Italian Saffron Arancini

This is my cousin Mary Lombardi's recipe for Arancini with a saffron twist! Thank you cousin Mary for being a continual source of recipes and history. 

Ingredients: 

4 1/2 cups of water

2 teaspoons of salt

2 tablespoons of butter

A pinch of saffron 

2 cups of Carolina or River Rice (do not use quick cooking rice) 

1/2 lb of mozzerella cut into cubes 3/4"-1" (you can use one in each rice ball or 2 smaller ones in each rice ball).

3 large eggs 

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon chopped parsley or parsley flakes

3-4 large fresh basil leaves, chopped finely

2 cups of plain breadcrumbs 

Directions: 

1. Bring water, saffron, salt and butter to boil.

2. Add 2 cups of rice

Saffron is my favorite spice of all time. The rockstar ingredient will begin to give off a yellow color to the water when it boils and then to the rice while the rice cooks. Leave the saffron in, no need to remove it after. 

3. Cook for approximately 20 to 25 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Rice should be sticky. Remove from heat. Let cool a little, but do not let get cold. If you add the eggs while the rice is too hot then you will not be able to properly form the balls. Stir and wait for it to stop steaming. 

3.  Stir in: 3 extra large eggs, the grated  parmesan cheese, the black pepper,

garlic powder, the chopped parsley or parsley flakes and the basil leaves (chopped). Mix well. 

4. Shape into ball --press firmly-- you may need to dip your hands in warm water and/or water mixed with egg whites to get the balls to stick together. If the rice is cold or too hot you will have a hard time getting them to form balls.

5. Place mozzarella cube inside the ball and reshape so the mozzarella is hidden  inside.

6. Roll the ball into plain bread crumbs, seasoned to taste with a little garlic powder, salt and pepper. Press the crumbs firmly to the balls. 

7. Preheat oil or Crisco in deep fryer or deep pan to 375 degrees. Use a thermometer if you are not using a deep fryer. Allow room between arancini so they don't stick together. Fry until golden brown for about 4 to 5 minutes. You may need to rotate them with a fork or use the fork to slightly apply pressure to keep them submerged. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Note* You can add more grated cheese, salt, and or seasonings to the bread crumbs if you like them more seasoned.

Note* You can also stuff the arancini with anything you like. Peas, meat, prosciutto the sky is the limit! 

Italian Lemon Cheesecake

This recipe I took from William and Sonoma which is my second favorite store in the whole world. 

When working with this recipe I focused on the three major parts: the fresh homemade cheese, the tart summer lemon, and the perfectly ground gingersnap walnut base. Taking your time with each step of this recipe is important. Something about Italian cheesecake always screams diva to me- so I make sure to exaggerate each step and give each part of the process it's own recognition. Each ingredient was brought back to it's base and most natural form. Instead of store ricotta, I used cheese I made myself. Lemon juice from freshly squeezed cold lemons. Each step is a different piece of the act that comes together to yield a dramatic Italian cheesecake. 

Ingredients: 

For the crust:

6 oz. gingersnap cookies 

1 1/4 cups walnuts 

1/4 cup sugar

5 Tbs. unsalted butter, or as needed, melted

 

For the filling:

1/2 lb of cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

2/3 cup heavy cream

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons 

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

 

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

 

Directions: 

1. Make ricotta cheese. Recipe under cannoli filling. 

2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor, grind the walnuts.  Grind gingersnaps as finely as you can, either in a food processor or mortar and pestle. Combine together in a food processor until uniform. Add the sugar and melted butter. Add a teaspoon of butter at a time until it begins to stick together. Mix and mold onto your 9 inch springform pan. Make sure you have an even base and work up the sides of the pan. It does not have to be even. In fact it will look nicer if it is not even. Bake at 325 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Store in freezer until ready to use. 

I wanted a perfect crust that was completely uniform. I also wanted to really be apart of the grinding process.

3. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, ricotta, sugar, egg yolks, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and salt until creamy.  If you do this in a food processor, process until creamy about 4-5 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and set aside. 

4. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture just until combined. 

Pour the mixture into the reserved chilled crust, smoothing the top.

5. Place the pan on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Then, raise the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake until another 30-35 minutes until the top looks golden brown. The edges should appear firm. The center will still jiggle. Turn off the oven, open the door and leave it in the oven for about 3 hours. You will notice that the center will fall slightly, that is normal. 

6. Cover tightly with plastic wrap (do not let the wrap touch the surface) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. I used toothpicks to keep the Saran Wrap from touching the center. 

7. When ready to remove the cheesecake from the springform pan, first slowly run a knife around the sides of the cake to loosen them from the pan, then remove the pan sides. 

8. Use confectioners sugar to dust the top of the cheesecake.

Serve and enjoy! I was so excited all night while it was chilling, the next morning I came right down and ate it for breakfast. All the work was well worth it. 

Coconut Shrimp and Pineapple Mango Sauce

This dish I made for my friend's birthday. It was the first time I cooked shrimp and I wanted the presentation to look nice. It was summer and I had just watched the movie Bridge Over the River Kwai. I think that that sort of inspired my pineapple bridge over the mango sauce. Enjoy! 

Ingredients: 

20 jumbo shrimp, frozen or fresh. 

1 cup of flour 

1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut

2 eggs  

Oil for frying 

10 wooden skewers 

1 Pineapple 

1 Mango 

Red pepper flakes 

Honey 

Directions: 

1. If using frozen shrimp, thaw by running under cold water. For both the fresh and frozen shrimp, make sure the shrimp are deveined and peeled. However, leave tails on ten shrimp. 

2. Dredge shrimp in flour first. Then dip into the egg. Coat with shredded coconut. 

3. With the spike side of the skewer, go through the head of the first untailed shrimp, and then through the head of the second tailed shrimp. I did it this way so that the top shrimp didn't have a tail, but the bottom one did for presentation. 

4. Heat oil for frying. When all the shrimps have been placed on skewers, fry in a pan until golden brown on one side and then turn over. The oil should be covering the shrimps a little over half way. 

5. Place the fried shrimps onto a plate with paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Serve immediately with a friend and a Piña Colada! 

Prepare the dipping sauce before the shrimp. There are two ways to make it. 

1. Over the stove heat the chopped mango, 1/2 cup of pineapple, 1/2 cup of honey, 1/2 cup of water and boil down until syrupy. Add a sprinkle of pepper flakes. I only did it this way because I don't have a food processor. I recommend the second way below.  

2. Place 1 chopped mango in a food processor. Cover and process until pureed. Combine pureed mango with crushed pineapple, pepper flakes and 2 teaspoons of honey. Let stand until ready to serve. 

Rizogalo- Greek Rice Pudding

I made this for the first time after watching the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The constant stirring many people complain about wasn't a problem for me, as it gave me something to do while I contemplated my disappointment over not being born a Chinese warrior like Shu Lien. After a lot of stirring my rice pudding smelled great but looked really bland. I put it in the fridge and sat on the floor and waited for it to be ready. When it came time to decorate with cinnamon I used a spoon and gently sprinkled diagonal lines. When  I finally was able to scoop into it- I had discovered a whole new understanding of the subtlety of cinnamon and it's hidden flavors. Enjoy! 

Ingredients: 

1 cup of Arborio rice 

3/4 cups of sugar 

1 cinnamon stick 

1/2 lemon peel 

8-9 cups of whole milk 

2 eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Cinnamon 

Directions: 

1. In a large sauce pan add your rice, sugar, cinnamon stick, lemon peel, and 7 cups of milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 60 minutes. Make sure you stir frequently and get the rice off the bottom so it doesn't stick or burn. If you notice the rice is becoming too dry- add 1/2 cup of milk. 

2. After about 60 minutes when you have soft rice and a pudding consistency that is not too dry or too wet, crack your eggs into a bowl. Mix a spoonful of rice into it and mix well to bring the eggs to a closer temperature so when you do add it it doesn't curdle. This is called tempering. 

3. After adding the egg, add in the vanilla extract and mix well. Cool in refrigerator for as long as you can without eating it (at least an hour!) Before serving, add cinnamon in whichever design you prefer. 

You can also use this non- egg version: 

1 cup of water 

1 cup of rice (not instant) 

8 cups of milk 

4 tablespoons of sugar 

Cinnamon 

1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract 

1. Boil the cup of water. Add the rice. 

2. Stir in 8 cups of milk. Stirring continuously at a boil.

3. Add the sugar. Keep stirring to keep from burning, don't let anything stick to the bottom. Cook until thick. 

4. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract. Divide into individual bowls or large tray. Sprinkle with cinnamon. 

Greek Chickpeas

The most simple and perfect snack. 

Ingredients: 

1 can of chickpeas 

1/2 red onion, chopped 

2 teaspoons of onion salt 

Pepper 

Extra virgin olive oil 

vinegar (optional) 

Directions: 

1. Open the can of chickpeas, drain the juice and discard. Place chickpeas in a medium bowl. 

2. Chop up half a red onion. Add to the bowl. 

3. Add onion powder. Drizzle with olive oil (a little less than 1/4 a cup). Sprinkle with pepper and mix well. Add more onion salt if needed. Drizzle with vinegar optional. 

Mint Braciole and Fresh Pasta

This is one of my favorite Sunday additions to sauce. My new favorite way to make this is by combining two of my dad's friend's recipes. Joe says classic garlic and cheese and Anthony says "add the mint." Hearing them in the background over the phone while my mom is going over the recipe with me is priceless. So I decided to combine all the ingredients and see how it would come out. It came out great. I served it with homemade pasta and a side of some fresh artichokes, roasted red peppers and olives. 

Ingredients: 

4 pieces of meat for Braciole 

1 bundle of mint, chopped 

2 teaspoons of pignoli nuts, chopped 

4 gloves of garlic, chopped 

4 teaspoons of parmeasean cheese  

Directions: 

1. Prepare your ingredients. Each braciole can be a little different. Start by adding about 1 teaspoon of the parmeasean cheese evenly over the first peice of meat.

2. Sprinkle your garlic, as little or as much as you want on top of the parmeasean. 

3. Add some pignoli nuts. 

4. Add some chopped mint leaves. 

5. Roll. Starting from one side begin to fold the meat over until it is all rolled up. 

6. Use two toothpicks to hold the roll in place. Repeat for the remaining peices of meat. 

7. In a pan on medium heat, brown the Braciole on each side. You can cover if you want to help cook thoroughly. 

8. After about 8 minutes when the meat starts to look cooked even in the innermost spiral, add it to your sauce to continue cooking. If you don't want to add it to the sauce, give it anther 2 minutes to make sure it is completely cooked. 

For the pasta: 

3 cups of flour 

4 eggs 

1. Combine ingredients. Knead. Place in refrigerator covered in Saran Wrap for an hour. 

2. Roll out dough. Roll through machine or cut by hand. 

3. To cook the pasta have a large pot of salted boiling water. It will cook very fast. 

4. Enjoy! 

American Pie

Unlike other pies, this pie I was going for looks instead of natural flavor and I needed to do it quickly because it was a last minute add on to a long list of Memorial Day dishes. Also, cherries are expensive so buying it in the can made it affordable. But if you choose to do it from scratch- just place the fruit, some sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan and boil it down. Continue the recipe from there.

Ingredients: 

For crust: 

2 1/2 cups flour

2 sticks of butter 

1 pinch of salt

1 tsp sugar

6 tsp of cold water 

For filling: 

1 1/2 cup of blueberry filling preserve 

2 21 ounce cans of cherry filling 

Directions: 

For the crust:

1. Can be found under the recipes for either berry or apple pie. 

2. For this pie. Take a peice of aluminum foil and place it into the pie as if it was reading 9 o'clock. This is to help seperate your fillings.

3.  Place the blueberry filling into the too left corner, holding the aluminum foil in place. 

4. In the remaining 3/4 of the pie, pour the cherry filling. 

5. Let sit in refrigerator for 5-10

Minutes. Remove the aluminum foil slowly. 

6. Cut 7 stripes and a few stars from the remaining pie dough. Arrange on pie

7. Using the remaining dough, form a crust around the pie in any decorative form you chose. 

8. Brush the stripes with a little bit (1-2 teaspoons) of milk so that they bake nicely. If they shrink that is ok the pie will still look great.  Cover the edges with aluminum foil. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes and then remove the foil. Brush crust lightly with 1-2 tablespoons of milk. Return to oven and continue to bake for 20-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown.