Orzotto hints and tips

Everyone knows I'm an advocate of prepping ahead - I'm always banging on about making the most of your time and if you're in the kitchen anyway try multi tasking – get organised and set your tray of ingredients ready for your Orzotto the following evening.

Fast forward to arriving home the next day. If you're planning on serving garlic bread with your Orzotto then turn on the oven as you're passing. By the time you've taken off your coat and placed your frying pan on the hob the oven will have reached temperature ready for the ten minutes it takes to bake the bread. If you don't want garlic bread try part baked sourdough – it takes the same amount of time.

Alternatively you could turn on your oven to pre-heat. Make your Orzotto base – turn it off. Hit the shower and change into slobs. All that remains for the ten minutes that your bread will take to bake is to finish off your Orzotto with whatever you're adding and don't forget to warm the bowls.

If you decide to multitask and weigh your ingredients ahead of the game I can tell you that payback is it takes, by my calculations, 15 minutes to cook. What's not to love!

Sit down and enjoy – not too much washing up either.

The same serving suggestions apply as for the risotto – Orzotto is perfect for using Quorn pieces – they only take 9 minutes or 12 minutes if cooking from frozen – so veggie or not, the choice is yours.

If you'd like to see what Orzotto looks like – there are photos on the blog - check out the Pasta label 4^th February 2017 – Revisited.

It's time for more Autumn comfort food ideas and another weekend treat!

Orzotto – it's risotto but not as you know it!

If you love the thought of a risotto during the week but want a short cut here it is – Orzotto. This is another popular recipe from the back catalogue and a very useful Autumn mid week supper dish.

If you've not come across orzo before let me enlighten you, orzo is a pasta and it looks exactly like rice. If you're a lover of risotto but haven't the time or the inclination to make it when you come home from a hard day at work, orzotto is the answer. Some of us aren't that keen on rice and prefer pasta so that's another box ticked!

Orzotto

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped finely

260g orzo pasta

425ml chicken stock (or vegetable)

75ml dry white wine

2 tbsps lemon juice

200g frozen petit pois

2 tbsp fresh pesto

bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped

75g parmesan cheese, grated

black pepper

extra grated parmesan to serve

Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat and fry the onion for 2/3 minutes. Add the dry white wine and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the orzo and cook for 1-2 minutes then add the stock all at once. Simmer and stir occasionally for 7/8 minutes until nearly cooked. Stir in the lemon juice and the frozen peas. Simmer for a minute and then add the Parmesan cheese and continue to simmer for a further 2 minutes until the peas are cooked then add the pesto and the parsley.

Season to taste with black pepper and serve extra grated Parmesan on the side.

If you want to omit the wine increase the stock to 500ml.

Some hints and tips for the Orzotto ...

Risotto “spin-off” bits and pieces

Before I begin a senior moment and a correction. In Crostini munching I wrote “... pass to hungry hoard(e)s” not meaning a hidden stock or treasure. I meant of course “hungry hordes” meaning a tribe or clan. So sorry – can only plead a head full of broken biscuits!

I suggested a drizzle of Balsamic glaze over your arancini and it occurs that it can be quite expensive. If you are, like me, addicted to anything Balsamic then you might want the cheaper option - make your own!

Balsamic Glaze

50g/2oz demerara sugar

250ml/9 fluid oz balsamic vinegar

Place the sugar and vinegar in a medium saucepan (19cms or 7½” in diameter) and heat slowly, stirring allowing the sugar to dissolve. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer for 20 minutes – until the glaze is reduce by half. It should coat the back of a spoon. Decant into a clean jar with a lid – fridge it.

My only comment - I wouldn't stray too far from your hob and use your timer – it's worth the 20 minutes.

Who knows - this recipe might come in handy with all the random product disappearances over the last months - it's impossible to predict what will vanish next and it's always good to have a “plan b”.

Now for a speedy mid week alternative to risotto without the stress!

Risotto “spin-off” serving choices and my favourite stuffing!

If you leave your arancini plain as the original recipe try serving with an Alfredo sauce sprinkled with chopped flat leat parsley a definite lunch or supper dish – and two more big ticks – delicious comfort food and Autumnal. If you'd like to check out the Alfredo recipe have a look at the Sauce label on the blog Sunday 10^th February 2019 – The Birthday Bowl also gives a photo guide too.

Alternatively you can stuff your arancini with pancetta, basil and mozzarella, sun dried tomato or mushroom to name but a few. However, my favourite stuffing and another serving idea uses taleggio cheese – another Italian cheese which melts very well and so perfect for these beauties. It's not stringy like mozzarella, it melts and oozes – yum!

Here's the stuffing method which will give you 9 arancini – this stuffed alternative is perfect for a starter, albeit generous, served drizzled with Balsamic glaze and a side salad or with redcurrant jelly and a raw slaw – there's an impressive lunch box!

In addition to the basic risotto you'll need 200g taleggio cheese, rind removed

and divided into 9 cubes, 3 foil trays for the

50g plain flour, 3 large eggs – beaten and 150g breadcrumbs

as in the Risotto “spin-off” dishes

Use exactly the same method as given previously - when

you've rolled the rice into a ball use your index finger

to create a hole - place a piece of taleggio inside

and close up the ball then complete by jiggling in

the flour, egg and finally breadcrumbs

Shallow fry in oil.

The stuffed arancini freezes well – defrost thoroughly and warm through in a pre-heated oven 160 fan/180c/Gas 4 for 15 minutes.

I'm a fan of fusion and this may sound even more strange but I love arancini with a curry sauce, stuffed or not – surely I can't be the only person out there with strange taste?

Delizioso!

P.s. If you'd like some help making the arancini there's a complete photo guide on the blog – check out the Italian label – My Antidote – Take three trays – Fancy Italian/Malaysian fusion? 31^St/12/16.

Have a go – you won't be sorry!

Coming up - more Autumn comfort stuff

Risotto “spin-off” dishes

Some of us make a risotto deliberately to turn into another dish – for arancini, aka rice balls – sounds a little odd I grant you but traditionally arancini was created to use up leftover risotto. It turns out that the arancini is equally as good as the risotto.

Here goes – make a risotto with the recipe given, which will give you 18 arancini using the measurements and method given.

You'll need a tray bake, measuring 31cms(12”)x18cms(7¼”) as a guide.

Tip your cooked risotto into a tray bake, making sure it's flat and even, then cool, cover and fridge. You can leave for a couple of hours or overnight – whatever suits you best.

With the tray bake lengthways in front of you cut the risotto in half. Each half tray (6” or 15.5cms) gives you 9 arancini weighing 80/90gm, again as a guide. Using one half divide into 9 squares – 2½” (6.5cms) 5” (13cms) and 7½” (19cms) and set aside. I used a good old fashioned school ruler – works a treat.

Prepping this way will give you pretty much similar sized arancini but don't stress!

Take three trays (I used foil) – measuring 23x23cms :

50g plain flour – tray 1

3 large eggs, beaten – tray 2

150g Panko crumbs – blitzed in a food processor – tray 3

You can use ordinary breadcrumbs if you can't get Panko

You'll need vegetable oil for shallow frying

Using damp hands, mould each square into a ball – make 3 at a time – place in the flour tray and jiggle, let the tray do the work. Repeat in the beaten egg and finally in the crumb. Jiggle is my own term, descriptive I think - the actual technical term is pané – meaning “breaded”. If you want to be really cheffy you can repeat the egg and crumb - “double pané” for extra crunch.

Place the arancini in the fridge for 20 minutes – use a large frying pan and cover the base in oil, heat gently – test to see it has reached temperature by dropping, gently, a small cube of bread into the oil – it should sizzle. Fry four or five at a time so you can easily turn the arancini and ensure you get an even golden brown colour – about 3-4 minutes. Set aside on a baking tray and keep warm in a pre-heated oven – 150fan/170c/Gas 3.

You don't have to make all 18 arancini – you can make 9 and freeze the remaining half of the risotto, leave in the tray, fold over and wrap tightly in foil.

Spin-off arancini serving choices and stuffings up next!

Crostini spreads – to buy ready-made or not to …

 ...that is the question!

Do whatever suits you – there are some great quality tapenade and pesto products out there. If you're going to use ready-made buy as good a quality as you can afford.

Here are recipes for both :

Tapenade

100g black olives, pitted

4/5 cloves of garlic (or equivalent tsps of paste)

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

black pepper

lemon juice – try a dessert spoon – you can always add more

4 finely chopped anchovies, drained

75g chopped capers

Blitz the olives, then add the garlic, capers and anchovies and blitz again, briefly – you want a rustic paste, not mush. Tip into a bowl and add the oil, lemon juice and black pepper to taste – remember to taste as you go you can't take it back!

Pesto is vibrantly green! It's made from crushed basil leaves, toasted pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan and olive oil.

The following recipe serves 4, is easy and takes 10 minutes to make.

1 small garlic clove or equivalent roasted

pinch of sea salt

25g pine nuts, lightly toasted

50g fresh basil leaves

juice of half a lemon

125ml extra virgin olive oil

Use a small food processor. Put the garlic and salt in the bowl and pulse, then add the pine nuts and repeat until roughly chopped – don't overwork. Add the basil and pulse gently until well mixed but still retains texture. Turn into a serving bowl and add the Parmesan and lemon juice. Pour in the olive oil and mix to a paste. Season to taste.

You could make the pesto ahead and transfer to a jar with a tight lid (sterilised of course) – drizzle a layer of olive oil over the top of the pesto. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

If I had to choose one to make from scratch it would be tapenade every time – it really is scrumptious.

Tomato paste is a bit strong for my taste - if it's not cooked it has a bitter taste but preparing some of each will cater for everyone. A tip – a thin scrape of paste is all that's required!

One might say the Crostini is fiddly, but, almost all of it can be done in advance and you can take short cuts for example, you can buy sliced pitted olives, ready to blitz after draining.

Coming up – the risotto “spin-off” dishes

Crostini munching

As I've mentioned Crostini is small slices of bread, Bruschetta gives larger, more rustic slices. In other words, you can make small or large as suits the appetites of your guests. The smaller version is used as a canapé and sliced ciabatta is perfect - part baked baguettes work well too – larger sourdough loaves, sliced and toasted would satisfy larger appetites.

It's back to my lists again, but you'll see that it can be as easy or as complicated as you'd like to make it.

Ciabatta, baguettes or sourdough, sliced.

You can buy part baked baguettes, sliced – a gluten free option

is also available and works very well and you won't taste any

difference

Garlic (fresh or paste)

Olive oil

Tapenade*

Pesto*

Tomato puree*

Toppings

Finely chopped chilli – red and/or green

Goat's cheese – cubed or sliced

Any Italian cheese – e.g. Dolcelatte or Gorgonzola, cubed

Parmesan, Pecorino, Grand Padano (grated), Mozzarella and Taleggio

Olives, pitted and chopped

Mediterranean vegetables, roasted and diced

Parma ham, cut into small triangles, twisted into a cone shape

Salami, as for Parma ham

Anchovies, chopped finely

If you are using garlic paste add olive oil and mix to a paste. Spread sparingly onto the bread, then add any option marked * above. Complete with toppings of your choice – two – three – don't overload.

Whatever you choice of toppings chop, roast or dice ahead, place in small boxes, cover and fridge ready to dress your bread. My tip would be to top your crostini straight onto a baking sheet, lined with baking parchment, cover with cling film and set aside, keeping cool – fridge if you have room.

Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6. Cook for 3-4 minutes (set your timer!) until golden and crispy.

Transfer to a serving plate and pass to the hungry hoards, pausing only for the accolades!

Spreads up next!