Suppli al telefono (Rice Balls)

I cannot remember when I first made these and whether or not it was because I had left over risotto or whether I was craving the delicious rice balls that I used to get from Iku wholefoods in Glebe. Anyway, they have been part of the repetoire for a while, getting various incarnations from main meal to drinks nibbly.

This time I decided to do some research before hand and found out that there are many kinds of rice ball. Arancini - which are fried or, less commonly, baked rice balls, having a diameter of 8-10 cm, filled usually with ragù (meat sauce), but also with tomato sauce, mozzarella, peas, and other things. On the outside they are simply breadcrumbs; and Suppli - which can be seen as a larger version of arancini, but with tomato sauce, or as a kind of croquette.

I thought I would try out a more authentic recipe for my recent rice ball craving. This one (from foodnetwork.com) worked out tasting very yummy indeed - making an excellent pre poker dinner and post poker eve snack the next day!

Ingregients

3/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups beef stock

1 450g can peeled Italian tomatoes and their juices, crushed by hand

3 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon butter

1 2/3 cups Vialone, Avorio or Arborio rice

2 eggs

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 onion, chopped

50g prosciutto, finely chopped

200g ground beef

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

150g mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch dice

3/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

1 litre extra virgin olive oil - or other- for frying

Method

Soak the mushrooms in 1/2 cup water for 2 hours. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the mushroom water, and chop finely. Dissolve the tomato paste in the mushroom water and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the beef stock, crushed tomatoes and 3 tablespoons butter, mix well and bring to a boil. Add the rice, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the rice is done, stirring throughout. Turn the rice mixture out into a serving bowl and gradually stir in the eggs and Parmigiano. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a frypan, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter over low heat. Add the onion and prosciutto and cook over high heat 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until well browned. Add the mushrooms, mushroom water-tomato paste mixture, and salt and pepper to taste, and keep at a simmer.

Make egg-shaped portions of the rice, and make an indentation in the center of each one. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each ball of rice, along with a few cubes of the cheese. Add some more rice to cover this and roll into a ball Roll each ball in the bread crumbs so that it is completely coated.

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over high heat until it is almost smoking. In batches, fry the balls in the hot oil until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on paper towels while seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with a nice homemade tomato sauce.

doin it for the kids

along with my naturopath encouraging me to change my diet. so is my g.p.... i am on a kind of vegan/candida diet..doesn't that sound awesome!!!
so i'm becoming a bit of a hippy health freak.
and this is what i eat for breakfast..... enjoy!!!!

quinoa porridge with bananas, strawberries, cinnamon and warm honey

quinoa [pronounced KEEN-wah] is a fantastic grain. high in protein, lysine, magnesium, iron and is gluten free. so this little bowl of porridge packs a punch! you can cook it the same way you do for rice but you must rinse the grain well.

this makes 1 serve so double the quantity for two and so on. this combo is my fav but if in season blueberries are gold! you can use honey instead of maple syrup. oh and please cook it on the stove as to a microwave...it tastes a whole lot better!

1/2 cup quinoa* [or replaced with organic rolled oats]

1/2 cup water

1/2 milk rice, cow or soy

1/2 banana, sliced

few strawberries, sliced

maple syrup to drizzle
ground cinnamon

extra milk to serve

*quinoa needs to be rinsed well or alternatively you can soak for a couple of hours or even overnight then rinse and drain.

put grains, water and milk into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat.

bring the mixture to the boil, cover and reduce heat to a slow simmer for about 10-15 mins

if using oats do not cover just stir constantly, cook for 5-10 minutes until the oats are tender.

place in a deep bowl top with fruit. drizzle with syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon. i like it with an extra splash of milk so i can eat it straight away without burning my mouth!

variation: stewed apples and cinnamon - place diced apple into a saucepan when starting the porridge. with 2 tablespoons of water, a drizzle of either honey or maple sryup and a sprinkle of cinnamon. cover and cook on gentle heat for about 5-10 mins until apple is soft.

muesli bars

for the quick breakfast start and an extremely good snack for the li'l ones is my own homemade muesli made into a bar. good for those mornings you don't even have time to make yourself a cuppa... so just grab one of these and go!

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup bran

1/2 cup LSA*

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup sesame seeds

2 cups dried fruit roughly chopped. i used figs, dates and barberries

1/2 cup shredded coconut

2/3 cup of honey or rice syrup

1/3 cup natural peanut butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

pre heat oven at 175 deg C and lightly grease an 11" x 7" tray

mix all dry ingredients into a large bowl

put honey, peanut butter and oil into a small saucepan and stir to combine over low heat.

once at a runny consistency pour over dry ingredients and mix well.

the mixture should be a sticky mess.

press mixture into tray and smooth out evenly with the back of a spoon.

place in oven and cook for 10-15 mins till golden brown

allow to cool then cut into bars, wrap individually with baking paper and keep in fridge if hot weather.

*LSA is Linseed (Flaxseed), Sunflower and Almond mix, is used to provide essential fatty acids, soluble fibre and other nutrients. LSA is prepared by grinding up 3 parts Linseed, 2 parts Sunflower seed and one part Almond.

soup season

its winter here and i am so pleased, as it means soup season! 

i have re-discovered adzuki beans. they are usually used in cakes and sweets as a red bean paste in asian cooking but they are also great in savoury dishes.... especially for vegos as they contain 25% protein.

my naturopath has put me on a high protien diet - i have sadly said good bye to my high in refined carbohydrates diet. oh how i miss my weekly pasta night and pizza has now become a guilty pleasure.

i used to be proud about eating carbs as every mo fo is on a protien diet -the NW / jennifer aniston loose a million kilos, carbs are evil blah blah blah. 

but i am not on that type of diet.....oooh no! it's to make me big and strong not a nicole ritchie lollypop head!

shannon gave me a wonderful cookbook for my birthday wholefood for the family by jude blereu. she has some amazing recipes, especially soups!

i roasted the garlic with the pumpkin instead of adding it to the pan along with the onion. i used approx 4-5 cloves as roasting the garlic takes away its pungent flavour and gives it a creamy taste. it takes about half of the pumpkin's roasting time. their skins will be brown and crispy and inside will be soft. remove the skin and husk and mash to a paste. add it to the soup with the pumpkin.

otherwise use 3 cloves to saute in pan.

spiced pumpkin and adzuki bean soup

220gms adzuki beans, soaked over night in plenty of water

1.3 kg pumpkin, butternut squash, kent or jap

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 brown onion

4-5 garlic gloves, whole with skins left on

1 tablespoon finely grated ginger

pinch of nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoonn ground coriander

a handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

1.75 litres vegetable stock

2 teaspoon of tamari or light soy sauce

natural yogurt to serve [optional]

pre heat oven to 200 deg C

for butternut pumpkin, cut in half and scoop out the seeds.

for the kent and jap fans cut into very large sections and remove seeds.

rub with 1 tablespoon of the oil

place on a baking tray and bake for 40-60 minutes or until soft.

remove from oven and set aside

or start the soup when your pumpkin is just about cooked.

put remaining olive oil into a large saucepan [24 cm] 

add onion [ 3 cloves of chopped garlic -if you have not roasted] and ginger and saute over a low heat for approximately 5 minutes till onion is soft and lightly coloured.

add the nutmeg and ground spices plus half of the coriander, stir through for 1 minute.

scoop the flesh from the pumpkin plus the roasted garlic paste and add to the pan

add to the pot the drained beans

pour in stock, partly cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.

check that the beans are tender by squishing one onto a bread board. the bean should easily smoosh.

if cooked you can blend the soup. if it is too thin cook over medium heat at a high simmer until you have your desired consistency. 

check for taste and add the tamari or soy if needed.

spoon into warmed bowls, top with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh coriander.

mmmm........

sorry pics will be added soon..i forgot and ate the soup !!

bean around the block....

I'm torn between these breakfast beans and another recipe i have adapted from Stephanie Alexander's A Cook's Companion. I guess this dish is a more 'hearty' one than Stephanie's, which uses cannellini beans and artichokes. It has more of an antipasto vibe.

Although there is breakfast in the title these beans can be eaten any time of day. A bowl of these for dinner with some fresh soft bread and some shavings of parmesan is a staple at our house.

This is a mega serve..you can halve all measurements and it will serve approx. 4 peeps. But i like to make this amount, eat a bit and freeze the rest [omitting the olives and parsley and stirring them in once reheated]. Frozen in single serves they are ready for those hangover mornings when you need the beans but could not stomach the cooking process...And if used for that purpose i suggest a poached egg and a salty hashbrown!!

Breakfast Beans

inspired by jamie oliver's humble beans recipe and 'henry's beans' served at a minor place cafe in brunswick.

500gms white beans -haricot, cannellini, lima...your choice
6 cloves of garlic -unpeeled
6 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of rosemary
6 bay leaves
2 small-medium potatoes -peeled and halved
4 cherry tomatoes or 2 large ones
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
parsley
olives -kalamata/black
slices of sour dough -for toast

Drain the soaked beans and give them a good rinse.
Place them in a large, deep pot and cover them with cold water.
Add the garlic, sprigs of thyme and rosemary, bay leaves, potato and tomatoes.
Put the pot on the stove and at med-high heat slowly bring to the boil. Once at boil turn the heat to med-low, cover with a lid and simmer very gently for 45 minutes to an hour. This will depend on whether you are using fresh or dried. You want the beans to be soft and cooked through. It could take longer -so be patient.
Skim off the top when necessary, topping up with boiling water if you need to. Do not use cold water as this will stop the cooking process...Have the kettle boiled and ready to go!
When the beans are cooked drain them in a colander, reserving the cooking water.
Remove the garlic, herbs, potato and tomatoes from the beans. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and in a separate bowl mash them with the tomatoes and potatoes.
Return the beans to the pot, pour the cooking water to cover them halfway up and add the mash. Season well with salt and pepper and a few generous glugs of extra virgin olive oil and a few splashes of vinegar. Stir in the olives and parsley.
Serve on some toasted bread with cracked pepper and a decent drizzle of e.v.o.o ...... yum!