Thai-Italian Spring Rolls

Last week the Foodie Daughter and I watched

Nadia G. of Bitchin' Kitchen make Thai-Italian Spring Rolls

and we decided that we wanted to try those sometime soon.

That sometime soon was today

despite the ice storm raging outside.

As it turns out,

fellow blogger Rosie Hawthorne had the same idea.

Check out her version here.

I tell you, great minds think alike.

Not bad for our first time out of the gate

making these beauties.

And they taste as good as they look.

Our mise en place (we decided to skip

the peanut dipping sauce and make our own sauces

so some of the ingredients shown weren't used):

thin cut sirloin steak

low-sodium soy sauce*

real maple syrup

fresh ginger

garlic

Serrano pepper, minced*

rice paper sheets

baby spinach*

carrots

sun dried tomato

scallions

orange bell pepper*

cucumber*

*I had to or chose to substitute these ingredients.

That's life.

First I thinly sliced the meat against the grain.

Then I mixed the marinade ingredients together

and poured that over the meat and set that aside

in the fridge while we prepped the rest of the ingredients.

The sun-dried tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots,

scallions and bell peppers are ready.

Then I sauteed the meat in batches in a bit of canola oil

in a pan over medium-high heat.

Now the meat is ready.

After soaking the rice paper sheet in lukewarm water

for a few seconds, lay it out on a clean towel.

Place some spinach leaves on the lower half of the circle.

Then the meat and other ingredients are laid on top.

Don't over stuff.

Gently fold up the bottom (the part nearest you)

and tuck in the sides.

Then use the flat of your hand to roll the spring roll

away from you.

Sorry I have no pictures of this, but I found it

difficult to take pictures at this point.

Not bad if I do say so myself.

Would you know that I had never done this before

if I hadn't told you?

What can I say, that Nadia was a good teacher.

In the back of the photo are our two dipping sauces.

On the left is our interpretation of one of

Rosie Hawthorne's sweet and sour dipping sauces.

If you scroll down in her post it is the second sauce.

I have taken great liberties with it.

Ours had 1/4 cup rice vinegar,

3 tablespoons honey,

1/2 scallion, chopped,

1 tablespoon red onion, minced

1/2 clove garlic, grated.

Our second sauce was a homemade

Teriyaki sauce.

It had about 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce,

1 tablespoon rice vinegar,

1 tablespoon honey,

1/2 clove garlic, grated,

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated.

Please note that these measurements are all

approximate and that I always make a sauce

to taste.

I always say that sauces are not rocket science.

They should suit your mood

and change as your moods change.

This was a very nice lunch.

That Nadia G. rocks.