Summer Rolls with Garden Herbs and Peanut Sauce

From the garden

• 2 medium cucumbers, cut into long thin matchsticks
• 2 medium carrots, cut into thin matchsticks or coarsely grated
• 1 cup mint and basil leaves, picked whole
• 8 butter lettuce leaves, ribs trimmed flat
• 1 clove garlic, grated — for the sauce

From the pantry

• 12 rice paper wrappers (8-inch rounds) — sold with the Asian noodles; grab a few extra for tears
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced (optional)
• ⅓ cup smooth peanut butter — for the sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce — for the sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar — for the sauce
• 1 lime — juiced, for the sauce
• 2 tsp sugar — for the sauce

1. Whisk the peanut butter with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, sugar, and garlic, then thin with warm water a tablespoon at a time until it falls off the whisk in a slow ribbon. Set aside — it thickens as it sits.
2. Cut the vegetables into long, thin matchsticks and lay everything out assembly-line style: wrappers, a large shallow dish of warm water, fillings, and a plate at the end.
3. Dip a wrapper in the warm water for just 5 seconds and lay it on the board — it should still feel slightly stiff. It keeps softening as you build, and a too-soft wrapper is what causes tearing.
4. On the lower third, layer a piece of lettuce, then a small bundle of cucumber, carrot, avocado if using, and 3–4 whole herb leaves. Less filling than looks right is right — overstuffed rolls burst.
5. Fold the bottom edge over the filling, fold in the sides, and roll away from you firmly, like a tight burrito. Set finished rolls apart on the plate (they glue themselves together if they touch) and repeat.
6. Serve within a couple of hours with the peanut sauce for dipping, halving the rolls on a sharp diagonal if you're feeling fancy.