AMAZEBALLS!

Or else Italian Rice Balls.

Tried them for the first time years ago in Italy and again last week at the new Arancini Brothers restaurant in Dalston, which made me experiment with a couple of recipes at home. The conclusion was that -as almost always- keeping it simple, is the key to a satisfying result.  

For 24 balls: 

2 eggs 

30g grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon dried parsley

freshly ground black pepper

salt

water

150g uncooked white rice

100g dried bread crumbs (for gluten free version use gluten free bread)

olive oil 

  

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese, parsley, pepper, and salt. Cover and refrigerate while proceeding to the next step.

Pour water and 1 teaspoon salt into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in rice and reduce heat to low. Cook rice until water is almost absorbed, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and slowly pour in egg mixture, stirring rapidly to prevent egg from scrambling. Allow rice mixture to cool for 1 hour. 

Pour bread crumbs into a pile on one end of a cutting board. Dampen hands and roll rice mixture into one inch balls, then coat each one with bread crumbs. 

In a small, deep skillet, heat olive oil to 175 degrees C. Remember that it should have enough oil to completely cover rice balls. Fry six rice balls at a time, turning as needed to ensure even browning. Drain on paper towels and serve warm. Perfect with spicy tomato sauce, putanesca, garlic mayonnaise.

BBQ Snacks

Summer is finally here. There is a BBQ frenzy this week as rumors around town claim rain is back next weekend.
So, in the mean time, use shorter skewers for these antipasto kebabs, perfect to avoid oily hands.
Sun dried and fresh baby tomatoes, artichokes, olives, mozzarella, halloumi, feta, peppers, even big caper berries.

Turkish Zucchini Pancakes

Eating out and about at Turkish restaurants in Stoke Newington can be very inspiring sometimes. This recipe makes about 20.
Serve with tomato sauce and a white sauce, which you can make by mixing together in a small bowl, yogurt, garlic, dill, and salt.
4-5 big zucchini, trimmed, coarsely grated
2-3 chopped spring onions
4 eggs, beaten to blend
100g all-purpose flour
chopped fresh dill
chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. fresh tarragon or 2 tsp. dried
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
100g crumbled feta cheese
2/3 c. chopped walnuts, optional
1 c. Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. minced dill
1/2 tsp. salt
Sprinkle zucchini with salt and let stand in colander for 30 minutes to drain. Squeeze zucchini between hands, then squeeze dry in paper towels.
In a bowl, combine zucchini, flour, chopped green onions, eggs, herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Fold in crumbled feta cheese. Mix again. Then fold chopped walnuts if using into the mixture.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Place baking sheet in oven. Cover bottom of large nonstick skillet with olive oil. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drop zucchini mixture into skillet by heaping tablespoonfuls. Fry until pancakes are golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer each batch of pancakes to baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Serve pancakes hot with tomato and /or yogurt sauce.

Stuffed Aubergine Rolls

Ingredients
• 2 aubergines, cut length ways into 0.5cm/¼ in thick strips
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil, for brushing
For the filling
• 150g/5oz ricotta
• 150g/5oz buffalo mozzarella
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
For the sauce
• 250ml/8fl oz extra virgin olive oil
• 450g/1lb cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
and a bit of honey
Preparation method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4.
2. Season the aubergine slices well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and brush with oil.
3. Griddle for a couple of minutes on each side in a hot griddle pan, or until golden-brown grill marks are formed. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
4. For the filling, mix the ricotta, mozzarella, nutmeg and spring onions together in a bowl.
5. Lay out all of the slices of aubergine onto a clean surface. Place about one teaspoon of filling at the bottom edge of each one.
6. Roll up the aubergine slices, like a cigar, around the filling, then rest them seam-side down on a plate.
7. For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a pan and add the cherry tomatoes.
8. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down.
9. Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic and honey. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
10. Spoon some of the sauce into the bottom of an ovenproof dish.
11. Carefully place the aubergine rolls, seam-side down onto the sauce, and spoon over the rest of the sauce.
12. Transfer to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the cheese begins to melt.
13. To serve, spoon the rolls onto plates.

photo taken from the bbc website and recipe from there too but slightly altered

Fruity Indoors BBQ