Lazzaroli & Spring Rolls
I was dying to get my parents into Lazzaroli to see what Italian Grocery Mecca looks like. Half my family hit the Asian grocery to get spring roll fixings and the rest of us went to Lazzaroli to pick up lunch for the next day. Tom hooked us up with three different kinds of ravioli, focaccia, fresh mozzarella, and some Salumi rosemary salami.
I'll tell you, that spicy pepper pasta is fantastic as fettuccine but out of this world as ravioli with ricotta, basil and lemon zest. The crab and corn was fantastic with a simple drizzle of olive oil and torn basil. YUM. The cooking directions are on the box and preparation is pretty much idiot proof. If you still have not visited Lazzaroli, RUN don't walk.
The mozzarella, focaccia, and salami made excellent if not non-traditional antipasti for our spring roll supper. With so many friends coming and going we figured we might as well share our treats.
We finally had most of our guests assembled and family spring roll dinner was ready to begin. Spring roll production is heavy on the prep and light on the cooking.
The set up:
One family member mans the portable griddle cooking up onions, squid, shrimp, and marinated beef with butter or olive oil. Other variations are a rice cooker filled with a vinegar and herb broth, grilled fish, stir fried tofu and mushrooms with rice noodles, or even just boiled shrimp.
We usually nominate my step dad to do the cooking so that he actually slows down and talks to us ;)
Multiple platters of veggies, herbs, and fruit are placed between groups of people. Mom usually includes leafy red lettuce, cilantro, mint, Thai basil, fresh cumin, bean sprouts, green apples, cucumbers, and thinly sliced green mango. I'm poor and if I bought all of that, the two of us would have to trash more than half. A bare bones operation of lettuce, mint and cilantro will do in a pinch.
Large bowls of hot water go out so everyone can dip their dry spring roll papers to soften for wrapping. Bowls of hot water softened vermicelli complete your meal.
You can get most everything at a decent grocery store. If you are feeling brave, K&S definitely has what you need.
This whole 2 rolls a serving nonsense is completely foreign to us. We can sit and talk and eat spring rolls for hours on end. My 7 year old brother took down more than a dozen rolls if that is any sort of indicator.
Spring rolls (Banh Trang or Goi Cuon if you are checking a menu) are often called summer rolls. It really is the perfect summer food. Especially when you can eat them outside. I was blessed with a gorgeous 80 degree night with a light breeze and breathtaking sunset.
Here's a bit more of the night in photos. I can't believe we got a dozen people around my two tiny kitchen tables on my narrow balcony. I wish I'd had room for more, there were about a trillion others I wanted to include in the experience.
They aren't related at all ;)
My mom serves fish sauce, peanut sauce, and she grudgingly makes my brother and I a sesame oil/soy sauce mixture. She says only young children eat it this way, but we don't seem to care, it's how we like it.
Even BJ and Carlos of Riffs Truck joined us. They make you feel like family when you walk up to their truck and I wanted them to see what a family spring roll night was really all about. I think they enjoyed it, all teasing aside.
They competed for my mother's affection by showing off their newly improved rolling skills. BJ showing off a particularly lovely roll.
The good news? BJ and Carlos will be serving up some out of this world spring rolls now.
The bad news? I'm not ever allowed to come home without a cooler full of Lazzaroli pasta or salami.
It's a tough life, but a foodie's gotta do it :) Especially when you eat leftovers as spring rolls and bun thit nuong for more than a week. He doesn't look like he minds.
Cheers!
L