Once or twice a year someone in the Richardson-Ortez family gets hungry for egg rolls. They don't go to a store or a restaurant to cure their craving. They use their craving to organize a family get together.
A family that rolls together can create mountains.
I grew up with a family who cooked together especially at Christmas cookie time and the big summer Sunday meals. None of my family nowadays enjoys cooking together so the Richards-Ortez family invited me to join them when they made egg rolls. They may ask me, not out of the goodness of their heart but, because I will always volunteer to chop the onions.
Millie and Rod have the cooking parties in their historical home in Muskegon. The egg rolls have a Parisian flavor because Millie and Rod have spent a great deal of time in France. They use to go at least once a year. They were married in France and spent a month honeymoon going from one French castle to another. Rod use to tell Tom that he should have talked to Rod before Tom planned our honeymoon. Tom invited his sister and brother-in-law on our honeymoon to Sleeping Bear Dunes.
EGG ROLLS PARISIAN-STYLE
This recipe is from Millie and Rod Richardson.
19 chicken breasts, simmered
2 bunches of celery, chopped
6 bunches of green onions, chopped
8 - 10 cans bean sprout, drained
3 bottles red wine
3 (15oz) bottles soy sauce
Sugar for stir frying
Oil for stir frying
Little salt for stir frying
2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
18 to 20 pkgs. egg roll skins (12 to pkg)
Egg white for sealing wrappers
Simmer the chicken in water or broth until cooked. Remove from bone and discard skin. Chop chicken into small pieces. Clean and chop the celery and green onions. Drain the bean sprouts and stir fry with a little salt. Stir fry the celery with three teaspoons of sugar. Stir fry the green onions with a little salt. Put all the stir fried vegetables in a large pot or bowl or use two bowls/pots. Add soy sauce to vegetables. Add wine to vegetables to cover. Stir fry the chopped chicken with a little sugar and salt. Add chicken to vegetable mixture. Add more wine to cover if necessary. Let it marinate for a little while. When ready to roll the egg rolls, put the chicken/vegetable mixture in a colander to drain. I think the easiest way to roll an egg roll is to put the egg roll skin in front of you so it looks like a diamond-shape. Put filling from one side corner to the other side corner. Fold up the point of the egg roll skin nearest you over the filling. Fold in side points over bottom point. Put egg white on the edges of the top point. Roll egg roll up over the top point and press on the edges to seal top point to the egg roll. Fry in batches in 375 degree F. oil. When skin is brown, remove egg roll and place on absorbent paper.
Wash the green onions and celery.
After green onions and celery are clean, finely chop them.
After the chicken is simmered until done, remove the skin and bones then finely chop.
Drain and rinse the canned bean sprouts.
One of the bottles of wine used in the egg rolls, a sweet concord wine.
Add a little oil to a skillet and stir-fry the bean sprout in batches adding a little salt to each batch.
In another skillet, add some oil and stir fry the celery with 3 teaspoons of sugar.
Stir fry the green onions with a little oil and a teaspoon of salt.
Stir fry the chopped chicken with a little oil, sugar, and salt.
In a large pot or bowl, combine the chicken, beansprouts, green onions, and celery. Add the soy sauce. Add more wine. Ron used a rose wine and a red wine.
One bowl of ingredients ready to be made into egg rolls. You may have to use more than one bowl or a big pot.
Pouring soy sauce into a second mixing container.
Separate the egg yolk from the white. Use the white to "glue" the egg roll edges together.
Remove the egg roll filling ingredients from the soy sauce/wine marinade. Place the filling ingredients in a colander to drain.
Now the fun begins, the rolling of the egg rolls.
The women in the family gather around the dishes of egg white to start making the egg rolls. A little wine may have been involved.
Place some drained egg roll filling on the egg roll skin.
Ready to fold and roll.
Fold one corner of the egg roll skin up over the filling.
Fold in the corners of the egg roll skin over the first corner folded over the filling.
Brush the remaining corner's edge with egg white. The egg white is the glue to hold the corner to the egg roll.
Roll the egg roll up over the remaining corner. Press lightly to stick the corner to the roll.
Meanwhile, the men of the family are out preparing the oil for frying in a turkey fryer. The oil temperature should be 375 degrees F.
Place egg rolls one at a time into the oil to prevent the oil from spattering. Do not over crowd the fryer as this lowers the temperature of the hot oil.
Remove egg rolls from the oil after they are browned. Place rolls on paper-lined trays to drain.
Trays of prepared egg rolls.
Fried egg rolls draining on paper.
Lots of good conversation and laughs while the egg rolls are rolled.
Rod has to give some advice to the women.
The women are done. Time to clean up.
Millie dislikes having her picture taken as much as I do. Therefore since I was able to get two pictures of her, I am posting both of them.
Millie helping with preparation. The family that rolls together has a lot of fun.
The aftermath of cooking.
One of the trays of fried egg rolls.
The fried rice Millie purchased to serve with the egg rolls. Next time I am invited I will volunteer to bring my famous fried rice.
Ready to eat!!!
Serve the egg rolls with Chinese Mustard and Sweet/Sour Sauce. Recipes follow.
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!
HOMEMADE SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
3/4 c pineapple juice or water
1 T cornstarch
1 T ketchup
1 T soy sauce
4 T sugar
4 T red wine vinegar
Few drops of Tabasco, be generous
Ingredients: Ketchup, red wine vinegar, pineapple juice, sugar, Tabasco sauce, cornstarch and soy sauce. Aloha Shoyu Sauce is available from Amazon.com.
Combine the ingredients in a saucepan. Stir or whisk well. Over medium heat stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Turn down heat, and simmer, while stirring, until the sauce has thickened. Chill if desired.
Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Over medium heat stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Turn down the heat, simmer until thickened stirring constantly.
Chill thickened sauce if desired. Serve with egg rolls and enjoy!!!
CHINESE MUSTARD SAUCE
Ingredients: Dry mustard powder, and water.
Put some mustard powder in a bowl. Amount depends on how much sauce you want. Gradually add water, stirring to combine, until there is a sauce like mixture. Be Very Careful as this mustard is HOT!
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!
To the Richardson-Ortez family, thank you for inviting me to your family party.
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