Truffle Edamame Raviolis

For the past year and a half I have been working for Stephen Starr events. The events that I work at range from standard company dinners at the Philadelphia Art Museum all the way to VIP wrap parties for popular films. I love my job so much and I am constantly experiencing new things and getting to know new people along the way. 

My favorite thing about my job however is that I am able to try all of the delicious food. It is a blessing and a curse all at the same time. I can never turn down good food so I always find myself trying everything when I am at work. Thank god I am on my feet for around 8-10 hours so I at least don't feel as guilty about eating everything in sight. 

My favorite dish out of all of the foods that I have tried at Starr Events is by far their truffle edamame dumplings. These dumplings come from one of their restaurants called Buddakan. I remember first trying these dumplings and I was so amazed by the taste and texture of them that I had to keep eating them. I never realized how well edamame and truffle paired together. It was truly something that I have never tasted before. 

I decided that tonight that I was going to make my own version of these dumplings but in ravioli form. The reason why I made mine in raviolis is because it is easier. If you prefer making dumplings/you know how to make dumplings, feel free to use the filling however you like. 

Here is how I did it:

Truffle Edamame Raviolis

Edamame Raviolis 
- 2 cups edamame
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 3/4 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup truffle oil
- 2 tbs Earth Balance Natural Spread
- 1 tbs chopped garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 package of Nasoya wonton wraps

Shallot infused broth 
- 1 shallot (Thinly chopped)
- 1/2 tbs sesame oil
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 3 tbs toasted sesame seeds

Soak cashews in warm water for 1-3 hours or place them in the microwave for 3 minutes to soften the nuts. Drain and set aside. In a food processor or blender, place edamame, cashews and the other four ingredients and blend until fully mixed. Leave some of the edamame semi chopped to add some texture.  Set aside.

Place half of the wonton wrappers on a flat surface. Dip your finger in warn water and smear it on the edge of the wrappers. Fill the wrappers with 1 tsp of filling and place another wrapper overtop and pinch the sides to seal it in. There should be some left over filling once you have finished the package. This is great to use as a dip for vegetables or you can freeze it and make more raviolis another time.

Bring a pot of water to boil with some oil and salt. Place the raviolis in the water, around five at a time. Take them out of the water after five minutes and place them on a plater. Repeat this step until all of your raviolis are done.

Place another pot on the stove. Lightly fry your shallots in the sesame oil. Pour in 2 cups of vegetable broth and add your soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Boil for a few minutes and take it off the heat. Place another pan on the stove and lightly toast your sesame seeds. Make sure that you keep an eye on the sesame seeds because they can burn very quickly.

Once all of the raviolis are cooked, pour the sauce over them and sprinkle the sesame seeds.

You can make this dish as an appetizer or as a main dish. I served this along a protein packed asian turkey larb salad. It was the perfect amount of food and I have enough to take for leftovers tomorrow!

Anne

Shrimp Summer Rolls with Sweet and Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce

It's been a while since I last blogged. In the last few weeks I started my new internship at IKEA and have been adjusting to my new schedule. It's been pretty hectic but I love my job and I am learning so much. It's also been gorgeous out so I have been running more and more outside which makes me so happy. I love to go on Kelly Drive and run by the water. It is so calming and therapeutic. It also gives me some time to think and relax.

Unfortunately this week hasn't been as warm as the last few weeks. I had to put out my winter jacket this morning to go in to work. Not one of my favorite things to do. Even though it's been cooler, I still am craving foods that remind me of summer. I went to the grocery store yesterday and was so tempted to buy a huge watermelon but I refrained. I also can't wait until it's consistently warm out so I can walk around the city without a jacket and eat comfortably outside.

Tonight I wanted to make a dish that reminded me of summer but is also good for any time of the year. I decided to make Shrimp Summer Rolls. What I love about these rolls is that you can replace all of the ingredients to what you like. If shrimp isn't your favorite you can replace it with scallops, fish, chicken or turkey. You also can add your favorite fruits and vegetables. It's all up to you.

Here is how I did it:

Shrimp Summer Rolls with Sweet and Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce 

Shrimp Summer Rolls
- 12 shrimp (peeled, deveined and sliced in half)
 - 1/2 package of rice noodles
- 1 tbs rice wine vinegar
- 8 rice paper wrappers
- 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 1 avocado (sliced)
- 1/2 thinly slices yellow pepper
- 1/4 cup of cilantro

Sweet and Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce 
- 2 tbs soy sauce
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup blue agave syrup
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp sriracha

Bring two pots of water to a boil. In one pot, place the shrimp in the water and cook until they are light pink (3-5 minutes). Drain and place in the fridge to cool. In the other pot, once the water is boiling, take it off the heat and place the rice noodles in the hot water. Let the noodles sit for 5 minutes until the noodles are al dente. Drain the noodles and add 1 tbs of rice wine vinegar. Place in the fridge.

Make an assembly line with the shrimp, noodles, cabbage, sliced avocado, pepper and cilantro. Spread a clean damp paper towel on a work surface. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Finally, place plastic wrap overtop of a baking sheet.

When everything is prepared, immerse each rice paper wrapper in the warm water until the wrapper is flexible. Do this step one at a time. Place the flexible wrapper on the damp paper towel and add three slices of shrimp. Then place the cabbage, noodles, pepper, avocado and cilantro on top. Fold burrito-style and roll closed. Make sure that that filling is tightly packed. Place rolls on baking dish. Repeat with the other wrappers.

For the dipping sauce, place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until the ingredients are mixed. Place in a a dipping bowl. If you want the sauce to have some extra heat, add more sriracha. 

This dish is great to have as a snack, a light lunch or as an appetizer. Make it for parties or small get togethers. 

Anne