Last week I read a post over at TheKitchn about looking for recipe inspiration in restaurant menus. While I have definitely applied new flavors from out and about in my home cooking, I haven’t been eating out that much since we moved. So I did a little research.
Our CSA not only grows produce for CSA members and farmers markets, they also grow crops specifically for local restaurants. I decided to look up the menus for a few of those places since they will very likely be using some of the exact same ingredients that are already in my fridge.
One of the first restaurants I heard about serving produce from Suzie’s Farm was The Linkery. I found their daily menu blog and read through a few of them until my eyes lit up at the vegan eggroll entree with Swiss chard and carrots, among other things. It sounded tasty and featured my favorite ingredients: stuff in my fridge.
Swiss chard, carrots, sugar snap peas, scallions, and mushrooms got sauteed with garlic and ginger. Dairy-free and vegan! The wrappers I used were not, however. A tablespoon or two is actually just enough filling (I learned after over-stuffing the first one) for each roll.
My wrapping improved after the first two. I picked up a giant pack of eggroll wrappers in the refrigerated section of Whole Foods for just over $2 that may last me the rest of my life. Here is how I wrapped mine up which seemed effective:
Click on the photo to see a larger version.
My bowlful of filling cooked down enough that it was the perfect amount for 6 eggrolls, which is about 2 servings. After stuffing would be a great time to pop them in the freezer to have your own quick snack, but this was my trial run so I just baked them all.
Still terrified of frying, I misted the pan and the eggrolls with spray oil (I used olive oil and it was just fine). If you don’t have an oil mister, use a pastry brush to coat both the pan and rolls with a thin layer of oil.
Normally I would give you a pretty product shot here, but I only liked one so you’ll have to get to the end to see it. The Linkery served their eggrolls with a sweet and sour sauce made from locally-sourced loquats. I did not have any loquats on hand ( … ) so I made do. The sauce wasn’t great so I didn’t include it. Here’s the recipe for the eggrolls however, which is Husband Approved!
Baked Vegetarian Eggrolls
Makes 6 eggrolls (2 servings)
Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
2 cups thinly-sliced chard (about 4 large leaves, stems removed)
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup chopped pea pods
3 shiitake mushrooms, minced (fresh — or dried and soaked in hot water for 20 minutes)
2 scallions, white and light greens parts, sliced
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
6 eggroll wrappers
spray oil for pan and eggrolls
Directions:
1.) Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chard, carrots, peas, mushrooms and scallions and stir well. Cook 2-3 minutes until vegetables have slightly softened. Add garlic and ginger and stir. Add soy sauce to deglaze the pan and remove from heat.
2.) Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly mist a baking sheet with oil. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling into each eggroll wrapper and fold as shown above. Place eggrolls on oiled baking sheet and mist with a little more oil. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes until eggrolls are golden brown. Serve warm with sweet and sour sauce.
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These look amazing! They would be great for a picnic, cold. Great & informative pics too, thanks!
For some reason it just never occurred to me to make eggrolls at home, let alone to use up some chard to fill them. Glad you enjoyed it. =)
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