Tag: fennel seeds

Baked arancini (lighter, equally delicious!) – Gordon Ramsay’s version

The Baked arancini I’m a light variant perfect for those who don’t want to fry of the classic Sicilian Arancini! They are made with the same typical reciperice stuffed with ragù with peas and caciocavallo in the center. They round out in your hands, then they are breaded to perfection, but in this case we cook them Baked rice balls for a result lighter but believe me equally delicious! Imagine them crispy on the outsidesuper tasty stringy!

By now you know, often I enjoy revisiting the great classics in a lighter key; It was like this with the baked Mozzarella in carrozza, or with the baked cutlets, and I must say I satisfied everyone a little! This time I thought of transforming it into a light key Sicilian street food par excellence! I’m honest, I was a little skeptical, mainly I was afraid they wouldn’t keep their shape instead, thanks to the trick of cooling them in the fridge, they turned out baked arancini perfect! in taste, texture and even appearance! So much so that I even prepared them with leftover rice , and believe me they turned out even better because the mixture was more compact. Excellent hot freshly baked not only like appetizersbut also how first course, they are nice and substantial and are delicious even the next day. Simply heat them up a little to make the heart go stringy again.

Baked arancini recipe

PREPARATION TIMES

Preparation	Cooking	Total
30 minutes	1 hour	1 hour and 30 minutes


Bass	Italian	453 Kcal

Ingredients

Quantity for 10 pieces

Method

How to make baked rice balls

First of all, boil the rice in plenty of water and salt, drain al dente and stir in the pan with butter and saffron. Then transfer to a baking tray to cool and compact well.

Then dedicate yourself to the ragù by chopping onion, celery and carrot, fry in oil, then add the minced meat and brown for 1 minute, then add the wine and let it evaporate.

Finally add the puree, bay leaf, cloves and cook for about 50 minutes. at the end of cooking it should be dense and creamy, add the peas and cook for another 10 – 15 minutes without crushing them.

Then remove the bay leaves and cloves, let them cool well and add the grated caciocavallo cheese and a pinch of salt. Leave aside to cool.

Rice and filling must be perfectly cold.

Formation of baked arancini

Take a handful of rice and round the shell with one hand, hollow out with the other, so as to have a concave for the filling:

how to make baked rice balls - Recipe by Tavolartegusto

Then add 2 teaspoons of ragu with peas and a piece of caciocavallo, then a teaspoon of rice on top and round with your hands. If you want to create the conical shape, follow the original version

At this point the trick for cooking arancini in the oven

Once you have made all the balls, place them in the fridge for 30 minutes so that they harden even better, this step will ensure that they do not open during cooking!

Finally when you prepare the breading. add flour and water to a bowl to form a batter. First pass them in this batter then dip them in the breadcrumbs, round them very well between your hands so that they will be very compact.

Then place on a baking tray previously lined with baking paper with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

arancini ready for cooking in the oven - Recipe by Tavolartegusto

Finally, cook in a very hot static oven at 180° in the middle part for about 25 minutes. Check halfway through cooking, turn them over and continue, if necessary add a few drops of oil.

Here are yours ready Baked arancini

baked arancini recipe - Recipe by Tavolartegusto

storage

You can store them raw in the fridge ready to cook for 2 days or you can freeze them directly raw. If you have already cooked them, they will keep for the next day very well.

Also discover my entire collection of starters

Artichoke risotto flavored with lemon – Gordon Ramsay’s version

An artichoke risotto that tastes like spring, fresh and delicate. To bring a fragrant and timeless vegetarian first course to the table.

It is a classic preparation, without too many head twists, ideal for enhancing the intense flavor of artichokes. I just wanted to add lemon zest, which I love very much in combination with this vegetable.

Another small license is the choice of pepper: the Timut pepper*. This variety of pepper, like its botanical “cousin” Sichuan pepper, is a Nepalese pepper with a note reminiscent of grapefruit and passion fruit. An additional citrus nuance that I’m sure will win you over. Alternatively you can use Sichuan pepper or common black pepper.

To make this artichoke risotto, alas, you will have to clean them. But don’t despair, arm yourself with patience and follow my tips to clean artichokes quickly and easily.

First of all I recommend theuse of gloves: they will protect you from the thorns and prevent your hands from being stained by the artichoke.

Start by eliminating the hardest, outer leaves until you get to the heart, with the light, bright colored leaves at the base. Continue by cutting the tip by about 2/3 cm, then cut the stem 2/3 cm from the base and peel it with a mandolin.

With a clean cut, divide the artichoke in half, remove its internal “beard” with the help of a teaspoon or a small knife, checking that there are no remaining thorns.

And now a little twist: dip each artichoke heart thus obtained in a bowl with ice and lemonwhere you will leave it until the time comes to cook them in your risotto.

Because chickpeas need to be soaked – Gordon Ramsay’s version

Because chickpeas need to be soaked is a question that many cooking and food and wine enthusiasts ask themselves, especially when they approach the preparation of recipes in which they are the protagonists. The answer to this question not only reveals a fundamental aspect of traditional cuisine but also opens the door to a better understanding of how to treat legumes in general. The soaking of chickpeas, in fact, is not an arbitrary passage, but an action that has a profound impact on quality of the final dish, on the digestibility of the legume and on reduction of cooking times.

Because chickpeas need to be soaked

Soaking chickpeas is a practice that has its roots in culinary tradition and has multiple justifications, both practical and nutritional. First, soaking allows you to rehydrate chickpeas, which having been dried for conservation, have lost much of their water content. This process not only shortens cooking times, making them softer in less time, but also helps make the chickpeas more tender easy to digest.

Another fundamental aspect concerns the reduction of phytates, compounds naturally present in legumes that can limit the absorption of minerals such as iron and zinc. Soaking, especially if prolonged and in warm water, helps to reduce the concentration of these antinutrients, thus improving the nutritional profile of the final dish.

Additionally, soaking water tends to absorb some of the soluble sugars present in chickpeas, which are among the main responsible for the production of intestinal gas. Drain the chickpeas from the soaking water and rinse them before cooking can therefore help to make the legume more Kind on the stomach.

The temperature soaking water also plays an important role. Warm or room temperature water promotes the rehydration process and the reduction of phytates, while cold water can slow these processes.

As we have seen, soaking chickpeas is not a culinary whim, but a practice with solid scientific and traditional foundations that improves the quality of the final dish in many respects. Whether you are dealing with a simple soup or more elaborate recipes such as chickpea cutlets, never underestimate the importance of this step. In short, dedicating time to soaking chickpeas is an investment in the success of your dish and in the well-being of those who will consume it.