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If your appetite is anything like mine, you’ll be hard pressed to find the day when there is leftover risotto. Every single time that I’ve made it, no matter what the volume, it has been devoured immediately. Now Giada always seems to have leftover risotto. I’m pretty sure we can all guess why. Anyway, I was watching her show the other day and saw that she made arancini from none other than her leftover risotto. I was intrigued. Risotto- with extra cheese, breadcrumbs, and FRIED. What a spectacular idea!
From my last blog post, I had some leftover risotto myself for the first time ever. I attribute this mainly to the fact that Whitney and Liz were out of town. Boy did they miss out…
Arancini - note measurements are not exact
2 cups leftover risotto
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1-2 eggs
1 cup + a little extra breadcrumbs – I used panko
oil for frying
Heat the oil in a large pot. While it is warming up, prepare the arancini. Place the eggs, cheese and breadcrumbs into the cold risotto. Mix everything around. This is the time that if the risotto is looking too wet that you should add some more breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs will help the arancini bind so you want to make sure you have enough.
After all the arancini have been formed into balls, roll each ball in a little more breadcrumbs so that the outside will have a nice crunch. Carefully place the arancini in the oil and let them fry until they are golden brown.
When they are finished, place the arancini on a plate that is covered in paper towels to soak up the extra oil. Finish with some salt. EAT.
These were absolutely luxurious. The outside was crunchy and the inside was smooth and creamy. The corn and zucchini from the risotto were still a bit tender and added a great sweetness.
The best thing about this dish is that is it so versatile. You can make these out of any kind of risotto in the world. Imagine the possibilities….
In order to not skyrocket to a plump 300 pounds, I will not be making arancini for a while now. But they will be greatly missed. They are a must try so the next time you have some risotto leftover, definitely give them a go. Anyway, you really can’t go wrong.
On a side note, Whitney and I are finally reunited!!!!!! Look forward to more frequent blog posts now that we are together and in the continental US. 
Bon Eating,
Ariel
Oh who doesn’t love risotto? It’s creamy, delicious, filling and well it’s perfect. The main reason why I love risotto so much is because you really can do anything with it. There are so many different additions you can make- different vegetables, different wines- the options are really endless. Yesterday I wanted to make a seasonal risotto, one that is the true epitome of summer. So what comes to mind when it’s summer? Corn, Zucchini and lots of fresh basil.
I’ve been noticing this summer that there’s this new fad of making “zucchini ribbons.” I’ve seen them in salads, pastas, with fish, etc. Not that I want to be a huge follower…but UM these zucchini ribbons are such a great idea! They’re delicate but still pack that tender bite that zucchinis are known for. To make them, simply use your vegetable peeler and run it along the zucchini to make fine little “ribbons.”
Ariel’s Summer Risotto
2 cups Arborio Rice
1 sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs butter
2 tbs basil infused olive oil
approx 6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup freshly shucked corn kernels
1-2 small zucchinis, ribboned
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tbs lemon zest
1/2 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tbs heavy cream
In a small pot, warm chicken broth and wine together.
In a large dutch oven, melt the butter and basil olive oil together. Saute onions and garlic together until the onions begin to get a little translucent. Add in the arborio rice and let it toast for about two minutes. Once the rice is toasted, begin to add in the broth and wine mixture about 1/2 cup at a time. Continuously stir the rice and keep adding the broth mixture until it’s gone. This should take about 30 minutes- it’s a slow process so be patient! Make sure you’re on a medium/low heat so that nothing sticks to the bottom. Also be sure to use a good silicon spatula/spoon to stir so that IF rice gets stuck on the bottom, you can scrape it off. Once the rice is cooked (taste test), take it off the heat.
At this point, add in all the fix-ins. Lemon zest, lemon juice, zucchini ribbons, corn, basil, parmesan cheese, cream. Mix everything together. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes so that the cheese can melt and the zucchini ribbons can warm through.
Spoon into a bowl and garnish with some extra basil and some more parmesan cheese.
When I was making this risotto, I really wanted to use white wine instead of red since it’s lighter, sweeter and fruitier. Unfortunately, red was all I had in the house. Due to laziness and the overwhelming desire to eat what I was about to make, I used red wine instead. You know what? I don’t regret it! And hey, it’s the red wine that has all those anti-oxidents right? So it’s healthier!
UGH. This risotto is so amazing. Even though it’s creamy, it still embodies all of those delicious summer flavors. I would definitely say that the lemon juice and zest are the secret ingredients in this dish. They really provide that extra acid that makes the creaminess of the risotto not so overwhelming. This dish is truly summer in a bowl. So hurry up and make it before canned corn becomes the only option…
Bon Eating!
Ariel
 Tart from Queen of Tarts Yes. We’re still on my posts from abroad. When will they end! Soon. (ish).
So my Spring Break trip was one of the greatest weeks of being abroad. We went to Rome for 5 days, Dublin over St. Patty’s day and then to Amsterdam to end our break. As you can imagine, it was incredibly fun. Rome ended up being one of my favorite cities in Italy. It’s a perfect mix of small Italy town life as well as being a bustling metropolis. I would move there in a heartbeat. I don’t actually think I have pictures of food from Rome, but the food was great. We got sushi which we hadn’t had in 2.5 months. I’m sure many New Yorkers would agree with me when I say that sushi is a main staple of my diet, I missed it desperately while in Florence (not that I was starving or anything!). Other than that…we ate a lot of gelato. And I ate a lotta artichoke! Mmmm carciofi soaked in oil. Yumm.
 A flight later we landed in Dublin just in time for St. Patty’s day. It was every bit as fun as you’re imagining. The city was filled with people from all over the world and I think we did our part to meet as many as possible. The days leading up to St. Patty’s we did some touristy-ish things. I think we actually started a walking tour and then quit because we got bored. But when we quit that walking tour we decided to go to Queen of Tarts for lunch.
 If you’re in Dublin you’ve got to visit! First off the place is adorable. The facade is bright red and you feel like you’re walking into an intimate tea party. Second off the food is to die for. Best tart I’ve ever had. I got the special that day which was spinach, brie, walnut and honey I think? I can’t remember exactly but it was scrumdiddlYUMcious. I wish I could hop over to Dublin right now for another one. It even came with a cute little salad on the side. Don’t stop at the savory tarts though because they’ve also got sweet tarts and other desserts. We ended up getting the Guinness Chocolate Cake which they only make once a year, over St. Patty’s day. It was fantastic.
 Think that’s about it for Dublin…we didn’t do much eating on St.Patty’s day…just filled ourselves up with some good ol’ Irish beer. (no we didn’t see any green beer. think that’s something we made up in the US).
 The end of our Spring Break was spent in Amsterdam. Yeaaaah I know, we had a ridiculously awesome break. I think I ate my way through the city. Seriously I didn’t think about the food before we got there but it was so good!
Dutch pancakes, ummmm ask anyone who was with me that weekend–in fact you could probably ask anyone that was in Amsterdam that weekend because they probably saw me eating one or two or eight–I LOVE THEM! When you’re in Amsterdam or Holland, you have to get a dutch pancake. They’re somewhere between a crepe and a normal pancake. They’re a little bit thicker than a crepe and like crispy kinda on the outside. SO GOOD. My favorite was the one I got at the Pancake Bakery which is really close to the Anne Frank House if you’re in the area. I got a raisin and cheese pancake and it was actually the best thing I have ever eaten. I can say that and be true to myself. It was indescribably good. I can’t even try to convey how good it was to you. Kinda like Paula Deen has a “better than sex cake” this pancake was better than sex. We also indulged in quite a few Stroopwafels. I think they sell them other places but Definitely try them in Holland. Random thing about Amsterdam: if you’re going do two things while you’re there–the Van Gogh Museum and rent a bike. The Van Gogh museum is a no brainer, but I absolutely loooooved biking around Amsterdam, it’s one of my fondest memories from abroad.
 Sweets in Amsterdam! So now it’s summer break and I just recapped my spring break! Slowly but surely I’ll get through my posts from abroad…….
Bon Eating,
Whitney
Yesterday I ventured to the Union Square Farmers Market to pick up a few ingredients for a recipe that I found in Bon Appetit magazine. Once again the myriad of tents filled to the brim with fresh fruits and vegetables had everything I was looking for…and more. Instead of buying an overpriced bunch of basil from whole foods that costs about 10 times more than it should, I picked up a basil plant for only four dollars. I also got several ears of sweet corn. Vegetables, flowers and more. Soon I was armed with several bags of goodies and went home to get cookin.
The recipe that I was about to try was Tagliatelle with fresh corn pesto and basil. I halfed Bon Appetit’s recipe and made a few changes as well. Below is the recipe I ended up using.
Fettucine with Fresh Corn Pesto and Basil
3 cups corn kernels (about 4 large ears)
1 large garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/4 cup pinenuts
8 ounces of fettuccine
3/4 cup freshly torn basil
1/4 cup basil infused olive oil + 1 tbs butter
1 tbs Hyde Park Seasoning
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
In a large nonstick skillet heat basil olive oil and butter. Add in corn kernels and the garlic. Saute the corn and garlic for about 5 minutes. Transfer about a cup of the corn to a bowl on the side and place the rest into a food processor. Add the parmesan and pine nuts. With machine running, add olive oil through a feeding tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth. Set pesto aside.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the coking liquid. Return pasta to the pot and add in pesto, reserved corn kernels and basil leaves. Season with salt, pepper, hyde park seasoning and red pepper flakes.
Serve with some extra basil and parmesan cheese.
Now you may be wondering, what is Hyde Park Seasoning? Hyde Park is probably the best seasoning on the planet. You can find it on:
http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/hyde-park-seasoning-blend
Hyde Park is a blend of kosher salt, black Hawaiian sea salt, sugar, minced and granulated garlic, Hungarian sweet paprika, Tellicherry black pepper, mustard powder, grains of paradise, minced dehydrated shallots, crushed red chilies, green onion flakes and coriander. It is really perfect for seasoning everything. – And it worked WONDERS on this dish.
Anyway, this corn pesto is really remarkable. It’s sweet, salty and extremely creamy. I really can’t wait to make it again. The fresh basil adds a freshness and another layer of sweetness to the pesto. I think adding the pasta cooking water is a great way to loosen up the thick pesto while still giving the dish some nice starchy creaminess.
In the original recipe, there’s crumbled bacon to top the dish, and the bacon drippings are used to saute the corn and garlic. That would probably be delicious but since I didn’t have bacon, I used the butter and basil oil instead.
I wish I had more to saw about how delicious this was. But you’ll just to have to make it and see for yourself!
Bon Eating,
Ariel
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