Tag Archives: pesto

Vegetarian ‘meat’ balls with farro risotto

23 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by in comfort food, healthy, italian, kids, pasta, pasta sauce, peanut free, Sauces, Vegetarian

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

farro risotto veggie meatballs

veggie meatballs with farro

I accidentally invented the world’s best vegetarian meatballs! Or meatless balls. Or veggie balls. I can’t keep trying to think of alternative names for ‘meatballs’ because eventually anything plus ‘balls’ starts sounding really funny to me, so… whatever you want to call these things, be my guest, so long as you know that they are good. Great. They are great. I invented these while staring at some leftover farro risotto. The risotto is just the right amount of chewy (unlike a bean version which would be tasty but mushy or a soft, crumbly falafel-like version) and it already has the flavor from the wine, stock, onions, celery, cheese (and a bit of pesto).

I don’t recommend making them right off—meaning, cooking the risotto just to make the meatballs—as that will be too much effort for a home-cooked dinner. Wait until you have some leftover farro risotto lying around and then pounce. Or plan two meals ahead of time: farro risotto with pesto one night and spaghetti with vegetarian meatballs the next night.

Ingredients for the veggie meatballs

3 cups farro risotto, cooled*
2 eggs
ground cashew nuts or cashew meal
panko flakes
salt and pepper
flour for rolling
olive oil for frying

For the sauce

a large can of unsalted stewed tomatoes
(or a jar of simple pasta sauce)
1-2 cloves garlic
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper, as needed
olive oil

*For the risotto
Trader Joes quick cook risotto
big chunk of butter
onion, minced
celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
splash white wine
vegetable bouillon mixed with water (or veggie stock)
grated cheese (parmesan, romano, cheddar, jack, or a mix of all)
fresh black pepper
splash of cream
1-2 tsp homemade fresh pesto

1) Farro risotto

The night before I invented these amazing veggie balls of deliciousness, I had made the farro risotto for dinner and still had plenty leftover. I don’t have measurements as I didn’t measure anything. If you are used to making risotto, this should be no problem.

Sautee the onion, celery and garlic in plenty of butter until soft and translucent, then add in the farro and stir to coat. Add a good glug of wine and turn up the heat, stirring till the liquid has evaporated. Add a bouillon cube and water (or stock), cover with a lid and cook on medium heat till done. Check and stir frequently, adding more water as needed, until the farro is cooked but still chewy. Then add in grated cheese, black pepper and a splash of cream. Cover and let sit till ready to serve. Just before serving, add a dollop of fresh homemade pesto and mix in thoroughly. The kids ate this very well with their fish sticks and edamame, and my husband and I had our risotto topped with sautéed mushrooms (in butter, garlic, wine and cream) and extra pesto.

2) THE NEXT DAY, in a large bowl, combine 3 cups of leftover farro risotto with 2 eggs, plenty of ground cashew meal (start with 1/3-1/2 a cup and go from there), some panko flakes and fresh black pepper. I didn’t measure the proportion of ground nuts or panko flakes so you will have to go with your gut. You want the veggie balls to hold together very well and still be quite sticky. Keep your hands floured as you work to cope with the stickiness.

3) In a heavy-bottomed frying pan, heat up enough olive oil for shallow frying and gently lay the veggie balls into the oil. Fry on medium or med-low heat and turn so that each side is golden brown.

4) Drain on paper towel.

5) In another pot, heat up some olive oil and fry 1 or 2 cloves of garlic gently to flavor the oil. Add in the large can of stewed tomatoes or the jar of pasta sauce. Break up the tomatoes if need be. Simmer for 20 minutes or so. Taste the sauce and add seasoning if needed: salt and pepper, basil and a tsp of sugar, or nothing if you are using a prepared pasta sauce already.

8) Add in the veggie balls and simmer gently until the sauce is ready and the veggie balls are tender, about another 10-15 minutes. Be gentle with them! It’s ok if they start to break up a little in the sauce, this makes the sauce and the farro even tastier. It is ready when it has turned a rich, deep red and tastes delicious.

Serve with al dente pasta and grated cheese on top.

Advertisement

M-M-M-Minestrone!

16 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by in comfort food, healthy, italian, kids, pasta, Sauces, soup, Vegetarian

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

homemade minestrone
parmegiano, parmesan
Pity the poor American like me growing up with that disgusting canned minestrone soup in the 80’s. Hey, I loved it at the time, I really did, especially loaded with crumbled saltines, sometimes so many saltines that I could have eaten my soup with a fork.
Real minestrone–of which there are countless variations–is nothing like canned soup. Well, no homemade soup is like canned soup. These days it is so easy to get ‘better’ soup from a box or even fresh from a refrigerated section of some fancy store like Wegmans or Wholefoods. But I’m not sure it’s worth it unless you’re pressed for time. Homemade soup is not hard. Homemade soup is nutritious. There are plenty of soups (such as a basic vegetable soup) that can be ready in 20 minutes. Kids love soup.
For today’s version, I am heavily inspired by the amazing Giorgio Locatelli who owns Locanda Locatelli in London and writes (or at least used to write) a column in the Sunday Newspaper (can’t remember if it was the Observer or the Guardian though). Here are some of his ideas:
– Make minestrone any time of year, and use what’s in season.
– Good minestrone means a good balance between vegetables and starch, be it potatoes, rice, pasta, etc.
– Add in the vegetables according to cooking time, for example, potatoes go in last so they don’t fall apart in the soup.
– Serve with olive oil or pesto or just plain.
My tips:
– Use dried beans that you have soaked and cooked till tender.
– Don’t overcook pasta if you are using.
– Save your parmesan rinds for soup!
– Use a vegetable stock you know and trust. I don’t like the sweet ones. Bleck.

Ingredients for Autumn Minestrone
4-6 servings depending on how hungry
1 onion, chopped finely
2-3 spring onions chopped
1 garlic clove, sliced finely (2 cloves for the garlic lovers)
1 carrot, chopped
1 large celery, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked cannellini (or borlotti) beans
3-4 large leaves of Kale (tuscan or lavender), chopped
or 3-4 large leaves of Spinach
1 potato, cubed
3 cups vegetable stock (or 3 cups water and one vegetable bouillon)
1 parmesan rind
olive oil
About 8 oz of pasta, such as penne, ditalini or cavatelli
salt and pepper to taste
To serve:
extra virgin olive oil
pesto (optional)

1. Start with the soffritto. Heat up olive oil (don’t be shy with the olive oil) and gently fry the onion, carrot, celery and garlic till soft. Don’t burn.
2. Add in the stock, beans, kale (or spinach), tomato and parmesan rind.
3. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
4. When soup is looking nearly done (kale is softening, tomato is breaking down), add in the potato.

minestrone halfway point

Already looking like a bowl of Christmas

5. Meanwhile heat up salted water and cook pasta until al dente. Strain and set aside. Do not rinse.
6. Check the soup and when the potato is tender, it is done.
7. Portion out the pasta into bowls and top with the soup, salt and pepper, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and pesto if desired.

penne pastaminestrone

Arugula (rocket) and almond pesto
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1/4 cup almonds, chopped
about 12 basil leaves
3/4 bag baby arugula salad or 3 cups packed arugula
about 1 – 1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or so
1/4 to 1/3 cup grated parmegianno reggiano
Plenty of freshly ground salt and pepper.

My favorite is plain old basil and pine nut pesto. NOTHING tops it. But use what you have, and this is pretty good too.
1. If you have a food processor, throw everything in but the extra virgin olive oil. Pulse a few times and then hit blend while slowly drizzling the extra virgin olive oil through the top. If you need more than 1/2 cup, that is fine. Make it the consistency you like. Add as much salt and pepper as you like.
2. If using a blender, add everything in (even the extra virgin olive oil). Alternate pulsing with using a spatula or spoon to push everything down. Keep trudging until everything is incorporated to a smooth pesto.
pestoDSC_0012
This soup is just fine and dandy on it’s own. It doesn’t need the pesto. But it is delicious with it and you are getting the extra bonus of flavor from the raw garlic and arugula. Before you eat, stir the pesto in. Otherwise it will overpower the soup.

Finished minestrone

Buon appetito!