These crispy spring rolls were inspired by an appetizer at the neighborhood restaurant David & I go to whenever we want a low-key night out. Living in the North End, there are a ton of options for fancy Italian dining, but somehow David & I find ourselves drawn to Panza over and over again. I think a big pull for me is their generous use of goat cheese in pasta sauces. And, they have a spring roll appetizer stuffed with mushrooms. It’s always warm, slightly sweet, and wrapped in just the right amount of crunchiness.
After trying spring roll ravioli, I had some leftover wrappers on hand, so I sought to make my own version of this favorite appetizer. David isn’t a huge fan of mushrooms, so swapping in a different filling was the main challenge. I thought that caramelizing onions would lend a nice earthy sweetness to the rolls and would make a good substitute. And with onions usually in stock in my kitchen, I didn’t have to make a special trip to the store.
They turned out really well! The caramelization process took a bit of time, but the process wasn’t particularly labor-intensive. Served with a side salad, they were perfect.
Ingredients
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon butter+ 1 Tablespoon oil
3 oz. goat cheese
8 egg roll wrappers
Steps
1) Heat oil and butter in a large skillet, then add onion slices. Turn the heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes to caramelize onions, stirring infrequently.
2) When the onions are caramelized, take them off the heat and transfer to a bowl. Mix in the goat cheese and stir together until well combined.
3) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a spoonful of onion mixture in the center of each egg roll wrapper and fold it into a roll. To do this, tightly wrap one end over the filling, then fold in both sides.
4) Place the rolls seam-side down on an ungreased pan or cookie sheet. Bake the rolls at 350 for about 10 minutes. Flip the rolls once mid-way through the cooking time to prevent over-browning on the bottoms.
Serve once warmed through and golden brown. I dipped them in warmed honey.
