Spring Rolls and Sister Time with Allison

One week from tomorrow, my baby sister will be boarding a plane bound for Edinburgh, Scotland.  She will attend veterinary school there for the next four years.  She will be ok, right?  I feel as if this next step in her life shouldn’t be so hard for me.  I mean, this is the same sister who excelled as a student at Colby College, a small, prestigious school located in the a VERY cold northern Maine.  The SAME sister who traveled abroad and lived in Zanzibar, Tanzania, for five months, embarking on an adventure with complete strangers in the wilds of Africa.  The SAME sister who has earned the right to call herself a professional triathlete.  She has a solid soul and is stronger in spirit and might than I ever expect to be.  She will be fine.  She will succeed.  This I know.  But yet, this is also the SAME sister who grew up under the wild, happy and somewhat mis-guided wing of my brother and I.  Born three and a half years apart, oldest to youngest, my parents readily admit that the early years are a bit of a blur.  They were in survival mode as Willie and I ran the show, bossing Allison around, making her eat mud pies (and then staring at each other in shock and disbelief when she actually did!) and calling her Wow-Wen.  I am confident that a great deal of her will, drive and independence came from those early years in self-defense and the effort she put forth to keep up and, often times, beat us in our own game.  The three of us grew up close, fighting as brothers and sister will… loving each other in the way that only brothers and sisters can.  I am going to miss my sister so, so much.  After all, this is the same sister who helped me escape two days before my wedding.  I wasn’t running from Z, getting married, or our wonderful future.  I just needed to escape from growing up.  Just for a few hours.  So, with the help of my sweet brother, we hid at a close family friend’s house.  We played in the pool for hours, jumping off the diving board, acting like nuts, pretending that the real world was made up of silliness and sunshine, just as it had been when we were little.  Before we had to grow up.  And we laughed.  There is no one in the world who can make me laugh like my sister.  And I find no greater joy than provoking a loud, belly-laugh from her.  I left the pool that day, ready for the future.  Because I knew that I could always escape it when she was around.
So on our last night together before her departure, I chose to mentally escape to that place.  We cooked dinner and she showed me how to make her favorite spring rolls, a healthy and satisfying appetizer that offers room for great creativity and personal touch.  I savored every bite and each moment, knowing that the moments to come, although fewer than before, will be that much more sweet.  I vow now not to take a single moment for granted, just as I will never take my sister for granted.  I love and adore her, for always, and can’t wait to see how her next great adventure unfolds!

These spring rolls put a delicious and sophisticated foot forward, looking much more complicated to create than they prove to be.  They are a synch!  Some assembly is required but with an organized line of ingredients, you will be rolling away before you know it!  To begin, place two ounces (one quarter of a box) of rice noodles in boiling water.  Allow to cook for two to three minutes, until just tender.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.

Take one and a half cups of salted peanuts and place in a plastic bag.  Crush with a rolling pin and set aside.

Next, wash and peel one large carrot.  Once the outer layer has been removed, shave long strips from the carrot, creating pretty little ribbons.  Stop once you get close to the core, where the flesh is too dense to use.

Finally, rinse and chop two cups of fresh romaine lettuce.  Make sure your assembly line is ready with the cooked rice noodles, romaine, carrots and peanuts in convenient arms reach.

Allison introduced me to these handy spring roll skins.  I can’t WAIT to experiment with them – whether it’s frying the rolls or changing up the stuffing they offer a perfect capsule for fresh ingredients and a lot of inspiration.  We found these in the International food aisle at Fresh Market.

Using a bowl that is larger than the spring roll wrapper, fill it with ice-cold water.  Carefully remove one wrapper from the package, checking to make sure it is whole (there will inevitably be several that are broken, making wrapping more difficult).  Slowly dip one end of the wrapper into the water, rotating until the entire piece is saturated.  Slide it into the water and make sure it is fully immersed.

Using your fingers, carefully press the wrapper into the water and turn, allowing it to soften and become pliable.  It will be a bit sticky as well, so try to keep your touch light.

Once the wrapper feels soft and malleable, carefully transfer it to a plate, trying not to create any holes along the way.  But keep in mind that you will make several holes in the wrapper before you get the hang of it.  Patience comes into play here and don’t worry – they will taste just as good with a hole as without one – it just may not look as perfect and pretty

Layer the stuffing on one end of the wrapper, using the noodles as the base.  Once the items are in place, pull the bottom of the wrapper up and over the stuffing, rolling everything together and moving forward.

Pull the sides up and over, closing up the ends.  The spring roll wrapper will stick to itself, creating a nice seal.

Once the sides are closed, roll the spring roll onto itself, covering the entire pouch and sealing the top end to the roll, creating a perfect little package.

Serve with your favorite Asian-style sauce.  We used a sweet-chili sauce we found at the Fresh Market and its spicy-sweet kick was the perfect compliment to the freshness of the romaine, the saltiness of the peanuts and the sweet crunch of the carrots.  Delicious and light – a fantastic and impressive way to start a meal!

Oh, and I highly suggest sharing this with your siblings, or with those friends who are just like brothers and sisters.  They will taste just that much better – I promise

Makes 10 Spring Rolls

• two ounces (one quarter of a box) rice noodles
• one and a half cups salted peanuts
• one large carrot
• two cups fresh romaine lettuce
• ten spring roll skins
• sweet-chili sauce or similar Asian-style condiment