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Several of you asked about rice paper.  I buy it at the Thai or Vitenamese
markets but it's also available in large supermarkets in this area.  In
addition to using it in place of wheat noodles for lasagna, it's also a nice
wrapper for other things.  Here are some of the things I do with it.
 
Lasagna - use 2 or 3 layers of rice paper (dry) in between whatever fillings
and cheese you make in lasagna.  I use a layer of ricotta cheese (or cottage
cheese) mixed with one egg and one package of frozen spinach which is thawed
and drained, one layer of tomato sauce made by blending a large can of
tomatoes with all the juice with garlic and lots of spices, a layer of
mozzarola cheese grated  and anything else you want.  Layer this with rice
paper in a casserole for as many layers as you have ingredients.  Make sure
there's enough liquid, or add a bit of water on the top when you get done,
cover tightly and bake in a moderate oven for 1 hour.
 
Shrimp rolls - fill a dinner plate with warm water, sink one round of rice
paper until it softens, about half a minute.  Place this on a damp towel and
fill with one or two cooked shrimp, a sprig of cilantro or parsley, cooked
and cold rice noodles or bean thread noodles are better, roll up tight.
Make 3 of these as a nice appetizer.  The Vietnamese restaurant which serves
these here makes a peanutbutter sauce which is very nice and a bit spicy.  I
like them plain or with a little g-f soy sauce.  Eat them cold.
 
You can add any savory Asian style filling.  Deep fried, these rolls are
awesome.
 
You can soften a number of rice papers at a time by putting each one on a
damp towel, but I usually fill them while the next one is softening.  They
do dry out, so cover the rolls with a damp towel until you eat them, if you
can wait that long.
 
Fried rice roll ups - This is a recipe of my own creation.  I take any
leftovers including spanish rice, fried rice or any soft filling, roll it up
in a softened rice paper, fold over all ends like a blintz.  I heat them up
enough to heat through the filling, and then eat in place of sandwiches for
lunch.  I can eat 4 or 5 of them myself.  It's a nice way to use leftovers,
and it's sort of like a sandwich, you eat it with your fingers.
 
The rice paper has little flavor, has a slightly chewy texture.  It's
fragile when dry and tends to break if you're rough with it.  When wet,
however, it's rather strong.
 
I'd welcome any other recipes.
 
Ellen Switkes
Oakland, CA