely wrapped. Set aside and repeat until done.
8 Serve with sweet chilli sauce if desired.
Elizabeth Nyland, is a well known food blogger who currently resides in British Columbia. The child of an avid hunter and gardener, lean years in her family were filled with plenty of wild caught protein and home grown produce, giving Elizabeth a true appreciation for local food. This appreciation is well documented in her blog, www.guiltykitchen.com.
More delicious recipe ideas are available online at www.mushrooms.ca.
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