Light and Tasty Chinese Eggrolls

Light and Tasty Chinese Eggrolls

This is another beloved grandma chinese recipe. These eggrolls are loved by all who have tasted these lucious morsels. They are packed full of veggies and a touch of beef. The beef can certainly be omitted, for a truly vegetarin delight. While they are fried, they are not heavy or greasy. I can't remember a time when grandma (my mom) has not made these for holidays and special gatherings. These are truly a grandma classic.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz of lean beef or chicken
• 1tbsp of soy
• 1tsp of sesame oil
• 2tsp of rice wine
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 stalks of celery
• 3-4 green onions
• 2 lbs of bean sprouts
• 1/4 tsp of salt (can use up to 1/2 tsp)
• 1 tbsp of oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp of cornstarch
• 2 tbsp of stock
• eggroll skins
• canola oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Slice the beef into match stick size and marinade in the soy, sesame oil and wine. Set aside for about 30 minutes.
2. Clean and peel the carrots. Cut them into match size sticks.
3. Clean and cut the celery into match size sticks.
4. Clean and finely chop the green onions
5. Wash the bean sprout and drain all the water.
6. Mix the oyster sauce with 1 tbsp of stock.
7. Mix the cornstarch with the remaining stock.
8. In a large pan, coat the bottom of pan with canola oil. On medium/high heat stir fry the beef until cook. Remove from the pan and set aside.
9. Add a little more canola oil to the pan if needed.
10. Add the carrots and stir fry for about 3 minutes.

    
11. Add the celery and stir fry for another 3 minutes.
12. Return the beef and thoroughly mix it in.
13. Add the green onions and mix it in.
14. Add the oyster sauce/stock and mix it in.
15. Add the salt. If you are going to dip the eggrolls in a soy based sauce the 1/4 tsp will be enough salt, otherwise taste the filling and add a little more salt if needed.
16. Add the bean sprouts and incorporate them into the mix.
17. Add the cornstarch, mix it in and remove the pan from the heat
18. Remove the contents and set it in a colander to drain the juice. This is crucial because if you don't remove the liquid, the eggroll skin will become soggy. Then, when you fry the eggroll, it will burst. It is best that the filling be left to drain for several hours.

    
19. To roll the eggrolls, place about 2 heaping tablespoon of filling across one of the corners and fold the corner over. Then fold each side in and roll tightly.
20. Deep fry a few at a time until they are golden brown. Make sure that when you first slide the eggroll into the oil, the flap is facing up, so that it will be sealed at it is fried. Set them on paper towels to absorb some of the oil. If the oil is hot enough, very little oil will be absorbed by the eggrolls.
21. Let the cool a bit and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Hint: If your oven has a warmer drawer, put the eggrolls on a wire rack in the warmer drawer after you fry them. This keep them warm while you are cookng and helps to make them crisper. That way you can serve the meal when you are ready to sit with the family instead of cooking while everybody else eats the eggrolls.

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Copyright © 2007, 2008 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved

A Simple and Delicious Traditional Chinese Noodle Dish - Ma Yi Shang Shu

The name Ma Yi Shang Shu literally translates to "ants climbing a tree", but there are no ants or trees involved. My mom has been making this dish for at least 30 years. It is a true and tried recipe. I have loved the taste of this dish since I was a young girl. My sisters and I used to fight over the last few morsels of this dish. The recipe is courtesy of Grandma(my mom). The dish takes less than 30 minutes to prep and cook. The only caviat is that you MUST use bean thread vermicelli, not rice vermicelli which is a mistake I made the first time I attempted to make this dish. The bean thread vermicelli will absorb all the liquid that is called for in the recipe. When I used the rice vermicelli, the dish was tasty, but we had soup, not a noodle dish. So, learn from my mistake and use bean thread vermicelli. This vermicelli can be found in any Asian store. Grandma told me to look for the red dragon on the package so there would be no mistake.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 bundles of bean thread vermicelli
• 6 oz of ground pork
• 1tbsp of soy
• 1tbsp of rice wine
• 1tsp of sesame oil
• 3 green onion finely chopped
• 1 tsp of finely grated ginger, use a microplane grater
• 1 1/2 tsp of chili hot paste (if you want it extra spicy, add more of the chili paste)
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic
• 2 cups of chicken stock
• 2 tbsp of soy
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of cornstarch
• white pepper (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE WITH BLACK PEPPER-its a totally different taste)
• canola oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Marinade the pork in the soy, rice wine and sesame oil as you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Combine the seasonings which are 2/3 of the green onion, ginger, garlic and chili paste and set aside. The rest of the chopped green onion will be used later.
3. Combine the stock, soy, salt, sugar and cornstarch.
4. Place the bean thread vermicelli in a large mixing bowl and add enough hot water to cover the bundles. They should soft immediately, if not leave them for a minutes. Remove from the water and set aside.
   
5. Coat the bottom of a wok or deep sided skllet with oil and cook the ground pork. As the pork cooks, make sure you break up any large clumps with your cooking utensils. Once it is thoroughly cooked, which should be about 5 minutes, move the meat to one side of the pan.
6. Add the seasonings and cook until fragrant. Then mix the meat into the seasonings and continue to cook for a minute.
7. Add the soften bean vermicelli and thoroughly mix into the meat and seasonings.
8. Stir your mixed stock and add to the pan. Bring it to a quick boil and reduce the heat. Continue to cook uncovered until the liquid is all absorbed. It should take about 5 minutes or so. Give the noodles a stir once in a while. Once all the liquid is absorbed, the dish is ready.
9. Put in a serving dish, sprinkle with white pepper and throw the saved chopped green onion on. Its ready to serve.

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Copyright © 2007, 2008 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved

Pizza Quattro Carnita

I will not claim any authenticity in the name of this pizza, Quattro Carnoso would probably be more accurate, but I like the sound of Quattro Carnita. Basically I am trying to convey the idea of four meats, but there is stuff besides meat on each quarter.

This is really four pizza's in one. Moving clockwise from the top:

1. Fresh tomato, bacon, onion, and black olive
2. Smoked salami, black olive, and fresh tomato
3. Italian sausage, Italian peppers, grilled onions, and fresh tomato
4. Ham, green olive, and fresh tomato

The only problem with this pizza is that it is difficult to share. I did manage to cut it into eight pieces so that both Lizabetti and myself could try each section, but no more than 2 people can get a share. This is the perfect pizza for two people. If you have company, I suggest making 4 whole pizzas.

This pizza is great to make outdoors in the Stone Pony or in you standard indoor oven. I think that you will agree that this pizza makes a nice addition to Lizabetti's collection of Italian recipes.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb ball of pizza dough. I bought mine at a local pizza parlor.
  
• 2 Links fresh Italian sausage, grilled
  
• 1-2 fresh tomatoes, diced
  
• 1 fresh Italian pepper
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 strips of cooked bacon, can be microwaved at 1 minute per strip
• 1-2 Portabello mushrooms, grilled
• 2 Oz. smoked salami. Use your favorite salami.
• 6 black dry cured Moroccan or French olives
• 6 Martini olives
• 2 slices of ham, diced
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
  

Directions:

1. Dice the tomatoes and place in a colander over a bowl.
2. Lightly salt the tomatoes and mix in some dry oregano. Leave to drain.
3. Roll out the dough and brush with olive oil and garlic. Set aside.
   
4. Grill the sausage over low heat for about 30 minutes.
   
5. Rub the mushrooms with garlic and brush with olive oil.
   
6. Grill the mushrooms, fin side down first. Flip after 5 minutes and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
7. Grill the peppers and onions individually.
8. Slice the sausage.
9. roll out 2 stick shaped pieces of dough and criss-cross over the base. This forms a border between the 4 sections.
   
10. spread the tomatoes on the dough, cover with cheese.
11. build the slices as follows:
    1. Sausage, peppers, onions
    2. ham, green olives
    3. bacon, black olives, onions
    4. Salami, black olives
12. Top each section with additional cheese.
13. Bake at 425^o F for 30 minutes.
14. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting.
    
15. If desired, sprinkle with crushed red peppers and serve with ice cold beer. Mangiare!
    

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Copyright © 2007, 2008 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved