Corned Beef & Cabbage Egg Rolls {with Russian Dressing}.

Recipe inspiration you ask?  Day after St. Patrick’s Day leftovers meets an open package of wonton wrappers on the second shelf of the refrigerator…and the plotting begins.  By the time I woke up this morning they had formed a bond and a plan.  When I opened the fridge door the Ziploc bag of wonton wrappers had neatly made it’s way to the top of the container of leftover boiled dinner.  Clearly it was a case of love at first sight.

Who was I to doubt their intentions?

I simply julienned the leftover cooked carrots, cabbage and corned beef, then added some thinly sliced scallion.  Since I was using smaller wonton wrappers, instead of full sized egg roll wrappers, it didn’t take much to fill them up.

I turned the wrapper at an angle so I could fold in the points from each side, before bring up the bottom point and rolling.  A little water on the top edges sealed the rolls.

Once they were rolled I cooked the egg rolls in batches in about a 1/2-inch of canola oil, seam side down, turning once so they were golden brown on each side.  It seems leftover corned beef dinner and wonton wrappers know a thing or two about Eating Out of the Fridge/Pantry and recipe creativity.  These egg rolls were absolutely delicious.

Our favorite use for leftover corned beef is the beloved Classic Reuben Sandwich, which we serve with Homemade Russian Dressing.  That dressing seemed like a natural pairing for our Corned Beef & Cabbage Egg Rolls.  It was.

Be sure to check out our New England Boiled Dinner recipe for instructions on how to prepare Corned Beef & Cabbage.

The post Corned Beef & Cabbage Egg Rolls {with Russian Dressing} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Back in the days of apartment living when Chinese food takeout seemed to be a weekly occurrence….we’d always say yes to “do you want to add an order of Crab Rangoon with that?” 

They’re so good and as we later discovered, remarkably easy to make.

Wonton wrappers, cream cheese, imitation crab meat (because it’s good), scallions, crushed garlic, a little Worcestershire Sauce, and peanut oil for deep frying.  I’ve read recipes that invite you to bake these vs. frying them….but that’s just wrong.  Baked wonton wrappers are extremely crunchy (not in a good way).  Every Chinese Restaurant Crab Rangoon we’ve ever eaten was fried to crisply golden brown perfection :)

Here’s a quick little “How To” on making Crab Rangoon.  First mix all ingredients together, combining well.

Place a teaspoonful of mixture in center of wonton wrapper.  Dip your finger in water and wet all four edges of wrapper.

Fold wrapper in half to make a triangle.  Pinch all around the edges to seal tightly.

Bring the two outside corners together, like they were raising their arms above their head.  Pinch to seal together.

Repeat until all wrappers have been filled.  Chill in freezer for 30 minutes before frying.

Heat peanut oil to 375 degrees.  Oil is ready when a piece of wonton wrapper or bread dropped in sizzles and browns without burning.

Fry two wontons at a time and drain to paper towels.  Serve warm with a nice dipping sauce.  We’ll serve these with a Sweet and Sour Sauce and perhaps a little Sweet and Spicy Sauce as well.

We’re making these for our monthly Family Birthday Celebration Dinner…which has become a festive meal with an amazing spread of hors d’oeuvres and appetizers and the best birthday cakes ever!!  Finger Food & Family Rules!!

All my best,
xo Libby

Print

Crab Rangoon {with Sweet and Sour Sauce}

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Chinese

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For crab rangoon…

• 1 8 oz. block cream cheese softened
• 6 oz. imitation crab meat chopped fine
• 3-4 scallions thin sliced
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pkg. square wonton wrappers
• Peanut oil for deep frying

For sweet & sour dipping sauce…

• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tsp. canola oil
• 2/3 cup pineapple juice unsweetened
• 2 Tbl. ketchup
• 3 Tbl. brown sugar
• salt to taste

Instructions

For the sweet & sour dipping sauce…

• In a small sauce pan, whisk together corn starch and vinegar.
• Then add in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool before serving.

For the crab rangoon…

• Combine all ingredients until well blended.
• Put 1 teaspoonful of mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper. With finger wet all four edges with water. Fold over wrapper, making a triangle. Pinch edges to seal well.
• Bring to outside corners together, as if raising their arms over their head. Pinch at top to seal.
• Repeat until all wrappers have been filled. Chill wontons in freezer for 30 minutes before frying.
• Heat peanut oil in wok or dutch oven to 375 degrees.
• Deep fry wontons, two at a time, turning over once during cooking, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
• Serve warm with dipping sauce.

Notes

This recipe will make about 40 crab rangoons.

The post Crab Rangoon {with Sweet and Sour Sauce} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.