With Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook, Stewart, along with Martha Stewart Living food editor Susan Spungen and photographer Dana Gallagher, has created not just a handbook but a dream book. The first 225 pages consist entirely of beautifully photographed, exquisite nibbles, tastes, and bites--and the following 270 pages give you the recipes and instructions to re-create them at home.
In tropical countries, green papayas are often used as vegetables, which is how I use them here. Rice vermicelli noodles and Vietnamese spring roll wrappers are available at Asian markets and many grocery stores. The rolls may be kept at room temperature, covered with a lightly dampened paper towel, for 1 hour after being assembled. Do not refrigerate the rolls or the rice paper will dry out and become brittle.
Makes about 2 Dozen
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 small seedless cucumber
1 medium carrot
1 small jicama
1 large green papaya, peeled, halved (seeds discarded)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 ounce rice vermicelli noodles
6 8 1/2-inch Vietnamese dried rice spring roll wrappers
8 leaves Bibb lettuce, torn into smaller pieces, ribs removed
Peanut Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)
In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Set aside and let cool completely.
Slice the cucumber lengthwise using a mandoline or a chef's knife into long 1/8-inch-thick strips. Cut each strip lengthwise into 1/8-inch-wide pieces. Slice the carrot and the jicama lengthwise in the same way. Reserve. Cut the papaya lengthwise into 1/8-inch-wide pieces. In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, carrot, jicama, and papaya. Toss gently with the reserved vinegar mixture, lemon juice, and cilantro. Set aside.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the canola oil, noodles, and the remaining teaspoon of salt. Boil until the noodles are tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Leave the noodles in cool water until ready to use, so they won't stick together.
Just before filling the rolls, transfer the vegetable mixture to a colander to drain. Gently press out the liquid. Drain the noodles and arrange them on a baking sheet, loosely covered with a damp paper towel.
To assemble: Set up a large shallow bowl of very hot water. Slip a spring roll wrapper into the water. When the wrapper becomes pliable, after about 45 seconds, remove it from the water and lay it flat on a paper towel. Place 2 to 3 pieces of lettuce on the bottom half of the wrapper. Arrange 1/4 packed cup of vegetables over the lettuce. Spread out 1 heaping tablespoon of the noodles over the vegetables. Roll the wrapper up, tucking in the ends as you roll and rolling tightly as possible. Repeat this procedure with the remaining wrappers. Trim off the ends of the rolls. Cut each roll in half in the middle. Then cut each of the 2 halves into 2 pieces on an angle to make a total of 4 pieces. Continue with the remaining rolls. Stand the rolls flat on their ends and serve with Peanut Dipping Sauce.
In tropical countries, green papayas are often used as vegetables, which is how I use them here. Rice vermicelli noodles and Vietnamese spring roll wrappers are available at Asian markets and many grocery stores. The rolls may be kept at room temperature, covered with a lightly dampened paper towel, for 1 hour after being assembled. Do not refrigerate the rolls or the rice paper will dry out and become brittle.
