Fancy Finger Foods: Squashy Spring Rolls

Hi folks. I got this recipe from the recent article in the NY Times about vegan "post-punk" chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz. (You can find more of her recipes and her blog at www.theppk.com.) A few notes:

-Her original recipe called for cilantro but I substituted mint because I hate cilantro. Also, the amount of oil she calls for in the dipping sauce makes a really greasy sauce--I ended up pouring a lot of the oil off. I've left her original instructions below, but I'd start with a small amount of each oil (like 1 tsp) and then add more to taste.

-I found the rice paper wrappers for $1.40 at the Wholesale Thai store in Chelsea Market. I'm sure they're abundant in Chinatown, too.

-Finally, I subbed white and apple cider vinegar for the rice vinegar (as I had none) and agave nectar for the sugar, both of which seemed to work fine.

Butternut Squash Rice Paper Rolls
Time: 45 minutes

FOR THE ROLLS:
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces vermicelli rice noodles or rice sticks
12 8-inch round rice paper wrappers
1/3 cup roasted salted pumpkin seeds or peanuts, coarsely chopped (I used TJ's 50% less-salt peanuts)
1 cup mint leaves and thin stems, torn into bite-size pieces

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:
1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons Asian hot chili oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil.

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil and spread in a single layer. Roast 15 minutes, toss gently and return to oven until tender and caramelized, about 10 more minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.

2. Meanwhile, prepare noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Turn off heat, add noodles, and allow to sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water; set aside.

3. To assemble rolls: Fill a large pie plate or shallow bowl with very warm tap water. Lay a clean, damp kitchen towel on counter to use as a work surface; this will prevent wrappers from sliding. Submerge two paper wrappers in the water to soften, about 1 minute. Gently transfer one wrapper to towel.

4. In lower third of circle, place a small handful of noodles, leaving about an inch and a half of empty wrapper on either side. Place two or three pieces of squash on top of noodles, and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and cilantro. To roll, fold left and right sides of wrapper snugly over the filling. Lift the bottom of the wrapper over the filling, tucking it underneath, then roll up firmly but gently. Place seam side down on a plate, and continue with remaining wrappers and filling. Cut in half when ready to serve.

5. For dipping sauce: In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon soy sauce, the vinegar and sugar. Add chili oil and sesame oil, and taste. If desired, add additional soy sauce.

Yield: 12 rolls.

Fancy Finger Foods: The Recipes

If the other participants want to post their recipes here, they may, or they can make their own posts as well. Here's my entry:

Sara's Deep Fried Red Carpet Roasted Beet Ravioli
& Yoghurty Dipping Sauce

For the Ravioli:
3 beets - medium to large
1 package wonton wrappers
1 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1/4 - 1/3 cup chives, finely chopped
1 egg- beaten
1/4 parmesan
1 medium bottle Olive Oil (whatever kind you like to fry with)

wrap beets in tin foil and whack in oven for about 1 hour, or until you can insert a knife into their middles and meet no resistance.

Once beets are done, place them in a cold water bath and rub with kitchen towel to remove the topmost layer. Dry them and then grate them into a large bowl. Mix in cheese and chives, but set aside at least 2 tablespoons of chives for later, and salt to taste. If you want your ravioli's v. beety, use less cheese, unless you like it cheesey, then use less beets.

Pour enough olive oil into a deep frying pan (or a saucepan if you don't have a frying pan) until it is about 2inches deep. Make sure the oil is really really hot before you attempt frying. Temp should be above 150 degrees. While oil is heating, begin filling your ravioli: use about a teaspoon of mixture and two wonton squares per ravioli. To seal up the pasta, dip a brush (or your finger if you don't have a brush) into the beaten egg and paint all sides of the bottom wonton square before sealing it with another wrapper. After you place the second wrapper on top, use a fork and press gently along the length of all four sides. Set each completed ravioli aside on a plate or platter. Once you've made your ravioli's drop them in the oil. If your oil is nice and hot they should brown in about 5 seconds for each side (use a slotted spoon to flip) Don't put in too many at a time, they will stick together. Once they are golden, scoop them out of the oil and place on plate covered in paper towels to drain.

After they've drained and cooled a bit, sprinkle with the chives and parmesan cheese (optional of course) before serving.

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup Sour Cream
2 heaping Tbs greek yogurt (or any thick plain yogurt)
1/4 cup finely chopped parsely
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste

If you have an immersion blender, reg. blender, or food processor, then it's easiest to just combine all the ingredients and whizz away. If you don't, try and get the herbs as finely chopped as possible. I find that this dipping sauce is best tweaked to tatse, so if you don't like a strong yogurt flavor, add in more parsely, salt and lemon than I called for. Substituting dill for parsely is also a tasty option. This is best served if it has time to rest before serving, at least one if not two hours.

And that is that people. Some notes I have are: the raviolis like to puff up when they hit the oil, some will appear like they aren't even in the oil anymore at all. To get both sides brown simply push them down with a spoon for a count of 3. Also, depending on how hot your oil is the cooking time for frying will vary. My oil was super hot and I found that if I didn't pull them right when they started to turn that toasty browny-yellow color, they turned black pretty darn quick. Counting to 5 (or to 8 when the oil cooled a bit) per side and then quickly draining, was my best method.

Oh, and make sure the beets have sat in the cold water for awhile AND are dried off really well before you grate them. Burned fingers and runny ravioli are no fun.