#ChallengeChefLuca

Spring Roll Recipe

My Goal: I wanted to find a new alternative for preparing allergy friendly spring rolls using something other than the traditional rice paper as the wrap.  I was able to locate an amazing wrap from JulianBakery.com that is made with coconut meat, coconut water and coconut oil.  If you do not like the light coconut flavor, then you can try the Tumeric Coconut wrap also sold by Julian Bakery.  Finally, if you or your child has a coconut allergy; then I would suggest using lettuce wraps.

Filling:

1 lb of ground pastured pork, wild boar, grass fed beef, or chicken

1 cup of chopped mushrooms

2 cups of thinly cut green cabbage

1 cup of julienned carrots

3-4 cloves of chopped garlic

1 cup of chopped scallions

1 thumb sized piece of grated ginger

1 Tbsp organic coconut aminos (substitute for soy sauce)

1 Tbsp of Sesame Oil (You can also substitute olive oil.)

1 Tbsp of Unseasoned Rice Wine Vinegar

1 Tbsp of Coriander

½ tsp of Red Pepper Flakes

2 tsp of salt

1 ½ tsp of pepper

1 Tbsp of coconut oil

1 Tbsp of Earth’s Balance Butter Substitute-in a variety that fits your dietary needs (You can also substitute 1 Tbsp of coconut oil)

Iniziamo a Cucinare (Let’s Start Cooking).

1. Add 1 Tbsp of butter or coconut oil to a nonstick frying pan and sauté the mushrooms and red pepper flakes until the mushrooms are cooked through, but not browned.  Then set your mixture aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the meat, cabbage, carrots, coconut animos, sesame or olive oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic, scallions, coriander, salt and pepper.  Mix together with your hands, and then incorporate the cooked mushrooms and red pepper flakes. 
3. Set up a large wide bowl of water and a plate.  If you are using rice paper wraps, then submerge the wrap in water for about 15-20 second and transfer to a plate.  Tip:  If you have a little water on the plate, it keeps the rice paper wraps from sticking to the plate.  If you decide to use the coconut wraps, you do not need to moisten the wraps. 
4. Place 2 Tbsp of the meat mixture in the center of the wrap, fold the sides over from the left and right, and then roll from the bottom up into a hot dog shape.  The coconut wraps are a bit larger than the rice paper, so you will need to add approximately 4 Tbsp of meat mixture.
5. Transfer the raw spring rolls to a clean plate and repeat the process. 
6. If you are using rice paper wraps:  Start by adding 1 Tbsp of coconut oil to the frying pan and fry the rolls over medium heat for 12 minutes (You can flip the rolls over after about 6 minutes).  Alternatively, you can also decide to steam the rice paper spring rolls in a steamer for 10 minutes.
7. If you are using coconut paper wraps, then you can fry the spring rolls for 4 minutes over medium heat ( You can flip the rolls over after about 2 minutes).  Then you can finish the rolls made with coconut wraps in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. 

Tip:  For a little extra flavor, you can try frying the spring rolls in a mixture of bacon fat and coconut oil.

Dipping Sauce:

2 Tbsp coconut aminos

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil or sesame oil

1 tsp ginger powder

1 Tbsp cane sugar

2 Tbsp green onions

1 Tbsp of orange juice.

Mix everything in a bowl and keep in fridge until you are ready to serve your hot spring rolls!

Buon Appetito!

Luca Della Casa is Executive Chef at the Nosh Restaurant & Silo Restaurant, San Antonio, Texas. Chef Luca has 16 years’ experience in the food service industry in Italy, Spain and the U.S.  He was raised in Northern Italy, with an in-depth knowledge of Italian, French, and Spanish cuisines. He is currently a contestant on Food Network's The Next Food Network Star, which airs on Sundays at 9 pm Eastern time.  He welcomes food allergic diners at his restaurant. You can find Chef Luca at facebook.com/cheflucadellacasa.