farro salad, parm-reg, greens, seeds, olives

tl;dr: melt fat, sweat shallots, toast farro, deglaze, pressure cook 15 minutes @ 1 bar, mix everything, serve

Makes 4 servings, about 2 cups

Ingredients

10 g (1 T) really good bacon fat
40 g (1/2 cup) shallot, sliced 1/16-inch-thick
200 g (1 cup) farro
400 g (about 2 cups) vegetable stock and whey, about 50/50 mix
5 g (about 2 tsp) kosher salt
50 g EVOO
10 g lemon juice
40 g sunflower seeds
40 g Parm-Reg
100 g mixed marinated olives
25 g Arugula

For the farro

10 g (1 T) really good bacon fat
40 g (1/2 cup) shallot, sliced 1/16-inch-thick

Sweat in the base of a pressure cooker.

200 g (1 cup) farro
400 g (about 2 cups) vegetable stock and whey, about 50/50 mix
5 g (about 2 tsp) kosher salt

Add to the pan, seal, and pressure cook for 15 minutes at 1 bar. Start the timer once it reaches full pressure. Depressurize by running cool water over the top of the pressure cooker. Taste for doneness. It should be al dente. If it's undercooked, cook uncovered over medium heat to finish. You can reserve the cooked farro in the fridge for up to 5 days.

To Complete

50 g EVOO
10 g lemon juice
40 g sunflower seeds
40 g Parm-Reg
100 g mixed marinated olives

Mix together in a large bowl.

25 g Arugula
the cooked farro from above

Add to the bowl, toss to combine. Divide among 4 bowls and serve immediately.

Chicken Croquetas

Makes 32-36 balls

150 g, 1 1/2 cups Spanish onion, 1/4" diced
114 g butter, 8 tbsp
375 g, flour, (about 2 1/2 cups)
5 g, 5 tsp kosher salt
1000 g, ~1 L, 4 cups milk
300 g chicken
Flour, as needed (1 1/2 cups)
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
Olive oil, as needed

150 g, 1 1/2 cups Spanish onion, 1/4" diced
114 g butter, 8 tbsp
Melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and sweat until translucent.

375 g, flour, about 2 1/2 cups)
5 g, 5 tsp kosher salt
Slowly add flour, stirring to incorporate fully. Cook over medium heat until the flour taste cooks off. Stick a spoon in there and taste it if you’re not sure what that means.

1000 g, ~1 L, 4 cups milk
Add milk. Bring to simmer. Stir to fully dissolve the flour into the milk.

300 g chicken
Add chicken. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture is shapable by hand. Don’t reach in there and grab it! You’re not an idiot. Give it a few minutes. Stir enough so that it doesn’t burn. It’ll get a little tough. That’s okay. Once it’s pretty stiff, reserve to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until cool.

Flour, as needed (1 1/2 cups)
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
Olive oil, as needed
Place the flour, eggs, and Panko in three separate bowls. Heat 2 inches of olive oil to 375˚F in a heavy bottomed, deep sided pan. Grab small handfuls of the cooled batter and shape into small balls [hehe]. Dredge the little guys in flour, then the egg mixture, then Panko, and then directly into oil. Work in batches of 4-5 balls so the temperature of the oil doesn’t drop. Adjust the heat to keep the temperature as close to 375˚F as possible. Cook until brown. Repeat with remaining balls.

Note

This is part of a cookbook proposal that’s out on submission right now. If you’d like to see what a book proposal looks like, click here.

Arancini with Kalamata Aioli

If someone had told me how easy it was to make arancini, I would have occasionally set aside some risotto for leftovers.

Actually that’s a lie.

I’d still probably eat it all. But I’d cook more specifically for arancini.

These balls are perfect to pass around while your guests arrive. They’re small enough to grab with two fingers and eat in two bites. Make more than you think you’ll need…trust me.

Ingredients

• 500 g leftover risotto

• 50 g kalamata olives, food processed into a paste.

• 50 g good mayonnaise

• 100 g all purpose flour

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 100 g panko

• 60 g mozzarella, broken into 12 small chunks

• olive or canola oil, as much as you need for frying

Recipe

Stir the olive paste and the mayonnaise together in a small bowl until well mixed. Reserve in the refrigerator.

Prepare three bowls, one each for the flour, beaten egg, and panko. Set a large piece of parchment near the bowls. This is where you’ll place the coated balls.

Using your hands, form small balls [tee hee!] of leftover risotto. The balls should be about 35-40g each, a little larger than a golf ball. Stuff each ball with a piece of mozzarella and reform the ball.

Roll the ball in flour, then in the egg, then in the panko. Reserve on a piece of parchment paper.

Heat oil to 325˚F in a deep-sided pot. You’ll need a few inches’ worth, enough to let the balls float freely. Use a spider to carefully lower a few balls into the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, until the balls are golden brown. Work in small batches, about 3-5 balls, so that the oil temperature doesn’t drop too low.

Serve immediately with the reserved kalamata aioli.

Note

This is part of a cookbook proposal that’s out on submission right now. If you’d like to see what a book proposal looks like, click here.