I was thinking about this as I was making these yummy bites… are these only a Midwestern thing? Do you all know about and eat Italian beef sandwiches or is it one of our delicious Chicago land treats!
Let me know in the comments below if you are not from Chicago land area; have you had, do you know what they are and do you love them like we do!
Why egg rolls and not just the sandwich?
The story behind these yummy bites is this. We had eaten these about 6 or 7 years ago in a restaurant for an appetizer. My husband talks about them all the time. So finally after all of these years, I decided to give them a try! Needless to say, we were both really glad that I did.
The key to a crunch egg roll
These will absolutely not work if they are not crunchy. The key to making these nice and crunchy is not to soak the skins too much. This filling especially can get a little juicy. You have to make sure it doesn’t make the egg roll wrappers soggy. Working in batches will also help with this. This way you can roll a few and then fry and then roll more and fry more.
Make ahead for a party or another time
These are a great appetizer to make ahead for a party. Also, great to make in bigger batch and keep in the freezer for when you have a taste for them. The recipe below makes about 15-18 of them, depending on the filling amount in each one. You can make them all ahead in two different ways.
First, you can fry them all and then flash freeze the extras for another time or to serve at a party. Then once they are frozen, put them into a Ziploc bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Then when you want to enjoy them or serve them up for your party, heat the oven to 425 degrees and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Secondly, you can just wrap all of them, fry up the ones you want to enjoy at the moment or freeze all of them and fry later. Then you would freeze them and place them in a Ziploc bag. Then when you are ready to enjoy them or serve them up you would heat your oil and fry them from frozen. Fry them until golden brown and serve hot.
To Dip or not to Dip
Italian Beef Egg rolls
Ingredients
- 1 package egg roll wrappers usually in the packaged produce section of the store
- 1 lb shaved Vienna Beef with au jus
- 1 jar medium giardineira
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- oil for frying
Instructions
- If you get the Italian beef from the deli and get the au jus from them, them you will want to cook it in the au jus first, let it cool and then begin the making process.
- If you get the Italian beef in the tub that is already with the au jus, then you can just begin making these.
- Working in batches, chop the Italian beef into bite sized pieces. Then chop the giardineira and then chop them together. Once you have chopped it all together, put it in a bowl and set aside.
- Open the egg roll wrappers and loosely cover them with a damp paper towel. Begin with one at a time, it may take a couple to get the amount down and the roll perfected. Don't get discouraged.
- Brush all for sides and corners with water and then place about a tablespoon of the meat and pepper filling in the center and lightly spread corner to corner almost. Then top with about 1 tsp of the mozzarella cheese.
- Fold the two side corners in and have them meet in the middle. Then begin to roll, tightly, but not too tight to break, the egg rolls over and down like a burrito. Make sure that there are no holes and that the end is secured. Add a little extra water if needed.
- You can either make all of them and then fry or you can fry in batches as you go. Make sure your oil is at 350 degrees and test with a cube of bread before frying. You want these to crisp, not get soggy. If the oil is not hot enough they will get soggy. Make sure your oil is not smoking, that means it is too hot. Use a thermometer to hit 350 degrees if you have one.
- They will take about 8-10 minutes to fry and you will want to turn them if they are too brown on one side or another. Once golden brown and crispy, remove onto a paper towel lined baking sheet and either serve or flash freeze. ENJOY!
So, I love these just as they are. My husband likes to dip them in cheddar cheese dip. Which, I am not going to lie, is really delicious. Yet, you can also do a horseradish type of dip or a spicy queso cheese dip that would be great too. I think if you are going to serve them for a gathering, a dip would be great in the center of the platter.
Chef’s Tips-Â
If you are going to fry these ahead and then freeze, make sure that you fry them on the lighter side so that when you bake them back to life they do not over cook or burn. Also, make sure that you do not over fill your wrappers or they will break. Lastly, make sure that you keep the egg roll wrappers lightly covered with a damp paper towel while you are making these. Otherwise they will dry out on you.
