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Arts & Entertainment

Summer Rolls, Off the Beaten Track

Brianna Anthony and her world-traveling friends bring us a balanced, spicy summer roll.

Summer rolls are a Southeast Asian favorite. A crispy, fresh, balanced vehicle for any number of combinations of food, the opportunity for creativity abounds. Brianna Anthony introduces us today to a combination which may be my new favorite.

Television food shows are an entertaining diversion for Anthony and her roommate and fellow dancer, . On one occasion they saw a recipe for a roasted lobster summer roll with enoki mushrooms and green apple.

Weddings are legendary for bland, homogenized food, and this particular show was about weddings. Anthony desired a more eclectic flavor profile and a bit more heat in her rolls so she changed up the recipe. Recipes are merely roadmaps, I always say, and you should decide if you like the freeway or the more colorful route.

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Having traveled in Southeast Asia, Anthony says "I like the Thai approach to food, which seeks to combine all the flavor elements (sweet, salty, sour, bitter and spicy). It's the kind of food that goes beyond the simple need for nourishment, the kind that makes eating an experience."

Regarding her roll recipe, "Each ingredient brings it's own special quality: the enoki mushrooms provide earthiness, the shrimp are sweet and salty, jalapeño adds spice, green apple brings tartness, rice noodles for texture, and last but not least, mint and basil for aroma," she said. 

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Tricky parts of a recipe can dissuade a novice from attempting a new technique or ingredient. Anthony shows us perhaps the most relaxed and simple approach I have ever seen.

"One's first go at working with rice paper can be challenging," she said. "The key is not to oversaturate. In fact, the paper should still have some stiffness to it when you begin laying your ingredients on top. I like to simply rotate the paper under slowly running water until it is translucent, then go straight to work from there."

Shrimp and Green Apple Summer Rolls

-1 package rice paper wrappers (bahn trang)

-shrimp roasted with salt, pepper, garlic, and pepper flakes (see video)

-prepared rice noodles

-sliced jalapeño

-Thai basil and mint leaves

-enoki mushrooms

-julienned green apple (shoestring slices)

Assemble as demonstrated in the videos, Anthony is an excellent teacher.

Serve these as is or with Nuoc Cham or some other hot, sweet and spicy dipping or drizzling sauce.

Next week, Kale is back with Mary Ellen Carrol's Kale Salad.

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