When I was 17, I spent the summer in Italy. After traveling through Rome, Florence, Milan, and Venice, I lived with a host family in Sicily for a month. I kept a journal while I was there, and wrote in it religiously every night. A few years ago I found the dairy beneath a pile of books in my childhood bedroom. I thought it would contain a detailed account of my entire trip; instead it was basically one long, exhaustive list of everything I had eaten. I guess I was a food writer before I even knew what it meant to be one.
Today's Cook the Book recipe, excerpted from Wine Bar Food, is for arancini. Here is what I had to say about these delicious, golden-brown bites the first time I had them: "For dinner, they took me to get a 'piccolo arancia [sic]' which is a fried ball of rice with cheese, tomatoes, and meat inside. At first I thought I wouldn't like it, but it was actually wonderful! After that…I had banana ice cream, which was good, but I liked the granita better."
Traditionally a Sicilian dish, this recipe is given a Roman twist with the addition of ground lamb. Perfect for a cocktail party or a casual dinner appetizer, these arancini can be made in advance and frozen for up to a month. Enjoy with a glass of hearty, black current-flavored Nero d'Avola.
As is always the case with our cook the book selections, we're giving away five (5) copies away this week to lucky readers. Enter to win here»
Adapted from Wine Bar Food
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