Fried Stuffed Risotto

When I make risotto, it is VERY rare that I have any left over. But when I do, these are awesome! You can serve them alone or as a side for chicken or roasted meat.














Fried Stuffed Risotto

Leftover risotto, about 3 cups
1/4 pound fresh mozzarella, cubed
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
1 egg, beaten
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Finely grated Parmesan cheese

Grab a handful of risotto and shape it into a 2 1/2-inch diameter ball. Press a hole in the middle with your finger and place a few cubes of mozzarella cheese inside. Reshape the rice ball, until the mozzarella is fully enclosed in the rice. In a deep saucepan, heat the extra-virgin olive oil to 350 degrees. Roll each rice ball into the beaten egg, and then coat evenly with bread crumbs. Gently place the rice balls in the hot oil without overcrowding. Make sure the olive oil is hot before the rice balls are added; otherwise the rice balls will absorb the oil and become heavy. Fry the rice balls for a few minutes on each side, or until golden. Place the rice balls on the paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Transfer to a plate, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and serve hot or at room temperature.

Footnotes -It's okay if the risotto you are using is from a recipe, like Sausage and Mushroom Risotto. It will add to flavor of the risotto balls. You can serve spicy tomato sauce with these for dipping.

Oh, you must have been a beautiful baby.....

Me & Mariana at my desk
1.28.2011

Baked Ziti Mornay with Sweet Italian Sausage

Baked Ziti Mornay with Sweet Italian Sausage

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups milk
Salt and ground white pepper
Pinch nutmeg
6 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound ziti pasta, cooked al dente
1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced thin

Cook pasta according to directions on package, drain. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, 1/2 cup at a time. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring constantly for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Set aside and keep warm. Add the oil to a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pasta, sausage and Mornay sauce. Mix well. Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with cheese and place in the oven on the top rack. Bake until the top is golden brown and bubbly, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Spoon onto serving plates and garnish with fresh basil.

I get by with a little help from my friends...

Michele, Billy, Kristen, me, Scott & Tara
4th of July Fireworks 2010

Siblings = Friends for Life.....

I post mostly about food and recipes with an occasional post about life....this post is for my brother, a avid rock climber, who was featured in an article in the February 2011 issue of Climbing Magazine. Dino, you never stop amazing me!

Love you
XOXO



Climbing Magazine - February 2011



Climbing....he is the one on the left

Spicy Olive Lemon Pasta Toss with Farfalle

Spicy Olive Lemon Pasta Toss with Farfalle

1 lb. farfalle pasta
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 wide strips thinly pared lemon rind
1 oz. can anchovy fillets, drained and chopped
15 pitted black olives, sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and ground black pepper
4 tablespoons fresh parsley
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Cook farfalle according to package; drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet. Add lemon rind and cook over low heat, 2 minutes. Add anchovies and cook, stirring constantly, until dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Add olives, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove and discard lemon rind. Add pasta with parsley to the skillet, tossing well to coat adding the reserved pasta water as needed. Serve immediately with Pecorino Romano cheese.

Footnotes - Okay..I know what you are thinking...anchovies??? Hell no!!! But trust me, they desolve when you cook them and give the most amazing flavor to this pasta dish! You won't even know they are there.

Rigatoni with Sausage, Basil and Cream

Rigatoni with Sausage, Basil and Cream

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
8 oz. sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 lb. rigatoni pasta
1 handful fresh basil leaves, torn with stems removed
Salt and ground black pepper
Grated Romano cheese

Cook rigatoni according to package; drain. Meanwhile heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add sausage and cook, breaking up the pieces, until it just looses its pink color, about 10 minutes. Stir in cream and simmer until just thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add basil and toss. Place pasta in a large serving bowl and pour sausage mixture over the pasta. Toss well to coat. Serve with grated Romano cheese.

Shells with Crispy Pancetta and Scallions

Shells with Crispy Pancetta and Scallions

8 slices pancetta or bacon
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 scallions, sliced
1 lb. medium shell pasta
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and ground black pepper

Cook shells according to package; drain. Meanwhile, cook pancetta, turning frequently in a large skillet over medium-low heat until browned and crispy, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels and cut into 1-inch wide strips. Pour off excess fat from skillet. Add butter and oil to skillet and heat over medium heat. Add scallions and cook, stirring constantly, until just soft, 2 minutes. Add cream and continue to cook until thickened, about 8 minutes. Add Parmesan to sauce and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add pancetta. Add the cooked shells and toss well to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with additional shredded Parmesan.

Pappardelle with Mushrooms, White Wine and Cream

Pappardelle with Mushrooms, White Wine and Cream

1 lb. dried pappardelle pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
8 oz. cremini or portobello mushrooms, finely sliced
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and ground black pepper
Grated Romano cheese

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, until al dente. While pasta is cooking, melt butter with the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add wine and simmer until just evaporated. Stir in cream and simmer gently until just thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water. Add pasta to the hot sauce. Toss well to coat, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Serve immediately with grated Romano.

Jets vs. Bills

This started out as "Babe, can we take a picture?"



"Okay, can we take a normal picture?"



"BABE!!!!!"



Ugh...men!!!!

Arge & Billy
Jets vs. Bills - 1.2.2011
Meadowlands Stadium

Peanut Butter Brownie Pie

Peanut Butter Brownie Pie

1 box chocolate chunk brownie mix
1/4 cup peanut butter chips
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water
1 egg
1 - 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 - 8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
2 tablespoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 refrigerated pie crust, softened according to package

Heat oven to 35o degrees. Unroll pie crust and place in an ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Flute edges. In a medium bowl, stir brownie mix, peanut butter chips, oil, water and egg 50 strokes with a spoon. Pour batter into prepared crust. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, covering edge of crust with foil after 15 to 20 minutes of baking, until center of brownie is set. Cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until completely cool. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread mixture over brownie. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and mini chocolate chips. Refrigerate an additional 30 before serving.

Chicken Scarpariello

Chicken Scarpariello

4 pounds chicken thighs and legs, with the skin
3 large lemons
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves
2 large heads of garlic
2 teaspoons fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
Splash white wine
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon shallots, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Rinse chicken and and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the chicken into a very large bowl. Chop half of the herbs and mix with the chicken. Cut two of the lemons in half, squeeze out all of the juice, adding the squeezed lemons to the bowl. Add olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper and mix well. Cover at least 24 hours (48 hours is better). Between two and three times a day, unwrap the chicken and toss thoroughly; return plastic wrap to cover. Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Take the chicken out of the marinade and shake off as much of the herbs and liquid as possible (the herbs will burn during cooking). When the oil is just smoking, add each piece of chicken slowly. Cook chicken in 2 or 3 batches being careful not to overlap the pieces. Do not turn the chicken over until it is very brown and crusty, about 10 minutes to 12 minutes. Once the chicken is very brown and crusty, turn the pieces over and continue cooking the other side until once again, all sides are all very brown and crusty. While the chicken is browning, add eight cloves of the marinated garlic with the chicken into the oil, cooking them until they are brown and tender. Take out the garlic pieces and reserve. Remove the chicken pieces and place onto a large baking dish and place in oven to keep warm. Using the same skillet, empty the oil and add 1 tablespoon of butter and slowly cook the chopped shallots. Add the reserved roasted browned whole garlic cloves and the remaining chopped herbs; lightly saute for 1 minute over low heat. Add a splash of white wine and cook for 30 seconds over high heat. Add the chicken stock and reduce until the liquid becomes dark and the taste is strong. Lover heat and add the remaining butter, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add more lemon according your taste. Place the chicken onto a platter one piece at a time and then pour the sauce over the chicken.

Shrimp Oreganata with Artichokes

Shrimp Oreganata with Artichokes

1 pound uncooked jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 - 8 oz. can artichoke heart quarters in water, drained
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup finely shredded imported Romano cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Arrange the shrimp in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Gently squeeze any excess liquid from the artichoke hearts and arrange in spaces between the shrimp. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and parsley over the shrimp and artichoke hearts; sprinkle lemon juice over the crumbs. Melt butter with garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; drizzle the butter mixture over the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the top with Romano cheese. Bake in the preheated oven until the crumbs and cheese brown lightly and the shrimp turn opaque and orange-pink in color, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve over rice, orzo or pasta.

Shallot Gravy with Sherry

Whenever I am pressed for time or just do not feel like cooking, a store-bought rotisserie chicken always saves the day! To make the meal a bit more "homemade", I usually whip up this tasty gravy. It is very easy make and doesn't require pan drippings.

Shallot Gravy with Sherry

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring for 10 to 12 minutes or until butter and shallots are deep golden brown. Stir in flour, salt, thyme and pepper. Continue to cook and stir for an additional 1 minute. Gradually stir in sherry and chicken broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Cook and stir about 5 minutes longer or until the gravy is thickened and the flavors blended.

Some food is just meant to be fattening...end of story!

I'm very sorry but...you CAN NOT make risotto with brown rice. =)

The Food Foo Foo at Ballato's in NYC

Okay...so I usually don't blog about restaurants but Ballato's is the exception. Billy and I went to see Stomp this past Saturday (my 7th time, his first). After leaving the theatre, we were trying to figure out where to eat. After going back and forth a few times, I suggested Little Italy. We turn onto E. Houston Street and I said to Billy "Isn't Ballato's near here?". Sure enough, I look up and there it is! If you have never been, Ballato's is very shabby chic. The paint on the walls looks like it is cracking, there are pictures of Emilio with a bunch of celebrities on the walls, all of these antique mirrors....very "Arge". We were pretty early, so we were the only ones in there. The waiter told us that we could sit anywhere we liked. We choose a little table near the kitchen. The waiter brought over our menus and homemade rosemary focaccia that they "just took out of the oven". We order a glass of chianti for me and a glass of pinot for Billy and basically dove right into the focaccia. Billy and I poured olive oil into a plate and just sat there in what I can only describe as "Bread Bliss". Our waiter came back over to the table to take our order. We ordered the fried calamari as an appetizer. It came out in a napkin in the shape of a basket which was great because it soaked up some of the oil and made the calamari very crispy. It was served with a small dish of spicy marinara sauce. The calamari itself was so tender it melted in my mouth. We finished the entire plate...ordered 2 more glasses of wine...and dinner. I had seen on the menu that they had Fettuccine with Butter, Romano and Black Pepper....my absolute favorite pasta dish! The waiter told me that it was a fantastic dish, something that you would go there everyday for. Billy order the Shrimp with Bread Crumbs, Lemon and White Wine, which came with a small serving of pasta. Our food came out and it was nothing short of phenomenal. The portion size was just right..not too much and not too little. Billy and I are the King and Queen of "Can you wrap this up?" but this time..we were in it to the end. My pasta was a culinary orgasm. Billy's shrimp was as tender as could be. The sauce was perfect. You could taste every ingredient. We finished our meal...wishing we could pick our plates up and lick them but by then the restaurant had many more tables and we didn't want people looking at us funny, plus after 2 glasses of chianti, I was half in the bag. The waiter took our plates away and gave us some time to digest and finish our wine, something we both appreciated. There is nothing worse then when a waiter is up your ass as soon as you put your fork down. I ordered a cappuccino and the waiter suggested homemade biscotti "to dip in your coffee". I agreed. Billy didn't order dessert. He was too full still from dinner. My cappuccino came out all frothy and cinnamon scented. I dipped my biscotti in my cup and smiled as I took my first bite. From beginning to end, it was one of the most fantastic meals I have ever eaten. As a matter of fact, when we were done, my husband turned to me and said "If there ever was a reason not to have kids, this is it". We don't really go out to eat a lot and when we do, I am very picky about where we go and we WILL be making a trip back to E. Houston Street.

Emilio Ballato's
55 E Houston Street - between Mulberry Street & Greene Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 274-8881

My Girls......................and Lou! LOL!!!

Rob's Installation - Hook & Ladder
12.17.10

Mussels in White Wine Sauce

Mussels in White Wine Sauce

3 lbs. mussels, cleaned and tightly closed
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add mussels. Remove pot from the heat and add the white wine. Return the pot to the heat and stir until the mussels open. Discard any mussels that do not open. Add the parsley and toss, stirring for about a minute, Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish.

Footnotes - Serve with crusty Italian bread or over spaghetti.

Spaghetti Pie

This is a great way to use leftover spaghetti.

Spaghetti Pie

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, cubed
1 cup grated good-quality Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 cup grated good-quality Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
8 large eggs
1/2 lb. cooked spaghetti, cooled
2 tablespoons olive oil
Ground pepper, to taste

Combine cheeses. parsley, pepper and eggs in a large bowl. Mix well. Add spaghetti to the cheese mixture and stir making sure the mixture coats the spaghetti strands. Heat the oil in a large skillet or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spaghetti mixture patting it down in the pan with the back of a wooden spoon. When the edges begin to brown, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 more minutes. Flip the spaghetti pie in the skillet and cook about 10 more minutes, shaking the pan often to prevent sticking. Cut into wedges and serve.

Footnote - You can flip the pie easily by sliding it onto a plate, placing the skillet over the plate and then flipping the pie back into the skillet, cooked side up.

Firemen crack me up...

We go to Sleepy Hollow, NY every year for the Jack-o-lantern Blaze. Last year, we found 2 of the firehouses. It was like we found Jesus....