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.

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.

The Lombardi: An Italian Mocktail

Last updated: February 18, 2026

There are days when you want a cocktail [they end in y], and other days when you need a break from The Sauce [the day after my birthday]. But what if you still want the ritual of making and sipping a refreshing beverage? Enter the Mocktail, which autocorrect always wants to correct to cocktail.

It knows me better than I think.

Ingredients

1/2 oz toasted fennel syrup (recipe follows)
1/2 oz orgeat (recipe follows)
1/2 fresh lemon juice (ALWAYS fresh squeezed; we're not cro-mags!)
6 oz club sode
fennel front for garnish

Directions

Build in a Collins glass (the tall ones) with ice and mix gently. Gently is the key word here. Don’t scare the bubbles away! I find that pushing the ice down over and over is better at mixing everything than stirring.

Toasted Fennel Simple Syrup

150 g granulated sugar
150 g water
15 g fennel seeds

Add the fennel seeds to a pan and set over medium-low heat. The pan should be large enough that the fennel seeds are in one layer. Toast the fennel seeds until they turn a medium brown. Gently stir or toss the seeds to prevent them from burning. This should take about 5 minutes, but use your nose. Do they smell toasted?

Orgeat

(based on The Aviary’s orgeat recipe*)

100 g blanched sliced almonds
250 g water
250 g sugar
1.5 g kosher salt
10 g orange peel, pith removed

Toast Almonds

Toast almonds in a 350˚F oven until toasted, stirring once or twice to prevent burning. It should take about 15 minutes, but use your nose. Do they smell toasted?

Make Simple Syrup

Add water, sugar, almonds, and salt to a small pan set over medium heat. Remove from heat once it boils. Blend with an immersion blender.

Reserve

Add orange peels, let cool to room temperature, then steep in fridge for 24 hours.

*The Aviary Cocktail Book is one of the most beautiful cookbooks I’ve ever seen. The photography is more art than filler photos. This would make a PERFECT gift for anyone in your life who likes cocktails.