Herb Garden Spring Rolls

These spring rolls are the result of a glut of mint and thai basil. I can't seem to consume it fast enough!

I’ve let a few of my thai basil plants bloom. Most gardeners recommend pinching off the flowering heads of a basil plant. If the plant is allowed to flower, and subsequently go to seed, there’s usually a reduction in the quality of flavor from the leaves. I’ve noticed on that on some varieties, that it the overall flavor gets “soapy”. And sometimes, I don’t notice much taste difference at all.

I couldn’t resist the lovely lavender flowers and buds that thai basil produces. So this year, I held back on the pinching... to the delight of neighborhood bees.

These spring rolls are heavily inspired by the Simpler Summer Rolls from The Herbal Kitchen. This has been one of my go-to books for inspiration and recipes using fresh herbs. I've made quite a few changes to the original recipe. For the dipping sauce, I substituted similar ingredients that I keep on hand. Chicken has been added to the rolls to make them more of a main dish, along with reducing the amount of cilantro involved (Nick doesn't care for it.)

It was my first time wrapping spring rolls. I'd say I had about a 75% success rate. Some broke. Some were too floppy. But I managed a few good looking ones out of the batch. I consulted this great video for a wrapping demo. It wasn't too hard to wrap, so definitely give it a try!

Herb Garden Spring Rolls

Inspired by Simpler Summer Rolls from The Herbal Kitchen

Filling:
1 cup cooked chicken, sliced into thin strips
1/4 c. cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. spearmint, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. thai basil, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 c. iceberg lettuce, shredded
1/2 c. roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Twelve 9 inch rice paper rounds

Dipping sauce:
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. Thai fish sauce (it's milder than most Vietnamese ones)
2 tbsp agave nectar
1 thinly sliced green onion, white and green parts
Few drops of Sriracha sauce (to taste)
2 tbsp. or more of water (to taste)

Combine all ingredients for dipping sauce together in a small bowl. If the sauce is too strong, add water to taste.

Toss herbs and lettuce to combine.

Fill a shallow pan with warm tap water. Put four spring roll wrappers into the water, one at a time. Let soak for a couple of minutes. They should be soft and pliable when ready.

Lay one wrapper down on a clean, flat surface. Divide the herb mixture, chicken, and peanuts into thirds. Place a little chicken, greens and a sprinkling of peanuts in a long pile near the bottom on the wrapper (see video). Fold the right and left sides of the wrapper inward to and roll the ingredients up like a burrito. Do the same with the next three wrappers. Then repeat the whole soaking, filling, and rolling routine with the next two batches.
Serve with dipping sauce.

Makes 12 rolls.

Tips: Finding spring roll wrappers is pretty easy these days. I've seen them in most large grocery stores in the Asian / International aisle. They're usually stocked somewhere near the bottom of the shelf beside bags of rice. Your best bet for finding unusual types or sizes is a large Asian Supermarket.

Of Air conditioners and Field Peas

It’s been swelteringly hot in Houston. Temperatures in the 90’s with humidity that makes it feel like the 100’s. Most of us are avoiding any outside chores during the hottest parts of the day. That means you’ll see a lot of folk up at 6 am to mow the lawn. No socializing outdoors until way late in the evening.

Most of the time, we’re all hiding where ever we can find air conditioning.

I can’t imagine living here without A/C. And apparently, back in the day (circa 1830’s), citizens of the Republic of Texas had a difficult time dealing with the lack of it too. Houston was once the capital of Texas. But Sam Houston, the first governor, and the other officials didn’t care for the hot, swampy climate. The uncontrolled malarious mosquitoes and floods didn’t help much either. The capital was relocated to the drier, slightly milder climate of Austin.

Electric air conditioning didn’t show up in public buildings and businesses until the early 1900’s. Only in the 1950’s and on, did Houston and much of the South get affordable access to air conditioning in private homes. The result? It spurred huge economic and population growth. And it is a heck of a lot more livable in the summer.

So what does this have to do with field peas? Not much, really. Except to say, that when the season is this hot, it’s around time for these beans to be harvested. Nice trade off. “Field pea” refers to many varieties of beans that grow in the South (black beans, cowpeas, and more.) Their history is a whole discussion in itself (maybe for another post?).

If you see these at the farmer’s market, grab a bag. They’re easy to cook and, since they’re fresh, they require no overnight soaking. I used purple hulls in this recipe, but any variety works well.

Field Peas with Bacon and Onions

2 1/2 c. of fresh field peas, shelled and washed

1/3 c. chopped yellow onion

1 to 2 slices of thick bacon

Slice bacon into bite sized or 1/2" long pieces. In a large pan, lightly cook bacon under medium to low heat until it releases some fat and juices. Remove the bacon from the pot and keep the liquid.

Add the onions to the pot and saute for a few minutes until softened (I like to lightly caramelize them too).

Add the fresh peas and bacon to the pot. Add enough water to cover the peas. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for around 35 to 45 minutes, checking the peas near the end for doneness (should be tender and mash easily). For the last 10 minutes or so of cooking you can remove the cover and let the liquid reduce a little. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with cornbread.

Serves about 2 or 3.