Recipe: Mediterranean Rice-Paper Rolls

MEDITERRANEAN RICE-PAPER ROLLS

Don't limit rice-paper wrappers to Asian ingredients or dipping sauces. In this recipe, the wrappers are tightly rolled around strips of chicken, a lemon-caper sauce, shaved parmesan, crunchy vegetables, and lettuce. Soaking the wrappers in seasoned rice vinegar infuses them with a bright, perky flavor, making messy dipping sauces unnecessary. They're neat to eat, can be prepared in advance, and travel well as brown-bag lunches or picnic fare. Cut them in half for cocktail fare. New Green cooks can use rice-paper wrappers as a shelf-stable, no-cook alternative to breads or tortillas; they never need refrigeration and last indefinitely. Other filling ideas? Sustainable shrimp and grilled fish, tofu, hummus, an infinite assortment of greens, herbs, pickles, and fresh or blanched vegetables, like snow peas, cucumber, jicama, olives, radish, chiles, and chives.

FOR THE SAUCE:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped capers
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
FOR THE FILLING:
1/2 bell pepper (green, red, or as desired)
1 carrot
1 rib celery
2 green onions
6 small to medium red leaf or other lettuce leaves
8 ounces cooked, shredded chicken meat (1 large breast)
1 ounce shaved Parmesan
FOR THE WRAPPERS:
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar plus 2 tablespoons water*
6 (8 1/2 inch) rice-paper wrappers**

Mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, capers, and pepper for the sauce. Slice the bell pepper, carrot, celery, and green onions into matchstick-size pieces, or narrow and thin strips of 2-inch lengths. (Use the green and white parts of the green onions, and include any celery leaves.)

Fill a shallow plate or pan with the seasoned rice vinegar and water. Soak one wrapper at a time until pliable (a minute or so). Lift up the wrapper and let excess liquid drain back into the plate. Smooth out the wrapper on the work surface. As you remove one wrapper, replace it with another one to soak.

TO ASSEMBLE ONE ROLL:
In the lower third of the wrapper, place a lettuce leaf so the frilly part partially extends over the left or right edge. Distribute a few strips of chicken over it. Drizzle on a small amount of sauce. Add strips of bell pepper, carrot, celery, and green onion and Parmesan shavings. Gently pull the wrapper's bottom edge up and over the filling and tighten by pulling back slightly. Give the roll a forward turn. Fold the end without the lettuce in, and continue rolling the wrapper into a cigar, or if the fillings are bulky, a cone shape. Place seam-side down and continue making the remaining rolls. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The wraps will keep up to 6 hours.

NOTES:
You can also fold in both ends of the wrapper to completely contain the filling.

*Seasoned rice vinegar is plain rice vinegar to which some sugar has been added. It's available in the vinegar or Asian aisle.

**Buy packages of rice-paper rounds where Southeast Asian products are sold; if you use 6-inch wrappers, distribute the fillings accordingly.

GREEN METER:
- Green Goodness: No-cook; shelf-stable wrapper conserves fuel
- Prep/Cooking Times: 15 minutes, start to finish
- Prime Season: Year-round
- Conveniences: Make-ahead, versatile option for brown-bag lunches or entertaining
- New Green Basic: Use instead of sandwiches made from baked bread; can be meat-free, too.

Makes 6 (3 entrees or 6 appetizers)
Source: Cooking Green: The Essential Guide to Reducing Your Carbon Footprint in the Kitchen with Hundreds of Tips and 50 Energy- and Time-Saving Recipes by Kate Heyhoe