Vietnamese Autumn Rolls (Turkey Spring Rolls)

10 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cut into 10 thin strips

¾ teaspoon salt

20 leaves Boston lettuce, ribs

removed

6 ounces dried rice vermicelli noodles, cooked according to package instructions 1½ cups finely julienned carrots 20 thin strips red bell pepper 40 large basil leaves

1½ cups cilantro leaves

20 thin slices leftover turkey

breast

10 (12-inch round) dried rice

papers (banh trang) Nuoc cham, to serve (recipe

follows) Instructions:

Place butternut squash slices in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, until slices become pliable. Rinse under cold water and blot dry with a clean kitchen towel. Cut the slices in half and transfer to a large platter. Arrange the lettuce leaves, noodles, carrot, pepper and mixed herbs in neat stacks on the same platter.

Stack 2 slices of turkey and fold in half from a long end, forming a wide strip. Repeat with remaining turkey slices to make 10 more strips. Add to veggie platter and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble spring rolls.

Fill a large bowl with hot water (about 120 degrees) and place in the middle of a clean table. Place the stack of rice papers and the veggie platter next to the bowl.

Take a piece of rice paper and slide it into the water for a few seconds to soften. Holding the wrapper with both hands, quickly remove it and lay it flat on the table. Take two lettuce leaves, tear them in half and overlap the leaves just off the center of the rice paper. Layering in a neat stack, spread ¼ cup of noodles over the lettuce, followed by 1 turkey strip, 1 tablespoon shredded carrot, 2 strips bell pepper, 4 basil leaves and a tablespoon of cilantro leaves.

Pull the rice-paper end nearest you and fold it up over the stack. Firmly roll up the stack to enclose the filling, stopping at the center. Lay 2 strips of butternut squash next to each other at the base of the folded filling; tuck in the sides of the wrapper and roll everything up into a tight cylinder.

Place the roll seam side down on a platter and cover with a damp cloth to keep moist while you fill and roll the remaining wrappers. To serve, cut each roll crosswise in half or into 6 bitesize pieces, sushi fashion. Serve with nuoc cham sauce. Makes 10 rolls or 60 bite-size hors d’oeuvres NUOC CHAM (SPICY GARLIC LIME DIPPING SAUCE) ½ cup rice vinegar

½ cup fish sauce

½ cup hot water

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup fresh lime juice 2 teaspoons minced garlic 3 small fresh hot Thai chiles, or serrano, seeded and finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely shredded

carrot Instructions:

Combine all ingredients except carrot in a blender. Process until well blended and sugar has dissolved. Pour into a bowl and stir in the carrot. Makes 2 cups