This week I am having a love affair with ‘The Secrets of Success Cookbook’ Signature Recipes and Insider Tips from San Francisco’s Best Restaurants’ by Michael Bauer.  I have to tell you that this book is out of print, but is available on Amazon. (Seriously what would I do without Amazon.com?  It’s hard to imagine a world without the internet, isn’t it?) This past week I have made no less than five different recipes, and they are all the ‘make again’ kind.  One of my clients flipped through it and earmarked a bunch of recipes that he would like me to make for him—I love it when my clients do this.  They often choose recipes that are not my first choice and it gives me a great chance to expand my repertoire. (It also takes the guess work out of the daily ‘what am I going to make for dinner tonight’ question that I deal with everyday.

Most of my clients give me free reign with the dinner menu—they say, ‘Oh, make whatever, you know what I like.’  This is in turns deeply gratifying and terrifying.  It really keeps me on my toes. ) The first recipe that I chose to make from this book was the Sesame Spinach Rolls with Soy Lime Vinaigrette from the now closed Hawthorne Lane restaurant in San Francisco.  I have a soft spot for Hawthorne Lane. It was one of the first restaurants that I went to when I moved to San Francisco—I had an amazing duck dish there, and my assistant worked in their catering department for a while, so I have gotten some titillating insider stories from her.

I am always, always looking for new and exciting vegan and vegetarian dishes that look and taste good.  These rolls were perfect served with Teriyaki Glazed Portobello Mushrooms and Brown Rice Pilaf. (Hawthorne Lane served them with Miso Glazed Black Cod—it would be delicious with that too.) I just love the way these look.  The brilliant green of the spinach next to the pale green of the cabbage leaves is just fantastic.  Sometimes I feel like a painter, only I work in the rainbow world of vegetables.  Make sure to season your spinach well with salt and pepper when you make these, otherwise they could be rather bland, and well ‘too spinach-y’.  The vinaigrette is the perfect complement with these rolls and takes them from being just another ‘vegan’ recipe to a crossover dish that will appeal to flexitarians as well.

As Julia would say, ‘Bon Appétit!’

Sesame Spinach Rolls with Soy Lime Vinaigrette

The Secrets of Success Cookbook.  Signature Recipes and Insider Tips from San Francisco’s Best Restaurants.  By Michael Bauer.

Spinach Rolls

2 large Savoy cabbage leaves—I used 3 medium sized Napa cabbage leaves.

Salt

2 Tbsp. plus 1tsp. olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 (10 oz) bags of spinach, about 5 cups

Pepper

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Vinaigrette

3 Tbsp. Fresh Lime juice (1 large juicy lime or 2 small ones)

2 Tbsp. soy sauce (I used Tamari)

2 Tbsp Rice Wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. Shallot, minced

1 small garlic clove, grated

Salt and Pepper

1/3 Cup Peanut oil

½ tsp. sesame oil

For the Spinach Rolls: Blanch the cabbage leaves in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water until limp.  Drain.  Spread each leaf flat, pat dry and cut off the thickest part of the rib. Set aside.

Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the shallot and garlic and sauté to release the aromas.  Add the spinach and stir to coat with the oil.  Cook until the spinach becomes completely limp, just a few minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove from the heat and cool.

Squeeze out all of the liquid from the spinach.  Place an equal amount of spinach at one end of the cabbage leaf and roll up tightly into a cylinder.  Rub the cabbage cylinders with the sesame oil and roll in the sesame seeds.

To serve cut each spinach log into bite sized medallions using a sharp knife.  Cut straight down—don’t saw back and forth. Arrange on plates and serve the vinaigrette on the side for dipping.

The Vinaigrette

Combine all of the ingredients in a container that has a lid and shake vigorously to combine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.