Tag: italian food

Ham and Mushroom Arancini with a Roasted Red Pepper Dip

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Arancini are one of Italy’s most delicious deep-fried snacks. Varying in size, they’re basically deep fried risotto, often with a particularly cheesy centre, which can ooze apart as you break into them. They’re the perfect starter, or an indulgent on-the-go snack, whether cheese-, meat- or tomato-based.

Having tried them both in the UK and Italy, I thought I’d attempt my own at home, bearing in mind I’d never made them before. A few months ago I made some prawn croquettes following a Rick Stein recipe, and this gave me a decent understanding of how a deep-fried treat with a creamy centre should be made.

My favourite arancino (singular), I actually had in Manchester of all places, at a street food pop-up called Tarricrii. The arancini were huuuuge, and it was the melted cheesiness that had me sold. 

The two that I had in Bologna, Italy, were from an indoor market type place, and although I don’t remember the exact flavours, I know that at least one was tomato-based, there was beef mince involved, and peas featured somewhere. These ones highlight how arancini certainly don’t have to be cheese-filled, and this may be a bastardisation, but to be honest, given the choice, who wouldn’t want a sinking washing line of mozzarella to emerge as you break it apart?

The recipe below is for a ham and mushroom filling, however, it’s incredibly easy to customise the risotto filling, creating a vegetarian version for example, or even adding pesto, tomato sauce, or other meats.

Makes 9

For the Arancini

arborio rice (so sorry I can’t remember the quantity lol – enough risotto rice for 4 people would be a decent bet)

3 slices of thick ham (torn into small chunks)

8 chestnut mushrooms (sliced)

1 large onion

600ml chicken stock

Salt/pepper

Parmesan

1 ball of mozzarella

4tbsp cornflour

1 egg (beaten)

Fresh oregano (or dried if fresh not available)

1 cup breadcrumbs (sorry for the inconsistency of measurements!)

Splash of marsala

  1. Slice the onions and cook for at least 20 mins until caramelised.
  2. Add mushrooms and cook for a further 5 mins
  3. Add the arborio rice and coat with onion mix.
  4. Begin to add the stock and marsala little by little, gradually allowing it to reduce each time over a medium-high heat.
  5. Season, and add the ham, torn mozzarella, parmesan and oregano.
  6. When the risotto is complete, spread out flat on a tray with sides and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
  7. When ready, remove from the fridge and form into large balls (or smaller depending on how you want to serve them).
  8. Roll the arancini first in a bowl of cornflour to coat, then the beaten egg mix, and then finally the breadcrumbs until fully coated.
  9. Heat your chosen oil in a saucepan and deep fry 2-3 at a time until they’re crisp and golden.

For the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:

1 red pepper

½ onion

1 clove garlic

Salt/pepper

Cayenne pepper

Oregano

Tomato puree

Paprika

  1. Roast the pepper with a little bit of oil for 40 ish mins at 160 until it is bursting from its skin.
  2. Add to a food processor with the garlic and roughly chopped onion.
  3. Blend to a thick-ish paste/sauce and then stir through the remaining ingredients.

I was apprehensive about how these would turn out, but it’s ended up being one of my favourite recipes. They are best eaten fresh, and don’t freeze that well, so make only as many as you can eat!

They’re creamy, gooey, and dipping them into the red pepper sauce gives the perfect sharp kick to it. They are impossible not to like, and I think I’m going to have to try a gorgonzola version next…

I served these as a starter to my Chicken Pesto Lasagne which you can also find the recipe for here on my blog, so enjoy!

¡Comemos!

xo

Creamy Marsala, Mushroom, Chestnut and Pancetta Tagliatelle

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A bit of a long-winded title but seriously, all the elements that go together in this dish deserve as much credit as each other.

My mum would always use Marsala in cooking, particularly in pasta and risotto dishes, and despite having no idea what it was, or that it even existed (nothing to do with Garam masala), I knew that every dish I tasted that had a splash of Marsala added was just that little bit tastier. This fortified Italian cooking wine, combined with salty pancetta and meaty mushrooms and chestnuts make the perfect combination. You can buy it from Italian delis or online. You should also try to use deli-style thick pancetta rather than the super finely cut supermarket slices, which just don’t have anyway near as much flavour.

This was also my third time making pasta. You absolutely don’t have to make the pasta yourself, and I’ll openly admit that I haven’t got it spot on yet. I absolutely loved the finished result, but I know this isn’t the classic light, silky fresh pasta you’d expect served to you in a restaurant, so feel free to either skip that step or use your own recipe or techniques. I actually ditched my pasta machine this time round because I found it way too fiddly to use, and a good old-fashioned rolling pin on the kitchen table did the trick, providing you persevere, getting the dough super thin.

I’d also like to highlight that the pasta dough recipe below is not my own, and is taken from Gino D’acampo’s Gino’s Pasta.

The pancetta does add a delicious crisp saltiness to the dish, but you could also use egg-free pasta and skip the pancetta for a plant-based meal. A small amount of miso paste could be a decent replacement just to hold on to some of those umami flavours.

Serves 2

For the pasta:

200g strong white flour

2 eggs

1tbsp olive oil

For the sauce:

150g mushrooms (button/chestnut)

50g cooked chestnuts

50g pancetta, diced

splash of marsala

100ml double cream (or plant-based alternative)

pinch of nutmeg

salt/pepper

a few sprigs of thyme

fresh parsley (optional)

  1. Sift the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the centre.
  2. Add the eggs, salt and olive oil.
  3. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry, slowly combining from the inside out (bring the flour on the inside of the well into the wet ingredients first and work your way outwards).
  4. Gather and knead to a soft dough (8 ish minutes).
  5. Roll into a ball and leave to chill for 20 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile start on the sauce. Brown the pancetta in olive oil then add the mushrooms and chestnuts.
  7. Pour in the Marsala, add the thyme and seasoning and cook on low-medium heat to reduce.
  8. Now back to the pasta. Remove the dough from the fridge, roll out very thinly so that you can see your hand through the dough either using a pasta machine or a rolling pin.
  9. Fold the rolled dough in half and slice into ribbons of equal width.
  10. Toss with a small amount of olive oil to stop the pasta from sticking together.
  11. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. It will cook super quickly and generally is ready when it rises to the surface. Drain, reserving a tiny bit of the cooking water for the sauce.
  12. Finish off the sauce by adding a couple of tablespoons of pasta water, the double cream and nutmeg. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes before removing from the heat and tossing the pasta through the sauce.
  13. Serve immediately topped with a little extra thyme and/or fresh parsley.

Pasta-making aside, this recipe is super straightforward, and the sauce is easily customised. The creamy Marsala is beautiful on its own and so even if you didn’t want to add the mushrooms and chestnuts, it should still taste fab.

Enjoy, and…

¡Comemos!

xo