Lettuce Wraps

It's been at least six years since I had 'Chang's Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps' at P.F. Changs and yet I still remember how delicious the savory filling wrapped in crisp fresh lettuce cups was - so I thought, I have to try this at home.

Since it has been so long I cannot truly say whether or not this came out exactly the same or not, but the idea was definitely similar.  I like that you can choose how much or little filling and dipping sauce to put on your lettuce wrap.  I also made this easily meat friendly by separately frying a chicken breast fillet, food processing it, then blending it with half the vegetarian mixture.

P.F. Chang's Style Lettuce Wraps
serves 2 as a starter

filling
1 cup water chestnuts
2/3 cup mushrooms
1 small onion - chopped
2 garlic cloves - chopped

2 tbsps soy sauce
2 tbsps brown sugar
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

'special sauce'
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tbsps light soy sauce
2 tbsps rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp lemon juice
few drops sesame oil
thin sliced chili (optional)
garlic puree (optional)
hot mustard (optional)

1 tbsp oil 

lettuce leaves - washed and separated (I used baby gem but you could use iceberg or any crispy lettuce)

Mix together all ingredients for 'special sauce', refrigerate til ready to eat - you can add chili slices, garlic puree, or hot mustard to amp up the flavor if you like before serving.  Put all vegetable filling ingredients in food processor and pulse until everything is the same size (finely minced).  Mix together filling sauce (soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar).  Heat 1 tbsp oil in frying pan, add vegetable mix and filling sauce and fry together for a few minutes until some moisture has evaporated and it has warmed through.  Put about a tablespoon of mixture into each leaf and dip into sauce as desired.

Mushroom en croute

As a vegetarian I often cook one pot meals focused around vegetables, pulses or a grain.  I rarely cook the typical 'non-meat' and two veg that is so common for meat eaters as I find it difficult to make something that isn't meat the center of a meal.  This recipe allows a clear meat-like focus to a meal and is extremely satisfying. 

My partner made himself beef wellington and the 'two veg' were chive tossed new potatoes and grilled asparagus. As you can imagine this meal was very filling, but also delicious.  I think when I make it again I may use less spinach, as when it concentrated down the iron-y flavor was really strong and competed too much with the meaty mushroom.  Other than that it was a perfect vegetarian 'meat and two veg' meal.

Mushroom En Croute  

Serves 1 (generously!)

1 large flat mushroom

large handful baby spinach

2 thick slices cheese (I used swiss gruyere)

dusting of thyme (I used dry as I never buy fresh)

1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry

1 garlic clove - finely chopped

1 beaten egg yolk

Preheat oven to 200 C/ 395 F.  Fry the mushroom in a little olive oil for a few minutes on each side until lightly browned and cooked through.  Then fry the chopped garlic for a minute, add the spinach, season with salt and pepper and cook til wilted.  Strain the spinach well in a sieve (I used my spatula to push it against the sieve and get out as much liquid as I could).  Cut the pastry into a circle about an 1 inch bigger than your mushroom.  Lightly butter a baking tray and place on the pastry disc.  Pile the spinach in the center of the pasty, followed by a slice of cheese, the mushroom (gill side down) and the other piece of cheese.  Use a pastry brush to brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten yolk.  Drape the remaining pastry over the top, push gently to seal the edges, then trim any extra pastry.  Use a fork to fully seal the edges of the pastry together.  Brush the top of the pastry with the remaining egg and sprinkle with thyme then bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until golden.