Until about two weeks ago, I had never heard of arancini, but since then I’ve been exposed to it on two separate occasions. The first was when I stumbled upon a blog and arancini was the featured recipe that day. The second was just the other night while assisting Chef Giuseppe Mazzocchi for his cooking class at Les Gourmettes. Giuseppe is a charming man who is from Tuscany and made the most wonderful risotto (He also pronounces my name “Leyenda”, which I love!). He mentioned to the class that any extra risotto could be used to make arancini… turns out arancini are fried rice balls filled with sauce, mozzarella, and/or peas. The names come from the shape, which resembles an orange. The Italian word for orange is arancia and arancini means “little oranges”.  You can even make a dessert arancini filled with chocolate and use a sweet version of risotto – YUM!

Giuseppe told us that in Tuscany they prefer either Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice to the Arborio rice that Americans generally use for risotto.  All three are short-grain rice, but the first two produce a creamier risotto and each grain holds its shape better than Arborio. You should be able to find all three at an Italian market or deli, and locally at A.J.’s. Even though each class had 16 students, there was so much risotto left that I was able to make 48 arancini, 44 of which I now have in my freezer! I’m providing you with Giuseppe’s risotto recipe, but any risotto will do. Even some you bring home in a “doggy bag” from a dinner out some evening.  It is imperative to make the arancini with cold risotto, so leftovers are perfect.

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It’s been raining here in Arizona all week. Yesterday and this morning have been especially harsh; flooding, high winds, closed airports, several feet of snow up north, (plus a leaking roof for me!) – just crazy stuff for our dry desert state!

This weather makes me want to bake and the chilliness and dark skies make pumpkin and spices seem like the perfect thing to pop in the oven. I was planning to make a regular Bundt cake, but while digging through the cake pans, I found my mini-rose-shaped Bundt pan. These pretty little cuties bring a little warmth and sunshine to an otherwise cold and rainy day.

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Two of the most “frequently asked questions” I get when I’m entertaining or teaching a cooking class, “Do you eat like this every night!?”… and… “What kind of things do you make for weeknight dinners?”  The answers: “No, I only eat like this when I’m entertaining or teaching a class.” and “The sort of things I make for weeknight dinners are dishes that come together without having to make a special trip to the grocery store!”

This pasta is exactly that sort of dish. If you were to drop by my house and look in my fridge, you’d always find things like fresh spinach, romaine or mixed greens, basil, citrus, and bell peppers. And my freezer is never without IQF (individually quick frozen) shrimp, scallops, and chicken breasts. The pantry is stocked to the brim; a variety of pasta, jars of olives, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and the list goes on. When your kitchen is stocked in this way, the possibilities are endless and you’re always able to make a meal without the trip to the store.

I know exactly what you’re saying to yourself now…”Sure, the possibilities are endless… for you, because you can just ‘make up a recipe’ without a cookbook.” And that is true, but I’m going to turn you on to a website where you can just plug in one of the ten ingredients you have on hand, and magically dozens of recipes will appear so that you can make with what you have!  In fact, I went there and put in all the ingredients from this pasta recipe and it came up with 88 different recipes for me!  Sounds awesome, doesn’t it!?! CLICK HERE for that link. Next, be ready to cook that way, by going to my Basic Pantry  (just CLICK HERE) and stock up, so you can create something new “at the drop of a dime” too.

P.S. This pasta is a great vegetarian dish, just leave out the shrimp!

P.S.S. The live TV shoot yesterday went swimmingly, if you would like to view it, go to the “In The News” page up at the top-left of this page and choose the Valley Dish – Ravioli Lasagna post.

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In my January 9, 2010 blog post, I spoke of the wonders of sriracha sauce and provided a link to a Bon Appétit article. If you haven’t had a chance to read the article yet, please go back to that post and do so. Chef Stuart Brioza provided a recipe for chicken lettuce wraps with the article. We had them over the weekend and… WOW!  I made a couple of very minor changes; for instance – like everyone I know, I love the P.F. Chang’s lettuce wraps with crispy-crunchy iceberg lettuce, so I used iceberg instead of the romaine called for by Chef Brioza. One thing I would not dream of changing is the sauce, in fact, I am going to keep this sauce on hand, and have it with everything I eat! Really, it’s just that good!
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Today at 4:30 PM, a new weekday half-hour show is debuting on Channel 12 (Phoenix NBC) called Valley Dish. Host, Tram Mai, will be cooking with a chef/cook each evening. “The new local lifestyle program will spotlight the best of Arizona people, places, and pets. The cornerstone of the show will revolve around cooking up simple, creative dishes viewers can easily make at home.”

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My husband, Dave, made me dinner last night. And it was not one of the two things he knows how to make well -which would be; grilled filet mignon, garlic bread, along with his mom’s caesar salad recipe… or the Male Chauvinist Pig Chili recipe that he cut out of our local newspaper’s food section some 26 years ago! No, he made jambalaya! I’m sure there are many of you reading this right now, who have never made jambalaya… so as you might imagine, this was really something. I believe it was the New Orleans Saints’ victory over our Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, that inspired him. Although we are both sad that the Cards didn’t go all the way, we are proud they took the NFC West title for the second year in a row and congratulate them on their great season. Now we’re going to put our hopes on the Saints to get to the Super Bowl. Dave, thank you for the night off and for the truly delicious dinner! xoxo

To make jambalaya, you begin with the Cajun/Creole “trinity”; a mixture of onion, bell pepper, and celery. Most cuisines have their own “trinity”, here are a few: French= carrots, celery, onion; Italian = tomato, garlic, basil; Chinese = garlic, ginger, scallions; Greek = lemon juice, olive oil, oregano; and Mexican = corn, chilies, beans.

I do not care for the flavor of green bell peppers (too much of a “green vegetable” taste for me), you may have noticed that the majority of my recipes use red, yellow, or orange bells (sweeter and not green tasting). You, of course, can use green bells instead. There are a wide variety of proteins used in jambalaya; from chicken and sausage to shrimp and ham, to duck or even alligator. The roots of Creole jambalaya are in the French Quarter of New Orleans, it is a close relative to Spanish paella. It began as an attempt by the Spanish to make their beloved paella in the New World, but the key ingredient, saffron, was not available, so tomatoes were used instead. Next came the French influence on the dish and the spices from the Caribbean changed it into the dish it is today.
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Our fabulous friends, Jeff and Jen Markett who live in Illinois, first introduced us to the Italian condiment giardiniera (pronounced: jar-din-air-a) a few years ago. In the Chicago area, giardiniera is commonly used as a topping on Italian beef sandwiches. Giardiniera is made with serrano and bell peppers, celery, onions, capers, green olives, and pimento in olive oil and vinegar.

The word giardiniera in Italian translates to “female gardener.”  It can be found at an Italian deli and some grocery stores. For locals, I found it in the Italian specialty area of the pasta aisle at Safeway. It is sold mild or hot and as a finely minced relish and as a chunky mixture. I purchased both the mild chunky and the hot relish and mixed them together, but you can use either one. I did not make my own giardiniera this time, but I’m including a recipe, if you have the time (3-day marinating time!) or in case can’t find it in your area.

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There is very little time allotted in my schedule for posting today – the Arizona Cardinals are in the second round of the playoffs and it is almost impossible for me to concentrate on much else! After the heart-stopping victory against Green Bay last week, I’m not sure how much more I can take – so here’s hoping for an easier victory over the Saints today.

We’re having family over to watch the game, so of course, a few munchies are in order. These mushrooms are one of my “fallback” appetizers. Quick, easy, and oh so satisfying. I talked about sriracha sauce and had a link to a wonderful article about it on my January 9, 2010 post, go there if you don’t know what it is.  I’ll get around to posting the other munchies I made, later in the week… but for now – I’m off to put on my Fitzgerald #11 jersey, take a few deep breaths, and watch the Cardinals continue on – to the road to the Super Bowl!!!

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There are some things in the world of cooking that are like money in the bank or resemble beautiful gold treasure. Things like having a really well-stocked pantry and freezer. You know what I’m talking about; when you want to make a recipe that calls for chili paste or tamarind or cake flour… there is no getting in the car and going to the market for you, just open a cupboard and there it is – smiling back at you! Pure Jubilation! Hugs, high-fives, and kisses to everyone in the house!

Or how about when your spouse comes home and tells you that last week he/she signed up to bring two dozen homemade cookies to the office potluck, by the way, the potluck – well it is tomorrow!  Sure, as you walk towards that pillow that is calling your name, you could say, “Darling, how absolutely fabulous! Now you have fun making those cookies tonight, sweetie, I’m off to bed.”  That method doesn’t work when the entire office knows you cook for a living.  Edible, in fact, delectable, cookies are anticipated and expected! So that gold treasure in this case is the “slice and bake” cookies that you have in your well-stocked freezer. Even your older kids (when they casually mention that they need fresh-baked cookies for the school carnival, that is (wait for it…) of course, in the morning.) could do the slicing and baking without you anywhere to be found.  Your home is instantly filled with Joy, Peace, and Happiness for all!

The espresso powder can be found at an Italian deli or ordered online, and I found the cappuccino chips at Trader Joe’s.  This recipe makes three logs of dough. I generally refrigerate all three for the 8 hours, then slice and bake one log. I double wrap and freeze the other two logs for up to 1 month. The frozen dough does not need to be defrosted before baking – just slice the logs and bake about 1 minute longer. Or the logs may be thawed in the refrigerator if that works into your schedule better. After all, it’s all about you – as it should be!!! Oh, and these are going in the “Easy-Breezy” category on the recipe index too because they are just a more adult version (hence the “big girl” reference) of good old Toll House cookies and nothing is easier or breezier than slice and bake!
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Although I use and like mayonnaise, I am not a fan of it in potato salads, coleslaw, and such. It’s just too heavy and kind of just sits there and globs altogether. This salad is light, tangy, and fresh-tasting – so much better than that big mayo-mass of stuff served at picnics, and it’s safe to leave out in “the weather” too!

Just add some shredded chicken to this and you’ll have yourself a main-dish salad supper (use purchased rotisserie chicken or roast a chicken breast, or two, alongside the potatoes). Other great add-ins include; thin red onion slices, chopped Kalamata olives, cherry tomato halves, minced parsley, chopped sun-dried tomato, etc. Or switch out the cheese; maybe some shaved smoked Gouda, Parmesan, or Manchego. How about pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts in place of the walnuts? You get the idea, make it our own and be sure to let me know how you mixed it up!
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