Shrimp Saute in Egg Roll Wrapper Cups

I love recipes that introduce me to a new technique that I can later alter and customize.  This is one of those recipes.  See, I had a lot of egg roll wrappers left (but nothing egg-rolly to wrap with them) from those baked egg rolls I made last week.  I had exactly 12 left, and I decided to make these little cups out of egg roll wrappers.  Check it out.

Ingredients:
-12 egg roll wrappers
-2 cups shrimp, cooked
-2 cups mixed frozen veggies, thawed
-1 stalk celery, chopped
-2 stalks of green onion, chopped
-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
-salt and pepper to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Here's a lovely sheet of egg roll wrapper.  It's so perfect and full of promise. 

Spray a muffin pan liberally, then press an egg roll wrapper into the cups. 

I kinda did this in 2 shifts because I was testing it out, but it appears it's okay to overlap the wrapper on the sides.  As long as it's not too thick.  You might still do these in shifts of 6 and 6.

2.  Now brush cups lightly with oil and bake for 6-7 minutes or until gold.

Look how pretty they are!

3.  Chop celery and green onion.  And here's my shrimp.  I know, it's so wrong, but i bought the kind that's fully cooked and ready to eat.  I just thawed them in cold water and drained them. 

Here are the frozen vegetables that I also thawed and drained.

4.  Here's a small step that is super crucial to the intense flavor of the saute.  I heated a skillet to medium heat and added crushed garlic to a little olive oil.  This flavors the oil.  Then bring skillet to high heat and add celery. 

5.  Add vegetables and saute.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  That's it for the filling.

6.  Now, place cups on a plate. 

These are so nice because they are quite crispy, but not so thin that they can't handle the filling  It also doesn't get soggy, which was a pleasant surprise.  I wouldn't fill them any earlier than 30 minutes before serving, and don't fill them with soup or anything, but they really held their own. 

Here it is with the filling.

And that's it!  These are wonderful little appetizers and even more wonderful finger foods for parties.   

To eat, I found it pleasant to eat the crispy "leaves" around the edges, then work my way top to bottom.  No utensils required!

I love self-contained foods.  Like soup in a bread bowl, salad stuffed in a pita, or taco salad in a taco shell.  It's like the appeal of gingerbread houses: having a house that you can also eat.  Who doesn't love an edible bowl?

The possibilities are endless!  Fill these with ground beef and cheese as a hearty meal, or even make dessert out of it by dusting them with powdered sugar and filling them with berries and custard.

Have a wonderful Friday!

For a printable version of this recipe, please click here.