Spring Into Spring Rolls

Anything can go into a spring roll wrapper, and I've seen it. From shrimp and cabbage to Nutella and bananas, the spring roll wrapper is just another way of saying deep-fried pie shell. They all come from the pie/dumpling family which means edibles enveloped with dough.

Before I start sending you down a historical food lesson tangent a la The Great British Baking Show, I'll back up and explain my latest obsession.



Jones Dairy Farm is hosting a contest featuring their products. Write and submit an original breakfast recipe using one of their select products such as breakfast sausage or ham.

(Oh, the salty goodness)

First prize winner gets $5,000! All I have to do is give my family a cholesterol induced heart attack with samples. Easy. And what better recipe than everything good about breakfast tucked inside one deep-fried package.

Here's how I entered:

• Found the contest on The Balance

• Followed directions and entered my ingredients and recipe inside the site.

• Uploaded some super cute images.

(Eat that spring roll baby!!!)

• Pressed submit and done!

Sound easy? Not so much because the real work was all behind the scenes. Developing the recipe and submitting original photography (which is knowingly half the contest right there) took me 5-6 hours over the course of a few days (shopping, crafting recipe, cooking it, taking photos, and finally sitting down to submit)

Summary: Cooking contests are always fun for the foodie who's constantly creating but not so much for the regular Joe. That means a small pool of folks. We're talking hundreds vs a general market campaign to target thousands if not millions. Worthy content will surely be limited. 

The good news for Jones Dairy Farm is that the recipes become their property so, for a measly sum total of $10k in prizes they're sourcing dozens of viable recipes with minimal work on their end. I'm sure this was half the incentive to host this contest. And I'm sure their getting a surge on their social media platforms.

The downside to the contest was that there wasn't any way to share or create social engagement after entering. I want bragging rights!

Want the actual recipe? Scroll to the end of this blog post.

Score (out of 5)

Entertaining: 4.0

Creative: 4.0

Use-ability: 4.5

OVERALL SCORE: 4.2

Details:
Name: Rise, Sizzle and Shine Breakfast Recipe Contest hosted by Jones Dairy Farm
Dates: ending 5/12/17
Contest Entry: https://www.jonesdairyfarm.com/recipe_contest

Spring into Spring Rolls Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 package spring roll wrappers

1 small yellow onion

1/2 red bell pepper

1/2 green bell pepper

1 package Jones Dairy Farm All Natural Little Pork Sausages

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups vegetable oil

Small bowl of water for sealing wrappers

Directions:

1. Defrost or prepare spring roll wrappers per directions.

2. Finely and uniformly chop the onion and peppers.

3. Cook sausages per package directions, preferably oven method.

4. While the sausages are cooking, heat a medium saucepan with the olive oil. On medium-low heat, sautee the bell peppers. Season with salt. After they are al dente softened, about 5-7 minutes, add the onion. Sautee until the onion is soft and transparent. Transfer to large bowl and cool.

5. Once sausage is cooked through and cooled down enough to be handled, finely chop sausage, keeping the casings on.

6. Add sausage to the bell pepper mix. Add cheese to the mix. Gently fold.

7. Lightly scramble the eggs and fold into the sausage and pepper mix. Gently fold in until the whole mixture is wet and combined.

8.  Begin to assemble spring rolls. Have a baking tray standing by to collect your spring rolls.

Carefully peel back the spring roll wrapper, working one at a time, keeping the pack under a damp paper towel to avoid drying out. On a clean surface or large cutting board, lay the spring roll wrapper in front of you like a square. Fill the spring rolls horizontally on the bottom end, leaving 1/2 an inch of room from the bottom. Use about 2 1/2 tablespoons of filling.

Fold over the right and left sides about 1/2 an inch in, then begin to roll from the bottom up like a burrito, keeping it firm and tight. Seal the last 1/2 inch to the body with a few dabs of water across the seam.

Continue to roll and fill, using up the filling. About 10 spring rolls.

Tip: There will be residual liquid in the bottom of the bowl. Avoid the liquid as much as possible to not soak through your spring rolls.

9. In a heavy dutch oven or pot, heat the 2 cups of vegetable oil, (or two inches of oil) over medium high heat till it reaches 365 degrees.

10. In small batches, fry spring rolls 2-3 at a time until they are golden brown on all sides, then carefully set them on a tray with paper towels.

11. Serve immediately while warm. Look out! They're hot inside!